“…Thinkin’ about you, this song came to mind, so I asked the fellas to help me sing along, to let you know how much I care about you. In case you wanna know, their name is Silk, and Baby you know who I am, So I think we’ll just count it down like this….”

For many R&B fans, the aforementioned spoken intro by Keith Sweat was the first time they ever heard of the five-man singing collective known as Silk. They added adlibs and ardent harmonies to a pair of Sweat’s tracks on his 1991 CD, Keep It Comin,’ before exploding onto the charts with their own debut, Lose Control, and its salacious none-too-subtle No. 1 single, “Freak Me.” They weren’t the only male R&B group on the scene, of course, but due to their air-tight vocals and alternating sweet and steamy catalog (“Girl You For Me,” “Meeting In My Bedroom,” “Lose Control,” “Hooked On You,” etc.), the Atlanta-formed quintet were able to stand apart from, and at times, toe-to-toe with, musical peers like Jodeci, Dru Hill, Boyz II Men, Tony Toni Tone and Mint Condition. Miraculously, despite the label implosions that tore asunder many a musical career, all five original members (Johnathan “John John” Rasboro, Gary “Big G” Glenn, Gary “Lil’ G” Jenkins and cousins Timothy “Timzo” Cameron and Jimmy Gates Jr.) have endured the ebb and flow of the times and returned to their signature stylings for CD No. 7, Quiet Storm.

The elements that insured their success—-songs about romance, lovemaking and, erm, beyond—-are what’s highlighted on this newest set, just with more emphasis on passion and togetherness instead of just raw lust and acrobatics. It’s an inevitable shift in subject matter but a welcome one, given that they’re no longer 20-somethings and few things are as pitiful as men at 40-plus acting like sex-starved jocks.

Does that mean Silk is only about flowers, slow moonlit walks and chaste kisses on the cheek while the night is still young? Not quite. “Hey Ladies, put your panties in the air/and wave them like you just don’t care. Hop on the pole….” is heard in “Baby Suit”……. (Please click here for the full-length review at soultracks.com)