Notes & Personnel Info |  | Initial pressings of THE "R." IN R&B COLLECTION VOL. 1 included a bonus disc featuring "Bump N' Grind - (Old School mix)", "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know) - (Live To Regret It mix - Blame It On The Mo)", "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I) - (remix)", "Gotham City - (remix)", "If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time". | | Personnel: R. Kelly (vocals, various instruments); Ronald Isley, Wyclef Jean, Celine Dion (vocals); Jay-Z, Boo, Gotti (rap vocals); Ernie Isley, Donnie Lyle (guitar); Bobby West, Rodney East, Jim Slattery (keyboards); Peter Mokran (programming); Joan Collaso, Cheryl Wilson (background vocals); Public Announcement. | | Producers include: R. Kelly, Timmy Allen, Tone, Poke, Wyclef Jean. | | Recorded between 1991 & 2003. Includes liner notes by Rob Marriott. | | Personnel: R. Kelly (vocals, keyboards, programming); Ronald Isley (vocals); Gotti (rap vocals); Donnie Lyle, Ernie Isley, Keith Henderson, Bobby Broom, Gregg Landfair (guitar); Steve Skinner (keyboards, drum programming); Lafayette Carthon, Jr., Loris Holland (keyboards, background vocals); Bobby West, Jim Slattery, Percy Bady, Rodney East, Kendall D. Nesbitt (keyboards); Allan Byrd Tatum (programming, background vocals); Abel Garibaldi, Peter Mokran, Timmy Allen, Tony Black, Andy Gallas, Ian Mereness (programming); Jeff Bova (keyboard programming); Mario Winans, Mr. Lee (drum programming); Cheryl Wilson, Troy Bright, Johnny Rutledge, Yvonne Gage, Robert Bowker, Jeffrey Morrow, Joan Walton, Rob Trow, Anthony Ransom, Dennis Collins, Diva Gray, Elisabeth Withers, Fonzi Thornton, Lisa Lougheed, Robert Moe, Stevie Robinson, Nancey Jackson, Paulette McWilliams, Spencer Washington, Tawatha Agee, Ayuana George, Cathy Richardson (background vocals). | | Audio Mixers: Chris Trevett; Humberto Gatica; Jeff Vereb; Peter Mokran; R. Kelly; Richard Travali; Serban Ghenea; Tony Maserati; Ian Mereness. | | Liner Note Author: Rob Marriot. | | Recording information: Battery studios, Chicago, IL; Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, IL; Cove City Sound Studios, NY; Platinum Sound studios, New York, NY; Right Track Recording, New York, NY; Rock Land Studios, Chicago, IL; Soup Can Music, Harper Woods, MI; Studio 56; Studio Morin-Heights; The Chocolate Factory, Chicago, IL; The Dream Factory; The Hit Factory, New York, NY; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA; United Sound Systems, Detroit, MI; Van Guard Studios, Oak Park, MI. | | Author: R. Kelly. | | Director: Percy Bady. | | Photographer: Reisig. | | Unknown Contributor Role: Omar Gilbert. | | Arranger: R. Kelly. | | Creatively, R. Kelly came a long way since 1992. The Chicago singer started out his career with catchy, if conventional, new jack swing, but as the '90s progressed, he evolved into one of more interesting, risk-taking male singers in urban contemporary and neo-soul. It would be a stretch to say that Kelly is in a class with Al Green, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, or Marvin Gaye -- he's a product of a different generation and a different era, and he needs to be evaluated on his own hip-hop-minded terms rather than '60s or '70s terms (even though he has plenty of '60s and '70s influences). But it's no exaggeration to say that some of Kelly's work has been excellent, including many of the songs on The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1 -- a best-of release that paints a generally favorable picture of the Chicagoan by focusing on his more essential recordings. Many of Kelly's well-known hits are provided, and they range from "You Remind Me of Something" and "Bump n' Grind" to "I Believe I Can Fly," "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)," and "I'm Your Angel" (the singer's unlikely duet with Celine Dion). Spanning 1992-2003, the collection shows how much Kelly evolved during that 11-year period. The thing that ties many of these songs together -- from the Guy-ish new jack swing number "She's Got That Vibe" in 1992 to "Fiesta" in 2000 -- is hip-hop, which has always been an integral part of the singer's output. Vol. 1 isn't the last word on Kelly's output; some major hits are missing, and the Vol. 1 part of the title implies that a Vol. 2 is needed. But for the novice or casual listener who wants to have many of Kelly's hits in the same place, Vol. 1 serves its purpose nicely. ~ Alex Henderson | | It should not be forgotten (and from the overwhelming sales of CHOCOLATE FACTORY, it clearly hasn't) that R. Kelly is the master of hip-hop-infused love songs, the sultriest of swinging R&B seducers of the 1990s and beyond. The Chi-town crooner scored two number one hits and absolutely ruled the R&B charts when he first popped up in 1992 with his brand of honey-coated love. All of his hits are present on THE "R." IN R&B COLLECTION VOL. 1, backed by five remixes on the limited-edition bonus disc, including a Delfonics-style reconfiguring of "Bump N' Grind." | | Kelly's greatest charm lies in his overt sexuality, coming right out with "Sex Me," or saying he can't see "nothing wrong with a little bump n' grind," ever flashing a coy smile. However, he truly cemented himself as a superstar when he recorded the inspirational (and chaste) "I Believe I Can Fly" for the Michael Jordan-with-cartoons movie, SPACE JAM, and followed that trick up with a number one duet with Celine Dion. Kelly has the most bewitching tenor and the ability to commandingly wrap it around any song, and this greatest-hits package is the perfect reminder of that talent. |
Engineer: Chris Brickley; Michael Shlesinger; James Lee; Humberto Gatica; Jeff Vereb; Abel Garibaldi; Peter Mokran; Andy Gallas; Ian Mereness; Jason Mlodzinski; Bob Cadway; Carl Robinson |
Musical Guests | | Ernie Isley | | Ronald | | Jay-Z | | Boo & Gotti | | Wyclef Jean |
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