Baby Makin' Music (Feat. Ronald Isley AKA Mr. Biggs)

The Isley Brothers

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2006)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Def Soul Classics
• ASIN: B000BY8278
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,897 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

For five decades, nuance has been the name of Ronald Isley's game. There it is, flowing in a warm, sexed-up cascade through "That Lady," and there it is again, reeking of need, longing, and romance on "For the Love of You." So why he allowed this long-awaited follow-up to "Body Kiss," the 2003 disc that proved the Isleys have still got it, to be titled so cheesily is anybody's guess. But in the end it doesn't matter. At 65, Mr. Biggs' legendary voice is amazingly well preserved, and even when he's tackling a song that could get him kicked out of church--the baldly libidinous "Show Me" or the downright lecherous "Give It to You," say--he works it with such genuine emotion that even those for whom baby makin' is a long lost pursuit will want to croon woozily, wistfully along. It wouldn't be a 2006 disc, of course, if there weren't a long list of collaborators to name-check, but here the all-star assemblage actually adds up to something. R. Kelly doesn't make "Blast Off" blast off so much as sail, and between Jermaine Dupri and Tim and Bob (the team behind Bobby Valentino), velvet-vibed sparks fly off of every track. Should a 2007 baby boom hit the record books, you know who to blame. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Ronald and Ernie Isley to even be makin' any kind of music in 2006 is enough for me, May 15, 2006

By	J. Highsmith (Mitchellville, Maryland United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I'll be the first to admit that I was a late bloomer to old school r&b music. The only reason why I even started listening to any other kind of music other than rap and current r&b is when Ice Cube made "It Was A Good Day". I said to myself, this song is tight, but it has an old school flavor to it. I looked at the liner notes in Ice Cube's "Predator" CD and it said, Contains samples from The Isley Brothers' "Footsteps In The Dark". I had about 20 dollars in quarters saved in my closet. I wrapped 2 rolls of $10 and I scrounged up some more change and I remember getting a ride from one of my boys to go to Best Buy to purchase "The Isley Brothers Story Volume 2: The T Neck Years (1969-85)". This was a 2 disc collection with the Isley Brothers' greatest hits on them. From that collection I learned about "Summer Breeze", "That Lady", "For The Love Of You", "Harvest For The World", "Don't Say Goodnight" and others. I can honestly say that if it weren't for this 2 disc collection I probably would have never became a fan of old school r&b. The next Isley Brothers CD I purchased was "Beautiful Ballads". Once I heard "Make Me Say It Again" and "Voyage To Atlantis", I knew I would be an Isley Brothers' fan for life.

If you take a look at the latest CDs that The Isley Brothers have released, which for me would be "Mission To Please", "Eternal" and "Body Kiss", The Isley Brothers are at their best when they stay as close to their classic sound as possible. That would be "Let's Lay Together", "Mission To Please", "Settle Down", "Eternal", "Move Your Body", "Prize Possession", and "Take A Ride". When Ron Isley takes on his alter ego Mr. Biggs that's where the problems start like on R Kelly's "Showdown" from "Chocolate Factory", "I Like" from the "Body Kiss" CD and "Lucky Charm" from "Body Kiss". On "I Like", Ron tries too hard to fit in with R Kelly and Snoop Dogg on what ends up being a filler track.

With "Baby Makin' Music", The Isley Brothers are trying to prove that they still have it and trust me, they still do. The CD starts off strong with "You're My Star". Tim & Bob handle the production and you get a strong indication early on that Ron Isley still has the same voice as he always has. However, I am sure that Tim & Bob didn't listen to Joe's last CD, "And Then". Joe used the same Gladys Knight & The Pips sample, "Makings Of You" on his 1st track, "Sweeter Than Sugar" that Tim & Bob uses for "You're My Star". However, both songs are tight. After taking over on "Body Kiss", R Kelly only produces and features on one song which is "Blast Off" and the results are outstanding. I guess R Kelly figured if I'm only doing one song then I need to make it good and believe me he does. The 1st single from "Baby Makin' Music" is the Troy Taylor and Gordon Chambers' produced "Just Came Here To Chill". When I first heard this track, I knew that I would purchase "Baby Makin' Music" once it was released. Although, I must admit that I thought that Babyface produced the track because the production style is very similar to something that he would have produced. Mr. Biggs shows up on the Jermaine Dupri and Bryan Michael Cox produced "Gotta Be With You" and "Forever Mackin'". "Gotta Be With You" sounds alot like Confessions Part 1 from Usher's re-release of "Confessions". The thing that I like about these two tracks is that atleast you can listen to these tracks, eventhough you would rather hear Ronald Isley and not Mr. Biggs. Just like on "Contagious" from the "Eternal" CD. You would rather hear "Settle Down" or "Eternal" but atleast you could tolerate "Contagious".

If you don't believe in the title of this CD, I will gladly tell you to get to Track 7 and Track 8, which are "Show Me" and "Give It To You". Fellas, fellas.... all I am going to say if in nine months you are being told that you are the father, you might have to blame Ronald Isley..lol "Give It To Me" is VINTAGE Isley Brothers. You will easily be reminded of "Between The Sheets", "Sensuality (Parts 1 & 2)", and "Groove With You" once you hear this song. I must definitely commend Manuel Seal for writing and producing this sensual track for The Isley Brothers. "Show Me" is along the same lines as well and you won't have to guess too hard about what The Isley Brothers want to be shown. If you still think The Isleys didn't have it, whatever "it" is supposed to be, then definitely check these two tracks out. "Pretty Woman" and "Beautiful" are the closest things to an uptempo song that you are going to find on this CD. Both tracks are really midtempo tracks, but if you want a break from the slow jams, then these two tracks as well as, the aforementioned "You're My Star" will work for you. The Isley Brothers take a break from the baby makin' on the last two tracks, "Heaven Hooked Us Up" and "You Help Me Write This Song", with help from Troy Taylor and company. If you just want to hear the Isleys sing about love like they did on "How Lucky I Am", "You're Beside Me" and "Let's Fall In Love", then these 2 songs are the tracks for you.

In conclusion, if you expect The Isley Brothers to still be makin' songs like "Harvest For The World" and "That Lady", you may not be able to relate to the songs that the Isleys are making today. You may not want to listen to the current CDs and you just might want to stick to the classic CDs from back in the day. However, when I see the 1 star and 2 star reviews for an Isleys CD I find myself confused. For Ronald to even still be singing in 2006 and for Ernie to still be hittin' those guitar riffs 'til this day is an honor and a privlege for someone that likes to listen to different kinds of music, especially r&b and old school r&b. While this may not be a 5 star CD, there are no filler tracks and there are some songs on here that definitely prove that it is a good thing that The Isley Brothers and groups from their time are still releasing CDs like Stevie Wonder's "A Time To Love" and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Illumination".

If you are an Isley Brothers fan like I am then "Baby Makin' Music" should be in your collection. There is less Mr. Biggs this time around and trust me that is always a good thing.

James' Top 5

1) Give It To You
2) Just Came Here To Chill
3) You Help Me Write This Song
4) Blast Off w/ R Kelly
5) You're My Star

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Hot Album, They Still Got It, May 14, 2006

By	Rayford C. Kelley Jr. (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to say this album is hot, Ron Isley still can sing! I rate this album as a classic with Eternal and Body Kiss. I can't wait for the next one, I'm a loyal fun and I hope to catch him on tour.

I'm 20 yrs old and this album appeals to me and is better than alot of recent R & B releases. All the young guys should listen to this old mack and learn something! Go buy this album!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Music Lover, May 23, 2006

By	I Love Music "music fan" (Philadelphia) - See all my reviews

I have been a huge fan of the Isley Brothers for as long as I can remember. My mother and older siblings always played their music. I have almost everything they recorded before they began working with R. Kelly and various rappers. I'm sorry, but, I just don't care for this new Ron Isley and I wish he would drop the "Mr. Bigg" thing as well as R. Kelly.

The Isley brothers used to be a class act, and now they just seem to be catering to a much younger crowd in order to sell cd's. To all you "young heads" who like this new style of the Isleys'. If you want to hear some real baby making music, check out the classic (the real) Isley Brothers; "Voyage to Atlantis", "Groove with You", "Footsteps in the Dark", "Between the Sheets", "Hello it's Me", "For the love of you", just to name a few. Their songs were about love, not lust, bling, material things, or "loose women". The Isley Brothers lyrics have without a doubt taken a turn for the worse since the influence of R. Kelly and other song writers/producers have "taken them over".

There are a few songs I like on this cd, but, I can't say I'm thrilled with the purchase of this cd.