R. Kelly (album)

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R. Kelly
File:Singer R. Kelly.JPG
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released November 14, 1995
Recorded 1994–1995
Genre R&B • soul • hip hop soul • gospel
Label Jive • Zomba
Producer R. Kelly • Barry Hankerson (exec.)
R. Kelly chronology
12 Play
(1993)12 Play1993		 R. Kelly
(1995)		 R.
(1998)R.1998
Singles from R. Kelly
  1. "You Remind Me of Something"
    Released: October 30, 1995
  2. "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)"
    Released: December 11, 1995
  3. "Thank God It's Friday"
    Released: January 6, 1996
  4. "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)"
    Released: March 29, 1996

R. Kelly is the self-titled second studio album by R&B singer R. Kelly. It was released on November 14, 1995. The album was somewhat of a departure from his previous album's sexual innuendos, featuring slightly more introspective lyrics. R. Kelly was the artist's second #1 R&B album and the first one to top the Billboard 200; it spawned three #1 R&B singles in chronological order: "You Remind Me of Something", "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" and "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[1]
Robert Christgau (A-)[2]
Entertainment Weekly (A-)[3]
Q 4/5 stars[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 4/5 stars[5]
Yahoo! Music (favorable)[6]

Critical response

R. Kelly received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Jim Derogatis of Rolling Stone wrote, Kelly "has grown out of his unthinking misogyny to the point where he makes a plea in 'As I Look Into My Life' to 'brothers in the ghetto' to 'love and respect that woman and bring her happiness.' Make love not war is an old message, but Kelly delivers it with sincerity. By spreading it in the hood in these violent times, he believes he's doing God's work, and who's to say he is wrong? Predecessors like Marvin Gaye and Prince have shown that great sex is spiritual, and Kelly's make-out music ranks with the best."

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards – 1997 Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist (nominated)

BMI Awards – 1998 Pop Songwriter of the Year (won) ("I Believe I Can Fly", "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)", and "I Don't Want To" by Toni Braxton)

MTV Video Music Awards – 1996 Best Male Video for "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" (nominated)

Track listing

All songs written and composed by R. Kelly, except "(You To Be) Be Happy" co-written with C. Wallace. 

No. Title Length
1. "The Sermon"   3:23
2. "Hump Bounce"   4:06
3. "Not Gonna Hold On"   4:04
4. "You Remind Me of Something"   4:09
5. "Step in My Room"   3:48
6. "Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby..."   4:19
7. "(You to Be) Be Happy" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.) 4:36
8. "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" (featuring The Isley Brothers) 4:48
9. "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)"   5:31
10. "Thank God It's Friday"   3:53
11. "Love Is On the Way"   3:01
12. "Heaven If You Hear Me"   0:58
13. "Religious Love"   4:11
14. "Tempo Slow"   4:10
15. "As I Look Into My Life"   1:30
16. "Trade in My Life"   6:20

In popular culture

In 1996, songs from this album were featured several times in the first season of the UPN sitcom Moesha. "Hump Bounce" featured in the third episode, "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" was featured in the tenth episode and "You Remind Me of Something" can be heard and was referenced in the fifth episode.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[7]

  • Ray Bady – Vocals (Background)
  • Chris Brickley – Engineer
  • Lafayette Carthon – Keyboards
  • Kirk Franklin – Choir Director, Guest Artist
  • Stephen George – Engineer, Mixing, Programming
  • Bernie Grundman – Mastering
  • Barry Hankerson – Executive Producer
  • Charlotte Horton – Vocals (Background)
  • Ernie Isley – Guest Artist, Guitar, Performer, Primary Artist
  • Ronald Isley – Guest Artist, Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals (Background)
  • R. Kelly – Composer, Keyboards, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Primary Artist, Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
  • Mr. Lee – Guest Artist, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Programming
  • Peter Mokran – Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing, Programming
  • The Notorious B.I.G. – Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Rap, Unknown Contributor Role
  • Jim Slattery – Multi Instruments
  • Mario Winans – Programming

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1995 UK Top Albums 18
Canada Albums Chart 69
Germany Albums Chart[8] 69
Netherlands Albums Chart[9] 26
New Zealand Albums Chart[10] 30
Sweden Albums Chart[11] 32
US Billboard 200[12] 1
US Billboard Top R&B Albums[13] 1
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums[14] 1

Certifications

Territory Certifier Certification Sales
Canada CRIA[15] Gold 50,000
England BPI[16] Gold 100,000
United States RIAA[17] 5× Platinum 5,000,000

See also

References

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  7. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r-kelly-mw0000177221/credits
  8. ↑ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=R%2E+Kelly&titel=R%2E+Kelly&cat=a
  9. ↑ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=R%2E+Kelly&titel=R%2E+Kelly&cat=a
  10. ↑ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=R%2E+Kelly&titel=R%2E+Kelly&cat=a
  11. ↑ http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=R%2E+Kelly&titel=R%2E+Kelly&cat=a
  12. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/r-kelly-mn0000319347
  13. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/r-kelly-mn0000319347
  14. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/r-kelly-mn0000319347
  15. ↑ http://musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=r.%20kelly&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist
  16. ↑ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
  17. ↑ http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=R.%20Kelly&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50
Preceded by Billboard 200 number-one album
December 2–8, 1995		 Succeeded by
Anthology 1 by The Beatles
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