TP3 Reloaded

by

R. Kelly

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I could listen to "Remote Control" all day. That song is so soulful for me. I got ready to quit my job, went on break, listened to that song, and calmed right down. That's how serious it is. This cd is a regular ole R. Kelly cd, full of soul, laughs, and freak nasty lyrics (Note: R., it's okay to leave some details out...I really didn't need to know you toss salad). The "Trapped in the Closet" DVD was entertaining and the guy who plays the woman's husband did a great acting job. The only problem is once you know all five parts, you're really not trying to hear it again. It loses its flair. "In the Kitchen" and "Kickin' it with your girlfriend" were great songs too! I didn't care for "Playa's Only" or "Happy Summertime"--too cliche. But other than that, this cd is just what I expected--a great listen.

On "Put my T-Shirt On" at 3:51 time frame, I could listen to him do that "Eee ee ee ee ee ee" over and over again too.

With 12 Play, R. Kelly showed that he was a creative force in the world of new-jack R&B; with his raunchy lover man image and X-rated lyrics. It also made him a pop icon. His sequel to 12 Play, TP-2.Com, continued this formula with his "thug love" persona. Now, let's skip to 2005 with his newest album, TP.3 Reloaded. It's unbelievable that R. has now created a third installment in the 12 Play series, and for all of his fans who have brought all of his albums since 1992, know what to expect from this record: plain SEX. That's the good thing about this album. The thing that really messes this album up is its repetitiveness. Look at some of the song titles, for instance. Anyway, there are some good, but not great gems on here. The opening, "Playa's Only" really starts this album off on a great start, with its crunk, party-starting beats and with Kelly's and The Game's perfect chemistry. "Happy Summertime" has a nice laidback, 70's vibe with Snoop Dogg's smooth rapping. "Touchin'" is a steamy ballad with him doing an average duet with Nivea. The one thing I think saves this album from being a total disaster is the most-talked single of this year, "Trapped in the Closet (Chapters 1-5)". This epic series can be considered the "Fatal Attraction" of music. In this story, Kelly sleeps with a woman he met at a nightclub, and he then wakes up in the morning to find out that her husband is a homosexual and is cheating on her. But Kelly has even more problems because he finds out that his girlfriend is in a relationship with someone else. It's just interesting how Kelly keeps twisting the plot throughout all of the chapters. Another thing he does new on here is try to make a couple of attempts to do reggae music on songs like "Slow Wind" and "Reggae Bump Bump (featuring Elephant Man)". Overall, it seems like TP.3 Reloaded is the most ambitious out of the whole 12 Play series, but it's also the less-appealing. It just doesn't have the substance 12 Play or TP-2.Com had, but it does follow in the same vein of the 12 Play predecessors respectfully. The reason why this probably strays away from 12 Play and TP-2 is because the album feature too many guests that don't make stellar performances here, the craftmanship sounds very generic on this album, and it gets a little repetitive as a whole. It's so ironic how Kelly toned down his explicit credibility for his two previous releases, Chocolate Factory and last year's, Happy People/U Saved Me, and now he returns to the stuff that made him one of the most provocative artists of the 1990's with this album. TP.3 Reloaded is a major disappointment, that has flashes of good songs around the whole record. Let's just hope on the next release that Kelly finds his real style and talent. D-