Maps of Music

Happy People/U Saved Me (2004)

Where the lyrics of Happy People/U Saved Me take you, and where it was really made.

One double album, two opposite moods: a dance-floor disc and a gospel disc, sold together as a single set.

Key places

Chicago studio credited for the recording (2004)

Recording site Chicago Recording Company — The Chocolate Factory in Chicago is listed as the album's recording studio. The pin sits at city-centre level, not on the exact building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Happy People/U Saved Me: sixth studio album by American R&B singer R. Kelly
• Second and final double album of his career
• Pairs feel-good danceable soul records (Happy People) with gospel anthems (U Saved Me) on two discs
• Released 24 August 2004 by Jive Records
• Disc 1 "Happy People" lists 11 tracks; disc 2 "U Saved Me" lists 10 tracks
• All songs written, produced and arranged by R. Kelly

Background

• The album follows Kelly's earlier solo work; "Red Carpet (Pause, Flash)" interpolates "Step in the Name of Love" from his previous album, released a year earlier
• Hit single "Happy People" reached No. 19 in the US and No. 6 in the UK
• Minor hit "U Saved Me" reached No. 52 in the US and No. 6 in the UK
• French Wikipedia describes the first disc as joyful and the second as remorseful, reading the set as Kelly's response to sexual allegations made against him

Recording

• Mastered at The Hit Factory for PM Entertainment
• Mastering credit goes to Herb Powers Jr.
• Studio credit lists The Chocolate Factory in Chicago, Illinois

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · de.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born Robert Sylvester Kelly on January 8, 1967, on Chicago's South Side, Illinois.
• Began performing in the subway under Chicago "L" tracks, busking at the Jackson station on the Red Line.
• Joined the group MGM (Musically Gifted Men) formed in 1989, which won a $100,000 prize on the TV show Big Break in 1991 before disbanding.

Career

• Signed with Jive Records in 1991; debut Born into the 90's (1992, with Public Announcement) yielded hits including "She's Got That Vibe".
• Solo album 12 Play (1993) produced the number-one hit "Bump N' Grind", which spent a record 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
• "I Believe I Can Fly" (1996) won three Grammy Awards in 1998.
• Wrote and produced "You Are Not Alone" for Michael Jackson, which debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100.
• Sold over 75 million records worldwide; Billboard ranked him the 9th greatest R&B artist of all time.
• Convicted in 2021 and 2022 on child sex offences and sentenced to a combined 31 years; his career ended after these convictions.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album generally positive reviews
• Los Angeles Times's Richard Cromelin praised the celebrative clap as the album's sonic signature
• AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called it a definitive work of sorts, with Kelly at the top of his game as craftsman and conman
• Uncut described it as a cunning, crackling, can't-keep-still classic
• Billboard's Gail Mitchell found Kelly's winning musical streak continuing, with an uncanny ability to mix retro sounds with contemporary seasoning
• PopMatters found the first disc honing effortless dance hooks, while the second disc seemed trapped in staid evangelical idioms
• Entertainment Weekly's David Browne said the second disc got bogged down in syrup-doused ballads
• Robert Christgau argued Kelly's productivity was greed rather than exuberance
• The New York Times's Kefelah Sanneh found the set rather unambitious
• Launch.com's Dan Leroy found the sacred material more exciting and troubling

Reappraisal

• Metacritic average of 66 out of 100 based on 16 mainstream reviews

Records

• Debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 403,000 copies in its first week, behind Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying
• Sixth consecutive Kelly solo album to debut at number one on Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
• Peaked at No. 2 on the pop albums chart
• Second week: number six on the Billboard 200, 127,000 copies sold
• Certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA on 24 September 2004, counting 1.5 million double sets
• Sold 5.2 million copies worldwide as of 6 December 2011

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album closes its two discs with gospel material on the second disc, while the first disc is built around dance hooks.
• "Red Carpet (Pause, Flash)" reuses "Step in the Name of Love" from Kelly's previous album, which had come out a year earlier.
• The mastering was done at The Hit Factory for PM Entertainment, with Herb Powers Jr. credited as mastering engineer.
• The second week on the Billboard 200 dropped the album to number six while still selling 127,000 copies.
• Kelly wrote, produced and arranged every song on the set.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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