Isley Brothers Baby Makin' Music CD

The Isley Brothers: Ronald Isley (vocals); Ernie Isley (guitar, background vocals).
Additional personnel: Jermaine Dupri, R. Kelly.
The follow-up to the Isley's excellent 2003 album BODY KISS gives all indications that the legendary R&B outfit is still going strong some 50 years into its career. Decades before young, hip-hop-influenced urban contemporary singers were swinging and swaying their way into women's good graces, Ronald Isley was laying down the blueprint as the original mac crooner, and BABY MAKIN' MUSIC proves he's still got it.
Ronald's vocal delivery is as strong as ever: rich, emotional, and dripping with seduction. A passing familiarity with the Isley's romantic side and a glance at the song titles--"Gotta Be With You," "Give It To You," and "Heaven Hooked Us Up," among them--should tip listeners off to the sexy, dim-the-lights R&B on offer. Guest appearances from R. Kelly and Jermaine Dupri keep the proceedings au courant, but never distract from the group's classic sound.
Ronald and Ernie Isley might be a little too old to make babies -- to be perfectly clear, father them -- but it's evident they're not too old to make baby-making music. Impressively enough, Baby Makin' Music is their third strong album of the 2000s. A lot of younger artists in their prime can't claim such a thing. R. Kelly, who wrote and produced most of 2003's Body Kiss, is present on only one song here, but the Isleys don't miss a step when it comes to staying up with the times, tapping the likes of the rising Tim and Bob -- who contributed in a minor capacity to Body Kiss -- along with Jermaine Dupri, Troy Taylor, and Bryan-Michael Cox. Electric fireworks from Ernie's guitar are more recurrent than they were on Body Kiss, but they're often buried so deep in the mix and treated in a way that makes them sound like they were made by a computer program that generates facsimiles of his style. Otherwise, there are no problems. This is a remarkably tight album filled with songs that deliver on the promise of its title, and the songs that aren't immediately memorable at least make for fitting mood music. To no surprise whatsoever, Ronald is equally seductive whether he's making amends, bragging about his exploits, or just being sweet. Hearing him sing over Gladys Knight & the Pips' 30-year-old version of Curtis Mayfield's "The Makings of You," as he does over the opening "You're My Star," is kind of bizarre if you think about it, but it's only another way of demonstrating the Isleys' enduring vitality -- across 50-plus years now. The Isley Brothers name has been responsible for hours upon hours of quality music, so this album is destined to be lost in the shuffle of their '60s and '70s material. Groups young enough to be their grandchildren would be more than proud to call it their own. ~ Andy Kellman