Keith Sweat (album)

Keith Sweat is the fifth studio album by the American singer Keith Sweat. It was released by Elektra Records on June 25, 1996 in the United States. The single, "Twisted", made it to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, his biggest hit ever on that chart. "Nobody" peaked at number 3 on the same chart. Both songs are his final two of six hits to reach number one on the R&B singles chart and gave Sweat two more Top 5 pop hits in eight years since his first single, "I Want Her".

Keith Sweat
Studio album by Keith Sweat
Released	June 25, 1996
Recorded	The Sweat Shop, Deep Sound Studios, Southern Tracks Recordings; Atlanta
Genre	Urban soul,[1] new jack swing[1]
Length	48:28
Label	Elektra
Producer	C-Love Doc H.O.P. Eric McCaine Fitzgerald Scott Keith Sweat Tizone Alphonso "Doc" Walker William "Billy Bad" Ward
Keith Sweat chronology
Get Up On It (1994) Keith Sweat (1996) Still in the Game (1998)
Singles from Keith Sweat
"Twisted" Released: June 4, 1996 "Nobody" Released: September 17, 1996 "Come With Me" Released: 1997 "Just a Touch" Released: 1997

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	C−[3]
Hartford Courant	(favorable)[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
Vibe	(favorable)[6]
USA Today	[7]

Allmusic editor Leo Stanley found that "Sweat turns in a typically stylish and sophisticated set of urban soul and new jack swing, all highlighted by his silky singing. Sweat's main talent is for smooth ballads, and Keith Sweat is filled with excellent selections, including the seductive "Come with Me," which features guest vocals by Ronald Isley. The album does bog down a bit with uneven material, but its high points are as captivating as any of Sweat's previous work."[1] In a lukewarm review, Los Angeles Times writer Connie Johnson wrote "what sounded new in 1987 may not be groundbreaking today, but Sweat can still crank out a Jeep jam or a temperature-teasing boudoir ballad with the best of them."[5]

Chart performance

The album is the most successful of Sweat's career. It went to the US Billboard 200, debuting at number 5; it was the final of five consecutive albums from the artist to reach number one on the Top R&B Albums chart. The album has occasionally re-entered the Billboard 200, with the most recent occurrence being the week of February 19, 2011.[8] On July 7, 2004, Keith Sweat was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of four million copies in the United States.[9] In 1996, the singles "Twisted" and "Nobody" were both certified platinum by the RIAA, for shipments of one million copies in the US.[9]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Twisted" (featuring Kut Klose and Pretty Russ)	Lavonn Battle	McCaine	4:30
2.	"Funky Dope Lovin'" (featuring Gerald Levert, Aaron Hall and Buddy Banks)	William "Billy Bad" Ward	Ward	4:51
3.	"Yumi"	McCaine Sweat	McCaine	4:21
4.	"Whatever You Want"	Fitzgerald Scott Sweat	Scott	4:18
5.	"Just a Touch"	Steve Arrington Mark Hicks Raye Turner Danny Webster Starleana Young Carter Bradley Floyd Miller Orion Wilhiote Stephen Washington Tom Dozier Thomas Lockett	H.O.P. Productions	5:03
6.	"Freak with Me" (feauring Lil' Bud and Tizone)	John Howcott Emanuel Officer Donald Parks Sweat	H.O.P. Productions	4:44
7.	"Nature's Rising (Interlude)"	Craig Love Sweat	C-Love	0:55
8.	"Come with Me" (featuring Ronald Isley)	Love Scott Sweat	Scott	3:56
9.	"In the Mood"	McCaine Sweat	McCaine	3:45
10.	"Show Me the Way (Interlude)"	Allen "Grip" Smith Sweat	Sweat	2:50
11.	"Nobody" (featuring Athena Cage)	Scott Sweat	Scott	4:24
12.	"Chocolate Girl"	Sweat Alphonso "Doc" Walker	Walker Tizone	4:45
Total length:				48:28

Personnel

Keith Sweat – vocals, producer, executive producer Eric McCaine – producer, engineer, vocals, programmer, musician Donald Parks – producer, musician, vocals Emanuel Officer – producer John Howcott – producer, musician Darryl Adams – vocal backing Michael Alvord – engineer Karl Heilbron – engineer Alex Nesmith – mixing J. Bernanski Wall – mixing Karl Heilbron – mixing Neal H. Pogue – mixing Fitzgerald Scott – keyboards, drum programming William "Billy Bad" Ward – keyboards, drum programming Allen "Grip" Smith – keyboards, drum programming

Buddy Banks – vocals Athena Cage – vocals, performer Doc – producer Traci Hale – vocal backing Charlie Singleton – guitar Aaron Hall – vocals Ronald Isley – vocals, performer Kut Klose – background vocals Gerald Levert – vocals Lil' Bud – rap Pretty Russ – rap Tizone – producer, rap Tamica Johnson – rap Herb Powers – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1996) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 41 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 4 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 84 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 39 UK Albums (OCC)[14] 36 US Billboard 200[15] 5 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 6 Chart (1997) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[18] 29

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19]	4× Platinum	4,000,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1996 (U.S.)

References

1. Stanley, Leo (August 1, 2003). Keith Sweat - Keith Sweat. AllMusic. Retrieved on April 18, 2011.
2. Christgau, Robert (1996). Robert Christgau: CG: Keith Sweat. The Village Voice. Retrieved on April 18, 2011.
3. Eddy, Chuck (July 19, 1996). Keith Sweat | Music. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on April 18, 2011.
4. Catlin, Robert (July 11, 1996). Album Review -- Keith Sweat -- Keith Sweat. Hartford Courant. Retrieved on April 18, 2011.
5. Johnson, Connie (December 8, 1996). Making a list? Checking it twice? Here are some h to keep befuddled spouses, parents of teenagers and others on the right track.. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on April 18, 2011.
6. Meyer, Rudi (August 1996). "Keith Sweat, 'Keith Sweat' (Elektra)". The Washington Post. Vibe Media Group. 4 (6): 135. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
7. Jones, Steve (July 2, 1996). "Bryan Adams regresses; Dylan is redone -- with strings". USA Today. Gannett Company: 7.D. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
8. "Music Albums, Top 200 Albums & Music Album Charts". Billboard.com (in Dutch). Retrieved February 26, 2012.
9. RIAA - Gold & Platinum: Keith Sweat Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on April 18, 2011.
10. "Australiancharts.com – Keith Sweat – Keith Sweat". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Keith Sweat – Keith Sweat" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
12. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
13. "Charts.nz – Keith Sweat – Keith Sweat". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
14. "Keith Sweat | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
15. "Keith Sweat Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
16. "Keith Sweat Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
17. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
18. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1997". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
19. "American album certifications – Keith Sweat – Keith Sweat". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 21, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

External links

• Keith Sweat at Discogs