Amazon.co.uk Review
No-doubt the first of many greatest hits from R&B's true survivor,
The R in R&B Collection Volume 1 reminds that R Kelly's status as one of America's most successful singer-songwriters has as much to do with his staggering ability to juggle personas as his way with a tune. His has been a career of very mixed messages. On the one hand, there are the lascivious early hits; slick and slinky declarations of a ravenous sexual appetite over equally filthy grooves. "Bump 'n' Grind", "She's Got that Vibe" and "Your Body's Callin'" established him as a master of saucy swing beat, and a decade on they're just as good. On the other hand, with the fantastically schmaltzy "Gotham City", "The World's Greatest" and mother of all overblown power ballads, "I Believe I Can Fly", he's wholesome family entertainment. Then, just to confuse matters further, "I Wish" is a sentimental ballad that's loaded with genuine feeling and a children's choir
Jay Z would be proud of, while "Ignition (remix)" has him back at his sex-obsessed best. God's gift to women or voice of purity, either way, Kelly's impressive strike rate means that
The R in R&B Collection Volume 1 is loaded to the hilt with ubiquitous radio hits. But with such a split personality, he's probably the only person alive capable of liking all of them.
--Dan Gennoe
CD Description
First greatest hits package from R&B/soul star R. Kelly. 'The 'R' In R&B Collection Volume 1' boasts a number of the artist's best known tunes alongside new tracks and remixes. Such hits include 'Bump N' Grind', 'Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)', 'Ignition' and 'I'm Your Angel' with Celine Dion. The two previously unreleased tracks are 'Thoia Thoing' and 'Ghetto Religion' which features rap star Wyclef Jean.