The Isley Brothers
Body Kiss
Dreamworks

The term "supernaturalize" probably hasn't made a strong enough impression to make Vanity Fair's next Rock Snob's Dictionary. Nevertheless, the verb — essentially meaning "to dress up an artist's album with contributions from several established or emerging stars, as demonstrated by Santana's Supernatural — needs to be included in some sort of reference guide. Supernaturalizing has become commonplace in pop music over the past few years, and just like standard-bearer Santana, the Isley Brothers have followed the basic formula more than once.

Singer Ronald Isley and sibling guitarist Ernie should have put more thought into their second such effort, as most of their guests bring name recognition and little else to Body Kiss. Lil' Kim's 30-second rap on the title track is utterly pedestrian. Armed with a series of sexy lines, she goes through the motions — as though she wants to get it over with as quickly as possible because she really isn't in the mood. The annoyance her attitude provokes rivals the chintzy smooching sounds and the fake handclaps used in the chorus whenever Ronald is on the verge of naming a female private part. Snoop Dogg, who's always good for at least one clever verse, delivers on "I Like," but it's not enough to save the silly ode to the bling-bling lifestyle.

At this point in their long-running career, the Isleys should adopt troubled R&B king and longtime associate R. Kelly and make him a full-time member. He wrote, produced and arranged all but one song on Body Kiss; he sings on a bunch of tracks as either himself or the Pied Piper. Plus, he's credited with creating Ronald's pimped-out Mr. Biggs persona, who gets secondary billing on the album's cover.

What Kelly probably thought were streetwise lyrics on paper come across as scripted posturing in song: Ronald asks about a man who is "sittin' in VIP just a thuggin'" on "Superstar" and orders a flunky to "make the attack" on someone who's been messing around with his lady and his possessions on "Showdown Vol. 1." Then there's "Busted," an unintentionally funny argumentative duet between Ronald and the up-and-coming female vocal duo JS. Due to the latter's youthful pipes, it leaves the impression the song is a father-daughter dispute rather than the intended romantic rift. Vocal creepiness aside, the multiple alibis offered by JS for being out on the town — each one questioned by a doubting Ronald — are distracting and make a soap opera's twists seem simple.

When left to carry the bulk of the performance themselves, Ronald and Ernie come through on three songs — the sensual "Prize Possession," the easygoing "Keep It Flowin'" and the ballad "Take a Ride." It should be a given for a new Isley Brothers album to be about the Isley Brothers, but that's not the case with Body Kiss. It's very much hit-and-miss — and for that they have themselves and their guests to blame.

— Chris M. Junior (chrisjr@mindspring.com)