The album opens with a two and a half minute overture that is very toned down (no drums or beats at all) and is a subtle nod to the anthem Carlos gave us in the original flick. The next track, "The Grid," picks up the tempo, features some Jeff Bridges dialogue as a kind of spoken word introduction, and blends some of the musical themes from Carlos' score with themes Daft Punk incorporates into their scoring of the sequel. The rest of the album is purely instrumental with no singing, vocal samples or dialogue present on any of the tracks and has a house/trance feel with some nods to industrial electronica.
Overall, it's a good film score with well crafted, multi-layered tracks but it doesn't achieve the greatness of the original. The duo does try to incorporate some of the musical themes Wendy Carlos gave us while being careful to not lean too heavily on that original score. If anything, they don't incorporate enough of Carlos' work as they try to create something grander and even moodier than before by staying true to their own style. I would have loved for them to somehow sample extensively or, at least, pay greater homage to "Anthem" and "Love Theme" from the original Tron soundtrack. Long time Daft Punk fans might also be disappointed in the generally slow tempo of the album but they need to remember this work is intended to accompany a film and not to be used (at least not without some remixing work) for getting down on the dance floor. The score below reflects the fact that I haven't seen the film yet so I can't judge how well the songs work within that framework.
Score: 7/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Derezzed" and "Outlands"
The album opens with the Akon duet "Hold My Hand" which is a thoughtful and soulful song with charming if simple backing music. I did find it a weird choice to open the album since it's really the only song that prominently features another performer's vocals as the lead. The next track is the extremely catchy "Hollywood Tonight" which has a beat eerily similar to "Billy Jean" and is destined to be featured heavily in clubs in the near future. Unfortunately, after the second track the inconsistencies of the album start to become apparent. The next two tracks "Keep Your Head Up" and "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" are slow jams that hark back to his past slow jams from the 90's and early 80's, respectively. "Monster" (featuring 50 Cent) is a fast tempo and probably the most modern sounding song on the album although 50 Cent's rap doesn't really bring a whole lot. "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" has a sound familiar to "Black and White" but with a more modern twist. His vocal work on the track, from the restrained refrains that open the song to the screaming in the chorus, shows the potential greatness that we expected from new Michael Jackson music and it truly sounds like a new, modern MJ song.
Overall, it's not at all a horrible album given the circumstances behind how the songs were completed and how quickly the album was scheduled to be released. In fact, unlike a lot of posthumous releases, Michael doesn't feel as piecemeal as I had anticipated or feared. However, the wide range of years between when some of the songs were recorded is pretty obvious so it's not a totally cohesive album either. That being said, Jackson's singing voice still sounds as smooth and youthful as it ever did and he and his collaborators always had the ability to write infectious, toe-tapping pop songs. There are enough gems on Michael that it is probably worth a purchase but if this is the cream of the crop of the unreleased works then any future albums will be pretty average at best.
Score: 7.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" and "Hollywood Tonight"
After a quick prelude, the album opens with the song the album is named after, "Love Letter." It's a sultry R&B song with inviting harmonies and pleasing vocals even if it's not that complex of a song. The entire album is full of songs with roots from Soul and R&B music from decades past without directly parroting any particular artist's or band's style. "Number One Hit" is the first of a couple of songs that pay tribute to the style of Michael Jackson and the sensuous songs he gave us especially at the beginning of his solo career. "Taxi Cab" is sung in a vocal style similar to how a Bobby Womack might have given us a song over 30 years ago but Kelly's songwriters are able to infuse a more modern sound and song structure making it the song that I wanted to listen to repeatedly because of the entrancing way they were able to blend the different sounds. However, there are a few songs that do not balance the line between modern and classic as well. "Radio Message" has a beat that sounds like something from Al Green but the lyrics and vocal sound more like something from a 90's boy band. It's a song that already sounds dated and brings us back to an age of music most of us don't want to travel to.
R Kelly manages to release a sophisticated R&B/Soul album that may be the best Soul album of the year. Unlike in recent albums (Untitled comes to mind), Kelly eschews the naughty and explicit lyrics in the songs and the entire album is chock full of what could be modern The Delfonics or Marvin Gaye hits but with Kelly's silky voice. It's an album that beckons back to a groovier time in R&B music but still manages to sound very contemporary for most of the album. It's an album that will work well for a dinner party, for an after party, or for snuggling by the fire because of the seductive songs that are consistently presented to us over the entire album.
Score: 8.5/10
Song(s) to Sample: "Taxi Cab" and "Love Letter"
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