Kelly disapponts in Happy...

U Saved Me is definitely the better of the two discs. Happy People is the best track on the entire album.

Though R Kelly is known for writing gorgeous love songs and inspirational, thematic ballads, let's face it; he's also known as the King of Raunch. After all, this is the guy who, during a tour last year, teased the audience with a preview of a song that he said would be on his new album, titled Sex In the Kitchen, with the unforgettable lyric: "Sex in the kitchen, over by the stove, on the kitchen table, by the buttered rolls."

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If that's the side of R Kelly you love the most, then you may be disappointed by his new CD, Happy People/U Saved Me. There's not a single "Bump & Grind" type song on the double-disc project. On the first disc, Happy People he's still vibing off last year's Step in the Name of Love groove from the Chocolate Factory album: The 11 romantic jams on the Happy People side are reminiscent of that hustle track. The second disc, U Saved Me, is completely inspirational, featuring songs that would give Donnie McLurkin a run for his money.

Given that Kelly himself is still facing an uncertain future, he is awaiting trial on child pornography charges in Illinois, the material on the disc seems even more poignant. The stirring , much like the title track, talks about the power of God to reverse desperate situations. "When it seems you can't go on, and all your strength is gone, go on it won't be long, I know prayer is gonna change things" he sings feverently, backed by a choir. The emotional , a broken sinner questions why God still has love for him. And sounds almost like a Stevie Wonder track, from Kelly's vocals to the piano-centered melody.

U Saved Me is definitely the better of the two discs. Happy People, both the title track and actually much of that entire album, sounds like various remixes of Step in the Name of Love. But that's part of Kelly's gift, remaking past grooves, wrapping them back up to us and still managing to make them seem like something fresh. Though the tunes sound familiar, they're still engaging.

Alas, there are no freaky-deek songs that R Kelly fans have come to know and crave. But a true artist doesn't need sex to sell his music and maybe, Kelly is finally realizing that.