Baby Makin' Music

Baby Makin' Music is The Isley Brothers’ third strong album of the 2000s

First formed in the early '50s, the Isley Brothers enjoyed one of the longest, most influential, and most diverse careers in the pantheon of popular music – over the course of nearly a half century of performing, the group's distinguished history spanned not only two generations of Isley siblings but also massive cultural shifts which heralded their music's transformation from gritty R&B to Motown soul to blistering funk. With recent hits like Contagious, What Would You Do and Busted and classic hits like Between the Sheets, Choosey Lover and Summer Breeze, these brothers can be compared to the likes of fine wine. They just keep getting better and better with time. Impressively enough, Baby Makin' Music is their third strong album of the 2000s. A lot of younger artists in their prime can't claim such a thing. Baby Makin' Music is the follow-up to 2003's Body Kiss, which bowed atop The Billboard 200 and has sold 787,000 copies in the United States. R. Kelly, who wrote and produced most of Body Kiss, is present on only one song here, but the Isleys don't miss a step when it comes to staying up with the times, tapping the likes of the rising Tim and Bob along with Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, Jr., Troy Taylor, and Bryan Michael-Cox.

Simple, straightforward tales of love, sex and seduction

This is a remarkably tight album filled with songs that deliver on the promise of its title. Nearly all of them are simple, straightforward tales of love, sex and seduction. To no surprise whatsoever, Ronald Isley is equally seductive whether he's making amends, bragging about his exploits, or just being sweet. Hearing him sing over Gladys Knight & the Pips' 30-year-old version of Curtis Mayfield's The Makings of You, as he does over the opening You're My Star, is kind of bizarre if you think about it, but it's only another way of demonstrating the Isley Brothers' enduring vitality. Easy-grooving lead single Just Came Here to Chill leaves no doubt as to Ronald's intentions. His silky, sexy tenor still mesmerizes, and Ernie Isley's guitar prowess continues to hit home. Baby Making Music reunites Ronald with R. Kelly in Blast Off, a song that’s bound to add another dimension in the ongoing saga between Mr. Biggs and the Pied Piper. Gotta Be With You, which coyly tweaks the duo's 50-year career ("Been in the game since '59/Had a whole lot of women at that time"), provides the proof in both cases. Fortunately, despite the inclusion of modern-day hitmaking producers, the producers' touch is light and doesn't overpower the Isleys. The album's concept is a welcome respite from hip-hop's beat-laden approach.

Ronald and Ernie Isley are still two of the more talented performers in R&B

After more than 50 years in the music game, the Isley Brothers definitely still have it. Their latest release, Baby Makin' Music doesn't break any new ground, but it definitely proves that vocalist Ronald Isley and his musician brother Ernie Isley are still two of the more talented performers in R&B. The album title is completely appropriate, as nearly all the tracks are mid-tempo love-making songs that are perfect for a romantic evening. Ronald points out that while his brand of R&B may be sexy, it's never as explicit as much of the music made by the genre's younger stars. "It has to be done in good taste," the singer says. Baby Makin' Music could be arriving at an inopportune time for Ronald Isley, who in October was convicted of five counts of tax evasion and one count of willful failure to file a tax return. His sentencing is scheduled for this month; he faces a maximum possible sentence of 26 years in federal prison. Isley won't comment on the pending case. But he vows nothing will put a halt to his seemingly unstoppable career. "We've made history, and I want to continue to do so," he says. "Basically, we want to do the impossible."