R. Kelly Gives a Reason to ‘Believe’

Despite a huge commercial boom, R&B; is dying a slow death in terms of creativity. The constant barrage of blatantly sexual lyrics lacks sensitivity, depth and purity of feeling, and too many songs that gain widespread airplay are largely derivative of other hits.

With that in mind, virtually any composition by Babyface, Dallas Austin or R. Kelly stands far ahead of the pack. The three songwriter-producers have brought a loving spirit back to R&B; and manage to come up with compelling arrangements that evoke the sound and feel of a bygone era in the music.

In this month’s survey of pop singles, rated on a scale of 0-100, the three try new approaches to their hit-making formulas--Babyface with a rare up-tempo moment, Austin with an En Vouge-cum-Supremes production and Kelly with a reinvention of his creative persona.

R. Kelly, “I Believe I Can Fly,” Warner Bros. Leaving his “Bump and Grind” past far behind, Kelly delivers a vocal performance and a compositional range that raise his artistry close to Stevie Wonderdom. “Fly” floats by on a cloud-like musical texture of oboes, strings and modulated keyboard synth drums--but it’s when Kelly opens his mouth that the emotional intensity of the song soars toward the stratosphere. Largely about self-confidence in the face of adversity, this song from the soundtrack of the upcoming movie “Space Jam” is one of the most inspirational paeans to life since “The Greatest Love of All.” “Fly” makes you believe that anything is possible--and it has the mix of sentimentality, gospel fervor and melodramatic singing of which smash hits are made. 95

For Real, “Like I Do,” Rowdy. The Supremes have returned--only now there are four. This Dallas Austin-produced retro-romp recalls the “Shindig” era of mid-’60s R&B; pop, when girls wore miniskirts and danced the Swim and the Watusi in front of their television sets. Augmenting the driving, rock-’em-sock-’em snare drums and agile strings Austin has appropriated from Motown’s Holland-Dozier-Holland sound are cohesive, soulful vocal turns by the talented quartet of Wendi Williams, LaTanyia Baldwin, Josina Elder and Necia Bray. It makes you want to dust off the polyester and do the Funky Broadway all night long. 90

Babyface, “This Is for the Lover in You,” Epic. Babyface is the Dr. Dre of R&B--a; producer with a knack for changing his style to fit the marketplace, but with a signature and style all his own. The man who has had a hand in hits by Madonna, Boyz II Men and Whitney Houston, among others, also applies the Midas touch to his solo compositions. “Lover” bounces with plenty of hip-hop thump and never becomes weighed down by the cameos from LL Cool J and former Shalamar partners Howard Hewett and Jody Watley. 80

Sheryl Crow, “If It Makes You Happy,” A&M.; In “Happy,” Crow presents herself as a rocker chick gone bad (an image she underscores with the lyric “I’m not the kind of girl you bring home”), but unlike the sneering Courtney Love or No Doubt’s playful Gwen Stefani, Crow lacks a certain authenticity. She would be better served by the tongue-in-cheek delivery that made her “All I Wanna Do” such a fun song, as well as by lower-key backing music. Much better is the B-side, a soulful version of Eric Clapton’s “Keep On Growing” that showcases her sultry voice. 65

John Mellencamp, “Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First),” Mercury. Indiana’s favorite son this side of Larry Bird continually churns out earthy road songs tailor-made for interstate sojourns. The only thing that distinguishes “Intermezzo” from previous Mellencamp releases is the break-beat that runs under the surface, giving the song a mild country/hip-hop subtext. 58

Bryan Adams, “Let’s Make a Night to Remember,” A&M.; Adams does his usual Bruce Springsteen imitation in the slow-burning “Night,” and after a while it sounds thin. “Night” is backed by the same mix of guitar-base sound that has given a rocking feel to all of his ballads, from “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” to “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” There’s no indication that he didn’t write and record this song 10 years ago. The gentle, low-key B-side, “Star,” is the better ballad, but it’s not enough to save this package from obscurity. 30

Brandy, Tamia, Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan, “Missing You,” EastWest. What happens when two of R&B;’s most promising young divas unite with two veterans from the ‘70s? Absolutely nothing. Barry J. Eastmond and Gordon Chambers’ song is riddled with empty, baby-come-back metaphors, and the overblown vocal performance provides no thematic direction. This waste of talent epitomizes the lack of imagination that plagues radio-driven R&B.; 10

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* TimesLine 808-8463

To hear excerpts from the albums reviewed, call TimesLine and press * and the artist’s corresponding four-digit code. R. Kelly *5721 For Real *5722 Babyface *5723 Sheryl Crow *5724 John Mellencamp *5725 Bryan Adams *5726Brandy, Tamia, et al *5727

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