Keith
Sweat: 
'Rebirth'
- Elektra
Records.
Release date: 26 November, 2002
Album review by: Fiona Mckinson
1.
I Want You 
2. Gots to Have It
3.
Anything Goes
4.
Ladies Night
5. 100% All Man
6.
Right Stuff
7. One on One - Lade Bac
8.
Show Me
9.
Trust Me
10.
Wonderful Thang
11. In and Out
12.
Can It Be
13. What Is It?
14. Untitled Track
15.
Twisted
I was reluctant to listen to this album. I admit I feared that it would be like getting trapped in a time machine. Keith Sweat's career started in the 1987 with "Make It Last Forever'. His most recent offering was 'Didn't See Me Coming' in 2000. He is a pioneering R&B artist who defined New Jack Swing. Respect is due, who can forget his funky hits such as the classics 'I Wanna' and 'Twisted'? But Sweat's distinctive voice can have the disadvantage of making all his songs sound the same and I wasn't in the mood for an hour long tune. Thankfully Keith's 'Rebirth' is genuine. He has come back as a force for his contemporaries to reckon with. Young stars such as Usher, B2K and Joe may be running the scene, but Keith wastes no time in proving that he can keep up with the pace in terms of lyrical content and production.
In his efforts to compete
though, Sweat produces somewhat standard R&B. The first two tracks
'I Want You' and 'Gots To Have It' aptly plunge you into uptempo Sweat.
The former, being the first single is getting heavy radio rotation and
deservedly so. As the album moves on, Keith moves away from the club joints
into the slow jams such as 'One On One', that he is renowned for. The
album - fifteen tracks in total, makes for easy listening up to the middle,
where I got so laid back that I kinda got lost in a continuos loop of
songs that seemed
to merge into one and blend in too much. My fears were becoming a reality,
but surprisingly not due to Keith's voice, but perhaps production and
tracklisting.
If the first part of the album is for the young clubbers, the second for
the slow dances and romantics, the last is certainly dedicated to Keith's
original fans. Following his son's advice to "do it like you used
to do it", the album launches into a period of deja vu with 'Can
It Be' and 'What It Is'. To round things off, we are treated to two live
bonus tracks, one of which being the old favourite 'Twisted'. Keith is
a great singer and performer, not something all 'artists' can deliver.
The Lick saluted him and this being his eighth solo album in a fifteen year career, testifies to that action. Will the current wave of male R&B stars match his longevity? The Keith of the late eighties could well be an eternal come back kid. Keith can afford a confidence exemplified in '100% All Man'. He has paid his dues, he has nothing to prove after all he paved the way for his current rivals. A mature artist he can claim a wide fan base. He has the competitive edge of being an adaptable originator. 'Rebirth' offers something for all age groups and especially the ladies (note the album cover). Keith has obviously kept up with the changes on the scene over the years - his work with Silk and Kut Klose kept him young.
As an Atlanta mogul he has his own studio and is also a producer, his business sense has produced a successful formula for a solid 2002 album, I have little bad to say about it.
Three favourite tracks:
1.
I Want You
2.
Gots To Have It
15.
Twisted - Live
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