KW
Keith Washington (Silas/MCA)
By: ShortyDiva
Keith Washington, the oh-so sexy R&B vocalist with such hits as "Kissing You" and "Candlelight and You" has hit the scene with his third album which took him five years to put out. Last time we say Keith, he had his well-known "polished" look and now he has gone rough, rugged and raw on us with cornrow twists and an older appeal to him.One thing that has not changed is his ability to put out really good "mood music" for his listeners. This time around though, he has more of an edge to his lyrics and beats. Gone are the strings that drew so many people to his style in the early 90's. I must say though, on his behalf, he still has that same great voice that flutters over a track with such ease. I guess Keith is changing with the times by putting out funkier, more bass lined material which makes his listeners more prone to dance that to make love. The lyrics are still seductive in nature and the background vocalists are a real compliment to his songs here.
"I Warned You" is a nice street track with enough bass line to keep the car's jumping and the cluber's hopping. A very nice "Friday Night Song", which is also the case for the track entitled, "No Matter". On "I Don't Mind", Keith gets a bit more sleek with this piece of work. It has a sliding groove with a slow wind effect. "Tell Me (Are You With It)" he slows things down and gets back to his basics of laid back grooves. "Bring It On", KW's first release has Keith getting intimate and sweet, a very nice lead off track for the album, it served as the groundwork for what is to be expected from this throughout.
Then there is one of my favorite tracks which features Keith's female pal and in my mind, ballad partner, Chante' Moore (She is all that!). They both add so much to a song when they collaborate, I love anything they do together. Their past efforts have given the R&B world some of the best love songs ever, true classics! Here, they get together to create an imminent classic "I Love You", one of the best, if not THE best song off the entire album. I love it!
On "I Can't Put You Down", another favorite, is on the slow tip. It is a very nice track that has great background vocals by an artist named Herschel Boone which makes this a great "male song". I love the meshing of both voices on this track, nice job overall on both parts.
"KW" is a very nice album overall, it warrants a strong 4. The reason I can not give this album a five is due to Keith's change in format with the more plush, string resonating songs that he is known for, as well as all the glorious ballads that have come from him as a male R&B artist. He is still a wonderful artist, with great material but I guess I am an old-fashioned girl that clings to those basics. Keep bringing what 'cha got Keith, you are always welcomed. For those folks looking for a nice album, entailed with grooves and ballads, pick "KW" up, you will enjoy what you hear.
