R Kelly Chocolate Factory CD

Personnel includes: R. Kelly (vocals); Donnie Lyle (guitar, bass); Rodney East (keyboards); Henry Love (congas); Christina DeLeon (background vocals); Ja Rule, Ronald Isley, Big Tigger, Fat Joe.
Recorded at Rockland Studios, Chicago, Illinois.
CHOCOLATE FACTORY was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. "Step In The Name Of Love" was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.
Personnel: Donnie Lyle (guitar, keyboards); Gregg Landfair (guitar); Percy Bady, Rodney East, Kendall D. Nesbitt (keyboards); Henry Love (congas); Joe Donatello, Abel Garibaldi, Andy Gallas, Ian Mereness (programming); Deatta Staples, Kim Johnson (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Abel Garibaldi; Peter Mokran; R. Kelly; Serban Ghenea; Tony Maserati; Ian Mereness.
Recording information: Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, IL; Record Plant, Los Angeles, CA; Rock Land Studios, Chicago, IL; Soup Can Music, Harper Woods, MI; Vanguard Studios, Oak Park, MI.
Photographer: Reisig.
Unknown Contributor Roles: The Soul Children; Walt Whitman & the Soul Children .
Arranger: R. Kelly.
R. Kelly was hardly a stranger to controversy in the early 2000s. In addition to being hit with 21 counts of child pornography in Chicago and 12 more in Polk County, FL, the beleaguered singer/producer faced various sex-related civil suits. All those scandals have, at times, overshadowed his music, which is regrettable because Chocolate Factory has a lot going for it. Emphasizing romantic slow jams, and not as ambitious or risk-taking as 1998's R. -- which is arguably Kelly's best, most essential release despite its own imperfections -- Chocolate Factory, like 2000s TP-2.Com, tends to play it safe. But that doesn't mean Chocolate Factory is without merit; what it lacks in ambition, it makes up for in terms of quality and craftsmanship. Many of the influences that have served Kelly well on previous efforts continue to serve him well on this 2003 release; influences that range from the Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder to Prince, Babyface, and hip-hop. All of those influences were noticeable on Kelly's '90s albums, and they are still noticeable on Chocolate Factory. Nonetheless, Kelly has always been his own man; that is especially obvious when he features Ronald Isley on "Showdown" (not to be confused with the Isley Brothers' 1978 recording). Hearing Kelly and Isley side by side, listeners can easily see how Kelly is able to draw on Isley's influence while projecting a firm, recognizable identity of his own. One hopes that in the future, Kelly will come out with some more albums that are as challenging as R.; even so, Chocolate Factory will go down in history as a solid and pleasing, if somewhat predictable, addition to the Chicagoan's catalog. ~ Alex Henderson
In an effort to distract himself from the myriad post-millennial legal woes dogging him, R. Kelly retreated to the studio where in true fashion, he wrote, sang, produced, and arranged his sixth album CHOCOLATE FACTORY. In trying to escape from his personal problems, Kelly succeeded in coming up with a lengthy outing infused with the kind of slow soul that brings to mind great names like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. The laid-back harmonies and testimonial fervor of "Forever" scream Gamble & Huff-produced Stylistics, light funk beats propel "You Knock Me Out," and the remix of "Step In the Name of Love" finds the Chicago native lifting Gaye's phrasing from the "What's Goin' On" era and pumping it into this mid-tempo jam.
Breaking up this solo slow-jam fest are guest shots by Ja Rule (an embattled "Been Around the World"), Ronald Isley (the skit-song "Showdown"), and Fat Joe (the Latin-pop-flavored "Who's That".) Although CHOCOLATE FACTORY could stand a bit of trimming, its musical essence reflects a rich talent whose personal travails could never negate anything he might be able to bring to the creative table.Rolling Stone (12/25/03, p.107) - Included in Rolling Stone's "50 Best Albums of 2003"
Rolling Stone (2/6/03, p.61) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...As a singer, songwriter and producer, he's at the top of his game..."
Entertainment Weekly (2/28/03, pp.77-78) - "...A collection of the sort of steamy, silky slow jams at which Kelly...has always excelled..." - Rating: B-
Vibe (4/03, pp.173-4) - 4 discs out of 5 - "...R. Kelly has always walked the line between sinner and saint. This time, however, we see the stumbles and glimpse one man's weaknesses and human frailties..."
Mojo (Publisher) (5/03, p.100) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...CHOCOLATE FACTORY seems positively inspired....An impressively varied opus..."