R Kelly put a Love Letter in the mailbox a couple of years ago. It was dedicated to the ladies. This is the follow-up entitled Write Me Back because, as far as he’s concerned, the best albums were made before email and phone texting. It’s a record of new soul songs that sound like old soul songs, a trip back to the 1970s and 1960s, and, like that last album, it’s a case of style over substance.
R Kelly handles almost all of the production and that’s fantastic. He’s always been his own best musician. The instrumental backing sounds gorgeous, sometimes perfectly so. The first song captures the magic of Marvin Gaye. It’s the vocal melodies that are lacking and that’s a shame because catchy vocals were a given back when the singer made albums with no special formulas or gimmicks.
my rating : 3 of 5
2012
