ARTSETC.
Jay Z + R Kelly = sexual tunes sans love
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Also by Charles Hughes:
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- Who is Art Paul Schlosser? (October 30, 2003)
- 'The Train' rolls through (November 6, 2003)
- Tell Us the Truth Tour (November 10, 2003)
- Westerberg doubles up (November 20, 2003)
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- Janet Jackson Hails Her Fortitude at Awards Show (March 22, 2004)
- Aussie twins make mediocre album (February 20, 2006)
- R. Kelly arrested on Florida child-porn charges (January 23, 2003)
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by Charles Hughes
Thursday, April 4, 2002
Titling an album The Best of Both Worlds is a dangerously arrogant move, but Jay-Z and R. Kelly are two of the few people for whom that assertion can be backed up with a reasonably convincing argument.
Their respective track records speak for themselves: “I Wish,” “Ain’t No Love (Heart Of The City),” “Hard Knock Life (It’s A?),” “If I Could Turn Back The Hands of Time,” “I Believe I Can Fly,” “Can I Get A?,” “The Storm Is Over Now,” “The Ruler’s Back,” plus “Fiesta,” their only previous collaboration, just to name a few. So call me crazy, but I was damn near salivating at the prospect of a full-length tete-a-tete between one of hip-hop’s great MCs and perhaps the best of the male neo-soul singers.
Unfortunately for me — and likely for many others — it’s all gone wrong. Not horribly wrong, mind you, but still wrong.
The Best of Both Worlds, released with much fanfare (although, thanks to Kelly’s sexual escapades, perhaps not as much as originally planned), is a wholly unimpressive collection of B-grade material that never approaches either the musical bravado or emotional resonance of either’s best material.
While the tendency for explicitly sexual subject matter should be expected, the overwhelming dominance of cuts dealing with fast, hot sex gets really old, really fast, particularly when so much of both artists’ memorable solo material is composed of the songs, like those listed above, which deal with a universe far bigger and more complex than merely a good time in the bedroom.
Now, there ain’t nothing wrong with a little bump an’ grind, but hearing the same thing over and over again (particularly in the surprisingly trite, clichéd manner which these two superior songwriters toss them off) keeps The Best of Both Worlds from ever becoming anything resembling a masterpiece.
The Kelly-fronted slow jam “Naked” is almost laughable, and, oddly enough, it doesn’t help that the stale, silly lyrics (Kelly actually sings “I’ll take a stroll through your garden of love”) are accompanied by his honestly gorgeous vocals. Strangely, the cut titled “Pussy” is actually less ridiculous than “Naked,” if just because at least “Pussy” contains some raw blues humor.
It’s perhaps no coincidence that “The Streets,” the album’s only socially oriented track, sounds better here than it would if placed in the midst of stronger material. The same is true for “Shake Your Body,” a workable dance joint featuring yeoman’s (yeowoman’s?) work from guest Lil’ Kim.
And it’s rather ironic that the album’s most memorable track is the title cut, where Jigga’s always-sharp rhyming skills and Kelly’s supple tenor carry enough weighty braggadocio to at least partially convince any non-believer of their supremacy.
The Best of Both Worlds is an enjoyable listen and I’d rather listen to Jay-Z and R. Kelly on an off day than a lot of chart-toppers at their best, but absolutely no tracks from this bland, repetitious record will make it onto best-ofs for either of these artists whose solo careers have firmly cemented them as major forces in popular music heading into the 21st century. Kelly’s sweet-as-sin voice benefits even the most ridiculous lyric (see above) and I’m reasonably sure that Jay-Z can rhyme in his sleep.
Is this an embarrassment — a millstone that will mar their careers? Not really, but it is a diversion, a stopgap while we wait for their next solo records, both of which are both due by the end of this year, both of which are likely to be far more memorable than this unimpressive effort.
