Zephyring 20 years, Keyshia Cole’s “Love” still lands like thee earworm.
Zephyring 20 years, Keyshia Cole unleashed the catchy powerhouse earworm “Love” — the kind of ballad that does not need production tricks, guest verses or a giant hook piled on top of another hook. It just needs that voice, that ache and the moment the chorus finally opens up.
Released as the fourth and final single from her 2005 debut album, The Way It Is, “Love” arrived in January 2006 and became Cole’s biggest solo Hot 100 hit at the time, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Keyshia Cole — Love
Twenty years later, that chorus still does all the work.
Keyshia Cole’s 2006 breakthrough ballad remains one of the defining R&B slow burns of its era, complete with a Benny Boom video and Tyrese playing the love interest.
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“Love” Was the Song Keyshia Cole Believed Could Change Everything
Cole co-wrote “Love” with producer Greg Curtis, and the song had already become important to her before the public ever heard it. When she was trying to secure a record deal, it was the record she believed could get somebody’s attention — and it ultimately became one of the songs most closely associated with her entire career.
That makes sense once the vocal arrives. “Love” is not about showing off for the sake of showing off. Cole sounds wounded, confused, stubborn and completely committed all at once. Then the chorus hits and suddenly every person within earshot thinks they can sing it too. That is how an earworm becomes an R&B standard.
Then Benny Boom Put Tyrese Right in the Middle of It
The 2006 music video was directed by Benny Boom, with Tyrese Gibson starring as Cole’s love interest — or, as we originally put it, the featured boy-toy model. A very 2000s piece of casting and absolutely understood.
Boom keeps the visual focused on the relationship rather than burying the song under spectacle, which is exactly what “Love” needs. Tyrese gives the video an instant recognizable face, but the emotional center never wanders far from Cole herself. The whole thing exists to let the record breathe.
Twenty Years Later, the Chorus Still Belongs to Everybody
Some songs age because they belong so specifically to the production trends of their moment. “Love” has done the opposite. The arrangement is restrained enough that the record still feels immediate, while Cole’s performance carries all the drama it needs.
That is also why the song has never really left. It became a sing-along record, a karaoke test, a heartbreak anthem and one of those songs where the first few notes are enough to make a room react. Twenty years later, “Love” still knows exactly where to hit.
So for this anniversary spin, we are going straight back to 2006: Keyshia in full voice, Benny Boom behind the camera and Tyrese doing exactly what a featured boy toy should do — look good and stay out of the chorus’s way.
Watch Keyshia Cole’s 2006 “Love” Music Video With Tyrese
Our anniversary clip revisits Keyshia Cole’s Benny Boom-directed “Love” video, featuring Tyrese Gibson as her on-screen love interest.
Don’t have TikTok? Watch on IG.
Sources: Apple Music; Billboard; IMDb.
