Pitchfork

I really didn"t want to be the guy who had to say it but let's be honest: This is getting a little old. Kells"s Springer-esque saga hasn"t jumped the (somewhat closeted) you-know just yet but, with two parts left, it seems inevitable. By Part 2 we knew all the chapters of this drama were going to sound frighteningly similar, and Part 3 confirms this with that same build-up and that same phrasing (punch-in falsetto couplet right there!). The lack of differentiation between parts could be interpreted as some sly comment on the sickeningly same-y state of modern R&B, but not even Trey Songz would buy that.

Frustratingly (albeit predictably), Part 3 fails to take advantage of the potential hot-button topics addressed in Part 2. The introduction of the Rufus character-- a secretly homosexual philanderer-pastor-- was surprising coming from such a virulent straight-man who released a stone-faced "spiritual" album a year ago. Could this be Robert's topical What's Going On moment where he exposes the hypocrisies and social injustices plaguing our country today? Um, no. The gay twist has all the significance of a May sweeps same-sex kiss between Kathy Griffin and Melissa Rivers. Rufus's lover Chuck (so much for the name-game Biblical tropes) tries to say his piece but is soon quieted. "Brother, spare me the details," scolds the narrator. The priceless "He says yes/ I says no/ He says yes/ I says no/ He says it's the truth" bit nearly makes up for this otherwise uneventful installment, but not quite.