R. Kelly - Number One

Sex sells, particularly when you’re looking to write a Number One hit single; of course, no one knows this better than R. Kelly, a singer who seems to consider lovemaking and hitmaking to be two sides of the same coin.  On Kells’ latest single (personally delivered to the Booth, sans tags, by DJ Skee), the Chi-town vet teams up with Keri Hilson to blur the line between his two favorite activities.  Polow Da Don RiffRaph & Roy “Royalty” Hamilton‘s mellow instrumental, driven by acoustic guitar arpeggios and handclap percussion, sticks close to the slow-jam blueprint, but boasts a few unique twists sure to help the cut live up to its name; the double-time passages on the tail end of each verse provide an infectiously energetic transition into the ultra-catchy chopped-n-screwed chorus.  Above all, Number One makes one thing abundantly clear: after over a decade in the game, R. Kelly still loves his job—really, really loves it.  That can only mean good things for his forthcoming, currently-untitled ninth LP, which has receive a solid release date from the Jive brass.