Congrats Kells!!



UNTITLED ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!

R. Kelly

Untitled

Jive

Robert Kelly has always said exactly what's on his mind when it comes to love, relationships and sex (especially sex).

At its best, "Untitled" has some of the same attributes that once made Kelly the most addictive guilty pleasure in all of music: solid production and succinct songwriting combined with silky-smooth vocals. At its worst, this album borders on absurdity.

With piano keys and drum beat pounding, "Exit" has a contagious rhythm that commands your head to bob and your shoulders to bounce. "Go Low" and lead single "Number One" featuring Keri Hilson, are equally pleasing to the ears. And the mesmerizing, slow-tempo groove, "Whole Lotta Kisses" is vintage Kelly.

And then there's "Text Me," "I Love the DJ" and "Be MY #2," songs that feel like experiments gone wrong. "Supaman High" featuring OJ Da Juiceman is strictly for the club. Noise in any other setting, it should be ignored unless you're on a crowded dance floor with a glass of cognac in your hand.

R. Kelly is undoubtedly the greatest source of "baby-making music" we've seen since Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass. However, that distinction has its consequences. R. Kelly's over-the-top songwriting on songs such as "Pregnant" is more comedy than romance.

- Geraud Blanks

midiscover said:

Listening to R's album makes u 4get that he was facing all of those charges. This album is one that I've been waiting for.

Chris' on the other hand, is his worst yet. It has nothing to do with his charges. The material is horrible.

daPrettyman said:

So you like the album?

midiscover said:

I really do. I haven't liked an R album since Chocolate Factory.

Really dude? Its that what its come to? The "woman beater" the "ex" and the "piss-star"?
I liked it so much better when people stayed the hell out of others' personal business (for the most part) and judged artists solely on their music.
Nowadays, the media has brainwashed the sheep of this country into thinking you need a dossier and a video diary of an artist before you decide if you like their music or not.
Oh btw,
I don't care how well she sings, you couldn't give me a Susan Boyle CD, but I guess since she's got a clean record, its okay to like her?

daPrettyman said:

Me too! Though I loved Happy People but not U Saved Me (for obvious reasons)

R. Kelly's "Untitled" had a 71% drop-off in sales, falling from # 4 to # 43. A piss-poor performance overall. Pun intended.

Beating down another human says a lot about your character. And yes, he is a woman beater and deserves to be called as such. I don't understand why you don't understand that this is a serious issue and not to be taken lightly.

R. Kelly is so immensely talented that it's almost impossible to hate him. Despite being tainted by allegations of having unlawful sex with a minor, he managed to survive the years-long scandal relatively unscathed and definitely unrepentant. And on his latest album, Untitled (released in the U.S. on Dec. 1, 2009) Kellz is back up to his old musical escapades again. The album is R. Kelly doing what he does best: singing about sex, sex, and more sex. And although he's spent his whole career making bedroom music, he definitely isn't bored with the topic, and he makes that perfectly clear throughout the album.
Direct, Straightforward

Untitled is R. Kelly's 10th album, making him one of the few R&B artists (along with Mary J. Blige and Brian McKnight, to name a couple), who have been able to not only survive but thrive in the fickle nature of the music industry. Unlike some male singers who have a strong female fan base but few devoted male fans, R. Kelly seems to be admired by both women and men equally. Women like his songs because it sounds like he's singing directly to them; men like his music because Kelly is like an extension of themselves; they can put themselves in his shoes as he sings his songs about love and romance. And example of how relatable Kelly is is the song "How I Do," on which he sings about his special qualities: "See there's a lot of things I can't do; and yeah, mistakes I make a lot of; but in a couple categories I do blow the competition out of the water/there's only two things in this world that I'm the best at, it's true/number one is music and baby girl number two - can't nobody work your body out like I do." If lyrics like those thrill you, then you'll love Untitled; the album's chock full of typical R. Kelly bump-n-grind-isms, such as on "Bangin' the Headboard," when he sings "the truth is that you want me and I want you, uhhh/so let's quit playin' around and get our ass under this cover." It's not exactly subtle - Robert Kelly never has been and probably never will be in his music - but you've got to admire his direct, straightforward approach.

Personality & Passion


One of Kelly's best-known sognwriting techniques is his use of metaphors in his lyrics. Songs like "You Remind Me of Something," "Ignition" and even "Sex Planet" (off his Double Up album), all use other things as metaphors for sex. And Kelly continues the tradition on the album's first official single, "Number One," featuring Keri Hilson. On the song, lovemaking is compared to a chart-topping song: "Making love to you is like makin' hits ... I'm in your mix like a number one record and the beat goes on and on," Kelly sings. Although the topic matter is the same as it ever was for Kellz, he does switch things up a little when it comes to his backing music. "I Love the DJ" is a synth-heavy, Techno-lite dance club track; "Supaman High," featuring rapper OJ da Juiceman is a Dirty South crunk track; and the album's opening track, "Crazy Night," featuring the Rock City duo, is Kellz' version of the Auto-Tuned party music that T-Pain has specialized in the past few years. But throughout the various changes in musical styles on various songs, it's Kelly's distinctive personality and passionate vocals that hold the album together and make it a cohesive package instead of just a collection of songs. Untitled isn't his best album, but it's definitely far better than his last official album, 2007's hip-hop influenced Double Up. If Kelly keeps making music this good, he just might win back more fans who abandoned him after his legal problems of the past several years.

http://randb.about.com/od...titled.htm

midiscover said:

So, I guess critics matter now that he's not selling???

Paris9748430 said:

Paris, R. Kelly is doing fine
His album lacked proper promotion like many albums out now. For me it never was about sells. He left his mark in music as a singer, writer and producer already.

BlaqueKnight said:

I didn't say it wasn't hard for me to like it. Man, I struggled with even downloading the leak of the album. I finally gave in and did.

I think the "court of public opinion" doesn't really care about the things R did. The people I've talked to about it seem to think that it was all consensual and the girl "knew what she was doing".

I don't think he'll ever have pop success again, but I don't think his core r&b audience will ever drop him.

scriptgirl said:

I'm assuming you're talking to me.
I do understand the severity of domestic abuse.
What YOU don't understand is that its not any of my business and to be honest, I refuse to care just because dude and chick are celebs.
I'm pretty sure some of the rock artists I listen to are racist bigots but I don't let that affect how I decide if I like a song or not.
Their job is to make music. I refuse to hold a bias or a preference towards someone based solely on their personal views or deeds. A good song is a good song and a crap song is a crap song no matter who did the writing.
You do you and I'll do me, k? Neither of us are going to change each others' minds, so why not give it a rest? If everyone were judged on the worst of their deeds all of the time, there'd probably be no good people over 10 years old.

BlaqueKnight said:

The music scene sure has changed hasn't... 24/7 news, the net, and everybody and their momma are 'reporters' and 'cell phone paparazzi photogrphers'. These artist can't take a piss without someone wanting to take a pic or report it.

Havin said that.

Let's get real about the times we live in. When artist now endorse products, push products and 'pimp an image' that goes beyond their art/music based on "image, you then can't take issue when the light shines/highlights your peccadillos either. (IMHO) There is no on nor off button.....when the white heat starts burning your ass.

Even so, there's a Big difference between personal indiscretions and committing crime, being charged, and convicted of a crime.... it's no longer your 'personal business' but one of public record. One could accuse some of being just as "sheepish" when they don't see no evil, hear no evil, or hear no evil or blinded by celebrity/fame/hero worship/money. At that, the marketplace has always had the last word fairly or unfairly if people in the public eye survive the taint or scandel. Everyone has to make up own their own minds... some people could care less.. some people do. This isn't anything new, it's always been like this...

Don Henley, "Dirty Laundry".

=====
[Edited 12/15/09 15:15pm]

This shit again SMDH!

Anywayssss

midiscover said:

I WAS THERE!!

Amazing show!! My fav. part was the ending when he did some Sam Cooke covers and also the MJ tribute was touching.

It is not hard to hate R Kelly. Not at all

BlaqueKnight said:

Agreed completely.

daPrettyman said:

My comment was to R&B Embassador. I didn't quote his post. My bad. I agree with you, even though I don't really like R. Kelly.

TD3 said:[quote]

The music scene sure has changed hasn't... 24/7 news, the net, and everybody and their momma are 'reporters' and 'cell phone paparazzi photogrphers'. These artist can't take a piss without someone wanting to take a pic or report it.

Havin said that.

Let's get real about the times we live in. When artist now endorse products, push products and 'pimp an image' that goes beyond their art/music based on "image, you then can't take issue when the light shines/highlights your peccadillos either. (IMHO) There is no on nor off button.....when the white heat starts burning your ass.

Even so, there's a Big difference between personal indiscretions and committing crime, being charged, and convicted of a crime.... it's no longer your 'personal business' but one of public record. One could accuse some of being just as "sheepish" when they don't see no evil, hear no evil, or hear no evil or blinded by celebrity/fame/hero worship/money. At that, the marketplace has always had the last word fairly or unfairly if people in the public eye survive the taint or scandel. Everyone has to make up own their own minds... some people could care less.. some people do. This isn't anything new, it's always been like this...
I agree to an extent. The obsession with celebs' lives has grown enormously, though. Any and every little thing seems to matter more to people now than it ever did. Imagine Prince coming up in today's music business. He'd have been done as soon as people found out how old Susan was when he was doing her...OR, he might have been able to make a Kelly-like comeback but he'd be told to lay low by the label and stay away from the young girls. Then Nona, then Mayte...
Bottom line, I LISTEN to music; I don't need to see my music or the artists that make it. It can help or it can hurt. I really, really don't need to know any of their personal business, though. I've got my own life details. I don't need someone else's.

kenny88 said:

Lucky!
I couldn't go to my show since I was overseas

The way he broke into that gospel song

Just before he killed his Twitter account, he went off on stores, saying he went to stores and saw that they weren't stocking it. He claimed the stores were black balling him.

There might be some proof of his travels, as his pictured showed up on PeopleOfWalMart.com around that same day:


Then he killed his account. I think it's all to drum up some publicity for his piss poor album. A panel on a news show last night said Chris Brown has killed his career. No one wants to support an abuser, and he just doesn't have the talent to maintain his career. He had his moment in the spotlight a few years ago. It's over. Done.

I'm glad his album failed like it did. He's in the gutter pile with other trash like R. Smelly.

ernestsewell said:

Of course its to drum up sales and publicity, thats the only way this generation knows how to do things. This is the HYPE generation, its your title, enjoy it, you fucking earned it. Its all about HYPE and bottom line and those other things went out the door a long time ago. The thing is that you cant bitch about the talent and how "you dont wanna know what people do" when its really the only reason they are out there in the first place. To me character does say alot, for me to get an artist, i dont necessarily have to want to have a drink with them or fuck them or even talk to them, but i want them to have soemthing to offer. Im past this whole "music is for partying" sorry, if i wanna party i'll go to club and pick up some girl. Is this saying that people i listen to have to lead perfect life styles, NO not at all, but they have to at least FESS THE FUCK UP and not lie, not hide behind things, blame record stores, play the race card (in a situation where its not even an issue). The artists that i like have had their own issues, i mean i can make a list but its not about that, they all have tended to at least show me something about themselves from their flaws. Chris Brown, did nothing of the kind, not that i cared for his music at all, but now i just think he is a not remorseful and has any character, maybe in 10-15 years when he becomes a man. But going on HOT 97 and laughing about "punching" a woman is not showing me anything but the fact that he is a straight up punk ass.

As for RKelly, i just cant get into his work overall, never could, it just all went the same route in 80-90% of his songs.

Identity said:

Oh man, I'm almost in tears after that one rofl....

Oley oley ohhoooo
wanna hear you echo (echo)

Fuck Chris Brown. He's a good dancer but he can't sing really and of course there's that whole woman beater thing.


R. Kelly? Eh....I will listen but I won't spend one red cent.


Susan Boyle. I hope she gets paid so she can get a makeover and a man.

Yes, I agree: Chris Brown is done. The funny part is, back about 2 years ago, I bet/predicted that this would happen. I said, "Chris Brown is going to do something stupid to ruin his career within 5 years....." Some people owe me money, LOL.

BlaqueKnight said:

U are forgetting though that he didnt just hit a girl that he have known, but a celebrity with some hits and years under the belt already in music. Had she been just a girl he was dating with no background I dont know if it would have been this serious. He got what he deserved anyway in the end.

ernestsewell said:

Even without the Rihanna backlash, he was not going to sell hardly any copies of that mess. That album is horrible.