Is R. Kelly too old to drop his 'Black Panties'?

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R. Kelly wants to have sex with you. Maybe not literally, but figuratively for sure. After a taking a couple years off for romantic music making, Kelly is getting back to the raunchy sex music he’s known for.

“I just did the whole Love Letter joint and everybody’s thinking, ‘That’s the direction he’s going now,’” Kelly said on Chicago’s 107.5 WGCI radio station. “No! That was a moment in time, just like “Ignition” and “Bump N’ Grind.” Now this Black Panties is the new 12 Play.”

The “whole Love Letter joint” refers to his 2010 album, in which Kelly drew from influences like Donnie Hathaway and Marvin Gaye to create an 15-track homage to romantic, classic soul.

Though that album has only sold about 500,000 copies to date (a far cry from his triple platinum days), critics were overall happy to see Kelly trade in the vulgar lyrics for something the whole family could enjoy.

As a critic from Allmusic.com put it, “it’s easily the least sexually charged album in [Kelly’s] discography, ideal for those who admire him as a singer, arranger, and producer but tune out the fantastical come-ons.”

But I guess once a sex crooner, always a sex crooner. With his forthcoming album Black Panties, Kelly wants to get back to the shocking analogies and raunchy lyrics he’s known for. I guess you got to give the people what they want?

This is a guy who has compared sex to a jeep, remote control, car ignition, marijuana and traffic lights. He’s had sex in the kitchen, he’s cheated on you, he’s cheated with you, and he’s even offered to get you pregnant.

R. Kelly is probably the only artist who regularly vacillates between uplifting and x-rated, romantic and raunchy. He’s the same guy who had church choirs singing “I Believe I Can Fly,” and freaks in the night moaning to “The Greatest Sex.” Wisely, R. Kelly knows these two groups aren’t mutually exclusive – after all, the same people on the dance floors Saturday night fill the church pews Sunday morning.

But for what it’s worth, Kelly is no spring chicken. The legendary album this latest venture aspires to, 12 Play, was released in 1993, a time when a 26-year-old R. Kelly could easily pull off song titles like “Freak Dat Body” and “I Like the Crotch on You.”

Now at the ripe age of 44, I don’t think anyone would readily bestow him with sex symbol status. Writing songs filled with kinky sex analogies and suggestions could come off sounding contrived and forced. There’s a risk of R. Kelly looking like a parody of himself if he once again bumps and grinds his way onto the airways.

Plus his competition is formidable — Trey Songz and The-Dream consistently battle for the title of sex singer du jour, and up and comers like Miguel are vying for a spot in the competition as well. Does a 44-year-old guy really expect to be met with the same welcome that he received over 10 years ago? Ask Lil’ Kim — it’s hard to see your shoes filled, and even worse when it seems like nobody’s missed you.

If he’s smart, R. Kelly will play to the niche of older fans who long for his sex singing days of yore, instead of battling for younger ears on the Billboard Hot 100. He certainly has some of the most loyal fans in the world (it takes a lot to shoulder shrug convincing pedophilia allegations), and if the album is produced well, they will definitely show up to support. The rest of us may roll our eyes at Kelly’s aural dry humping, but loyal fans will likely be more than sated.