R&B

Release Date: 1990-10-25, Audio CD, Sony

Release Date: 2002-06-11, Vinyl, Umvd Labels

Release Date: 2009-01-27, Audio CD, Oarfin Records

Release Date: 1995-01-01, Audio CD, Mca Special Products

Release Date: 2000-03-21, Audio CD, Outhouse Records

Release Date: 2011-03-09, Audio CD, Ankh Ba Records

Release Date: 1996-07-23, Audio CD, Planet Earth Recording Co.

R. Kelly was hardly a stranger to controversy in the early 2000s. In addition to being hit with 21 counts of child pornography in Chicago and 12 more in Polk County, FL, the beleaguered singer/producer faced various sex-related civil suits. All those scandals have, at times, overshadowed his music, which is regrettable because Chocolate Factory has a lot going for it. Emphasizing romantic slow jams, it's not as ambitious or risk-taking as 1998's R. -- which is arguably Kelly's best, most essential release despite its own imperfections -- Chocolate Factory, like 2000s TP-2.Com, tends to play it safe. But that doesn't mean Chocolate Factory is without merit; what it lacks in ambition it makes up for in terms of quality and craftsmanship. Many of the influences that have served Kelly well on... Less

Timeless Soul Ballads is an enjoyable, albeit erratically sequenced, compilation of smooth R&B and quiet storm ballads from the '60s to the '90s. From the psychedelic soul of the Five Stairsteps' Ooh Child to the polished new jack swing of Hi-Five's I Like the Way, the evolution of the style is well documented, but leaves no room for smooth transitions from one era to the next, wildly jumping back and forth with no sense of continuity. However that's not to detract from the songs on a track-by-track basis, as there is really no filler from start to finish -- a rarity in R&B reissue comps. It's a good collection for casual soul fans who have been looking for many of these hits but didn't want to spend money purchasing individual discs, and a decent introduction to the R&B ballad on the... Less

1. Papa s Got A Brand New Bag (G.W. Childs Remix)2. Sex Machine (DJ RAD Remix)3. I Got You (I Feel Good) (DJ RAD Remix)4. I Got You (I Feel Good) (Digital Johnson Remix)5. Super Bad (Fredco Mix)6. Get Up Offa That Thing (Splats & Star Remix)7. Sex Machine (Get Funky Remix)8. Papa s Got A Brand New Bag (Feel It Mix)9. Get On The Good Foot (DJ RiB Remix)10. I Got The Feelin' (Hyper Remix)11. Cold Sweat (Rosetta Remix)12. Hot Pants (Da Funked Remix)13. Papa s Got A Brand New Bag (Fresh Remix)14. I Got You (I Feel Good) (Jazzy G Remix)15. It s Too Funky In Here (Funk Me Remix)

The latest and best entry in the Six Degrees label's Under the Influence series is a DJ mix by the well-respected X-Ecutioners alumnus and East Coast Turntable Champion Rob Swift, who has selected a brilliant program of rare vintage funk and soul recordings by such obscure masters of the genre as the Vibrettes, Chuck Carbo, and the Explosions, along with more recent material by Davy DMX and DJ Quik, and a couple of tracks from Afro-Cuban vocalist Bobi C spedes. As with any good turntablist set, half the fun is the source material itself, all of which works together as a sort of historic kaleidoscope of funk, and half of it is in Swift's artful juxtapositions and virtuosic cutting and scratching. Swift is maybe just a bit too respectful and restrained in his approach to the really... Less

Stevie Wonder rarely cut bad sides, fans always flipped his 45s to hear the B-side which often was equally as satisfying. Millennium Edition includes some of those B-sides and album cuts along with a sprinkling of chart smashes making this a grab for both casual and the more probing fans. Staunch Wonderites will notice the omission of four great B-sides: Purple Rain, Hey Love, With a Child Heart, and Ain't That Asking for Trouble. Still, Uptight (Everything's Alright), I Was Made to Love Her, Nothing's Too Good for My Baby, You Met Your Match, and Traveling Man will appease casual record buyers. And serious Wonder lovers will relish the inclusion of Contract of Love and its flip Sunset, a two-sided hit in some Midwest cities that never went national. Love A Go Go, taken from the Uptight... Less