Untitled (R. Kelly album)

Untitled
Studio album by
R. Kelly
ReleasedNovember 30, 2009 (2009-11-30)[1]
RecordedSeptember 2008 – October 2009
StudioTrod Nossel Studios[2]
GenreR&B[3]
Length62:13
LabelJive
Producer
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 in the UK on November 30, 2009, and in the US 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.

Background

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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

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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, "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" 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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[7]
The A.V. ClubC+[8]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[3]
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 positive 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

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

Commercial performance

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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

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Standard edition[20]
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 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

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Release history

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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

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References

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  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. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. Review: Untitled. 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. ^ 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 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. ^ Nominees: 2010 - 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. 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.
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