Outrageous Farce
R. Kelly’s “multipart R&B soap opera cum sex farce” keeps getting buzz even though I have been too lazy too watch them. I guess I won’t need to watch them anymore after reading the spoiler from Kelefa Sanneh:
At least until near the end. No one likes a spoiler, but suffice it to say that Mr. Kelly finds a clever way to bring the story back to its sex-and-deception roots, culminating in a mesmerizing song composed of phone-call fragments. It’s eerie and funny, a reminder that Mr. Kelly can make great music more or less whenever he feels like it. And, just when you thought this was all an elaborate joke, the ending is surprisingly sad. Surely Chapter 23, whenever it comes, will bring — well, it would be foolish to guess. But here’s hoping Mr. Kelly’s dramatic phase isn’t over yet.