R.
Kelly is the current king of r & b, having sold millions of albums,
returning often to the top of the charts and even paving a way for
talented newcomers to the Top 10.
Yet the talented Chicago musician, producer and singer, whose first name is Robert, is hardly as well-known, as say, the former Prince.
Yet the talented Chicago musician, producer and singer, whose first name is Robert, is hardly as well-known, as say, the former Prince.
Not because he's not controversial.
In his headlining set that alone made the multi-act ``Budweiser Superfest'' at the Hartford Civic Center Sunday worthwhile, Kelly claimed local police warned him to tone down his salacious act and specifically to not drop his pants.
That may have all been a part of a film storyline that introduced his set, in which Kelly is locked up because of the effect his music has on women.
Some may dismiss Kelly for putting the X into r & b, but his live act shows him to be merely continuing a soul tradition -- specifically that of Marvin Gaye.
Kelly, who with his shaved head, shades and long basketball player's body, resembles Chicago's most famous personality, had a voice that at first recalled the rough melodiousness of Bobby Womack. But toward the end of ``It Seems Like You're Ready,'' one of several torchy songs from his ``12 Play'' album, he shifted into ``Distant Lover,'' Gaye's sure-fire showstopper, unrecognizable to most of the young audience.
The crowd caught on a bit more when, at that song's conclusion, his snap band played a bit of Gaye's ``Let's Get It On'' to introduce Kelly's own more blunt ``Sex Me (Parts I & II).''
It seemed a logical connection to a figure who was singing ``Sexual Healing'' at the end of his career and doing encores on his last tour wearing only silk pajamas.
Sure, there's even fewer subtleties here. Kelly did a few pushups and otherwise punctuated his hit ``Bump N' Grind'' forcefully with his hips. His wriggling, barely clad female dancers seemed to have been hijacked from 2 Live Crew's entourage.
But Kelly's got a voice, a musical sense and a vision that show he's due far more attention.
He's also quite a showman, able to integrate the requisite cheer competitions into the rest of the act, keep the attention of an audience through a smartly paced set and give the impression of a naughty show when in fact, he never did drop his pants, the way that say Bobby Brown did on his last tour (to no effect whatsoever).
In his headlining set that alone made the multi-act ``Budweiser Superfest'' at the Hartford Civic Center Sunday worthwhile, Kelly claimed local police warned him to tone down his salacious act and specifically to not drop his pants.
That may have all been a part of a film storyline that introduced his set, in which Kelly is locked up because of the effect his music has on women.
Some may dismiss Kelly for putting the X into r & b, but his live act shows him to be merely continuing a soul tradition -- specifically that of Marvin Gaye.
Kelly, who with his shaved head, shades and long basketball player's body, resembles Chicago's most famous personality, had a voice that at first recalled the rough melodiousness of Bobby Womack. But toward the end of ``It Seems Like You're Ready,'' one of several torchy songs from his ``12 Play'' album, he shifted into ``Distant Lover,'' Gaye's sure-fire showstopper, unrecognizable to most of the young audience.
The crowd caught on a bit more when, at that song's conclusion, his snap band played a bit of Gaye's ``Let's Get It On'' to introduce Kelly's own more blunt ``Sex Me (Parts I & II).''
It seemed a logical connection to a figure who was singing ``Sexual Healing'' at the end of his career and doing encores on his last tour wearing only silk pajamas.
Sure, there's even fewer subtleties here. Kelly did a few pushups and otherwise punctuated his hit ``Bump N' Grind'' forcefully with his hips. His wriggling, barely clad female dancers seemed to have been hijacked from 2 Live Crew's entourage.
But Kelly's got a voice, a musical sense and a vision that show he's due far more attention.
He's also quite a showman, able to integrate the requisite cheer competitions into the rest of the act, keep the attention of an audience through a smartly paced set and give the impression of a naughty show when in fact, he never did drop his pants, the way that say Bobby Brown did on his last tour (to no effect whatsoever).
Of
course Kelly has been touring since spring, while the rest of
Saturday's lineup (which was missing Kelly protege Aaliyah, with no
explanation) were just starting. That may explain why the acts -- all
rappers -- were so under-rehearsed.
The only one with any sort of show was Heavy D, who seemed to have dropped a lot of weight, as well as all of his Boyz this time around. Maybe he got in shape by keeping up with his six dancers, who moved in ensembles to snippets of several Heavy D hits.
Unfortunately, the Overweight Lover, as he calls himself, was also the Lip-Synching Lover, mouthing the words to his records until they ended, when suddenly his booming live voice returned.
Warren G. and an excellent crew from Long Beach, Calif., were more impressive musically, but G himself only did two numbers -- the realistic depiction of ghetto life in ``Do You See'' and the summer hit ``Regulate.''
That was also the case in the 15- minute set of Coolio, which after a long ride of his hit ``Fantastic Voyage'' and a nostalgic ``I Remember,'' didn't have room for anything else, except to show that the fancifully braided rapper wasn't even the most talkative in his 40 Thieves crew.
The only one with any sort of show was Heavy D, who seemed to have dropped a lot of weight, as well as all of his Boyz this time around. Maybe he got in shape by keeping up with his six dancers, who moved in ensembles to snippets of several Heavy D hits.
Unfortunately, the Overweight Lover, as he calls himself, was also the Lip-Synching Lover, mouthing the words to his records until they ended, when suddenly his booming live voice returned.
Warren G. and an excellent crew from Long Beach, Calif., were more impressive musically, but G himself only did two numbers -- the realistic depiction of ghetto life in ``Do You See'' and the summer hit ``Regulate.''
That was also the case in the 15- minute set of Coolio, which after a long ride of his hit ``Fantastic Voyage'' and a nostalgic ``I Remember,'' didn't have room for anything else, except to show that the fancifully braided rapper wasn't even the most talkative in his 40 Thieves crew.
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