Songoftheday 10/25/24 - After the hopin' and the prayin' and the wishin', girl you're right here in my face...

 

 

"Don't Take Your Love Away" - Avant

from the album Private Room (2003)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #37 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 3

 

Today's song comes from R&B singer Avant, who had landed the biggest hit of his career in the beginning of 2004 with the lead single from his third album, "Read My Mind". The second single from the record would be "Don't Take Your Love Away". Written by the singer with producer Steve Huff, the lyrics could be a progression from the previous hit, with that conquest actually having him cheat on his real woman, with her leaving him and he's begging her to come back. He's laid out the truth, but doesn't really give much evidence that it will chance except the "trust me, bro" salves. The production from Huff is 70s retro soul lushness, but it's just a little too polished, though Avant delivers his R Kelly impression with gusto. The music video has him being caught in the act by hilariously of-the-time technology...

"Don't Take Your Love Away" became Avant's fifth, and so far most recent, top-40 hit as a lead artist on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in May of 2004, while peaking at #13 on their R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. On the radio, the song made it to #12 on the Mainstream R&B Airplay chart and #10 on the older-skewing Adult R&B format.  A third single from the set, "Wanna Be Close", didn't get much attention, but his contribution to the kids animated movie Shark Tale, "Can't Wait", managed to place at #55 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. At the same time at the close of 2004, he was featured on rapper Lloyd Banks' single "Karma", which will bring him Avant back to this series.

Avant returned in 2006 with his next album Director, which scored his highest placing on the Billboard 200 sales tally at #4, while giving the singer his sole #1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. While an attempt to go "street" with the first single, "You Know What" with rapper Lil' Wayne, to continue the momentum of "Karma", stiffed, only making it to #58 on the R&B Singles chart. He recovered with the follow-up, "4 Minutes" which brought him back to the R&B top ten at #9, while making it to #57 on the Hot 100. Another cut from the record, "Lie About Us" with then Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger, rewarded Avant his sole minor hit in the United Kingdom at #76. 

Leaving Geffen Records for Capitol for his self-titled fifth album, Avant rose to #26 on the Billboard 200 and #6 on the R&B Albums chart. The big single from the record, "When It Hurts", is his last Hot 100 charting hit so far at #91, and also got to #15 on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles list. He also faithfully covered Christopher Cross' soft-rock classic "Sailing", which spent 20 weeks on the R&B chart with a high of #54.

 

The singer has since shuffled first to the Verve Forecast label; his last three full-length albums have been released on the indie Mo-B imprint, with 2013's Face The Music making the top-40 on the Billboard 200 at #40 and #9 on the R&B albums list. On it his reunion with Keke Wyatt, "You & I", went to #46 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and topped the Adult R&B radio list for a week. Avant's most recent album, Can We Fall In Love, arrived in 2020, with "Not Gon' Lose" from the set popping on to the Adult R&B chart at #23. 

(5/10)

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Here's Avant performing the song on his AOL Sessions gig...

Tomorrow I'll roll out my top 100 hits from this week, then on Monday SOTD will be back with an R&B giant of the time laying everything out in the open.