Background
In September 1998, Sweat released Still in the Game , his sixth studio album with Elektra Records. The album opened at number six on the US Billboard 200 and became his sixth consecutive platinum seller, [3] with lead single "Come and Get with Me" featuring Snoop Dogg making it to the top ten on the US R&B charts. [4] For his next project, the singer, long recognized for his love songs, set out to craft a grittier, street-infused sound — one that would allow him to explore tougher themes and push his lyrical boundaries. [3] As a result, he consulted a fresh set of collaborators to work on new material, including rappers Busta Rhymes, Rah Digga, and Lil Wayne as well as R&B singers Dave Hollister, Lil Mo and T-Boz from TLC. [3]
Critical reception
Entertainment Weekly wrote that "on Didn't See Me Coming, his seventh solo effort in 12 years, the former new-jack maestro grooves as compellingly and aches as convincingly as ever. And talk about vocal presence: Even with cameos from scene-stealers like Busta Rhymes, T-Boz, and Rah Digga, Coming clearly remains a Keith Sweat joint." [7] AllMusic editor Ed Hogan found that with the album, the singer "showcases his versatility and adaptability [...] Sweat supplies the album with some of his trademark "beggin'" songs [...] After five platinum albums, two gold singles, and this fine addition, those who didn't see Keith Sweat coming will have "to recognize." [5]
Tiffany Madera, writing for The Phoenix New Times , felt that with Didn't See Me Coming "Sweat has transformed himself into a watered-down, whining, would-be hip-hopper. This is not owing to his vocal quality, but rather the trite and played-out themes of his new songs. Giving in to the unfortunate trend in pop music to portray women as gold-digging, needy, dependent, unfaithful and conniving, Didn't See Me Coming presents a slew of scenarios that are comparable in depth to, say, "Big Pimpin" by Jay-Z." [8] Natasha Washington from The Oklahoman called the album a "disappointment." She noted that "although these producers have what it takes to collaborate on new material, Sweat simply doesn't live up to the success of his previous albums. Although Sweat extends an invitation to several artists [...] to join him on the album, his vocals take a backseat to everything else." [9]
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[5] 