Just a Touch

by Andrew HamiltonKeith Sweat keeps coming up with the goods, and Just a Touch continues his string of gold LPs -- rightly so, as all 12 cuts are carefully crafted. "Twisted" took the charts by storm; backed by protégés Kut Klose, the midtempo number includes a cameo rap by Pretty Russ. Guest appearances by Gerald Levert, Aaron Hall, and Buddy Banks give the fresh "Funky Dope Lovin'" a 3-D appeal; Sweat can blend with anybody. He updates Slave's "Just a Touch" by adding some slick new beats, as well as Traci Hale on backing vocals. Sweat duets with Althena Cage on "Nobody," a dramatic saga and the most compelling track on the CD. Like many of his contemporaries, Keith plays the Ron Isley card on "Come With Me" -- decent, but it fails to live up to Ron Isley collaborations with notables like R. Kelly. Pretty Russ, Tizone, and Lil Bud all break off raps on the sensual, erotic "Freak With Me." There seems to be no bottom in Keith Sweat's well. He was one of the most prolific artists of the '90s and shows no signs of slacking off entering the millennium.