Reviews of new pop, country/roots, jazz and classical releases.

Pop:

R. KELLY "Happy People/U Saved Me" (Jive, 2 { stars)

Here we are again, back at the crossroads. Barreling in from one direction are extravagantly detailed accounts of party-time transgressions, and they're set to crash into equally fervent talk of Sunday-morning salvation. Students of rhythm and blues know this intersection.

In the past, Chicago hitmaker R. Kelly has enjoyed orchestrating, and watching, the collisions that happen here. His massive 2003 hit, "Chocolate Factory," named for his studio, alternated explicit songs of carnal fascination with attempts at spiritual reconciliation, if not atonement. For this reasonably priced two-disc set, the singer separates church and state: "Happy People" is the easygoing dance-floor record; "U Saved Me" is a full-on gospel caravan.

Taken together, the discs suggest that the singer-producer, who's still dealing with charges of child pornography, is immersed in an image makeover.

"Happy People" doesn't exhibit nearly as much swagger as "Chocolate Factory." The majority of the 11 songs sit in a sullen, laid-back medium tempo, which Kelly seems to think is perfect for the dance he calls "steppin'." Sometimes he's right: The title track (one of several featuring string arrangements from vet Larry Gold) and the hypnotic "Love Signals" approach Barry White sumptuousness.

The more direct attempt at image rehab, "U Saved Me," starts with "3-Way Phone Call," a seven-minute dial-a-prayer conversation that devolves into an indulgent mess. Though several pieces culminate in pronouncements from a fervent choir, most of the disc ...