90s R&B legend Keith Sweat announces New Zealand shows

R&B singer Keith Sweat will play two shows in July

Back in the 90's R&B legend Keith Sweat made a promise to make you sweat and now he's going to make good on that promise.

The singer, regarded as one of the pioneers of the late 80s/early 90s New Jack Swing movement which merged smooth soul style with street tough hip-hop beats, will play two shows in July.

Sweat plays Wellington's Opera House on Friday, 28 July, before hitting the ASB Theatre the following night on Saturday, 29 July.

Sweat's debut album Make it Last Forever, which was released in 1987, sold over three million copies and set the template for New Jack Swing in the process. The record is widely credited as the starting point for the genre. It made Sweat a star and put his producer Teddy Riley in huge demand.

The album's single, I Want Her, hit number one in the charts and is a definitive example of the style.

Three years later he'd follow up with the record I'll Give All My Love to You which double-downed on the sound and gave Sweat another massive hit.

While New Jack Swing has now faded into obscurity Sweat has kept the albums coming throughout the past two decades, albeit with a more contemporary r&b flavour. His most recent effort, Dress to Impress was released last year and recieved solid reviews.

Tickets for the shows go onsale next Thursday at midday via Ticketmaster.