Saturday, July 18, 2009

SUBTLETY

R. Kelly - Pussy Cry

I've been down with Kells since the first time I heard that intro to Bump N' Grind and he's never steered me wrong. Through questionable marriages, sexual practices where art imitated life, well in a more perverse kinda way (aquitted, bitches), lotsa litigation and even through the most WHAT THE FUCK MOMENT in modern music I could always rely on Kells for mammoth hooks, beautifully arranged jams, and some of the most sincere vocal performances this side of Sam Cooke. And quotes. From all my years listening to the man and witnessing him continually re-invented his style and his sound, watching him effortlessly bridge the gap between honey-love R&B and thuggish hip hop, hearing him pioneer his distinct rhythmic half-sung/half-rap flow which has been jocked and used by an endless list of artists from R&B to rap through to pop, well, I still can't figure out whether or not he's taking us all for a ride with his lyrics. And I love it that way. Mozart crossed with Dolemite.


[R. Kelly MySpace]

[The Demo Tape is R. Kelly's first mixtape. Buy his music from his official site.]

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