American R&B turned Electro-Dance artist, Kelis, released her fifth studio album, Flesh Tone, worldwide on 17th May 2010 apart from the United States and Canada where it is due for release on 6th July 2010.
This is the first album released by Kelis on the Interscope label, working under the will.i.am branding which is mainly responsible for her switch of sound.
The album is summery, sweaty and primal and is perfect for long gym sessions, long car drives or summer beach parties and the album artwork was directed by British portrait and fashion photographer, John "Rankin" Waddell. It is very conceptual and fits with the primal dance feel of the album.
As for the tracks...
1. Intro - As the title suggests, the introduction track to the album. The track builds up to a crescendo of electro beats, destinctive Kelis vocals and spacey synths. It all sounds very "Daft Punk" until all sounds fade out into a chant of "We control the dance floor..." repeated until it kicks off straight into the next track which is the first proper track on the album. 7/10
2. 22nd Century - A slow euphoric intro slowly builds up into an electro stomper of a track. Heavy beats, repetitive vocals and use of digital effects pull this track straight from the future of the 22nd century. Kelis' view is that everybody will be dancing, and if this is the sort of thing playing out of our speakers then, she is very right! By the time the track hits the three and a half minute mark, all the stops are out and you should be dancing, breaking down and enjoying yourself already! The track then breaks into an instrumental intro for the next one, as all the tracks on this album do. 8/10
3. 4th Of July (Fireworks) - This is the second single from this campaign, and after a few listens it has already surpassed the launch track, Acapella, in my eyes (or ears?). This is incredibly summery, euphoric, dancable and even sing-along. More dirty electro beats, a memorable lyric sheet and a spacey pre-chorus break make this track one of the total highlights of this album. You can't help but feel good after listening to this track! 10/10
4. Home - Seemlessly flowing on from the previous track, Home is again very powerful, feel good and danceable. A very memorable chorus, catchy beats and screeching synths make sure this track stays in your head long after listening to it. Kelis' huskier, almost whispered vocals add to the feel of the track and it all builds up to explode in the final chorus before dropping out on an instrumental break to the next track. 10/10
5. Acapella - This was the lead single from the Flesh Tone campaign. After being very successful worldwide, and featured all over radio, TV and commercial slots, everyone should know this tune by now. It has a distinct David Guetta feel to it, and as he produced the track I guess that should be expected! Acapella never fails to bring people to the dance floor, able to sing along and dance to a song so well known for this summer. Dancey synth beats, various breaks and buildups and a memorable, chanty chorus made this a perfect album launch single. 10/10
6. Scream - This is one of the albums more heavier tracks, with a very heavy bassline once the bare-bones intro has finished. Kelis vocals are very robotic here, which adds to the tracks electro feel. The verses are recited as though Kelis was just programmed to say them on demmand but again this is not a bad thing for this track. The verses and chorus almost seem to have reversed roles here, as the chorus is a lot less intense than the verses. This is also a perfect workout track, and very motivational! 10/10
7. Emancipate - This track is again extremely electro, hard hitting and catchy, although a little repetitive on the chorus. The verses are perfectly structured though and Kelis sounds wonderful on them and a lot more organic. This does come across as a bit of a gay anthem too, especially when the repetitive chorus does kick in! Kelis is clearly showing self power and self belief here, and again this is a very motivational track! After this comes a rather strange but original intro to the next track... 9/10
8. Brave - Another hard electro track, opening with Kelis' vocals introducing the theme of the song as well as synths looping over in the background. This all acts as a mega-buildup to the chorus, which is again very powerful and full of self belief and inspiration. The lines and between chorus and verses are a little blurred but this just makes the track just feel more epic and doesn't disrupt the lyrics and theme of the track at all. Lots of heavy beats, synths and cymbal crashes create a very "set free" sound, which I believe was the aim of the track. 9/10
9. Song For The Baby - This final track starts off a little different from the others, will a brass introduction and initially I was worried this would ruin the lot. Then in kick the piano backing tracks, heavy beats and Kelis' echoey vocals and, whilst this track sounds a little different from the rest of the album, is still falls into the same genre and sound just with a bit more originality in the instrumentals. Unfortunately, as with a lot of final tracks, this is the weakest on the album, even if it isn't a weak track in general overal. Once this track fades out though there are no more intros to more tracks, this is the lot. 7/10
Overall rating: 9/10
Kelis has taken her sound and career in a completely new direction with the release of Flesh Tone, but this is not a bad thing at all and when all is said and done the results are much more memorable, feel good, upbeat and dancable. When looking at the track listing, it does look a little short on tracks but manages to not feel short when listening to the whole thing, which is an accomplishment. The album has failed to make any impressionable dents on any of the european album charts, which is very suprising as the album feels very european indeed. Still, with the release due in her home country soon where she has a lot more recognition, hopefully this will be a smash for her as this album deserves to be commended for it. Whether you are after that new gym soundtrack, a soundtrack for your summer, a collection of tracks for a party or just to blast out at home or in your car, this does the trick and hits all the right buttons.
If you get a chance, check out the videos for the currently released singles from this campaign too, they have been a little spectacular!
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