Untitled (R. Kelly album)

Untitled
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released November 30, 2009 (2009-11-30)
Recorded September 2008 – October 2009 at Trod Nossel Studios[1]
Genre R&B[2]
Length 62:13
Label Jive, Sony
Producer R. Kelly (exec.), Lil' Ronnie, Jazze Pha, Infinity, DJ Camper, Sassieon Hill, Rico Law, Los da Mystro, Royalty, Riffraph, Soulshock & Karlin, Willy Will, Jack Splash, Gaz, The Underdogs, Deep, Berris Bolton, DeWayne Swan, T-Town Productions
R. Kelly chronology
Double Up
(2007)		 Untitled
(2009)		 Love Letter
(2010)
Singles from Untitled
  1. "Supaman High"
    Released: June 12, 2009
  2. "Number One"
    Released: July 28, 2009
  3. "Religious"
    Released: October 10, 2009
  4. "Echo"
    Released: January 2010
  5. "Be My #2"
    Released: Unknown

Untitled is the ninth studio album by American R&B recording artist R. Kelly. It was released, by Jive Records and Sony Music on November 30, 2009 in the UK; while it was released on December 1, 2009 in the US.[3] It was entirely produced by R. Kelly and features prominently carnal lyrical themes.[4]

The album debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Untitled received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics.

Background

In 2008, the album's title was initially supposed to be released under the name 12 Play: 4th Quarter, however, that version of this project leaked before release and so it was decided that the whole project should be re-recorded.

Singles

The album's lead single, "Number One" featuring Keri Hilson, was released on July 28, 2009. The song peaked at number 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.[5][6]

Both second and third singles, "Religious" (released on October 10, 2009) and "Echo" (released on January 2010), underquoted this success with peak positions of numbers 48 and 52 respectively on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, never making it to the official Hot 100.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
The A.V. ClubC+[8]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[2]
The Daily Telegraph[9]
The Guardian[10]
The New York Timesfavorable[11]
Pitchfork Media4.8/10[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
Slant Magazine[14]
Spin7/10[15]

Untitled received generally mixed reviews from music critics.[16] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 15 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[16] Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and called it "a simple, concept-free, creatively unambitious R&B album".[7] Mikael Wood of Spin complimented the album's "fresh raunch", noting "'Bangin' the Headboard' and 'Pregnant' (as in 'You make me wanna get you…') are bawdy even by Kelly's considerable standards".[15] Tom Horan of The Daily Telegraph praised Kelly's "unwavering focus" and stated, "should headboard-banging be in the offing, this will make a fine accompaniment."[9]

In a mixed review, The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin gave the album a C+ rating and commented that it "feels generic".[8] Drew Hinshaw of The Village Voice found it lacking any "larger themes from Untitled's sex seminars" and stated, "It's tragic to see a master of r&b finesse fall back onto a childish, domineering bent that comes off as boorish, entitled, and mean-spirited."[17] Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot wrote that Kelly "massages simple (and sometimes simplistic) words into hooks through phrasing that is pliant, inventive, audacious, sometimes silly", commenting that "That ardor is framed by music that is everything his lyrics are not: subtle, ornate, at times downright refined. As a producer and arranger, he is meticulous with detail, orchestrating hand claps, finger snaps and drum machines to create just the right rhythm backdrop for an evening of 'wooo and weee'".[18] Jon Pareles of The New York Times found the album "routine" for Kelly, although he stated, "Still, even a routine R. Kelly song outshines much of the competition."[11] ≈

Accolades

In 2011, Untitled was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards.[19]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, selling 110,000 copies in its first week, marking his ninth top five album on the chart. As of November 2010, the album sold 334,000 copies in the United States.[20]

Track listing

Standard edition[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Crazy Night" (featuring Rock City)Robert Kelly, Ronnie Jackson, Maurice Simmonds, Theron Thomas, Timothy ThomasKelly, Lil' Ronnie3:35
2."Exit"  Kelly, Phalon Alexander, Larry Nix, Kassim Vonicco WashingtonKelly, Jazze Pha4:06
3."Echo"  Kelly, Infinity, Darhyl "DJ" Camper, Claude KellyR. Kelly, Infinity, DJ Camper3:58
4."Bangin' the Headboard"  R. Kelly, Camper, Sassieon Hill, Infinity, Miguel "Rico Law" JiminezR. Kelly, Infinity, DJ Camper, Hill, Rico Law3:14
5."Go Low"  R. KellyR. Kelly3:51
6."Whole Lotta Kisses"  R. KellyR. Kelly4:30
7."Like I Do"  R. Kelly, C. Kelly, Carlos McKinneyR. Kelly, Los da Mystro3:40
8."Number One" (featuring Keri Hilson)R. Kelly, Keri Hilson, Roy "Royalty" Hamilton, Raphael "Riffraph" HamiltonR. Kelly, Royalty, Riffraph4:21
9."I Love the DJ"  R. Kelly, Rob Allen, Carsten "Soulshock" Schack, Kenneth KarlinR. Kelly, Soulshock & Karlin3:45
10."Supaman High" (featuring OJ da Juiceman)R. Kelly, Otis Williams, Jr., Radric Davis, William HodgeR. Kelly, Willy Will4:24
11."Be My #2"  R. Kelly, Paul L. Kyser, Jack Splash, Leon StuckeyR. Kelly, Splash4:52
12."Text Me"  R. Kelly, Gasner "Gaz" HughesR. Kelly, Gaz4:20
13."Religious"  R. Kelly, Warryn Campbell, Eric Dawkins, Antonio Dixon, Tyrese GibsonR. Kelly, The Underdogs3:03
14."Elsewhere"  R. Kelly, Chris HendersonR. Kelly, Deep4:36
15."Pregnant" (featuring Tyrese, Robin Thicke and The-Dream)R. Kelly, Berris Bolton, Leon Dewayne Swan, Terius NashR. Kelly, Bolton, Swan6:00

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[23] 157
South African Albums (RSG)[24] 19
US Billboard 200[25] 4
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[26] 5
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
US Billboard 200 109[28]

Release history

Region Date Format Label(s) Catalogue
United Kingdom November 30, 2009 Clean version[29] Sony Music Entertainment 88697599152
United States December 1, 2009 Clean version[30] Jive Records 886973113721
Explicit lyrics[31] 886973113622

See also

References

  1. ↑ Diorio, Tiffany (January 6, 2011). "R. Kelly track was made in Wallingford". Record-Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Greenblatt, Leah. Review: Untitled. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.
  3. ↑ Video: R. Kelly f/ Keri Hilson – ‘Number One’. Rap-Up.
  4. ↑ Stewart, Allison. Review: Untitled. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
  5. ↑ R. Kelly Reveals New Album Will Be Called Untitled. MTV News.
  6. ↑ R. Kelly - Number One. DJ Booth.
  7. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. Review: Untitled. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-11-28.
  8. 1 2 Rabin, Nathan. Review: Untitled. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-12-14.
  9. 1 2 Horan, Tom (January 14, 2010). "R Kelly: Untitled, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  10. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline. Review: Untitled. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2010-06-04.
  11. 1 2 Pareles, Jon. Review: Untitled. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-30.
  12. ↑ Fennessey, Sean. Review: Untitled. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-01-11.
  13. ↑ Hoard, Christian. Review: Untitled. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
  14. ↑ Cataldo, Jesse. Review: Untitled. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
  15. 1 2 Wood, Mikael (January 2010). Review: Untitled. Spin. Retrieved on 2011-02-16.
  16. 1 2 Untitled Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2011-02-16.
  17. ↑ Hinshaw, Drew. Review: Untitled. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
  18. ↑ Kot, Greg. Review: Untitled. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.
  19. ↑ Nominees: 2010 - 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Grammy.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-02.
  20. ↑ "R. Kelly Sending Out 'Love Letter' on Dec. 14". billboard.com. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
  21. ↑ "Untitled (Clean)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  22. ↑ "Untitled". play.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  23. ↑ "Lescharts.com – R. Kelly – Untitled". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  24. ↑ http://www.rsg.co.za/musiek_top20.asp Archived December 20, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ↑ "R. Kelly – Chart history" Billboard 200 for R. Kelly. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  26. ↑ "R. Kelly – Chart history" Billboard Digital Albums for R. Kelly. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  27. ↑ "R. Kelly – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for R. Kelly. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Best of 2010 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  29. ↑ "R Kelly: Untitled". hmv.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  30. ↑ "Untitled [EXPLICIT LYRICS] R. Kelly". barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
  31. ↑ "Untitled [EXPLICIT LYRICS] R. Kelly". barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved 2011-09-03.
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