''R. Kelly'' is the eponymously-titled second studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

. It was released on November 14, 1995, by Jive Records. The production was handled entirely by Kelly himself. It spawned three number one R&B singles: " You Remind Me of Something", " Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" and "

I Can't Sleep Baby (If I) "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" is a single by American R&B singer R. Kelly from his 1995 eponymous album. The song spent two weeks at number one on the US '' Billboard'' Hot R&B Singles chart (Kelly's sixth number-one R&B hit) and peaked at numb ...

Critical reception

''R. Kelly'' received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Callum Jones of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' wrote, Kelly "has grown out of his unthinking misogyny to the point where he makes a plea in 'As I Look Into My Life' to 'brothers in the ghetto' to 'love and respect that woman and bring her happiness.' Make love not war is an old message, but Kelly delivers it with sincerity. By spreading it in the hood in these violent times, he believes he's doing God's work, and who's to say he is wrong? Predecessors like Marvin Gaye and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

have shown that great sex is spiritual, and Kelly's make-out music ranks with the best."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200; it is R. Kelly's first album in his career to chart at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Accolades

In August 1996 at the MTV Video Music Awards, "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" was nominated for Best Male Video.

Track listing

All songs written, produced, and arranged by

Personnel

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. *Ray Bady – Vocals (Background) *Chris Brickley – Engineer *Lafayette Carthon – Keyboards *Kirk Franklin – Choir Director, Guest Artist *Stephen George – Engineer, Mixing, Programming *Bernie Grundman – Mastering *Barry Hankerson – Executive Producer *Charlotte Horton – Vocals (Background) *Ernie Isley – Guest Artist, Guitar, performer, Primary Artist *Ronald Isley – Guest Artist, performer, Primary Artist, Vocals (Background) *R. Kelly – Composer, Keyboards, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Primary Artist, producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) *Mr. Lee – Guest Artist, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Programming *Peter Mokran – Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing, Programming *The Notorious B.I.G. – Guest Artist, Primary Artist, Rap, Unknown Contributor Role *Jim Slattery – Multi Instruments *Marinna Teal ( Strings) – Vocals (Background) *Mario Winans – Programming

Uses in media

In 1996, songs from this album were featured several times in the first season of the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

sitcom '' Moesha''. "Hump Bounce" featured in the third episode, " Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" was featured in the tenth episode and " You Remind Me of Something" can be heard and was referenced in the fifth episode.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1995 albums R. Kelly albums Albums produced by R. Kelly Albums produced by Barry Hankerson Jive Records albums