Take Me Apart
Kelela
2017
Album Summary
Take Me Apart is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Kelela. It was released on October 6, 2017, through Warp. Combining electronic music and R&B, the album was noted for its futuristic sound and its incorporation of various musical styles. Kelela worked on the album for four years with producers she had previously collaborated with on her previous releases, Cut 4 Me (2013) and Hallucinogen (2015). The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, many of whom commended its innovative production and Kelela's sharp songwriting and vocal delivery. It appeared on several publications' lists of the year's best albums. The album was supported by the singles "LMK", "Frontline", "Waitin" and "Blue Light".
WikipediaThe production is lauded as being cutting edge and innovative, but this is from 2017 so I don't really understand why. If this was from 2007 I might be slightly more impressed. Perfect for mid-range clothing retailers who want music to make them appear hip while blending smoothly into the background.
Et allez, c'était évident que la communauté de ce générateur était complètement demeurée. Moi je mets 5 sur 5 et je vous vois venir les fans de post punk métal de mes couilles avec vos clébards pleins de boue et vos goûts musicaux dégueulasses. Sachez que vous êtes dans l'erreur, et plus généralement dans la saleté, dans l'insalubrité.
I really enjoyed this album. I'm a huge R&B fan, but not usually into electronic music. I don't really know what I was expecting but I was into it. It has the right amount of smooth R&B and the right amount of electronica for most tracks. My highlights from the album were Frontline, Waitin, Jupiter, Better, Bluff and Altadena.
I really struggled with what to give this one- over two listens it was cartwheeling between two and four stars. Contemporary R&B isn't in my wheelhouse so it was difficult to work out what I was looking for, and if I was enjoying it. One thing that grabbed me straight away was the lush production. Drums are subtle, high-pass filtered, underwater. Layers of ambience (waves, a car unlocking and driving off, vocalisations) never feel overdone. Kelela's vocals shimmer and ripple, layered to stunning effect across many of the songs. On a second listen I started to appreciate all of this much more. There are many brilliant sonic touches to spend more time with, and even before paying attention to the lyrics I blushed at the sensuality of it all like the prudish white boy I am. This is a very subtle album and didn't hit immediately, but there's a lot that hooked and intrigued me, making me very likely to spend more time "taking it apart". For that reason, I'm giving the benefit of foresight with four stars.
Fantastic R&B album. Love the influences of other genres on the music, fun to listen to
Perfect and innovative RnB. Still sounds very fresh 5 years later. A favorite of mine.
First of all, the video for Frontline is worth the price of admission right there. I forget about videos nowadays, but there are still good ones. This one is unique and of course accompanied with a cool song. Ok, this is the most modern album I've been given yet. I've never heard of Kelela, and I am pleasantly surprised by the whole thing. Black, solo female R&B is not usually my go-to music genre, but it's mostly because I just don't have exposure. I think Kelela is a force! Her beats are so complex, especially with headphones. She knows how beautiful she is, and she exploits it in the dreamy, fantasy sensibility she sells with her lyrics, but her music is timeless. There is a tremendous mix of instrumentation going on. On one hand, there's that mellow Mariah Carey sound that calls back to the 90s/early 2000s, but then she layers on so much more that makes it sound like new music but also classic. Pretty hard to tail. Waitin' is a song that embodies what I'm saying perfeclty. Right now, she is focused on that youth, attraction, love, breakups, identity, which is as relatable as things can get. I'm excited to see where her style goes as she grows. There's a bit of a lull in the middle of the album when you hit Enough, Jupiter, and Better. But there's some really cool sounds in those sounds too and some optimism that is nice to hear about how life has beauty everywhere. Things get back on track with LMK though. I feel cooler having listened to her.
despite the incredible production, i found the vocals to be generic and bland.
This is obviously a fairly recent addition to the mix, as the album is only from 2017 and has very few reviews. Is it an album I need to hear before I die? Absolutely not. I could have gone my whole life never knowing about Kelela and never been the worse for it. But I'm giving it a change here. Production is solid but musically the album doesn't stand out much. It's a bit samey and overly long and would have benefited from getting rid of a few tracks. Kelela has a nice enough voice, but it's over-tuned, like a lot of vocals of recent years. The album overall feels a little throwback, like I'm listening to 1990s R&B. Strong influence of Velvet Rope era Janet is evident. I'm not really hearing the supposed futurist vibe of the music, at least not anything that many other artists haven't done before her. Maybe it just isn't my genre. Fave songs: Turn to Dust, Enough, Bluff
I tried to give this album my attention and absolutely could not. The sound was pleasant and I enjoyed the lyrics when I could focus on them but, without intense consentration, I would immediately drift off and be two more very similar sounding songs into the record. It is probably great and, if I get my hands on some adderall to keep me engaged, maybe someday I will fond out.
Every track sounds exactly like the track before it. It's not bad, exactly. It's just like ... I already heard that. I don't need to hear it again, thank you.
This is a great album, it is modern and has a lot of interesting sounds and lyrics. The right combination of electronic music and a kinda pop style of singing
This is fantastic! Had not heard of the artist or heard her music. Great writing, outstanding performances...she's got it. Very, very cool sound.
Ambient electronic RnB isn't usually my cup of tea, but loved this. Perhaps because that my cortisol levels are off the chart at the moment. Whatever the reason, this record is chilled, melodic and innovative. It's super relaxing yet also engaging. The perfect delivery of it's artistic vision. Rating: 5/5 Playlist track: LMK Date listened: 07/03/23
Je n'ai pas le temps de m'attarder sur cette review mais je vous présente à tous mes salutations distinguées.
This was a slow burn for me. I didn’t care for the start but the back half is smooth.
Cover, Stimmung, boudoir‘esque Intimität erinnert mich an Wild Beasts’ 2016er Album „Boy King“. Anderes Genre natürlich; eben Soul jedoch durchaus davon ferneres Sound Design (Two Step & Breakbeat, weite Soundscapes) wirkt Kelela angenehm anti-generisch. Ihre Stimme nahezu immer unverfremdet und echt. Eine Seltenheit. Imposante Synergie aus Stimmeinsatz und Klanggebilde („Enough“). Gegen Ende wird leider arg geschwächelt. Kathedralische 3.8
A 2017 album supposedly in top 1001 ever made & i've never heard of it? Oh no, not more dull R&B. So I thought at first. But I listened & listened again. Big electronic/cross genre. It's really very good & well produced.
Good r&b and phenominal production. Im not an expert in this type of music, but been exposing myself more over the last few years and this is just so good.
un peu de sweet rnb pour ne pas penser au fait que je fais des tests unitaires
I'm not sure entirely what to make of the ambient-inflected R&B of Take Me Apart. The vocals are especially syrupy, but even Arca's production stays in the background, low-key but lush. But Enough was gorgeous enough and the sequencing of long and short tracks engaging enough I don't really care where it sits in a more informed listener's canon. It works as a measuring stick for me.
Had never heard of this artist, and this album was a pleasant surprise. A couple bad tracks, but some great work overall.
I struggled with this album a bit. It sounds fine, both the music and the vocal are good and they blend well together. Listening to this album without context, I felt that it was a bit generic. Not bad at all, but it didn't sound particularly revolutionary for 2017. The Wikipedia entry shed a little more light on it, noting it's fusion of R&B and EDM, as well as other musical styles. I feel like EDM has been a part of R&B for a long time, but I don't know enough about the genre to say that definitively. In the end, I like this album, but I don't know that it's super groundbreaking. I think that the years since its release have altered my perception of it. At the same time, this album was released after FKA Twig's EP, which was much more experiemental in terms of electronic music in R&B. In the end I think it's good enough to give 4/5, but it's definitely close to 3/5 4/5
Mislila sam da ce mi se svidit po coveru i po tom što piše RnB. I je. I to jako. Produkcija je top notch.
My kind of R&B album. Really felt the groove the whole way through. I think this gal is going places!
What a great album! Certainly a breath of fresh air--- "LMK," "Onanon," "Blue Light" and "Frontline" are probably my favorite tracks on here.
So excited they included this album. I found it in the new section back when it came out in 2017, gave it a try, and was blown away with the first song in how good it was. Kicks off the album in a perfect way. The rest of the songs are a great blend of interesting beats both slow and thoughtful. It's been raining to day and I listened to this by the window as it rained and it was a perfect soundtrack.
Never heard of her. Glad I have now as I enjoyed this quite a bit. I didn’t even know I liked R&B.
Sounds kinda old and kinda new at the same time. Kelela has a great voice which sounds mercifully natural for an album recorded in the last decade. Stylistically the album doesn't fit well in any category. You can imagine these songs getting remixed into any number of electronic genres. For my tastes I think I would like to see the material contorted even further into rougher electronic versions but I understand why the choices were made to let Kelela's songs retain their origins in R&B.
Fine R&B album. Not usually my thing, but I definitely didn't hate this.
My main complaint with soul is that it's often one dimensional and needs to be fused with other styles. Kelela does that very well with a unique fusion with electronic. I still have some challenges keeping interested since the tempo especially during the versus remains homogeneous. But it's a good attempt to solve my problem so it gets +1. Cover photo doesn't do any harm either.
I'm just starting my 1001 journey and up till now I have felt the bar has been set very low. For me, I wouldn't expect your standard meat and three veg to be good enough to make the list. I'm looking for something that stands out. For the most part this album deserves to be on the list, and is an album I would buy. I will certainly be checking out Kelela's other albums.
This is an exceptional r&b album. Not only is Kelela a beautiful singer will a natural delivery, but the production backs her up effortlessly with swirling soundscapes and forward-thinking electronic beats. This is yet another album with production credits from Arca, who you can also hear on the FKA twigs album LP1 and Kanye West's Yeezus. All this to say, there is a clear trend of producer Arca working with talented artists to make superb musical works. But enough about Arca, let's focus back on Kelela. It's clear that Kelela has clear artistic vision that is both modern and timeless. Blending elements of contemporary r&b with art pop and electronic dance music makes Kelela's sound unlike anything else right now. The overall album flows nicely and has a mellow, sensual sound to it overall. Even if it does meander a little too long, the end product is stunning. Easily the most enjoyable album this week.
Opção formidável para escutar nas noites que pedem o clima com batidas eletrônicas e voz envolvente de R&B.
Enjoyed this a lot, and although I don't particularly remember any individual tracks something caught ear every few minutes. Definitely one to come back to.
7/10 the production was very nice I liked how they were always trying to keep things interesting not a huge fan of this genre, but it’s still very nice
Pretty cool stuff, I'm not usually TOO into R&B, but the production here is interesting enough to keep my attention, and she's got a great voice. Gonna try to come back to this and check out her other music soon. Gonna give this the ol' 3.75 rounded up because my initial feeling is that I like this more than a lot of my other 3s lol.
Kelela was not known to me before today. I assumed the album must be something that was either bigger in the UK (which it wasn't) or a surprise hidden gem. A quick wiki suggests that it had a lot of critical buzz in 2017, which I guess I somehow missed? Anyway, I put this album on while doing some work and then suddenly it was over. I have essentially no recollection of any of the songs, other than a generally pleasing R&B sound. Given that I tend to enjoy this style of music, I will try to go back at some point and give it a more contemplative listen.
I skipped over this when it came out because Kelela featured on one of the few mediocre tracks on Danny Brown's Atrocity Exhibition (an album that should really be on the list), but this is starting out extremely strong - and I'm not a fan of R&B in general. Interestingly, this album is not in my version of the book, which is the most recent update, so I have to assume it was cut despite only being four years old. I would think the editor would cull older albums, many of which are redundant or dated instead of cycling through new additions. Seriously, we don't need the full Byrds discography, especially at the expense of pivotal newer albums. Music is a living organism, constantly evolving, and the list has a terrible track record when it comes to 21st century releases, omitting important releases from Swans, Death Grips, Run the Jewels, Danny Brown, Sophie, Mastodon, and, well, basically anything remotely heavy. I don't think there's any metal on this list after nu-metal collapsed in on itself. Hell, it looks like they cut Fever Ray's self-titled too, and that is one of the best albums of the 21st century. This list is atrocious. Goddam embarrassing.
The arrangements are as conventional, predictable, abused and traditional as possible, as proven by the singles LMK and Frontline. It's really well produced and pleasant to listen to, but a 1001? (5/10) FT: Blue Light, LMK
This blend of R&B with electronica is a great concept. The execution is a bit off though. Too often it feels like the music is like a blanket shielding Kelela from the listener. I feel like she is muffled at times, and I don’t like it.
On first listen I thought there was more electronica and this was an impressive fusion bringing a more modern approach to R&B. I went back through the first half again and most actually felt more like typical R&B than I first thought. Maybe I wasn't paying close attention the first time and just believed what Wikipedia said about the style? Overall Kelala's "Take Me Apart" is both chill and passionate, and even the less adventurous tracks are enjoyable. The title track, however, is awesome, and is the best example of the electronic fusion.
Gaiter Burger in the House! Great voice, but didn't stick with me. Was completely forgettable. Maybe this grows after a couple listens, but I could barely make it though one without the desire to go mow my lawn.
Cool fusion of r&b and electronica - all futuristic sounds and soulful vocals - and the production is excellent throughout. Whether there’s enough here to warrant classic status is unclear.
-"LMK" is pretty catchy -Generally pleasant but not really my style. Nothing in particular made it stand out
For me, R&B is about the voice and Kelela's didn't stand out to me. I don't dislike it, it just feels kind of generic. 3/5 stars
It's ok. Musically it's at least sort of interesting but it's still stylistically not my thing in terms of R&B.
Not my bag, but the production is really good. I'm not sure what makes this an album you must listen to - its no different than any of the same genre specific album that's currently available.
Like her music. (Wrote her after know that Kelela percibes herself as queer.) Kelela Mizanekristos (born June 3, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. She made her debut in the music industry with the release of her 2013 mixtape Cut 4 Me. In 2015, she released Hallucinogen, an EP which deals with the beginning, middle, and end of a relationship in reverse chronological order. Her debut studio album, Take Me Apart, was released in 2017 to critical acclaim. About to be a queer Queer is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or are not cisgender. Originally meaning "strange" or "peculiar", queer came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the late 1980s, queer activists, such as the members of Queer Nation, began to reclaim the word as a deliberately provocative and politically radical alternative to the more assimilationist branches of the LGBT community.
Intimate, artful, stylish, thoughtful and compelling....I just wish it were a little more fun. I’m probably not the demographic to really get this but I find myself saying “why so serious” in the middle of this. Sometimes art and commitment aren’t enough. I like it better than Simon and Garfunkel though.
just finished my first listen. need to listen again before i give it a definitive ranking.
I kinda like this kind of shit tho, ima dobrih stvari kao tipa Frontline, Better, Jupiter i LMK.
i love the percussion and bass lines, and while i love her voice, the melodies put on top of everything don't usually work for me. bumping a star cause i re-listened to specific tracks on their own, outside of an album play, and they worked better for me? i wonder if i enjoy kelela's pieces more as singles, than as an entire album i'd queue start to finish
I have never heard of this artist but the album was ok, but sounded like alot of the r&b albums from this time period so not sure what made it a "must listen."
Very cool! As usual, feels great to hear an album from the last decade. I've seen this one around and heard of Kelela, but never listened to her music before. I like this one a lot, not entirely distinguishable from a lot of contemporary R&B artists, but there are some great instrumentals here. I will say this, though: if they put this album from 2017 on the list and somehow SZA's Ctrl doesn't make it, the whole list is getting the bin. Favorite tracks: Frontline, Waitin, Jupiter, Turn to Dust. Album art: Really like the warmth of this one. Just an artist portrait, but the color and lighting is very nice. 3.5/5
I think this would be a bit of a grower, she's no FKA Twigs but still decent
Modern R&B isn’t really my thing but this was a solid album. Vocal harmonies were really nice.