Untitled (R. Kelly album)

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Untitled
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. "Number One"
      Released: July 28, 2009
    2. "
      Religious
      "
      Released: October 10, 2009
    3. "Echo"
      Released: October 10, 2009

    Untitled is the ninth

    studio album by American R&B recording artist R. Kelly. It was released by Jive Records on December 1, 2009. It was entirely produced by R. Kelly and a team of younger producers.[4]

    The album debuted at number 4 on the US Billboard 200, and also reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Untitled received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. The album has sold over 500,000 copies.

    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. That title is still referenced in several songs on the album.

    Singles

    Supaman High featuring OJ da Juiceman was supposed to be the album's lead single, but due to a label and artist dispute, it was repurposed as a promotional single for the album

    The album's lead single, "

    Hot 100 and number 7 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.[5][6]

    Both second and third singles, "

    Religious" and "Echo
    " (both released October 10, 2009), charted lower, with peak positions of numbers 48 and 52 respectively on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

    Critical reception

    Professional ratings
    Review scores
    SourceRating
    Pitchfork Media
    		4.8/10[12]
    Rolling Stone[13]
    Slant Magazine[14]
    Spin7/10[15]

    Untitled received generally positive reviews from music critics.

    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

    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 June 2022, the album sold over 500,000 copies in the United States. A disappointing performance compared to his previous album Double Up which debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 1,000,000 copies

    Track listing

    Standard edition
    The Underdogs
    3:03
    14."Elsewhere"R. Kelly, Chris Henderson Johnny JB TrueloveR. 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
    Japanese bonus track[21]
    No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
    16."Fallin' from the Sky (Write Me Back)"R. Kelly, Johnny JB Truelove, Dennis-Manuel Peters, Mario Bakovic, Daniel CoriglieR. Kelly, T-Town Productions4:25

    Charts

    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

    • List of number-one R&B albums of 2009 (U.S.)

    References

    1. ^ "New R. Kelly CD set for December release".
    2. ^ Diorio, Tiffany (January 6, 2011). "R. Kelly track was made in Wallingford". Record-Journal. Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
    3. ^ a b Greenblatt, Leah. Untitled. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2022-10-23.
    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. ^
      Allmusic
      . Retrieved on 2009-11-28.
    8. ^ a b Rabin, Nathan. Review: Untitled. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-12-14.
    9. ^ a b Horan, Tom (January 14, 2010). "R Kelly: Untitled, CD review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
    10. ^ Sullivan, Caroline. Review: Untitled. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2010-06-04.
    11. ^ a b Pareles, Jon. Review: Untitled. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-11-30.
    12. Pitchfork Media
      . Retrieved on 2010-01-11.
    13. ^ Hoard, Christian. Review: Untitled. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
    14. ^ Cataldo, Jesse. Review: Untitled Archived 2009-12-07 at the Wayback Machine. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-12-01.
    15. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (January 2010). Review: Untitled. Spin. Retrieved on 2011-02-16.
    16. ^ a b 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. Grammy.com
      . Retrieved on 2010-12-02.
    20. ^ "Untitled (Clean)". Amazon. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
    21. ^ "Untitled". play.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
    22. ^ "Lescharts.com – R. Kelly – Untitled". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
    23. ^ "Musiek Top 20". www.rsg.co.za (in Afrikaans). Archived from the original on December 20, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
    24. ^ "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
    25. ^ "R. Kelly Chart History (Digital Albums)".[dead link] Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
    26. ^ "R. Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2016.
    27. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
    28. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2010". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
    29. ^ "R Kelly: Untitled". hmv.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
    30. ^ "Untitled [EXPLICIT LYRICS] R. Kelly". barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
    31. ^ "Untitled [EXPLICIT LYRICS] R. Kelly". barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved September 3, 2011.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Untitled_(R._Kelly_album)&oldid=1161072917"