To The World: What the Critics Are Saying

Music set is ushered in with “To The World,” where R. Kelly’s victorious vocals and a symphonic backdrop are punctuated by a 40-second verse from Kanye West where he declares himself the “God of Rap.”

- XXL 

Notably, the first words you hear on “Cruel Summer” aren’t from Mr. West, but rather from the besieged R&B singer R. Kelly, on “To the World,” who sings with defiant anguish, through layers of digital processing: “I’m on my Sinatra/I’m doing it my way/Let’s take it a notch up.”

- The New York Times

It's R. Kelly who steals the show on the first track, "To the World." The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer urges listeners to throw their middle fingers up in a surprisingly motivational tune, where he proclaims, "The whole world is a couch, bitch, I'm Rick James tonight," in a nod to Dave Chappelle's everlasting depiction of the legendary pop star.As far as album openers go, "To the World" is a spotless first step, maybe too good, as it pushes the bar up another few notches before track two even begins.

- MTV

  The presence of R.Kelly on a rap song, let alone opening a rap album, is viciously beautiful -- beautiful enough to smooth the wrongs caused by Kellz and Kanye's trite rhymes. "R. Kelly and the God of rap shittin' on ya/ Holy crap," 'Ye ends his rhyme. Teyana Taylor misses the opportunity to close the song with any vocal prowess. 

- Billboard

Opening track “To the World” affects the brilliant pairing of West with fellow eccentric R. Kelly. The latter provides a majestic hook, which allows the former to summon the paranoid ferocity that underwrites his finest lyrical moments. When West snarls, “I’m just trying to protect my stack / Mitt Romney don’t pay no tax,” optimists can be excused for speculating that the album to follow will prove rich with similar lyrical gambits.

- Music is my Oxygen Weekly 

Write Me Back: What the Critics Are Saying

Overall, Write Me Back is another strong album from a singer who has never really produced a weak one.

- The Line of Best Fit

  With “Write Me Back,” R. Kelly proves that he is not only one of the best vocalists in our industry, but he is one of the most creative musical geniuses of our time.

- The Vocal Lounge

While there are those picking sides in the Chris Brown or Usher debate of who is the reigning king of R&B (please note: the only people tossing Justin Bieber’s name in the ring are those who think R&B stands for “rainbows and bunny rabbits”), R. Kelly is simply getting it done, letting his music speak for itself.

-  Calgary Herald

It's a crafty move for the R&B star who, while racking up hits himself and others, has probably been underappreciated as an artist.

- People Magazine

If anything, Write Me Back proves that Kelly's mode throughout Love Letter was no fluke. It's apparent that he can be retro and urbane as instinctively as he can be cutting edge and filthy.

- AllMusic

On Write Me Back, he shows how easy it can be to switch between madness and genius.

- Gaffa.se

A critic once opined that R. Kelly writes songs as easily as mere humans rearrange living room furniture, and that's never been truer than now: His 11th studio album comes 19 years after his 12 Play debut, and he's long since mastered his muse well enough to set himself a task like "do a 1970s album" and execute it flawlessly in his sleep. The true trick is that the results still sound like him, instead of some '70s caricature, or an aural Austin Powers character (a fate that's befallen many talented artists, like, say, Saddiq).

- SPIN Magazine

Share My Love: What the Critics Are Saying

Despite his penchant for timeless love making anthem – and there are plenty of them – Robert Kelly’s propensity to craft a damn good dance record shouldn’t be ignored. Where “Step In The Name Of Love” is a wedding mainstay and overall classic feel good number, “Share My Love” should have people two stepping nights away with not a care in the world in no time.

- The Smoking Section

Its sound is reminiscent of 1960's/70's soul, funk, and disco from the likes of Barry White and Marvin Gaye, still maintaining Kelly's unmistakably smooth style.

- Billboard 

R. Kelly is back for 2012 with a brand new track called ‘Share my Love’, which is an epic song that shares the lovely romantic vibes we expect from the amazing R&B singer and performer.  After a few years of laying low, it seems as if the sensation is back with a new energy, charisma and talent!  He wants to continue bringing us amazing music and ‘sharing his love’ with [us].  It is so nice to hear his voice echoing through the speakers, so be sure to download this one for the iPhone, MP3 player and jam on out! 

- StupidDOPE

After today's sad announcement on the passing of Don Cornelius, it's hard not to hear any other news without that shading on it. But this is a celebratory piece. Because R. Kelly's back, and he's disco, and it's a very specific nod to an era during which Cornelius reigned. Applause all around. Kells' newest offering is "Share My Love," a track sent to radio today, steeped in 1970s soul and the R&B crooner's plan to help "populate" this big blue earth. It's a lot of familiar instrumentation from his last album, 2010's "Love Letter," with its groovy bassline and warm, flirty guitar, laced with twinkling keys and a humming, sensual orchestra.

- HitFix

"Share My Love" sounds like it's beamed in straight from the speakers of Studio 54, sometime around 1977. Crooning over shiny disco strings and a sweetly mellowed-out beat, the King of R&B keeps it smooth as silk -- or at least polyester, preferably in electric purple.

Romantic as ever, Kels slips more than a few priceless come-ons into the lyrics for "Share My Love" (the first single from his forthcoming album, Write Me Back). Of course, when he announces he's about to "tell you all of the things I wanna do to you" in the first verse, your instinct is probably to cover your ears and start shouting "LA LA LA!" to drown him out. But that's nothing compared to the real prize-taker at the bridge: "Now that we're in this room/Let’s do what we’re born to do/POPULATE! POPULATE!" It's classic Kels -- fantastic and terrifying at the very same time. BTW, I just pictured R. Kelly in a butterfly-collared button-down and suede bell-bottoms, and it was kind of amazing. Let's all break out our halter-neck catsuits and do The Hustle.

- MTV Buzzworthy