Songoftheday 11/28/17 - Thinking of you that's all I seem to do, when you're not here I long to hold you near...
from the album Make Time For Love (1991)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 1
Today's song of the day comes from soul singer Keith Washington, who came from Detroit to be signed to Quincy Jones' label Qwest Records, where he released his debut album in 1991. The first single, "Kissing You", was his debut breakout and what would be his biggest success. A quiet storm slow burner, the song was written by Washington with then-wife Marsha Jenkins and Rodney Shelton...
"Kissing You" became Washington's sole top-40 pop hit in July of 1991. The song topped Billboard's R&B chart, and crossed over to #31 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio tally. It would go on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance in 1992, losing out to Luther Vandross' "Power Of Love/Love Power".
The second release from Make Time For Love, "Are You Still In Love With Me", made it to #15 on the R&B chart, but missed the pop Hot 100 altogether. Later that year, he guested on Australian pop queen Kylie Minogue's Let's Get To It album on the duet "If You Were With Me Now", which climbed to #4 on the British singles chart. However that would be his only exposure internationally, and the song never made it back to American shores. Two more tracks from Make Time For Love got into the R&B top-40 in 1992, the title track "Make Time For Love" (#22) and "When You Love Somebody" (#26). A year later, Washington put out his sophomore effort, You Make It Easy. From the disc three singles reached the R&B chart, with the lush ballad "Believe That" doing the best, peaking at #30. In 1998, Keith's third album kw arrived, and lead single "Bring It On" got him back on the pop Hot 100 at #63, while cresting at #22 on the R&B list. His most recent chart appearance came later that year when "I Love You" with Chante' Moore from kw hit the R&B airplay chart at #72. He's since become a radio DJ and occasional actor and stage performer.
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
Here's Keith appearing live on the Arsenio Hall show to promote the single and going all Vandross in the house...
...and finally going a step farther with a live orchestra and just killin' it...
Up tomorrow: A flighty rock band takes an uncontrollable Otis Redding jam into the pop top 40.
Comments