by Ron Wynn
New Jack vocalist/producer Keith Sweat helped mold the ensemble Silk in his own image on their debut. He wrote or co-wrote eight of the 10 tracks, produced or co-produced every cut, sang the lead on "Happy Days," and either did background vocals or played on all the numbers (doing both on several). The quintet demonstrated nice harmonizing and competent vocal skills on most songs, although they hadn't yet developed a cohesive identity or first-rate vocalist. Silk scored hits with the smash "Freak Me" and "Happy Days." The best numbers highlighted their roots in '70s soul and '50s doo-wop. It wasn't a spectacular debut, but a promising one.