I thought I’d break the NYLPM mould a bit and talk about some records I’m enjoying. First up is the non-religious half of this new R Kelly album, Happy People. Some critics have suggested that this record is just a CD’s worth of “Step In The Name Of Love” rewrites. Some critics are quite right, but for me that gives the record a smooth consistency: also, a bubble bath lasting 45 minutes is better than one lasting 6. R Kelly’s claims that there is a whole scene in Chicago based around this mid-paced strut – I can buy that, it seems to me this would be fabulous music to pose to, be seen to. It’s also remorselessly happy music – the constantly buoyant tone making me think of a lobotomised Al Green album (presumably the gospel half is more wracked, not that R strikes me as a humble man).
Oddly, that emotional monotony makes Happy People a more useful album – if you’re in the mood to be pampered this record is a real uninterrupted treat, whatever its self-imposed limitations. It’s also a record you feel no qualms about stopping halfway through if you’re all joyed out – aside from the title track’s dancefloor catechism, the best moments are front-loaded anyway. Try “Red Carpet (Pause, Flash)”, which does the “Ignition (Remix)” thing of being a song about how amazingly great being a celebrity is while making you feel like one for listening to it.