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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The Whole Matrix-Like Thing Kelly Is Trying To Do, Needs To Stop Here, August 15, 2005
With 12 Play, R. Kelly showed that he was a creative force in the world of new-jack R&B; with his raunchy lover man image and X-rated lyrics. It also made him a pop icon. His sequel to 12 Play, TP-2.Com, continued this formula with his "thug love" persona. Now, let's skip to 2005 with his newest album, TP.3 Reloaded. It's unbelievable that R. has now created a third installment in the 12 Play series, and for all of his fans who have brought all of his albums since 1992, know what to expect from this record: plain SEX. That's the good thing about this album. The thing that really messes this album up is its repetitiveness. Look at some of the song titles, for instance. Anyway, there are some good, but not great gems on here. The opening, "Playa's Only" really starts this album off on a great start, with its crunk, party-starting beats and with Kelly's and The Game's perfect chemistry. "Happy Summertime" has a nice laidback, 70's vibe with Snoop Dogg's smooth rapping. "Touchin'" is a steamy ballad with him doing an average duet with Nivea. The one thing I think saves this album from being a total disaster is the most-talked single of this year, "Trapped in the Closet (Chapters 1-5)". This epic series can be considered the "Fatal Attraction" of music. In this story, Kelly sleeps with a woman he met at a nightclub, and he then wakes up in the morning to find out that her husband is a homosexual and is cheating on her. But Kelly has even more problems because he finds out that his girlfriend is in a relationship with someone else. It's just interesting how Kelly keeps twisting the plot throughout all of the chapters. Another thing he does new on here is try to make a couple of attempts to do reggae music on songs like "Slow Wind" and "Reggae Bump Bump (featuring Elephant Man)". Overall, it seems like TP.3 Reloaded is the most ambitious out of the whole 12 Play series, but it's also the less-appealing. It just doesn't have the substance 12 Play or TP-2.Com had, but it does follow in the same vein of the 12 Play predecessors respectfully. The reason why this probably strays away from 12 Play and TP-2 is because the album feature too many guests that don't make stellar performances here, the craftmanship sounds very generic on this album, and it gets a little repetitive as a whole. It's so ironic how Kelly toned down his explicit credibility for his two previous releases, Chocolate Factory and last year's, Happy People/U Saved Me, and now he returns to the stuff that made him one of the most provocative artists of the 1990's with this album. TP.3 Reloaded is a major disappointment, that has flashes of good songs around the whole record. Let's just hope on the next release that Kelly finds his real style and talent. D-
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92 of 121 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Someone is in need of a COLD shower!, July 8, 2005
Pushed to the local CD store by the much hyped and talked about five-part "Trapped in The Closet," I, unfortunately, forked over ten-plus dollars to buy "TP.3 Reloaded". I can't agree with Kelly's handle as "The Pied Piper of Love" because each of the 19 songs contained on "TP.3" is not about love at all. The theme is more basic: unadulterated sex with no concept of consequences for one's actions. His lyrics are offensive and embarrassing to both men and women, treating the latter as nothing more than sex objects and the former as nothing more than sex-starved barbarians.
While the five-part "Trapped in the Closet" has its operatic drama, its over-the-top situations and stereotypical characterizations do nothing to improve the relationships between men and women.
If Kelly wants to be considered in the same league as R & B icons Luther Vandross, Barry White, and Marvin Gaye, then he needs to tone it down a bit and get more romantic.
In his acknowledgments, Kelly pays tribute to God and Jesus. I don't think either one would be pleased with Kelly's hypocritical nature.
Throwing in the occasional "sacred" song after making an armada of bare-to-the bone sex romps might not be too pleasing in their eyes.
OK! I'm ready for the onslaught of negatives from his fans.
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27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
R-Disappointment, July 6, 2005
Let me preface my review by stating that I am a big R. Kelly fan dating back to when he emerged in the 90's. His last few albums have been nothing short of fantastic. The Loveland and Happy People discs will always remain steady in my music rotation. Watching the R mature over the course of his last four albums has been an absolute pleasure. His music is usually tasteful despite being so hip. That being said, I'm greatly disappointed by TP.3. My main beef is the number of guests and the rather immature lyrics on several songs. While I always agreed that Kels songs sound alike with his basic three-note production pattern, I considered that to be a good thing with respect to his ability to tweak each song in a unique manner. However, without inspiring lyrics the R's production on this release fails to hold-up on songs such as "Put My T-Shirt On", "Kickin It With Your Girlfriend", and "Sex Weed." We have heard these songs before under other titles, making them predictable, and quite frankly boring. I get the feeling that Kels was just trying to rush this album and needed as much help as possible with consideration to the number of guest spots. "Players Only" featuring the Game is stunted by the rappers rehashed lyrics from his recent debut album. "Happy Summertime" featuring Snoop Dogg is disappointing because the R sing-songs like Nate Dogg. "Girls Go Crazy" featuring Baby is just like the album itself, nothing to write home about.
It must be noted that this release is not a total waste as it does have some highlights: "Slow Wind" is classic R. Kelly sensexualism, as well as "Remote Control" and "Touchin" featuring Nivea. The collabo with Elephant Man, "Reggae Bump Bump" has the potential to be a major club banger. As for the five-part "Trapped in the Closet", I must admit that the story line became intriguing as the various parts played along. However, each cut has a limited replay value once the story unfolds. All-in-all, I'm disappointed with TP.3 the same way you are when you run into an old friend just to realize that you have outgrown them. Hopefully, the Pied Piper will reappear on future projects from front to finish, as opposed to being a guest on his own album.
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