Their first for the Def Jam-affiliated label, the album peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, while debuting at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Album sales were helped by the R&B chart success of the first single, "Just Came Here to Chill", and the R. Kelly duet, "Blast Off", which is the only collaboration with Kelly on this album, after he produced their last album, Body Kiss (2003).
Following the album's release, the Isley Brothers ended up on a temporary hiatus following lead singer Ronald Isley's conviction on tax evasion charges, having served three years in federal prison before being released in 2010 and releasing a solo album.[1][2]
Background
In October 2003, five months following the release of their predecessor, Body Kiss, which achieved commercial success,[3] and almost a month ahead of the release of Ronald Isley and Burt Bacharach's collaborative album, Here I Am, the group's label, DreamWorks Records, previously a music label subsidiary of DreamWorks Pictures, was acquired by Universal Music Group and then folded into Interscope Geffen A&M Records.[4] As a result, the Isley Brothers became free agents for only five months until in May 2004, former Universal Music CEO Doug Morris convinced the group to comeback to UMG. Accepting his offer, Ronald Isley signed a new contract with Universal, rather than face being dropped from the label and losing money. Instead of signing with DreamWorks' succeeding label, Geffen Records, Morris helped to sign the Isley Brothers to Geffen's UMG sister label, Def Soul, the R&B division of Def Jam Recordings.[5] Around that time, Def Jam was already under new leadership of former Arista Records chairman L.A. Reid, following the departure of Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles and its co-founder Russell Simmons.[6]
Promotion
The album's lead single, "You Helped Me Write This Song", was released in October 2005, after it leaked on pirate radio last June.[citation needed]Baby Makin' Music was expected to be released on December 20, 2005, but was later delayed to May 9, 2006, on which it was finally released.
David Weigel from PopMatters found that "there are some forgettable songs mixed in with the hits, but the album hangs together well at the perfect procreative length of 46 minutes. The strongest tracks are the three that include a writing credit for Ron. They don’t contain any age jokes, or any silly sex talk; there’s nothing but class [...] With producers who know how to package their sound, and with Ron and Ernie’s skills performing at this level, the Isley Brothers are going to stay relevant for a long, long time."[9]AllMusic editor Andy Kellman called Baby Makin' Music the group's "third strong album of the 2000s." He found that "the Isleys don't miss a step when it comes to staying up with the times [...] This is a remarkably tight album filled with songs that deliver on the promise of its title, and the songs that aren't immediately memorable at least make for fitting mood music. To no surprise whatsoever, Ronald is equally seductive whether he's making amends, bragging about his exploits, or just being sweet."[7]Blender″s Baz Dreisinger found that "since nearly every track" on Baby Makin' Music "is about being there, doing that and turning it all around for a good woman’s love, that voice becomes tepid and tedious."[8]
