Kelis - Kaleidoscope

First heard trying to calm Ol' Dirty Bastard on "Got Your Money" from his Nigga Please, 20-year-old Kelis now appears with her own album. Multi-threat production team the Neptunes turn the aptly named Kaleidoscope into the same kind of playground they provided for ODB, and even singing the masterminds' songs, Kelis quickly establishes it as her own hip-hop-wise R&B turf. Already gaining attention for the ranting "Caught Out There" ("I hate you so much right now!"), the disc proves this unique singer equally as convincing in other complex moods, such as a comic take on romantic pain ("Game Show") and an offbeat memory of childhood ("Roller Rink"). More playful than Mary J. Blige, Kelis makes as strong a first impression--and, like Blige, shows every sign of sticking around. --Rickey Wright Amazon.com

Kaleidoscope

I remember this album when I was in the 7th grade. I love this album. This is an impassioned album. She has created a colorful aural soundscape that incorporates futuristic textures, hardcore beats, and her own soulful voice. This music reflects who she is. When you look into a kaleidoscope, you see million of colors, many jagged shapes and a bunch of patterns. She is singing from her own experiences, its her real feelings inside of a fictional situation. This album is produced by the Neptunes. She is just as good as Mary J. Blige. This album should have been promoted more. Remember, this was 1999. September 19, 2008

Kelis is a "BREATHIN' DIAMOND".... very underrated...

Kelis is the most looked over artist in existance of music... she changed the game for most female artist out today... for an artist to b around for 10 years and slowly come out with hits is unheard of... its a complete shame that ppl in the US remember her as the "milkshake" chick.

KALEIDOSCOPE is one of the most little known albums EVER... this is the defining moment in the neptunes career and if it wasnt for this album they wouldnt b as popular as they are today.... strong production with a excellent singer equals SPACE AGE FUN!!! sounds better than most music out today....

hands down my favourite track is "roller rink" ft. Pharrell... Pharrell is just cursing his lil butt off rappin but it works. the beat of this song is OUT OF THIS WORLD (literally)...

"game show" is interesting.. the beat is kinda casio keyboard cute mixed with BASS like no other... another banger on the album...

"I want your love" and "good stuff" are the kinda tracks that she is known for.... very fun and catchy...

"caught out there" is one of a kind.... strong, crazy, and infectious....

"get along with you" and "suspended" very haunting and enchanting...

all the songs are great... the only one i dont like is "mafia" it has no place on the album and the feel of the song kinda lackluster....

kelis should be a huge star in america... america is soooo fickle bout music and artist... if its not playin in the clubs and has simple lyrics they wont listen to it... We have to open our eyes and give props to artist that are different and exciting... keep music unpredictable....

5 out of 5 stars: OUTSTANDING CD!!! August 19, 2008

Kelis Rocks

I just bought this album, which makes it almost ten years old. I first bought TAsty and then later Kelis Was Here, After liking every track on both albums I knew I had to have more. Kelis is another one of those talented artists that gets thrown around by the record companies. Every song on this album sounds fresh today. Some of the tracks feature some weak rapping that could have been edited out in my opinion, but this album still sounds like it was made today. I wish I would've bought this when it first came out instead of dismissing Kelis as that crazy girl who screams on that one song. I was wrong she is a true talent that I hope sticks around for a while. This album is Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! April 8, 2008

Kaleidoscope - 4.5 Stars!

Excellent debut! Kelis and the Neptunes definitely have chemistry. This is a great CD for people looking for a different sound than typical R&B. Being a Neptunes fan is almost just as important because you're gonna get an earful of them on this CD. I really enjoy it a lot.

Fave tracks:
* Get Along With You - and PLEASE check out the video. It's perfect for the song

* I Want Your Love - This one just get's me going, the beat is tight!

* No Turning Back

* Game Show - this one is fun and the beat is perfect for the lyrics

* Caught Out There

* Wouldn't You Agree

* In the Morning

Wait...Have I pretty much listed the entire CD? See what I mean? Pick this up.

Happy listening! March 2, 2008

"Kaleidoscope" Being Underrated Is An Understatement In Its Own Self! 5 STARS!

It took me a while to adjust to Kelis' debut album "Kaleidoscope", but in the end, its eclecticism and quirky catchiness won me over. What surprises me more than anything, however, is how she's failed to consistently maintain commercial presence, and how she's so similar, yet so different, to Beyonce.

After all, Beyonce's vocals are usually more about power than about emotion; Kelis' tempered vocals are usually the other way round. Beyonce's a conniving spotlight hog (albeit a talented, seemingly humbled one); Kelis has no trouble letting go of it, as displayed through her lack of consistent commercial presence. Beyonce seems more content with keeping her music safe to a certain degree; Kelis seems determined to break boundaries & hit listeners with something they've never heard before. When Beyonce feels willing to show some skin, it seems entirely for the sake of sex appeal; when Kelis sheds her clothes, it's so she can smother herself in layers and shades of symbolic paint and make a statement towards some level of artistic creativity.

Compare this magnificent album with Beyonce's wonderful debut, "Dangerously In Love", and all of my comparisons between the two should stand justified. Produced entirely by The Neptunes, "Kaleidoscope" lives up to both its title & confusing album cover - a colourful, insightful, raw, eclectic collection of out-of-this-world R&B. The intergalactically peculiar intro about Pharrell Williams discovering "a special little girl" on another planet gives listeners a little taste of what's about to come. And indeed, there are plenty of highlights to follow.

The album's best track goes to lead single "Caught Out There" an emotional ballad where Kelis catches her unfaithful lover out, even going as far as psychotically, albeit comically and emotionally, screaming "I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!" at the top of her minimally studio-enhanced lungs in the chorus. Swirling synthesizers, simplistic guitar strings and strong lyrics (and sometimes creepy - "Held you when you were sick/Even s*cked your d***") continue to maintain the song's emotional frustration.

As a matter of fact, there's no shortage of weirdness displayed through the aforementioned album standout. Whether it's Kelis comparing her love towards an anonymous criminal to the mafia (the dark-toned ballad "Mafia"), comparing her relationship to an actual game (the cleverly childish "Game Show"), inspiring children in the ghetto (the lyrically profound "Ghetto Children"), seeking attention from a man who's sick of attention-desperate women "(Good Stuff", featuring rapper The Clipse), sacrificing everything she has to make a relationship work (the moving ballad "Get Along With You") OR GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE, everything on this album works marvellously, and still sounds refreshing after 7 long years. Perhaps "Roller Rink" would be one of the album's lesser tracks, but even that song is enjoyable to some degree, despite the fact that today's youth usually release their frustration through fights, verbal abuse & drunken parties thrown behind your parents' backs :P.

Thankfully, "Kaleidoscope" is a much-need breath of fresh air, and also a good starting point for those of you interested in the older, more refreshing production work of now-legendary producers The Neptunes. Guest artists, including the aforementioned rappers The Clipse & background speaking from Pharrell Williams, also keep this album interesting. 5 stars!
September 1, 2006

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