# R. Kelly (album)

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

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | A- |
| Entertainment Weekly | A- |
| The Guardian | |
| Muzik | |
| Q | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
R. Kelly received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Callum Jones of Rolling Stone 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 have shown that great sex is spiritual, and Kelly's make-out music ranks with the best." Yahoo! Music critic Jim DeRogatis, who would later go on to be the most prominent journalist to report on Kelly's various crimes, found that with R. Kelly "Kelly shows that he can balance the sacred and the profane more effectively than anyone since Prince."
Entertainment Weekly editor Ken Tucker noted that "where his last collection, the hugely successful 12 Play, was shot through with raunch and roll, Kelly is now infatuated with, as one song title has it, "Tempo Slow" [...] There are times when Kelly confuses sincerity with dolorousness, but for the most part, he's pulled it off: An album that moves him into a new realm of pop ambitiousness." Cash Box felt that R. Kelly showcases the singer's "considerable artistic growth as he explores the various textures of R&B music. The seamless way in which Kelly incorporates elements of vintage soul, gospel, and even the blues with his music, adds greatly to his credbility as an artist [...] Radio has been in love with Kelly since his first release and no doubt this will only further the attraction. This is a solid album that will position the artist to be a major and versatile force in R&B/Pop well into the foreseeable future."

### Accolades

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

## Commercial performance

R. Kelly debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. It was Kelly's first album to reach the top of the chart as well as his second album to peak at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On January 17, 1996, the album was cerified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The following year, it was certified 4x Platinum. By September 1998, R. Kelly had sold 2.8 million copies domestically. On June 22, 1999, it reached 5x Platinum status for shipments figures in excess of 5.0 million units.

## Track listing

All songs written, produced, and arranged by R. Kelly.

## Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.
* 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
* Jim Slattery – multi instruments
* Marinna Teal (Strings) – vocals (background)
* Mario Winans – programming

## Certifications

Certifications for R. Kelly :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Gold | 50,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 100,000$^^$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000$^^$ |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||