★★★ (out of 4)
Why did it take decades for R. Kellyto make a disco
record? His pristine, emotive vocals and graceful productions would
seem a natural fit for the heyday of roller skates and gold lamé -- not
to mention his lyrical randiness. And that's certainly not a bad thing.
On "Write Me Back," his second consecutive album to explore incandescent
old-soul sounds, he might have made the best grown-man dance record of
the year.
There are echoes of Marvin Gaye
and Donny Hathaway in Kelly's delivery this time, and the songwriting
is, per usual at this point in his career, nimble and nicely matured.
But the arrangements are the centerpiece here. These songs sidle up to
you with four-on-the-floor beats at slower classic-disco speeds. Brittle
funk guitars, flecks of congas and magic-hour string sections leave
"Share My Love" and "Lady Sunday" positively aglow. He can still
slow-burn a ballad like "Clipped Wings" without peer, but the lived-in
uplift of "Write Me Back" finds him at a perfect sweet spot of nostalgia
and modern skill.
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