Food feels like it is simultaneously modern and old-fashioned, with the full band occasionally intertwined with an electro section – it makes for a compelling mix of sounds.Ĭobbler and Friday Fish Fry are the two standout upbeat tracks, and Bless the Telephone is a lovely quieter song where Kelis duets with Labi Siffre, whose voice adds a sensual lower tone to the music. All of these elements come together to make an album that could work both turned up loud to sing along to or as easy background listening. This sixth studio album from Kelis has some outstanding instrumental parts: horns, whistles, strings and bass are used to great effect, and they work well with the natural rasp of Kelis’ voice.
Food is a lot less poppy than previous releases, with this record having a more soulful and old-school jazz sound running consistently throughout, and it has a feel of real authenticity to it. It's a pace further away from the massive hit song that, more than a decade later, refuses to go down.Kelis has been releasing music since 1999, and has had a wide variety of popular songs in her time – the classic Milkshake in 2003 and the much dancier 2010 hit Acapella, to name but a few. Instead of playing her position and exploring with futuristic interpretations, Kelis tips her hat to the past with a palette that revels in soul, doo-wop and layered girl-group harmonies. The result is songs that we'd never have expected from the singer. In flipping her sound once again, she found an unlikely partnership with indie/art-rocker Dave Sitek (of TV on the Radio fame) and the 13-piece band that came with him. Whether she was screaming about how much she hates you, spearheading the shift toward a new R&B sound or diving into the world of electronic dance music, Kelis has never been one to sound subdued or stagnant.Īt 34 years old - post divorce, contract liberation and since becoming a mother - Kelis is beyond the point of trying to fit into any box that the industry has tried to squash her into, whether it was a label with misgivings or a radio station that couldn't figure out where she belonged. Since her first blip on the radar in 1999 as the hook singer on Ol' Dirty Bastard's " Got Your Money," Kelis' work has run the gamut of musical experimentation her approach has been nothing less than bombastic. For Kelis Rogers, R&B's resident provocateur, Food - her first album since 2010's dance-heavy Flesh Tone - is the embodiment of what she has always contended as an artist: that she can't be molded to fit inside one genre - one flavor, one dish, one cuisine. At base, it's sustenance, and at its most complex, like when it appears in song, it can evoke nostalgia, carnal desires and comfort.
It's the connective tissue between families, communities and cultures. Kelis' new album, Food, comes out April 22.įood is life.
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