![]() If you want to protest, the best thing to do is probably to ignore her recent release and pick up a copy of Kaleidoscope. That’s the way things are, and there’s not much point in kicking about it. Staying true to her vision wasn’t really an option for Kelis-she could either retire or try to make some money. if you’re not a huge success, you’re either reduced to releasing material overseas or you’re not making records at all. There isn’t much of an indie option for pop R&B in the U.S. But…well, what would you do? She made a unique, adventurous, classic record, gave it to the masse, and the masses yawned, turned over, and went back to sleep. So yes-she’s betrayed herself and her muse, and now we must all suffer. Lots of folks, from Lady Gaga to Beyonce, make great mainstream contemporary R&B, but Kelis is not one of them, and at this point it seems unlikely that she ever will be. Written and produced by the Neptunes, the song was originally offered to Britney Spears for her fourth studio album, In the Zone, but was instead given to Kelis. She had a unique vision and she’s more or less entirely abandoned it in pursuit of fame, fortune, and a sound that fits her like a pair of galoshes worn about the ears. 'Milkshake' is a song by American singer Kelis from her third studio album, Tasty (2003). It’s easy to talk about selling out here-and obviously in some sense, that’s exactly what Kelis has done. There’s a bitter irony too in “Scream,” where Kelis insists, “You’ve won the right to scream and shout.” Unlike on Kaleidoscope, Kelis does not in fact scream. The lyrical nuttiness of Kaleidoscope is entirely gone instead we’re left with groaners like “Just like the sky on the 4th of July/you make me high.” The low point is probably “Song for the Baby,” the cheery sentiments and perky beat of which put Kelis dangerously close to Amy Grant territory. Kelis’ distinctive, not-quite-ready-for-primetime voice is processed into bland submission, and the Neptunes’ unique production is replaced with third-drawer dance-floor dreck. It’s just anonymous-which is perhaps even more depressing. But Kelis kept in there, filing down both her lyrical and musical idiosyncrasies, and finally coming up with a compromise radio could live with on 2003’s Tasty, on 2006’s bloated Kelis Was Here…and most recently on her foray into dance music, Flesh Tone.įlesh Tone isn’t horrible. Usually if a pop R&B star’s first album tanks, that’s pretty much it. While it received much positive attention, it was hardly hailed as a classic. Critically, too, Kaleidoscope went nowhere. The album was so disappointing that her next effort, Wanderland wasn’t even released in the U.S. It’s a funny blast of off-kilter genius, absolutely fearless in its certainty that the world would have to sit up and take notice.īut it didn’t. On it, you hear a young artist stretching her mind and her talent, declaring that she can make art out of hating her man or putting space creatures in the roller rink or championing ghetto children. “Caught Out There”, with Kelis screaming “I hate you so much right now!” gave the singer a reputation as a fuming ball-breaker, but the album as a whole really wasn’t angry- it was exuberant. At age 16, she left her parents home at the age of 20 she was signed to Virgin Records. Where Destiny’s Child went mega-platinum with girl power attitude and teen melodrama, Kelis opted to turn backpacker hip-hop into pop, creating a world of Afro-futurist extraterrestrial musings, nostalgia for the roller rink, game show metaphors, and whatever other bizarre notion happened to zip across her skull. American singer and songwriter Kelis has released six studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, 39 singles (including 21 as a featured artist), and 29 music videos. Jones" by Billy Paul and "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" by Lou Rawls.Kelis’ debut, the 1999 Kaleidoscope was a bizarre left-field masterpiece, with sparse retro-1980s vid-game production from the Neptunes, and Kelis’ unexpected phrasing and low, almost strained voice tripping and stumbling over the beats. ![]() The label's velvetysoul sound - masterminded by label owners Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, both recent inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - is best remembered on classics such as "Me and Mrs. The O'Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle - those legendary acts were well-represented on the shelf at home. Various Artists, Conquer the World: The Lost Soul of Philadelphia International Records: -In my parents' record collection, there were plenty of discs stamped with the famed pea soup-colored label. But as it stands, The Hits is a succinct musical summation of one of the decade's most colorful talents. Album cuts spotlighting more of Kelis would have been nice. The Hits includes all of Kelis' essential cuts: "Caught Out There," "Milkshake" and the superb "Get Along With You." About half the songs are quirky collaborations with hip-hop stars such as Too Short, Andre 3000, the late O.D.B.
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