Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Chocolate factory
2. Step in the name of love
3. Heart of a woman
4. I'll never leave
5. Been around the world - Kelly, R. & Ja Rule
6. You made me love you
7. Forever
8. Dream girl
9. Ignition
10. Ignition (remix)
11. Forever more
12. You knock me out
13. Step in the name of love (remix)
14. Imagine that
15. Showdown - Kelly, R. & Ron Isley
16. Snake - Kelly, R. & Big Tigger
17. Whos' that - Kelly, R. & Fat Joe

Disc 2:

1. Loveland
2. All I want to do
3. Heaven I need a hug
4. World's greatest
5. Far more
6. Raindrops
7. Apologies of a thug

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29552 in Music
• Released on: 2003-02-17
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
Perhaps R Kelly's brushes with the law have caused him to turn down his love light, since his seventh album Chocolate Factory takes scrupulous pains to show an idealised high-minded face of love, eschewing his usual steamy cocktail of raunchy lust and replacing it with a sweet, winsome romanticism. "I'll Never Leave" is a wistful valentine, while "The Heart of a Woman" is embarrassingly empathetic to the plight of the feminine kind and is hardly the kind of fare that one expects from Marvin Gaye's heir apparent. Despite his real-life racy escapades, Kelly is at his best musically when he's an unrepentant bad boy but he doesn't show any grit until "Been Around the World", his confessional duet with a rasping Ja Rule, the fretful bluesy "You Made Me Love You" and "Ignition", a paean to parking. Despite "Ignition"'s first line, "Girl, please let me stick my key in your ignition, Babe" it's rather tame by the standards Kelly has set on his earlier discs. "Chocolate Factory" also includes 6 bonus tracks from Loveland the album that was slated for a 2002 release, but was ostensibly shelved after it was rampantly bootlegged on the Internet. Despite the disc's soft focus, Kelly is at the height of his vocal powers, and once he weans himself from the gooey sentimentality and returns to the smooth seductive persona of old, he'll once again be an artist to be reckoned with. --Jaan Uhelszki

CD Description
Album notes CHOCOLATE FACTORY [Limited] includes a 6 track limted edition bonus CD entitled LOVELAND.Personnel includes: R. Kelly (vocals); Ja Rule, Ronald Isley, Big Tigger (vocals); Donnie Lyle (guitar, bass); Rodney East, Kendall Nesbitt (keyboards); Henry Love (congas); Ian Mereness, Abel Garibaldi (programming); Kim Johnson (background vocals); Hart Hollman & The Motown Romance Orchestra.In an effort to distract himself from the myriad post-millennial legal woes dogging him, R. Kelly retreated to the studio where in true fashion, he wrote, sang, produced, and arranged his sixth album CHOCOLATE FACTORY. In trying to escape from his personal problems, Kelly succeeded in coming up with a lengthy outing infused with the kind of slow soul that brings to mind great names like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. The laid-back harmonies and testimonial fervor of "Forever" scream Gamble & Huff-produced Stylistics, light funk beats propel "You Knock Me Out," and the remix of "Step In the Name of Love" finds the Chicago native lifting Gaye's phrasing from the "What's Goin' On" era and pumping it into this mid-tempo jam. Breaking up this solo slow-jam fest are guest shots by Ja Rule (an embattled "Been Around the World"), Ronald Isley (the skit-song "Showdown"), and Fat Joe (the Latin-pop-flavored "Who's That".) Although CHOCOLATE FACTORY could stand a bit of trimming, its musical essence reflects a rich talent whose personal travails could never negate anything he might be able to bring to the creative table.

Customer Reviews

Its all about the music
With new album "Happy People" due for release in a few months I thought i'd look back at R Kelly's last studio album - Chocolate Factory.

If you think you like RnB/Soul but only listen to the likes of Justin and Beyonce then maybe this isn't for you as its more of a grown up album.
I love R Kelly's music. For over 10 years he has been making music which is nothing short of amazing.

This set along the same lines. Its mellow yes, but the tracks are of such high quality.
Obviously everyone knows "Ignition (remix)" which was the first single which went straight to number one both in the UK and US charts. But the killer track is "Step in the name of love" both the orginal and the remix. Voted 2003 best song in Blues & Soul magazine, its not hard to see why. Its a beautifully written feel good track with amazing vocals from the man who put the R in RnB.

My personal Favourite track is "Forever More" which is one of the best love songs i've heard in many a year. With his voice that sounds like its been through a lot, it makes me stop what i'm doing every time.
Other notable tracks are, "Dream Girl" & "Forever" which again gives us some of the best lyrical stuff R Kelly has done for quite a while.
There are a few collabarations as usual with R Kelly.
Ja Rule appears on "Been Around the world", a personal track but nothing really special, and due to the fact that I cannot see any appeal in Ja Rule it doesn't make great listening for me.
Big Tigger is on the second single "Snake" which I would identify as the weakest track on the album. There are also inclusions for Fat Joe and long time collabarator the fantastic Ronald Isley, with "Showdown".

If you can't get enough of the "Chocolate Factory" don't worry as the cd comes with a bonus one. The "Loveland" album is a 7 part extra cd, which has some more absolute quality R Kelly tracks.
The one which most people will look at is "Heaven I need a Hug" which really is his answer to everything that is going on in his much maligned personal life.
The title track on there "Loveland" is another stormer, and real smooth R Kelly stuff.

Overall, you are getting your money's worth here as you do with every R Kelly purchase. Its RnB at the top end of the scale.
Its just music of pure excellence.

His best effort yet - if you're into the smooth R&B style
... I believe that this could be R.Kelly's finest album to date. Personally I'm not a fan of Kelly's R&B/Hip-Hop crossover songs which appeared en masse on the album "R." and I think his best music comes when he stops talking so much about being a thug and makes some classic soulful R&B music.

If this is an opinion which you also hold then undoubtedly "Chocolate Factory" will be for you. Almost every song is a well constructed piece of R&B and makes little use of the commercial blueprint by which every modern R&B CD seems to be made. Of course there's the token Ja Rule appearance to ensure that at least some 13 year olds buy this album but still "Been around the world" proves to be a decent track.

The only track I wasn't too fond of was "Showdown" which clearly relates to the track "Contagious" which Kelly did with the Isley Brothers but it does feature too much talking and does little for the album.

With a bonus CD featuring much of "Loveland" - the album Kelly had made which became leaked and consequently bootlegged forcing him to make "Chocolate Factory" - the value of this CD is incredible. Definitely worth a listen.

Mellow Tunes
...If you're after some hard-hitting, attitude with a heavy beat, then this is not for you (50 Cent much more recommended). But if you appreciate your soulful, mellow R&B, then R. Kelly delivers. The main tracks on this album are the tracks, Ignition, and Ignition (Remix) which are fun, light-hearted with a catchy melody. 'Step in the Name of Love', and 'Heart of a Woman' are 2 of my favourites on this album, where Kelly gives us heart-wrenching performances. 'Been Around the World' featuring JaRule is nice, but a little too reminiscient of Mary J Blige and Ja Rule in 'Rainy Dayz'. The album features Fat Joe as well, in a strange track, and the final 'Showdown' with Ron Isley.

The Bonus CD contains some useful tracks, 'Heaven I need a Hug' is particularly poignant, as is the title song from the Ali soundtrack, 'The World's Greatest'.

All in all, a very chilled-out album, which is nice to listen to. But, in my opinion, it's certainly not R. Kelly's best work.