Low-Life | UK Hip Hop Story | International

Kelis the singer from Harlem is back with a new LP Tasty, which has already spawned the cool and sassy Milkshake single. She is the daughter of a Jazz musician and Minister and was always encouraged into music by her mother. As a youngster she sang with the Harlem Boys Choir and took violin lessons. As she turned 20 she was signed to Virgin and appeared alonside Wu-Tang nutter Old Dirty Bastard on Got Your Money. Since then she has been received with mixed reactions, gaining support and fans across the globe, but remaining strangely ignored in the US.

I'm not sure if this LP is set to light here fire over there either. It is nice enough and the credits read down like a who's who of who is hot and therefore going to suck in the American punters. They may fall for this, but with so much of the LP (five tracks) being produced by the so overrated and so out of date its not funny Neptunes the LP has some real low points in terms of musical composition and can sound very dated. The best Neptunes tracks are of course the lead single Milkshake, which while it is very simplistic it is the vocals of Kelis that raises this above mundane into a catchy pop song. Luckily some of the production is shared out with contributions from Dame Grease, Dallas Austin and Rockwilder. Kelis is additionally the Executive producer and shows that she is learning from her years in the game and is gaining more control for herself.

Kelis has always had her own unique style which borrows influences from many a source. She has a hard Hip Hop edge to her, but is also firmly R&B, but also has elements of indie and rock in there as well. These differences add to her appeal.

The real low points are around the tracks Millionaire and Glow for which the Neptunes just use what could be basic pre-programmed Casio riddims and take the credit and no doubt the unwarranted pay check as well. .

The final track Marathon makes sure the LP closes down with a tough bass line heavy

The LP was recorded in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, and Tasty sees Kelis somewhat older, but still remains as youthful as her young years, she is super seductive but has a certain strength of personality, she is a whole load of contradictions. She keeps the guest appearances to a refreshing minimum, with only Nas on In Public, Pharrell Williams on Protect My Heart and Andre 3000 on Millionaire making cameos. So what have I actually said about this record. Well probably not a lot I have waffled on. It is different and a progression from her previous work, but not a departure. It is maybe more commercial, but still listenable. If you fancy something a little different to your usual Hip Hop fare you could do worse than give this a spin.