R Kelly albums keep getting better and better. This one, entitled R; his second silly self-referential title in a row; VIP as a title would’ve been just fine; is a double-time set with almost thirty songs, most of which are damn good.
Infidelity creeps back on the new and improved Down Low, there’s an Issues ballad that would’ve been perfect for Michael Jackson and The Hands Of Time, with its yodeling falsettos, sounds like the remake of a 1950s ballad.
The album shouldn’t start with Keith Murray and none of the rappers on Ride match its sultry beat, but Foxy Brown, sounding like Lil Kim, adds sexy sass to Dollar Bill and I Believe I Can Fly makes for an appropriate ending.
If ever there was a double CD that would be even better cut down to one, this is it. Take out the filler skits, keep the best twelve songs; understated gems like Reality and Looking For Love; and it might be a classic.
my rating : 4 of 5
1998