Rating:
Genre:
R&B
Release Date: 12/01/2009
12 Play: 4th Quarter leaked well ahead of its intended release date, and
“Hairbraider,” its intended lead single, deservedly flopped, prompting
R. Kelly and
Jive to shelve the project. Over a year after the leak, and just in time for the 2009 holiday season shopping rush, a new
R. album in the form of
Untitled receives an official release, featuring a track list drastically different from that of the leaked album. Given that
R. had maintained a relatively low profile since his June 2008 acquittal on child pornography charges,
Untitled is his least eventful release in nearly a decade. Somewhat surprisingly, he leans on a lot of collaborations. He handles only two tracks by himself, farming out the production and songwriting assistance to an assortment of mostly up-and-coming figures who contribute to no more than a couple songs each. Perhaps
R. needed the input from others to help reset his bearings and make a simple, concept-free, creatively unambitious R&B album. There’s nothing outlandish about it, at least not by the
R. Kelly standard. In fact, it’s rather understated, heavy on slow jams with only a couple small surprises: the
Jack Splash-produced
“Be My #2,” heavily reliant on a chunky, adroit disco-funk classic by
Rhyze, and
“Like I Do,” where
Carlos McKinney only slightly adjusts the swishing, gently rocking beat he made for
J. Holiday’s
“Bed” -- a prime example of
R. giving new life to a tired sound with little evident effort. He even humbles himself on the song, if only a little bit: “There’s only two things in this world that I’m the best at, it’s true. Number one is music, and baby girl, can’t nobody work your body out like I do.” He’s coasting here, no doubt about it, but no one can coast like he can.
~Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
;)
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