Search - R.Kelly :: Untitled

R. Kelly is trying to be an R&B Thug selling out true fans!

Lotto | Texas, USA | 12/29/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Look. I'm going to be flat out honest and tell you that this album is horrible. I used to be a huge fan of R. My favorites are Honey Love, Slow Dance, Dedicated, and most of the original 12 Play album and the remixes for it. After 12 Play, it started going down hill as he started trying to be an R&B thug and rap. Kells can flat out sing, but what mature adult is gonna play a song called "Be my #2" or "Banging the Headboard"? Truthfully, I gave up on Kells when he came out with "Feelin' on your Booty" and I like the beat for that song. Yea, you will still get a nice ballad on CD he releases from time to time, but nothing like his previous projects. Apparently he is reaching out to the younger generation with songs like "Text Me" and all this over the top sex crap he keeps releasing. I look at the track listings and shake my head in shame.



My advice to you if you are a mature adult: pass on this. If you are a young thundercat: this may appeal to you. My advice to R. Kelly: Grow up! Get back to the basics and sing some love ballads. If you have too, make a double CD with one CD being the R&B Thug crap and the other CD straight up ballads with emotion and passion. You are getting too old for the thug crap plus we see through that fake image anyway. Be true to yourself and be true to your fans.



P.S. Readers, drop some comments. I'd be curious to see who all feels the way I do.



Deuces!"

Sadly, the downslide continues...

N. Mbele | Pietermaritzburg, South Africa | 01/20/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"As a long-time R. Kelly fan, it hurts me to have to admit that he is no longer the great musician he once was. This so-called 'Untitled' album is testament to that.



A short while after its release and out of curiosity, I popped into a local music retail store for a quick listen. Though I did not spend more than a couple of minutes on each track, after less than fifteen minutes of listening, I felt sick and needed a brown bag. This couldn't have been the R. Kelly that brought us '12 Play', the self-titled 'R. Kelly', the double album 'R' and [...]! It is not that the music on the album is bad by today's standards. The problem is that R. Kelly has dumbed his music down to accommodate certain expectations, no doubt.



As a mid-thirties father to a daughter, the music on this record made me very uncomfortable at a certain level. Come to think of it, my old man who is fiftysomething, was a huge fan of Kelly (probably still is!), but he has not spoken of him in at least four years! I guess the point here is, Kelly has not grown with his fanbase over the years, instead choosing to go backwards. This has pushed his mature fanbase towards artists like Anthony Hamilton, Brian McKnight, Joe, Musiq Soulchild and other similar artists. I tend to agree with a reviewer who suggested that Kelly look at his birth certificate and try to catch up.



Here's hoping that in the near future Kelly will go back to the studio and record the great album we all know he is still capable of.

"

The Perfect Mix of Classic Kells, Radio Anthems, and Artisti

A. Roehling | 12/11/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As a big R. Kelly fan and supporter, I recognize the criticism levied at Kelly (most recently by Trey Songz, whose album was ironically lackluster). There were rumblings that R. Kelly had not ventured musically from the classic style he developed in the early 2000's (which is decidedly different than his 90's style) and that Kelly was using the autotune to hide his aging voice and increasingly limited range.



In "Untitled," Kelly puts all of the criticisms and speculations to bed (which is where he aims to have most of his music end up). For the fans of the classic Kells, there are a number of tracks to please. Additionally, "Number One" received big air play, and it looks as though "Religious" and "Echo" are following closely in Number One's footsteps.



However, the most surprising and rewarding tracks from "Untitled" are the tracks in which Kelly experiments within new styles. "Untitled" is by far the most diverse album that Kelly has put out in years. R. Kelly includes all types of genres and styles within the CD, including Euro-Pop (I Love the DJ), Southern Rap (Supaman High), Dance mixed with brass horns (Be My #2), and even yodeling (Echo) - which, believe it or not, works unbelievably well. Throughout the album, Kelly demonstrates his vocal dexterity and eliminates any questions of an aging voice.



As a long-time fan, I am hooked on the classic Kells style, however, my favorite tracks are all non-traditional R. Kelly songs: "Exit," "Echo," "Be My #2," and "Elsewhere."



Any one who is an R. Kelly fan certainly will love this album and should definitely buy this. However, any one who has tired off Kelly's classic bedroom crooning style should really give this album a chance as well. R. Kelly pushed the boundaries of his platinum-album formula, and the results speak for themselves."