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In addition to his many hits as an artist, R.Kelly has had second and third careers as producer and songwriter for various other stars. The most famous of his protegees was surely teen star Aaliyah, but for a moment Sparkle (not to be confused with Sparklehorse, or Twinkle) seemed to be on the verge of similar success. Although it wasn't eligible for the official Hot 100 chart in the US due to the absence of a commercially-available single, 'Be Careful' performed well on airplay charts, and the parent album reached the Top 3 over there. It didn't last long though, due to a falling-out between the two of them.
Maybe it's all prefigured in the song itself, which features a female protagonist (voiced by Sparkle) bemoaning her useless man and threatening that she might leave, followed by the man (Kelly) claiming that she needs to make sure he doesn't leave her. And, er, that's it, with only two verses and two choruses in the five minutes of the song: both characters ask "let me finish" but there's plenty of space left over for both of them to do so. It's tempting to try and draw conclusions about Kelly himself from the lyrics here, but perhaps that's going a bit far. Still I think the best thing about this is the chunk of Curtis Mayfield's 'Pusherman' that plays early in the video.
R Kelly also appears on: Now 28, 29, 30, 37, 41, 44, 51, 55, 59
Available on: Lifestyles - Urban Groove
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