Untitled 2009 Album

R. Kelly

Kells is back with his long-awaited ninth solo album in the space of sixteen years, and some could even almost call this his tenth after the leak mid-last year. Only two songs survived that leak ('Go Low' & 'Whole Lotta Kisses') that are both solo produced by Kells, with the remaining thirteen being co-produced. When I realised those two were the only songs that survived I was surprised as in my opinion 'Hair Braider', 'Skin', 'Screamer' & 'Playas Get Lonely' were comfortably the best tracks from that leaked album, particularly 'Playas Get Lonely' which was very solid. Anyway, the tracklist is what is it. My first impressions were not excellent and I was thinking this was his worst album by far. However, as with favourite artists you give the album more time and with each listen (over ten of the album) the songs that were disappointing have grown on me and I enjoy most of this. Some tracks of interest - Where his last two albums have been fairly hip hop influenced this only features a couple that are. 'Supaman High' is one of these which has a dirty south/snap type of beat, is a grower and adds something different to the album but isn't anything brilliant. The other is the opener where Kells raps his verses using autotune over a similarly influenced beat but not as intense, and then the chorus is switched to Robert singing normally. 'Exit' features a piano loop identical to 'Best Friend' from 'Double Up' and Kells saves the average production with a good vocal performance singing about exiting a club with a girl. After that, in 'Echo' Kells yodels during the chorus and sings about noises during sex and it's one of the better tracks. Track seven and eight, 'Like I Do' and 'Number One' are comfortably up there as best tracks which both feature contagious choruses (particulary 'Like I Do') and good build-up. As do the other highlights that come toward the end of the album with the single 'Religious' and 'Elsewhere'. 'I Love the DJ' is an odd one and sees Robert singing over a club/dance beat which is something he hasn't done before. It starts off with him singing "This may sound strange, this may sound strange to you...." It takes getting used to but it isn't horrible. 'Be My #2' is also in the same mould with what reminds me of an English pop-dance beat behind the vocals, but this doesn't work as well and is one of the weaker tracks. Finally, I'm also not feeling the final six-minute long track 'Pregnant'. It lacks any vocal or musical build-up, and there is nothing memorable on offer. Lyrically, it is very much an R. Kelly album. Sex, chicks and more sex. It is though probably less extreme than some of his past work and there is nothing on the sexual simile level of songs like 'Sex Planet' 'and 'The Zoo' that were on 'Double Up'. Many fans may have thought that when U Saved Me/Happy People came in '04 that Kells had matured lyrically and was going to change it up a touch more but that album seems like an outlier as far as his discography is concerned. As far as the beats go, as mentioned he gets more help from other producers than his other albums with only two tracks being solo R. Kelly jobs. Apart from the couple of dance influenced tracks that I mentioned earlier it does still have that R. Kelly feel though to most tracks. As mentioned, it did take a couple of listens that I may not have given the time too had this been another artist and I wasn't a fan of the guy or I was younger and this was the first I'd heard of R. Kelly, so you have to take that into account, but overall this album in many ways while lacking consistency ain't bad from the King of R&B and fans should get something out of it. He is still a brilliant vocalist and while there aren't as many great tracks as there should and has been on most previous Kells releases it is fairly solid. Best Tracks: Echo, Like I Do, Number One, Religious, Elsewhere.