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Kelis album "Tasty" indeed |
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Written by LUKAS SZYMANEK
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Tuesday, 09 December 2003 |
It’s hard not to judge Kelis by her cover art. She’s licking a lollipop in one glossy blown-out image and sits on a wall of ice cream like a throne in another one, conjuring up less than subtle insinuations.
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Kelis
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 Entertainment
 Art
“Tasty”
(Arista)
Released December 9, 2003
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Her hit song "Milkshake" sound like your typical product of the over-sexed R&B generation: bouncy, racy and filled with lyrical sexual innuendos. I remember Kelis from a few years back, in a colorful wig and a strait jacket, screaming mercilessly inside my TV set. When her first album Kaleidoscope failed to sell, the misunderstood artist moved to Europe where her intriguing combination of anger and R&B found a stronger audience. Now she rides back to the US with a recipe for the perfect American milkshake in her latest album Tasty. With a new image that suggests the hood’s playgirl rather than a multi-racial Bjork, she obviously wants to sell out. But before you pass her off as yet another desperate starlet and begin the countdown to the fall of her sex appeal... just taste it.With a little help from producers by the likes of the Neptunes, Dallas Austin, Raphael Saadiq and even Outkast’s very own Andre 3000, Kelis makes sure her album is no one-note treat. The guilty pleasure genius of "Milkshake" lies in surprising simplicity. The song is a flirtation of a catchy chorus, with a basic drum line and a naughty note on a triangle that works like a wink, and not much else. The Neptunes go on to help Kelis get in touch with her Puerto Rican heritage on the wonderfully exotic "Protect my Heart", as well as with her black side on a more standard heartbreak piece "Rolling through the Hood". "In Public" is quite the tacky ode to the art of outdoor fellatios, made interesting by the fact it’s a duet with her actual fiancé, the hip-hop artist Nas. The album closes with the fantastic "Marathon", a trip-hopping ballad with an ascending emotional finish. In her pursuit of an eclectic sound however, Kelis loses a bit of individuality that characterized her original work. Most of the tracks stand out not for the singer-songwriter’s vocal power but for the mind behind the sound system. Very often, she lets the producer dictate the direction of the song, which makes her sound more like a collaborating pair of vocal cords, rather than the main name in the credits. "Millionaire" is so drenched in Andre 3000’s vision of experimental hip-hop that Kelis’ voice sounds almost out of place. "Keep it Down" is derivative of Kelis’ earlier more rebellious music, but also of Pink’s current rock-driven R&B, thanks to Dallas Austin’s helping hand. Still, as an overall effort, the album comes in very strong. Musical pushover or not, Kelis represents the new generation of black female artists who are not afraid to experiment with rhythm and won’t settle for a mere exploitation of sexuality to sell records. Tasty indeed, with a rich cream filling. Enjoy. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
