BLAST OFF - THE ISLEY BROTHERS
“Baby Makin’ Music,” the Isley Brothers’ new album, boasts an impressive roster of hot collaborators eager to jump on the Isley’s five-decade legacy, but it fails to offer innovation beyond the bells and whistles. “Blast Off,” written, produced, arranged by and featuring R. Kelly, begins with a sultry countdown that plays on the song’s rocket-ship metaphor, oozing cliched innuendoes throughout. While Ron Isley’s voice still soars and seduces with effortless vigor and enchantment, his unique sound is lost to Kelly’s kitschy lyric, prepackaged beats and lackluster rhythms that replace alluring with boring. Isley remains the hero here, but perhaps would have been better off flying solo. Billboard
