Keith Sweat, who perfected the art of begging in R&B music, dabbled in Christmas music with his album A Christmas of Love released on November 20th, 2007, via Rhino Records. When the album was released, Sweat had already released eight solo albums throughout his two-decade career. Outside of “The Christmas Song,” Sweat avoids the usual Christmas standards and instead adds his signature sound to Christmas music.
The sexy slow jam “Be Your Santa Claus” opens up the album where Sweat croons lyrics such as “I wanna be your Santa Claus, I wanna be the reason that you come home tonight. With lush production and a catchy chorus, it’s the perfect way to open up the album. The next track is the up-tempo “Party Christmas,” which would feel right at home during an office Christmas party. The production on “Party Christmas” instantly made me want to grab my wife and attempt to Chicago Step.
“It’s Christmas Again” finds Sweat flirting with a bit of auto-tune (as the sound was prevalent back in 2007), but the singer makes it work for his singing style. “All I Want for Christmas” production will remind listeners of “Love You Better” (Sweat’s duet with Keyshia Cole). Fellas, if you’re in the dog house with your lady during the holiday season, this is one of the songs you want to play. Before the album gets to its closer, the ballad “Under the Tree,” Sweat finds time to stray away from his usual topics and experiment with Gospel on “Point Of Christmas.” Given Sweat’s success with the song’s genre, I wouldn’t mind hearing some more Gospel from Sweat.
To my surprise, Sweat’s only real misstep on the album is his cover of “The Christmas Song.” Sweat’s strength on the album’s original material, including the lesser track “Once a Year,” validates that Sweat didn’t need to include a cover song as his talent speaks for itself. Keith Sweat is a legend in the R&B genre, so it’s puzzling that he waited twenty years to do a Christmas album. Adding his own flavor to Christmas music, A Christmas of Love is a worthy addition to your holiday playlist.
Final Grade B
Top Tracks “Be Your Santa Claus,” “Party Christmas,” “Nothing like Christmas”
A Christmas of Love is available on all streaming platforms.
Growing up in the nineties, movies aimed at a melanin audience often featured soundtracks that had to be just as flavorful as the films themselves. This week, for Slow Jam Saturday, I want to take a trip back to 1993 and highlight one of the slow jams from the soundtrack of “Menace II Society”.
Last week marked two significant anniversaries for one of the greatest artists of all time, Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson. It’s only fitting that I show him some love for Second Listen Sunday. The first anniversary was on the 21st, commemorating nine years since his passing. The second anniversary was on the 22nd, celebrating the 40th anniversary of his seventh studio album, “Around the World in a Day.”
One of my most significant decisions late last year was to pledge to Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. At the time of this writing, I am in Atlantic City for my fraternity’s Regional Conference, where I will represent my chapter, Beta Alpha Omega. In that regard, I believe the perfect song for this week’s Slow Jam Saturday is “The Best Man I Can Be.”
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One Response
Keep on writing, great job!