Singer Keith Sweat has been charting love songs for 30 years, smooth, sultry, seductive jams designed to coax women out of their clothes and into his arms.
From his 1987 solo debut Make It Last Forever through such pop and R&B hits as “Merry Go Round,” “I Want Her,” “Right and A Wrong Way,” and “Twisted,” he was a pioneer of new jack swing, layering urban contemporary vocals over infectious hip hop beats.
Yet chances are that many in attendance at his Huntington Center concert stop Saturday night will know him for another reason: as host of the syndicated radio show The Sweat Hotel (7 p.m. to midnight Sunday on 95.7, WIMX-FM), where he arbitrates five hours of smooth, seductive love songs — his own and others’.
It’s an irony, perhaps, that the Harlem-born performer didn’t set out to be a professional singer. Well, not exactly.
True, he was performing in the tristate area at 14 as part of a group called Jamilah. But he was also bent on going to college — which he did at City College of New York, graduating with a bachelor of science in communications — before working briefly as a brokerage assistant at the New York Stock Exchange.
Not exactly a common route to success as an entertainer.
And yet it was invaluable, he said during a recent phone conversation with The Blade, since his time at Paine Webber afforded him precious business acumen before he struck gold with his debut album.
“I created a brand,” he said of his presence as a soulful balladeer. “A lot of my success today is based on the knowledge I gained on Wall Street back in the day.”
Keith Sweat promises that his Toledo concert will personify that brand, delivering “a ton of hits” as well as a live band. “No backing tracks,” he said emphatically.
As for The Sweat Hotel, the singer said it was an experiment that exceeded all expectations.
“I had a slight interest in being in radio, and once a friend of mine talked me into doing the show he put me on eight stations. Now I’m in about 60 or 70 markets,” he explained. “It just blew up.”
Why take time out of touring and recording to do a five-hour radio show?
“You get the chance to talk to your listeners,” he said matter-of-factly. “I mean, really what you don’t get in terms of touring. When you’re touring you’re on stage and you can’t really interact.”
Not that he’s complaining. Sweat is thankful that when he looks out at his audiences he sees “a variety of different ages. The parents have played my music while the kids were growing up. I get a lot of hip hop [artists] talking about me in their songs, so my audience is very wide.”
No doubt some of those younger concert-goers discovered the crooner through streaming services like Spotify, for which Sweat is grateful — with reservations.
“The whole Internet thing wasn’t like it is when I came down,” said Sweat. “You just have to know how to use it to your advantage. It has helped me in certain areas. It has its pros and its cons.”
After three decades in the business, one wonders if there’s any goal left that Keith Sweat wants to attain.
“I’ve done so many things, from my residency in Vegas to [touring] everywhere else, so I really don’t sit back thinking about what’s my next move,” he said. “I just enjoy life and do what I do.”
Keith Sweat performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Huntington Center, 500 Jefferson Ave. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Opening acts are Jon B and Demetria McKinney. Tickets are $47-$127 at ticketmaster.com.
Contact Mike Pearson at 419-724-6159 or mpearson@theblade.com.
First Published September 21, 2017, 4:02 p.m.
