Search - Keith Sweat :: Rebirth

Slinky and Kinky

theskinnycritic | Sacramento, Ca | 08/17/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If nothing else, one can count on Keith Sweat for not selling out. You won't hear any sappy collaborations with boy bands, corny remakes, or featured youth choirs on a Keith Sweat album. I'll spot him one star on that premise alone. As for Keith Sweat's 'Rebirth', it is better than his last CD ('Didn't See Me Coming') but falls short of some his best work. Thankfully, Sweat put the uptempo tracks together at the beginning so that we can skip over them all at one time. They are fairly unintelligible from everything else on the radio. Worse yet, they are difficult to tell from each other with formualic, looped beats and sophomoric, self-aggrandizement. When he is not trying so hard to impress the fellas, Keith Sweat can actually make some of the best uptempo tunes in R&B, like 'Twisted', which he included here as a live version. The remaining tracks on 'Rebirth' are solid Keith Sweat slow jams. The head-bobbing, slinky grooves go down as well as they always have with only the occassional crude lyric tossed in. Check 'One on One' which starts with instructions for some unsuspecting lady to bend over and touch her toes. Probably not a realistic opener unless you're out with Lil' Kim, Anna Nicole Smith, or both. 'Wonderful Thing' is a refreshing slow jam. 'Show Me' ranks right up there with some of his best ballads. If you're a Keith Sweat fan, skip the first six tracks and commence slow grooving at track seven. If you don't don't know much about Sweat, 'I'll Give All My Love to You' and 'Still In the Game' proove more complete CDs for the money. The bland up-tempo songs on 'Rebirth' drag down what is otherwise a fine effort by Mr. Sweat."

Who are you, and what have you done with Keith?

Anthony Rupert | Milwaukee, WI | 09/11/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It pains me to give a Keith Sweat album such a low review, but I agree with what another reviewer says...that after dropping the LSG album, Still In The Game was a step down and Didn't See Me Coming was another step down. With Rebirth, he just fell down the stairs.Most of the songs on this album are fast, and they're the problem. And I'm not saying that just because they're fast, but because the production is terrible, the guest rappers are about as dope as Irv Gotti, and the lyrics are cheesy and generic at the same time. Also, when you listen to the singing in these bouncy tracks, it doesn't even SOUND like him. If Keith wanted to go back to fast songs, he should've stuck with flavors like those found in "Just A Touch" and "Twisted" (not "I Want Her"; that style's too dated). Instead, he gives us wack tracks like "The Right Stuff" and "I Want You", and the raunchy and disturbing "Anything Goes". The tired "100% All Man" has the chorus "40% lover/10% player/10% stunna/No % hater/40% hottie/Add it up mami/100% all man", and in "Ladies Night", he says he's looking for a girl so he can "shake his gelatin." Men do NOT say that! Also, I don't know WHAT is going on with those sound effects in "Gots To Have It" because it sounds like someone let elephants into the studio. With all these fast tracks and rappers, you can tell Keith is still trying to get younger fans (or whatever he's trying to do), but it just doesn't work. It's sad when you can't even cross over right.The slow songs are the only ones that are worth listening to...or so I thought. "Show Me" and "One On One" are good, and "Can It Be" is tolerable. "Wonderful Thang" is decent until he refers to a woman as "You wonderful thang, you" during the chorus. "In And Out" is all right but that background singing is dreary. And it's really annoying that the end of almost every ballad has Keith saying "Turn the lights down" three times.Keith Sweat calls this album Rebirth, but the rebirth of what, I can't tell. You couldn't pay me to listen to this album again."

Say It Ain't So!!! Keith are you ok man?

D. Connally | Aurora, Colorado United States | 10/01/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Ugh! I can't believe it! Once one of r&b's greatest balladeers and soul singers, Keith Sweat has in fact lost it. I'm sorry to say that, as I used to be a fan. But if I am going to write a proper review I've gotta 'runteltdat!' like it is. If you want TRUE Keith, revisit 'Make it Last Forever'. In all honesty he hasn't released a truly righteous album since. A string of hit singles and various collaborations have kept him afloat, but this latest release further cements his decline into the bargain bins of used cd stores. From the very moment this cd begins, you know exactly which direction Keith is going to take. Unfortunately it's a wrong turn. I never woulda thought I would see the day when Keith would wear the guise of a fake pimp and sing about "poppin' bottles with his girls" all the money he has and about "shakin your booty up'. He has been mislead into thinking that this is what his audience wants to hear from him. He's given to making 'baller' references in all of his songs. This just WILL NOT DO! And in these attempts he comes off as the poor man's RKelly. Avoid this cd at all cost! I did! I'm glad I borrowed it from a friend. I listened to it 10 times before I wrote this review and there's not a solitary positive thing I can say about it. I feel like cussing somebody out now."