The songs on
Mr. I featuring hype men who dramatically declare the return of
Ronald Isley must be referring to the singer’s expired prison term. When the album was released, the previous
Isley Brothers disc was only three years old.
Isley really wasn’t away -- not in musical terms, at least. And it’s not like the 2006 album
Baby Makin’ Music was a wayward flop; it went to number one on Billboard’s R&B chart and did so without
Isley having to leave his lane all that often. This time out, for whatever reason, there’s an effort to make more of the songs sound like they are coming from someone one-third
Isley’s age. When
Mr. I plays to
Isley's strengths, as on atmospheric ballads like "Dance for Me” and “What I Miss the Most," it’s just fine, very much in the vein of latter-day
Isley Brothers albums. ~ Andy Kellman