R. Kelly – 12 Play

       R. Kelly – 12 Play is the debut solo album of American R&B and soul musician R. Kelly, released November 9, 1993 on Jive Records. It follows his tenure with R&B group Public Announcement, with whom he released one album, Born into the 90’s (1992). It went on to top the R&B albums chart for nine weeks straight, while reaching the second position on the Billboard 200 chart.

      Jason Birchmeier: ‘ R. Kelly’s debut album with Public Announcement from a year earlier, Born into the 90s, had been a fine new jack swing album, but it hardly foreshadowed the astonishing heights the all-around amazing producer/songwriter/singer summits on R. Kelly – 12 Play, a likewise all-around amazing album with a little bit of something for everyone. There are a couple moments on 12 Play that are reminiscent of Born into the 90s, specifically the sung-rapped ones: “Freak Dat Body” and “Back to the Hood of Things.” These tend to be the least interesting of the 12 songs here, however, and their intermittent, mid-album sequencing is perhaps no coincidence. Rather, it’s the swooning balladry of “Honey Love,” a late-album gem from Born into the 90s, that Kelly reprises to great success throughout 12 Play. The decision to do away with Public Announcement for the most part here is a wise one, as Kelly seems to have a real gift for late-night come-ons as well as elaborately produced musical accompaniment that’s similarly alluring, as evidenced on the album-opening “Your Body’s Callin’….. What’s most wonderful about R. Kelly – 12 Play isn’t Kelly’s mostly dreamy, occasionally dirty, always enrapturing rhetoric, nor his likewise arousing mood music; rather, it’s his precise ability to tie them together so perfectly. This guy really is a genius, and no matter whether you find him fantastic or perverse, you have to marvel at his ability to do everything so masterfully. ‘

R. Kelly – 12 Play Tracklist

1. Your Body’s Callin’ 4:34
2. Bump n’ Grind 3:55
3. Homie Lover Friend 4:22
4. It Seems Like You’re Ready 5:39
5. Freak Dat Body 3:42
6. I Like the Crotch on You 4:06
7. Intermission 2:31
8. Summer Bunnies 4:15
9. Back to the Hood of Things 3:52
10. For You 5:02
11. Sadie 4:30
12. Sex Me, Parts 1 & 2 11:27
13. 12 Play 5:49

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