It was ten years ago that we were introduced to R&B singer Keke Wyatt, who, at the tender age of eighteen, covered the René & Angela classic “My First Love” with R&B crooner Avant, which helped propel them both to success. But a lot has happened in the last decade, though.
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In 2001, Keke released her certified gold debut album, Soul Sista, which was recorded in only two weeks. On Christmas Day 2001, she stabbed her husband and manager Rahmat Morton during a domestic dispute but was acquitted of second degree assault on March 25, 2002. By 2004, Keke had signed with Cash Money Records with plans of releasing an album in May 2005. But the album was shelved, and Keke signed with TVT Records prior to the label going bankrupt February 2008. She joined Shanachie Records last year, and today she’s releasing Who Knew?, the long-awaited follow-up to her debut.
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It seems almost as if Sade has taken to grace listeners with its smooth, signature sound about once a decade, and Soldier of Love is right on schedule, the group’s first studio album in exactly 9 years, 2 months and 26 days. Fans will understand the significance of mentioning the time passed as each album following 1988’s Stronger Than Pride has suffered a longer lapse of time than its predecessor.
If that truly is the case, it may be some time after 2020 before we hear from Sade again. But let’s not dwell on that unfortunate news; for the moment Sade and the guys are back!
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Frontwoman and lead vocalist Helen Folasade Adu along with Stuart Matthewman on guitar and saxophone, Paul Spencer Denman on bass and Andrew Hale on keyboards have been together since 1982, and in a span of over 25 years, they’ve released six albums (including Soldier of Love) and sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Sade says, “I only make records when I feel I have something say. I’m not interested in releasing music just for the sake of selling something.”
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R&B singer/songwriter Jaheim returns for Another Round while reintroducing his signature, soulful sound on his fifth studio effort. It was nine years ago that he hit the scene with Ghetto Love, which immediately garnered the 22-year-old comparisons to greats like Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. But Jaheim is truly in a league of his own.
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A young man with an old soul, Jaheim manages to transcend the status quo of contemporary R&B without resorting to explicit lyrics and overproduced beats. He could teach the younger guys in the game a thing or two about saying what they feel when it comes to the opposite sex and doing so in a way illustrating maturity and sincerity. But that’s not exactly the world in which we live, as evidenced on the title track which deviates from the usual Jaheim sound. It’s not necessarily a bad track (in fact, it’s quite radio-friendly), but it is quite ill-fitting in the midst of everything else.
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Corinne Bailey Rae made her debut in 2006 with “Like a Star”, a smooth, soulful ballad, introducing the English singer-songwriter with her signature soft-spoken sound. But the second single, “Put Your Records On”, brought stardom and pushed her eponymous album to No. 1 in its first week.
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A little over two years later, though, her world came crashing down when her husband, 31-year-old musician Jason Rae, was found dead of an accidental drug overdose. In an interview with Billboard, Corinne explained, “There was a long period where I didn’t really hear any songs.” Fortunately, though, she began to make music again and her songwriting instinct ‘just started to reappear. I don’t know why, but I was glad to have it back.’”
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