Soul Fixin'

R.Kelly's Latest Disaster

If you have nothing better to do for the next four minutes and fifty seconds take a peek at R.Kelly's latest video for his latest single 'Skin'. Granted, the man has embraced his inner grown man and ditched the gold braids and the gazillion diamond and platinum chains but the video is incredibly corny. Actually, corny is an understatement. I don't know where to begin. This video is far from a visual treat. It's more like a visual misstep. Lately, R. Kelly's career has been full of missteps. His post-Chocolate Factory releases, Tp. 3 Reloaded and Double Up, are clear examples. When the leaked track 'Heaven Chose You' hit the net, I was quite pleased, the song possesses that classic R. Kelly sound, a sound that has eluded his recent albums. However, the self proclaimed 'Pied Piper of R&B' went in a different direction with 'Skin.' The wrong direction. The auto tune direction. The direction that has made so-called singers T-Pain and The Dream famous. How is it that R. Kelly is following in the footsteps of T-Pain and The Dream? 12 Play: Fourth Quarter is due to hit stores soon. Quite frankly, I could care less. I won't be plunking $9.99 down for a Kellz CD any time soon.

Soul Fixin'

New Music from R. Kelly
The abundance of male soul singers making great music, John Legend, Robin Thicke, Anthony Hamilton, Raheem DeVaughn, Calvin Richardson--to name a few, has made R. Kelly a thing of the past. Love for the 'Pied Piper of R&B' began to diminish with allegations of engaging in sexual acts with underage girls and possessing child pornography and was solidified with mediocre post- Chocolate Factory releases such as Tp.3 Reloaded and Double Up.In the aftermath of a long awaited trail and a shocking acquittal, R.Kelly is on a mission to capture the hearts of soul music fans. Yesterday, a new song that may appear on his upcoming album 12 Play: Fourth Quarter, surfaced on the net. 'Heaven Chose You' possesses that classic R. Kelly sound, a sound that has eluded his recent releases. R.Kelly may be on to something with 'Heaven Chose You' and he may be on the path to accomplishing his mission of recapturing the hearts of soul music fans.