Write Me Back

At the end of his supporting tour for Love Letter,{{cite web|last=Markman|first=Rob|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670867/r-kelly-black-panties-album.jhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129043353/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1670867/r-kelly-black-panties-album.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2013|title=R. Kelly's Upcoming Black Panties Will Be 'The New 12 Play'|publisher=MTV News. MTV|access-date=May 23, 2012}} Kelly underwent emergency throat surgery in July 2011 to drain an abscess on one of his tonsils.{{cite web|last=Vena|first=Jocelyn|date=July 20, 2011|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667580/r-kelly-emergency-throat-surgery.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926000847/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1667580/r-kelly-emergency-throat-surgery.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 26, 2011|title=R. Kelly Undergoes Emergency Throat Surgery|publisher=MTV News. MTV|access-date=May 23, 2012}} He recovered, and in August, announced that his next album will be called Black Panties, a sexually charged album in the same vein of his 1993 debut album, 12 Play. However, he deviated from that plan in January 2012 by announcing Write Me Back as his next album. He recorded the album at Sylvester Stone Studios and The Chocolate Factory in Chicago, and at MilkBoy The Studio in Philadelphia.{{cite web|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=8747101|title=R Kelly - Write Me Back CD Album|publisher=CD Universe. Muze|access-date=November 17, 2012}}

File:Love at Philadelphia Love Park, JFK Plaza (259493468).jpg in Philadelphia; the album was recorded partly in the city and draws on its era of soul music alongside themes of love.]]

Write Me Back expands on its predecessor's traditional R&B aesthetic with 1970s influences,{{cite news|last=Kennedy|first=Gerrick D.|date=May 15, 2012|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2012/05/r-kelly-to-release-write-me-back-june-26.html|title=R. Kelly to release 'Write Me Back' on June 26|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 23, 2012}} particularly Philadelphia soul and elements of Chicago stepping. Its title is a reference to that album's title.{{cite magazine|last=Lipshutz|first=Jason|date=May 15, 2012|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/488477/r-kelly-returns-write-me-back-due-in-june|title=R. Kelly Returns: 'Write Me Back' Due in June|magazine=Billboard|access-date=May 23, 2012}} The music is also characterized by uptempo drum programming and smooth keyboard lines. Nitush Abebe of New York observes "frictionless glide and delicacy, all the strings and horns caressing around the margins, of late-seventies Philly soul greats and Quincy Jones productions." The album's primary subject matter is love, with exhortations about its redemptive power and its complications. Abebe writes of this theme, "There's love as inspiration and redemption, love as strangled by manipulative men or undercommitted women, love as universal party, love as rotted from the inside by apathy or envy."

"Share My Love" is an uptempo song with Philadelphia soul-styled strings.{{cite web|url=http://www.eurweb.com/2012/02/audio-r-kellys-new-single-share-my-love/|title=Audio: R. Kelly's New Single 'Share My Love'|publisher=EURweb|date=February 1, 2012|access-date=May 27, 2012|archive-date=February 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206023713/http://www.eurweb.com/2012/02/audio-r-kellys-new-single-share-my-love/|url-status=dead}} It has a pop-R&B style similar to that of Michael Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall. The song has a theme of romance and tongue-in-cheek lyrics: "Populate / Let's get together / Populate".{{cite web|last=Krishnamurthy|first=Sowmya|url=http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/02/01/r-kelly-new-single-share-my-love|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204054112/http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/02/01/r-kelly-new-single-share-my-love/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2012|title=RapFix – R. Kelly Gets Nostalgic On New Single 'Share My Love'|publisher=MTV News. MTV|access-date=May 23, 2012}} "Green Light" has a quiet storm style and low-key mood. It is about a man wanting to please a woman who has a negligent boyfriend. "Feelin' Single" is about the "liminal sense of having checked out of a relationship and started looking around for escape routes." Kelly sings in a high register on the song, which Greg Kot views "evok[es] the boyish innocence of a Michael Jackson over a stepping dance groove accented with finger snaps."

{{Listen|pos = right

|filename = R. Kelly - Feelin' Single.ogg

|title = "Feelin' Single"

|description = The song is a kiss-off by the narrator to his increasingly uninterested lover. Its chord progression is sampled from Bill Withers' 1977 song "Lovely Day".

}}

"Believe in Me" is told from the perspective of a lover about to leave his woman for a prison term and asks for patience and support. Miles Marshall Lewis views that the song "embod[ies] elements of the (oft-downtrodden) blue-collar African-American experience."{{cite magazine|last=Lewis|first=Miles Marshall|author-link=Miles Marshall Lewis|date=June 28, 2012|url=https://www.spin.com/2012/06/r-kelly-write-me-back-rca/|title=R. Kelly, 'Write Me Back' (RCA)|magazine=Spin|location=New York|access-date=July 13, 2012}} "Lady Sunday" is a dance-oriented, orchestrated song with musical similarities to early 1970s Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. "Believe That It's So" features disco strings, assertive brass, and a narrative that celebrates love's ability to help people overcome adversity before celebrating celebration in general, as Kelly sings about becoming drunk and needing to draw on love to overcome his impending hangover. Deviating from the album's 1970s influence, "All Rounds on Me" has rockabilly elements and an alternating blues arrangement.

Write Me Back was marketed with the release of two singles. The lead single, "Share My Love", was released on February 1, 2012, and became a number-one hit on urban adult radio. It peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, on which it has charted for 20 weeks.{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=r. kelly|chart=all}}|title=Share My Love - R. Kelly|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 25, 2012}} It also charted at number 72 on the Japan Hot 100. The second single, "Feelin' Single", was released as a digital download on May 29. It reached number 43 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=r. kelly|chart=R&B/Hip-Hop Songs}}|title=R. Kelly Album & Song Chart History|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 25, 2012}} The album was released by RCA Records on June 25 in the United Kingdom and on June 26 in the United States.{{cite magazine|date=June 25, 2012|url=http://www.nme.com/news/this-week-releases/64472|title=This week's new music releases: June 25, 2012|magazine=NME|access-date=June 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628120222/http://www.nme.com/news/this-week-releases/64472|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2012}} It is his first album for RCA, after RCA Music Group shut down Kelly's former label Jive Records.{{cite news|last=Lewis|first=Randy|date=October 7, 2011|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/10/rca-closing-jive-arista-j-labels.html|title=RCA to close Jive, Arista and J label imprints [Updated]|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=May 23, 2012}} The album's deluxe edition included four additional songs.{{cite web|last=Horowitz|first=Steven J.|date=May 12, 2012|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.19783/title.r-kelly-write-me-back-cover-art-tracklist|title=R. Kelly "Write Me Back" Cover Art, Tracklist|publisher=HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group|access-date=May 26, 2012}}

On June 27, 2012, Kelly became ill from complications related to his 2011 throat surgery.{{cite web|publisher=Associated Press|date=June 27, 2012|url=http://www.sacbee.com/2012/06/27/4593810/r-kelly-sick-missing-promos-for.html#storylink=cpy|title=R Kelly sick, missing promos for new album, book|access-date=June 27, 2012}} Consequently, his promotional appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Today were cancelled. Although his status for subsequent promotional efforts was uncertain, Kelly performed at Reggae Sumfest on July 20,{{cite web|url=http://www.r-kelly.com/news/r-kelly-confirmed-reggae-sumfest-2012|title=R. Kelly Confirmed For Reggae Sumfest 2012!|date=June 20, 2012|publisher=Zomba Recordings|access-date=June 26, 2012}} and performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon after rescheduling for July 23.{{cite web|url=http://www.prefixmag.com/news/watch-r-kelly-does-feelin-single-on-fallon/67415/|title=Watch: R. Kelly Does 'Feelin' Single' On Fallon|date=July 24, 2012|publisher=Prefix|access-date=July 24, 2012}} "When a Man Lies" later impacted urban adult radio as the album's third and final single on October 15.{{cite web | url=http://www.allaccess.com/urban/future-releases | title=Urban/UAC Future Releases | publisher=All Access Music Group | access-date=August 4, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111185721/http://www.allaccess.com/urban/future-releases | url-status=live | archive-date=November 11, 2012 }}

In the United Kingdom, Write Me Back debuted at number 80 on the UK Albums Chart in the week of July 7, 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/albums-chart/|title=Official UK Albums Top 100 - 7th July 2012|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=July 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120706002635/http://www.officialcharts.com/albums-chart/|url-status=live|archive-date=July 6, 2012}} In the United States, Write Me Back debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, selling 68,000 copies in its first week.{{cite magazine|last=Caulfield|first=Keith|date=July 4, 2012|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/482106/linkin-park-squeaks-by-maroon-5-hits-no-1-on-billboard-200|title=Linkin Park Squeaks By Maroon 5, Hits No. 1 on Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|access-date=July 5, 2012}} It was Kelly's lowest first-week sales since 12 Play in 1993. The album sold 24,600 copies in its second week on the chart, falling 14 spots to number 19. Pop{{cite web|last=Langhorne|first=Cyrus|date=July 11, 2012|url=http://www.sohh.com/2012/07/chris_brown_finds_fortune_at_no_1_rick_r.html|title=Chris Brown Finds Fortune At No. 1, Rick Ross Departs Top 10, Flo Rida & Wishin Y Yandel Invade The Chart|publisher=SOHH|access-date=July 16, 2012|archive-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715030731/http://www.sohh.com/2012/07/chris_brown_finds_fortune_at_no_1_rick_r.html?|url-status=dead}} It ultimately charted for 17 weeks on the US Billboard 200. As reported on August 15, 2012, the album had sold 500,000 copies in the United States.{{cite web|last=Langhorne|first=Cyrus|date=August 15, 2012|url=http://www.sohh.com/2012/08/rick_ross_loses_his_no_1_spot_nas_moves.html|title=Rick Ross Loses His No. 1 Spot, Nas Moves Outside Top 10, Frank Ocean Channels Into Top 20|publisher=SOHH|access-date=November 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817221900/http://www.sohh.com/2012/08/rick_ross_loses_his_no_1_spot_nas_moves.html|archive-date=August 17, 2012|url-status=dead}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev2 = Chicago Tribune

| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|4}}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3score = A−{{cite magazine|last=Anderson|first=Kyle|date=June 29, 2012|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20605745,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628010700/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20605745,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2012|title=Write Me Back Review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|location=New York|issue=1213|access-date=June 25, 2012}}

| rev4 = The Independent

| rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev5 = Los Angeles Times

| rev5Score = {{Rating|3|4}}

| rev6 = NME

| rev6score = 6/10{{cite magazine|last=Nicolson|first=Barry|date=June 22, 2012|url=http://www.nme.com/reviews/r-kelly/13332|title=R Kelly - 'Write Me Back'|magazine=NME|access-date=June 25, 2012}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7Score = 6.5/10

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}

| rev9 = Slant Magazine

| rev9Score = {{Rating|2|5}}

| rev10 = Spin

| rev10Score = 7/10

}}

Write Me Back was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 18 reviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/write-me-back|title=Write Me Back Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More|publisher=Metacritic. CBS Interactive|access-date=June 26, 2012}} August Brown of the Los Angeles Times dubbed it "the best grown-man dance record of the year" and stated, "the songwriting is, per usual at this point in his career, nimble and nicely matured. But the arrangements are the centerpiece here."{{cite news|last=Brown|first=August|date=June 26, 2012|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ph-album-review-r-kellys-write-me-back-20120625,0,7299077.story|title=Album review: R. Kelly's 'Write Me Back'|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=June 26, 2012}} Jody Rosen of Rolling Stone called its music "virtuoso pastiche – but Kelly's Seventies are freakier than your dad's."{{cite magazine|last=Rosen|first=Jody|author-link=Jody Rosen|date=June 26, 2012|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/write-me-back-20120626|title=Write Me Back|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=June 26, 2012}} Maura Johnston of The Village Voice viewed "Clipped Wings" as its strongest track and compared the album to Love Letter, stating "it's slightly less drenched in retro tropes, but it's no less of an enjoyable listen."{{cite web|last=Johnston|first=Maura|author-link=Maura Johnston|date=June 26, 2012|url=http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2012/06/r_kelly_write_me_back_soulacoaster.php|title=R. Kelly's Write Me Back Rides The Retro Soulacoaster|publisher=The Village Voice Blogs. Village Voice Media|access-date=June 27, 2012}} Miles Marshall Lewis of Spin felt that "the result distills the melodies and lyrical flair fans love without the NC-17 lines that often make Kelly NSFW."

Andy Gill of The Independent found Kelly "even more at home" musically than on Love Letter and stated, "for all his production skills, he remains first and foremost a vocal stylist of considerable ability".{{cite news|last=Gill|first=Andy|date=June 23, 2012|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-r-kelly-write-me-back-rca-7872971.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-r-kelly-write-me-back-rca-7872971.html |archive-date=2022-05-07 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Album: R. Kelly, Write Me Back (RCA)|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|access-date=June 25, 2012}}{{cbignore}} {{interlanguage link|Thomas Conner (journalist)|lt=Thomas Conner|de|Thomas Conner}} of the Chicago Sun-Times complimented Kelly's "superb voice" and noted the Philadelphia soul influence as "a much more natural fit for Kelly's considerable vocal gifts and lusty one-track mind."{{cite news|last=Conner|first=Thomas|author-link=:de:Thomas Conner|date=June 25, 2012|url=http://blogs.suntimes.com/music/2012/06/review_r_kelly_write_me_back.html|title=Review: R. Kelly, 'Write Me Back'|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|access-date=June 25, 2012|archive-date=June 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628012557/http://blogs.suntimes.com/music/2012/06/review_r_kelly_write_me_back.html|url-status=dead}} Allmusic's Andy Kellman complimented the music's "warmth and joy" and stated, "It's apparent that he can be retro and urbane as instinctively as he can be cutting edge and filthy."{{cite web|last=Kellman|first=Andy|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/write-me-back-mw0002360576|title=Write Me Back - R. Kelly|publisher=Allmusic. Rovi Corporation|access-date=June 27, 2012}} Nitsuh Abebe of New York commended Kelly for "nailing each voice and narrative" and stated, "He comes at every idea like an impassioned pro, and whether that idea is making people melt, grind, or titter in disbelief, it’s usually his ardor that’s having that effect."{{cite magazine|last=Abebe|first=Nitsuh|date=June 27, 2012|url=http://www.vulture.com/2012/06/music-review-abebe-on-r-kellys-write-me-back.html|title=Music Review: Abebe on Write Me Back and the Multifaceted R. Kelly|magazine=New York|access-date=June 27, 2012}}

In a mixed review, Jon Caramanica of The New York Times dubbed the album Kelly's "least ambitious" and found it "tepid" by his standards, "which is to say, completely technically accomplished, but lacking the snakelike vocal slither and moist subject matter that mark him at his most virtuosic."{{cite news|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|date=July 1, 2012|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/01/arts/music/confessional-music-chris-brown-usher-and-r-kelly.html?pagewanted=all|page=AR17|title=Sifting Through Songs For the Man Underneath|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=July 1, 2012}} Slant Magazine{{'}}s Eric Henderson panned its music as "this-porridge-is-just-right uptempo mush" and questioned its genuineness, writing that "even if the songs sound like the height of artifice ... there's little doubt [Kelly] believes in his own hollow offerings."{{cite web|last=Henderson|first=Eric|date=June 28, 2012|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/r-kelly-write-me-back/2806|title=R. Kelly: Write Me Back|website=Slant Magazine|access-date=June 28, 2012}} Pitchfork Media's Jess Harvell observed "a fine line between breezy and half-assed" in the songwriting and criticized its "cut-rate production choices" behind "Kelly's engaged vocal performances."{{cite web|last=Harvell|first=Jess|date=July 2, 2012|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/16797-write-me-back/|title=R. Kelly: Write Me Back|work=Pitchfork Media|access-date=July 2, 2012}} Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune called it "a less-consistently strong sequel" and stated, "Listeners may find themselves toggling between questioning Kelly’s sincerity and admiring his facility as a producer and singer."{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Kot|date=June 25, 2012|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/chi-r-kelly-album-review-write-me-back-album-review-20120625,0,5410492.column|title=R. Kelly album review; Write Me Back album review|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|access-date=June 25, 2012}} Spin ranked Write Me Back number 37 on their list of 2012's best albums.{{cite magazine|last=Johnston|first=Maura|author-link=Maura Johnston|url=https://www.spin.com/2012/12/best-albums-2012/121130-37-r-kelly/|title=SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2012|magazine=Spin|location=New York|access-date=December 19, 2012}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Write Me Back track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Love Is

| extra1 = R. Kelly

| writer1 = Robert Kelly

| length1 = 3:30

| title2 = Feelin' Single

| extra2 = R. Kelly, Bigg Makk

| writer2 = R. Kelly

| length2 = 3:29

| title3 = Lady Sunday

| extra3 = R. Kelly

| writer3 = R. Kelly

| length3 = 3:37

| title4 = When a Man Lies

| extra4 = R. Kelly

| writer4 = R. Kelly

| length4 = 3:36

| title5 = Clipped Wings

| extra5 = R. Kelly, Warryn Campbell

| writer5 = Kelly, Campbell

| length5 = 3:18

| title6 = Believe That It's So

| extra6 = R. Kelly

| writer6 = R. Kelly

| length6 = 6:09

| title7 = Fool for You

| extra7 = R. Kelly

| writer7 = R. Kelly

| length7 = 3:37

| title8 = All Rounds on Me

| extra8 = R. Kelly, Bigg Makk

| writer8 = Kelly, Mays

| length8 = 4:13

| title9 = Believe in Me

| note9 =

| extra9 = R. Kelly, J. LBS

| writer9 = R. Kelly

| length9 = 3:55

| title10 = Green Light

| extra10 = R. Kelly

| writer10 = R. Kelly

| length10 = 3:52

| title11 = Party Jumpin'

| extra11 = R. Kelly

| writer11 = R. Kelly

| length11 = 3:17

| title12 = Share My Love

| extra12 = R. Kelly

| writer12 = R. Kelly

| length12 = 3:43

}}

{{Track listing

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| headline = Deluxe edition bonus tracks

| title13 = Beautiful in the Mirror

| extra13 = R. Kelly

| writer13 = R. Kelly

| length13 = 3:30

| title14 = You Are, My World

| extra14 = R. Kelly

| writer14 = R. Kelly

| length14 = 3:20

| title15 = Fallin' from the Sky

| extra15 = R. Kelly

| writer15 = R. Kelly, Daniel Coriglie, Mario Bakovic, Dennis-manuel Peters

| length15 = 3:56

| title16 = One Step Closer

| writer16 = R. Kelly

| extra16 = R. Kelly

| length16 = 6:00

}}

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.{{cite AV media notes|title=Write Me Back|others=R. Kelly|year=2012|type=CD liner|publisher=RCA Records|id=88691948162}}

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

• Akua Auset – make-up
• Davis Barnett – viola
• Bigg Makk – bass, composer, guitar, keyboards, producer, programming
• Warryn Campbell – composer, producer
• Ann Carli – consultant
• Jeff Chestek – horn engineer, string engineer
• Eliza Cho – violin
• Cody Cichowski – assistant
• James Cooper – celli
• Carl Cox, Jr. – tenor saxophone
• DJ Wayne Williams – A&R
• Rodney East – keyboards
• Ghislaine Fleischmann – violin
• Meghan Foley – art direction
• Yvonne Gage – choir / chorus
• Abel Garibaldi – engineer, programming
• Donna E. Gay – choir / chorus
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Larry Gold – conductor, horn arrangements, string arrangements
• John Hanes – engineer
• Pastor Chris Harris – choir / chorus
• Mike Harvey – choir / chorus
• John Haynes – Pro Tools
• Jonathan Kim – viola

{{col-2}}

• Olga Konopelsky – violin
• J. LBS – producer
• Donnie Lyle – bass, guitar, musical director
• Paul Mabin – choir / chorus
• Luigi Mazzochi – violin
• Ian Mereness – engineer, programming
• Jesús Morales – celli
• Jeffrey Morrow – choir / chorus
• Lauren Pilot Morrow – choir / chorus
• Chiquita Oden – grooming
• Herb Powers, Jr. – mastering
• R. Kelly – arranger, composer, horn arrangements, keyboards, mixing, producer, string arrangements, vocals
• Robin Robinson – choir / chorus
• April Roomet – stylist
• Carlos Rubio – violin
• Phil Seaford – assistant engineer
• StarrBie – background vocals
• Randee St. Nicholas – photography
• Gregory Teperman – violin
• Jarred Antonacci – trombone{{cite web|url=http://www.jarredantonacci.com/discography.html|title=Discography|publisher=Jarred Antonacci|access-date=November 9, 2012}}
• Steve Tirpak – trombone
• Cheryl Wilson – choir / chorus
• Daniel Wright – trumpet

{{col-end}}

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{Official website|http://www.r-kelly.com/}}

{{R. Kelly}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:2012 albums

Category:Albums produced by R. Kelly

Category:Albums produced by Warryn Campbell

Category:R. Kelly albums

Category:RCA Records albums