Kenny Lattimore hit the R&B scene in 1996 with a self-titled debut that showcased his considerable vocal talent and songwriting skills. On his second album, From the Soul of Man (1998), Lattimore experimented with acou... more »stic guitar and gospel influences, revealing a complex musician behind the matinee-idol looks. Weekend might have extended this experimental trend, but, unfortunately, it's more conventional than its predecessor, playing it safe with Babyface-style ballads and "Girl, I can treat you better than him" lyrics. It's not revolutionary, but Lattimore does this music better than anyone else. The album's bouncy first single, "Weekend," has a decidedly retro-'80s feel owing to a sample from Blondie's "Rapture" buried in the bass line. Lattimore collaborates with Raphael Saadiq on the smooth, sexy "Come to Me," but the wannabe urban lyrics of "Can You Feel Me," a duet with Shanice Wilson, sink an otherwise solid effort. Weekend lives up to its name--relaxing, romantic, sweet, and over far too soon. --Courtney Kemp« less
Kenny Lattimore hit the R&B scene in 1996 with a self-titled debut that showcased his considerable vocal talent and songwriting skills. On his second album, From the Soul of Man (1998), Lattimore experimented with acoustic guitar and gospel influences, revealing a complex musician behind the matinee-idol looks. Weekend might have extended this experimental trend, but, unfortunately, it's more conventional than its predecessor, playing it safe with Babyface-style ballads and "Girl, I can treat you better than him" lyrics. It's not revolutionary, but Lattimore does this music better than anyone else. The album's bouncy first single, "Weekend," has a decidedly retro-'80s feel owing to a sample from Blondie's "Rapture" buried in the bass line. Lattimore collaborates with Raphael Saadiq on the smooth, sexy "Come to Me," but the wannabe urban lyrics of "Can You Feel Me," a duet with Shanice Wilson, sink an otherwise solid effort. Weekend lives up to its name--relaxing, romantic, sweet, and over far too soon. --Courtney Kemp
"Kenny Lattimore has been great because of his smooth ballads. But on Weekend, it seems like he took a page from the Solo handbook and brought a whole bunch of bland R&B songs in place of the classic soul songs he's known for.This especially shows on the title track. I don't remember Kenny making any uptempo songs quite like this in the past-although you have to admit the song IS catchy. And the lyrics aren't terrible either-except for the lame bridge. In fact, most of the songs on here are okay EXCEPT for the bridge (the title track) or the chorus ("Don't Deserve").And how about songs where the chorus AND bridge are bad? "Baby You're the One" should have never made it out of the studio. And "If Love Is What You Want" has a cheesy chorus (and a cheesy beat, too, now that I think about it), while the bridge finds Kenny saying things like "Tell me any little thing that you need/And I'll be, I'll be." You'll be what? Maybe you should finish your thoughts, Ken.Sometimes even the ballads aren't very promising on this album. "Can You Feel Me" with Shanice doesn't give anyone a reason to cheer; also, who does a duet with Shanice in this day and age? Not even the Andre Harris/Vidal Davis contribution "Lately" stands out (in comparison to their other work, anyway).Do you know what the end of this album is like? Well, since it was 2001, I don't know...how about throwing on a gospel song to try to make listeners forget how sloppy the rest of the album was? (See also Missy Elliott's Miss E...So Addictive and Destiny's Child's Survivor.) This album would have been better if it were Kenny's first album, because his self-titled debut is much better than this, and his second album From the Soul of Man is even better than that. Take my advice: skip this album and get his first two instead."
Weekend is a Winner
madgriot | 10/10/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Kenny's long anticipated album on a new label, Arista is well worth the wait. The album does depart from the previous two with well crafted, mid-tempo songs with a variety of influences. Weekend is a CD you could put on and listen to all weekend. Highlights from the album are: "Weekend" (first single), "If Love is What you Want", "The Things I'll Do" . "Don't Deserve" and the amazing song "Who". This is the premier album of Kenny's career. His voice is stong and comforting and makes the listener feel the songs like few artist can do. Give it a try. This is the album that Brian Mcknight should have made."
Great, but not vintage Kenny Lattimore
mademan02@aol.com | Milwaukee, WI | 11/13/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I know that artists gotta eat, but it seems like all of the contemporary artists (Chante Moore, Luther, Babyface) are changing their style to get more fans and make less boring music. Kenny is no different, but I actually liked his past contemporary songs ("Make Believe", "For You"). Most of the album has him sounding like every other R&B cat whereas in the past his voice and style was original. But the title track is good, as is the Damien Dane remake of "When You Get Right Down To It". Also, I applaud any album under 50 minutes, which is the case here."
Have a wonderful "Weekend"
shelah | Houston Texas | 10/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you appreciate great singing then you'll love this new album by one of the purest voices in music. No matter how the music is packaged by new writters or new record lables what remains constant is the clear joy that resonates from Kenny Lattimore's voice. You can hear it in every note, run and riff that he was almost aching to get these songs out to his fans and for himself, you just cant hold that much talent in. "Weekend" is for every minute of everyday for every mood and attitude that your feeling. In addition to the hot beats Kenny doesnt forget to give us the smooth and rich lushness of his voice on "Come to Me" which defintely takes flight and never lets you down. Not many artist can do a cover and make it better than the original but Kenny Kan "Right down to it" is right on point. Radio please play this CD and people please go get this CD. I'd love to see Kenny Lattimore get the props he deserves commercially that he gets individually."