Wikipedia

R. Kelly (album)

This article is about the self-titled album by R. Kelly. For other albums by Kelly, see R. Kelly discography.

R. Kelly is the eponymously-titled second studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter R. Kelly. It was released on November 14, 1995, by Jive Records. The production was handled entirely by Kelly himself.[citation needed] It spawned three number one R&B singles: "You Remind Me of Something", "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" and "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)".

R. Kelly
Studio album by
R. Kelly
ReleasedNovember 14, 1995 (1995-11-14)
Length62:47
Label
ProducerR. Kelly
R. Kelly chronology
12 Play
(1993) 		R. Kelly
(1995) 		R.
(1998)
Singles from R. Kelly
  1. "You Remind Me of Something"
    Released: October 27, 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: June 21, 1996

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Robert ChristgauA-[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA-[3]
The Guardian     [4]
Muzik     [5]
Q     [6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [7]

R. Kelly received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Callum Jones 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."[7] Yahoo! Music critic Jim Derogatis found that with R. Kelly "Kelly shows that he can balance the sacred and the profane more effectively than anyone since Prince."[8]

Entertainment Weekly editor Ken Tucker noted that "where his last collection, the hugely successful 12 Play, was shot through with raunch and roll, Kelly is now infatuated with, as one song title has it, "Tempo Slow" [...] There are times when Kelly confuses sincerity with dolorousness, but for the most part, he’s pulled it off: An album that moves him into a new realm of pop ambitiousness."[3] Cash Box felt that R. Kelly showcases the singer's "considerable artistic growth as he explores the various textures of R&B music. The seamless way in which Kelly incorporates elements of vintage soul, gospel, and even the blues with his music, adds greatly to his credbility as an artist [...] Radio has been in love with Kelly since his first release and no doubt this will only further the attraction. This is a solid album that will position the artist to be a major and versatile force in R&B/Pop well into the foreseeable future."[9]

Accolades

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In August 1996 at the MTV Video Music Awards, "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" was nominated for Best Male Video.[citation needed]

Commercial performance

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R. Kelly debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.[10] It was Kelly's first album to reach the top of the chart as well as his second album to peak at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[10] On January 17, 1996, the album was cerified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[11] The following year, it was certified 4x Platinum.[11] By September 1998, R. Kelly had sold 2.8 million copies domestically.[12] On June 22, 1999, it reached 5x Platinum status for shipments figures in excess of 5.0 million units.[11]

Track listing

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All songs written, produced, and arranged by R. Kelly.[13]

R. Kelly track listing
No.TitleLength
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
Total length:62:47

Personnel

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Credits adapted from AllMusic.[13]

  • 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
  • Jim Slattery – multi instruments
  • Marinna Teal (Strings) – vocals (background)[14][15]
  • Mario Winans – programming

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for R. Kelly
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[26] Gold 50,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[27] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[11] 5× Platinum 5,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 14, 1995). "( R. Kelly > Overview )". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "CG: R. Kelly". Robert Christgau. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Tucker, Ken (November 24, 1995). "R. Kelly". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  4. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (November 24, 1995). "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian.
  5. ^ Springer, Jacqueline (January 1996). "R Kelly: R Kelly" (PDF). Muzik. No. 8. p. 90. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  6. ^ "R Kelly R. Kelly CD". Cduniverse.com. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The new Rolling Stone album guide – Google Books. ISBN 9780743201698. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  8. ^ Derogatis, Jim (November 14, 1995). "R. Kelly Reviews on Yahoo! Music". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  9. ^ Robertson IV, Gil L. (December 16, 1995). "Urban" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 11. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d "American album certifications – R. Kelly – R. Kelly". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  12. ^ Samuels, Anita M. (September 19, 1998). "R. Kelly Aims To Fly With Double Set". Billboard. p. 41. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  13. ^ a b "R. Kelly – R. Kelly – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  14. ^ "Strings Credits". AllMusic.
  15. ^ "Sonicbids". Sonicbids.com. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  16. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 1 August 2005" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Australian Web Archive (805): 2. August 1, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2005. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – R. Kelly" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – R. Kelly – R. Kelly" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  19. ^ "Charts.nz – R. Kelly – R. Kelly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  20. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – R. Kelly – R. Kelly". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  21. ^ "R Kelly | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  22. ^ "R. Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1996". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  24. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  25. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  26. ^ "Canadian album certifications – R. Kelly – R. Kelly". Music Canada. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  27. ^ "Dutch album certifications – R. Kelly – R. Kelly" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved August 17, 2022. Enter R. Kelly in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1997 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  28. ^ "British album certifications – R. Kelly – R. Kelly". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
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