Songoftheday 3/2/21 - Now I've heard talk of angels baby, but never though I would have one to call mine ...
"Am I Dreaming" - Ol Skool featuring Keith Sweat & Xscape
from the album Ol Skool (1997)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #31 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 3
Today's song of the day comes from the R&B vocal group Ol Skool, who came together in St. Louis, Missouri in the mid-1990s. Mentored by new jack swing star Keith Sweat, the quartet of Jerome Lane, Tony Herron, Curtis Jefferson, and Bobby Crawford released their self-titled debut album at the start of 1997. The first single from the record, "Set You Free", popped on to Billboard magazine's R&B chart for a couple of weeks, topping out at #94. But it would be the follow-up that would give the group their biggest success. "Am I Dreaming" was written by veteran soul songwriter Sam Dees, who wrote Larry Graham's classic "One In A Million You". It originally was recorded by the group Atlantic Starr for their 1981 album Radiant. The song has the protagonist wondering if their new love is going to last, with female vocal group Xscape (who just made the top ten in the fall of 1995 with "Who Can I Run To") and Sweat (who had made the top ten as a member of LSG at the end of 1997 with "My Body") in tow. Though it doesn't really break any new ground lyrically, their voices blend well together, with each member getting a chance to sing. The music video puts the song in a "is she cheating" setting, where the girl is keeping secrets.
"Am I Dreaming" became Ol Skool's first and only pop hit, reaching the American top-40 in February of 1998. The single was a much bigger hit on urban radio, climbing to #5 on Billboard's R&B chart. The Ol Skool album made it to #49 on the Billboard 200 sales chart. However, that song was the end of their chart run. The group released a second album, R.S.V.P., in 1999, but sadly that was ignored.
(5/10)
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Up tomorrow: Female rapper give her romantic everything.
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