Kelis – Food

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. 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.

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. 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. 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.

Cobbler 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. Although the tracks don’t differ too much from each other, the steady sound of the album creates a real collective overall feel and a satisfying listening experience. The slower songs are equally as good as the livelier ones, and there is a feeling of sincerity to be found behind this record.

Food is sexy and fun, but has a real weight behind it – it feels honest and creates the impression that there was a lot of passion put into the making of it. This will be a good listen for both die-hard Kelis fans and those coming to her music for the first time.

Amy McLelland

Food was released on April 18^th 2014. For further information or to order the album visit Kelis’s website here.

Watch the video for Rumble here: