Double Up [PA] (CD - 2007)

R. Kelly's appealing, staggeringly successful take on hip-hop-infused contemporary R&B has been founded in no small part on his ability to make explicitly sexual subject matter sound as smooth and seductive as an old-school overture from Al Green. DOUBLE UP (2007), Kelly's eighth studio release, finds him taking ever more risque lyrical chances. While tunes like "Double Up" and "Get Dirty" find him in familiar lascivious territory, Kelly also turns to extended metaphors to detail his desire, invoking animals ("The Zoo"), electronic equipment ("Remote Control"), and cosmography ("Sex Planet").

Kelly's topics can seem absurd when examined objectively, but it's hard to argue when the tracks sound so good. The production glimmers with help from top industry wizards like Kanye West, Just Blaze, Swizz Beats, and the Runners. Guest appearances from the likes of Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Ludacris, Kid Rock, and others keep things varied and entertaining. The album's lead-off single, the bright, bouncy "I'm a Flirt," featuring appearances by rappers T.I. and T-Pain, is a prime example of DOUBLE UP's collaborative magic, as is the duet with Usher on the slow-jam cautionary tale "Same Girl." His sometimes overwrought lyrics notwithstanding, Kels offers more superbly crafted urban contemporary fare on DOUBLE UP, which is reason enough for fans to pick it up. minimize