| The Buffet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 11, 2015 (2015-12-11) | |||
| Recorded | July 2014–July 2015 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 48:18 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | ||||
| R. Kelly chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Deluxe version cover | ||||
 | ||||
| Singles from The Buffet | ||||
| ||||
The Buffet is the thirteenth studio album by AmericanR&B singer-songwriterR. Kelly. It was released on December 11, 2015, byRCA Records. The album features guest appearances fromLil Wayne,Jhene Aiko,Ty Dolla Sign,Jeremih,Juicy J,Wizkid andTinashe.[1][2] The album also marks the debut of Kelly's own daughter, Joann Kelly going by the stage name Ariirayé.[3]
The album serves as a follow-up to its predecessorBlack Panties (2013). In May 2015, he announced that he decided to change the title fromWhite Panties toThe Buffet, because "it's just a variety of things" and would contain a mix of different genres of music.[4] Kelly reportedly had written over 462 songs during the development of the album, from which he made his final album selection.[5]
According toRolling Stone,The Buffet's first half leans more towardship-hop influenced R&B, while on the second half of the record the singer "stretches out stylistically", with episodes ofMemphis soul,quiet storm, andcountry music.[6]
"Backyard Party" was released as the albums's first official single on August 21, 2015. The written credits and the serving of its Record production that was handled and provided by R. Kelly. The song peaking at number 6 on the USAdult R&B Airplay.[7]
"Switch Up" was released as the album's second official single on November 6, 2015. The song features guest appearances from an American rapperLil Wayne and a fellowR&B recording artistJeremih, with the writing and the production that was handled and provided by R. Kelly himself, along with J-Holt and Cem T.
"Marching Band" featuringJuicy J, and "Wake Up Everybody" were released aspromotional singles along with the album's pre-order oniTunes.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 60/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Independent | [10] |
| NME | 3/5[11] |
| The New York Times | (mixed)[12] |
| Rolling Stone |  [13] |
| Spin | 7/10[14] |
| USA Today | [15] |
Upon its release,The Buffet received mixed reviews frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 60, based on nine reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[8]
Andy Kellman ofAllMusic awarded the album three stars out of five, stating that the album "does have more dimensions than Black Panties" while also pointing out the fact he "remains driven to as ever to take a metaphorical theme to a comedic extreme and then deviate from it in direct and explicit fashion."[9]
Andy Gill ofThe Independent gave the album three stars out of five, saying that the album by all accounts is "far from Kelly's best work" while also stating that it's "an OK effort overall."[16]
Dan Weiss ofSpin awarded the album with a seven out of ten, saying that the record is "like the 12 that came before it: hard to enjoy objectively." He also adds that its "better than just another R. Kelly album, but not enough to be worth saying so outside of a review, much less on a year-end list; call it a good one-night stand."[14]
The album debuted at number 16 on the USBillboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 39,000 equivalent copies (36,000 in pure album sales).[17] It was the eleventh best-selling album of the week.[18]The Buffet was the thirteenth solo album by Kelly to debut at number one on theBillboard'sTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[19] In the second week, the album sold 26,000 equivalent copies (25,000 in pure album sales). The album would later sale over 500,000 copies in the United States[20]
Acknowledging the album's lack of record sales, Kelly reached out to hisFacebook fans asking for support. In an interview onHuffPost Live, interviewer Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani suggested to Kelly that the lack of sales could be due to listeners feeling conflicted by Kelly's multiple allegations of sexual assault with minors. Kelly refused to answer and walked out of the interview.[21]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Poem" | Robert Kelly | R. Kelly | 1:19 |
| 2. | "Poetic Sex" |
|
| 4:21 |
| 3. | "Anything Goes" (featuringTy Dolla Sign) |
| 4:35 | |
| 4. | "Let's Make Some Noise" (featuringJhené Aiko) |
|
| 4:14 |
| 5. | "Marching Band" (featuringJuicy J) |
| 3:56 | |
| 6. | "Switch Up" (featuringLil Wayne andJeremih) |
|
| 3:24 |
| 7. | "Wanna Be There" (featuring Ariirayé) |
|
| 4:15 |
| 8. | "All My Fault" | Kelly | Kelly | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Wake Up Everybody" | Kelly | Kelly | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Get Out of Here With Me" |
|
| 4:17 |
| 11. | "Backyard Party" | Kelly | Kelly | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Sextime" |
|
| 4:14 |
| 13. | "Let's Be Real Now" (featuringTinashe) |
| 3:05 | |
| Total length: | 48:18 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "I Just Want to Thank You" (featuringWizkid) |
| 3:23 | |
| 15. | "Keep Searchin'" | Kelly | Kelly | 4:31 |
| 16. | "Sufferin'" | Kelly | Kelly | 4:00 |
| 17. | "I Tried" |
|
| 4:09 |
| 18. | "Barely Breathin'" | Kelly | Kelly | 4:45 |
| Total length: | 69:06 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 19. | "Damn Right" | 3:13 |
| Total length: | 72:19 | |
Credits adapted fromAllMusic.[22]
|
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Country | Date | Format(s) | Version(s) | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | December 11, 2015[26] |
|
| RCA |
