Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Repetitive, kinda, as song seemingly blend from one to the other if you're not paying attention. Feels like it's going for a Janet Jackson vibe so that's ok, but I had enough by "Enough"...
Chilled RnB? Very '000's i thought. Not particularly enjoyable but not bad
Some interesting beats and I don't hate it, not sure I would listen to it again but maybe, probably a indifferent 3
Took this one out for a second spin. It’s good. Deep, deep bass is always a plus.
rather ordinary
Very cool album, original samples and beautiful vocals.
Her voice is phenomenal. That's the highlight of the album for sure. The production is fine, but it's a bit too polished for my liking. It gets old too quickly Not enough variety in this album either. After listening, I started skimming back over the songs and I found when I skipped to various points of a song it sounded so similar. What she does is good, but she only really does the one thing. And when that one thing is repeated for almost an hour, you tend to get sick of that one thing.
Man, this all sounds like one long song. And it's a song I would not willingly choose to listen to. She's a good vocalist. The production is good enough. But this has been one long slog to get through.
⭐️⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS- # 40 How do I take you seriously Kelela with an album title and cover such as this… That is the problem I have with the image, style and presentation of music under the R & B category, it is all show for the artist over the actual art. This record production was supposedly quite groundbreaking for modern times, however pardon my ignorance for understanding how and why? They say not to judge a book by its cover, however when it comes to albums, the cover art (especially by staged performers) is often quite telling for how the music will sound. Perhaps I just prefer musicians who actual put the work in to write and perform their own material with physical instruments beyond solely utilizing a natural God given gift of singing, which in itself is often overshadowed by provocative images of said artist, Kelela being no exception. I really made an honest attempt to be open minded going into this one, however as others have stated, this ‘Alt R & B’ moniker does little to justify the tepid sound textures across each track. 🎧 Classic Track: LMK 🚫 Skip Track: Altadena Trademark sound effects- check ✔️ Backing echoing vocals- check ✔️ Sounds of snapping along to the beats- double check! ✔️✔️ 🖼️ Album Artwork: Scandulous Not offensive to listen to and the production is on point, however nothing worth returning to for me. Although given it’s ‘futuristic’ descriptors, perhaps just ahead of my time 🤣 Hit the Thumbs Up icon below if you enjoyed my hot take of the album :)
Pony
Loved this album! I normally am not the biggest fan of pop but this was great!
The latter half of the 2010s is one of my least favorite eras of popular music ever, and based on other reviews of this album I was ready to absolutely hate it, but nope, I’m pleasantly surprised, do I think it’s groundbreaking? Probably not, but it’s certainly very good and I appreciate what it’s doing.
UnRem&rkaBle
3.5 stars
Liked the sound for the most part. Nothing too stand out. I could see it growing on my after more listens but for now I'd go 3.5
MUITO bom pqp
bom album de r&b com ótima produção. poderia ser facilmente um album recente. btw adoro a produção da arca. é nítido as músicas que tem o dedo dela!!
Futuristic soul. Big on ambience, this is full of lush RnB and glitchy electronic notes that make a deep sombre introspective but also bombastic atmosphere. Emphasis on vibes, feel and groove over hooks. The Björk influence is clear in the moody tension and cold spacey production. Her voice is powerful and expressive, but used more as another textural element than as a pop diva lead. Overlong and samey.
I was surprised to see I had 3 of her albums including this one saved in Spotify. I must have listen to this a some point. The production sound like things I listened to at the time. Hyperdub-adjacent. Some of this tilts past my tastes and feels overproduced. Blue Light is not my thing. I really like Waiting and S.O.S. Turn to Dust and Bluff might be my two favs. The ending feels more organic like a modern Sade.
This is the first album I couldn’t make it through in its entirety. To me, it feels more like background muzak or elevator music—something I’d typically hear at the hairdresser’s. Sorry, Kelela.
Meh pop, some really spacial and souly sounds which i appreciate but all in all not my jam
Not unenjoyable to listen to, but didn't distinguish itself enough from similar sounds. I've also never heard of it, and it dropped while I was in high school, so I seriously doubt this will ever be considered an essential listen.
I didn’t give this my full attention. Perfectly pleasant but didn’t make an impact.
4.5/5. So many of the participants in this project just hate modern pop music for no good reason. This is a vibe and the production is so clean and refreshing. God forbid an album doesn't have any guitar sounds.
Eww no
It's not bad, but you don't need to listen to it before you die.
easy peasy listening 4/5
Not sure why this was considered futuristic in 2017 when it sounds like it came out in 2003, but it's not bad. Generally inoffensive 2000s r&b.
Niet mijn soort muziek, wel goed
I liked it, very much Janet vibes. Not sure if it's something that belongs on this type of list. 3.4.
Janet Jackson and Janelle Monet did it better. Personal enjoyment: 2/5 Relevance to this list: 1/5
Was exicted for something modern, but was quite disappointed actually. Not particularly big fan of R&B, which works against this. But it sounds very ordinary to my, nothing special at all. Most songs were alright, but I wouldn't want to listen to the record again. Felt like something you'd hear at the radio or something. Probably missing the point here, but not my thing at all. Didn't sound bad or anything, just didn't like it.
I usually critique this list that all music from the 2010s is just artist that were active in the 90s. I'm going to add to the statement that it's either that, or something you would see on pitchfork. This album is the latter. I fail to see what is particularly great with this album (except that pitchfork loves RnB), it sounds like a very good album from the 00s or sometimes like a very generic album from the mid 2010s (sounding like Halsey, which “LMK” is the worst offender). That being said it is not all bad. I initially struggled to focus on the album but after multiple attempts I managed to focus. Some songs were even catchy like “Blue Light”. It’s not necessarily a bad album just quite bland.
Only made it halfway through. Every song sounded the same.
Smooth but pretty milquetoast, good for sleeping I guess 2.8
Modern electro R&B, sometimes very tender, almost ballads, sometimes has grim drum tracks. Not terrible, but not for me 5.2/10
to me this is that one woman from humanz on submission with danny brown. she gives a great performance tbh so let's get into this. TRACK BY TRACK 1 FRONTLINE. pretty much just nice cont r&b vocals over a stock trap beat and some nice occasional synths. it's alright, i like the electronic progression but it never leads anywhere interesting. generously 7/10 2 WAITIN. it's nice but really not that interesting. a nice melody (singular) and clean production but i don't know when i would ever listen to this. 6/10 3 TAKE ME APART. cool production and nice melodies, more refined than the last two songs. still fairly generic but it's good. 8/10 4 ENOUGH. basically a less alien fka twigs (lp1 era). but that alienness is a sorry departure. nearly solid but 7/10 5 JUPITER. yeah vocals man, make them shine. uh nothing happens though. not that anything needs to, but here it would've helped. 6/10 6 BETTER. boring beginning but the more modern, slightly dark production comes in and it's better for it. still just alright though. 7/10 7 LMK. cool, it's got that weirdly dark and slightly trippy (and great) production paired with catchy vocals, probably my favourite on the album. 8/10 8 TRUTH OR DARE. very catchy and funky, i possibly prefer this to the last one. i could see myself returning to this one. 8/10 9 S.O.S. i like the atmosphere and it's very dreamy but i feel like a lot more could've been done with this. 7/10 10 BLUE LIGHT. damn that's a bass alright. i like it though. 8/10 11 ONANON. i absolutely love the productio and beat on this song, i wish the whole album leaned into that glitched idm sound more. and the strings and melodies, yeah this is the song. is this a burial production my god. 9/10 12 TURN TO DUST. it's nice, there's something weird about how its either mixed or mastered that those ai stem seperated tracks sound like otherwise its nice, not much more. 7/10 13 BLUFF. pretty boring, but it seems like a full song, why is it only a minute long. 6/10 14 ALTADENA. it's ok. tries to lean into atmosphere too hard with the vocals, nothing here hits me at all. 6/10 overall nice album with some very solid moments, but a lot of potential that just doesn't hit very often. the mellow and minimalistic r&b moments were my weaknesses but i loved the glitchier and catchy tracks, which i hope she could make into an album some day. onanon was easily my favourite, but lmk and truth or dare were great too. 7/10
Not really my style, but her voice has a hypnotic quality and the beats are pretty good. She doesn't delve into complete whining either like some divas. I'm not sure what else to say about this. 3/5
6/10. The vocals are great, but the album drags on for too long. It starts getting quite boring.
Kelela who? Yet another album that leaves me scratching my head. Is it a good album? I suppose, it wasn't offensive or anything. Should it be on this list of albums you must to hear before you die? I don't think so? My life would be patently the same if I had never listened to this before. 2/5 I guess.
Decent
A bit boring.
Was not expecting to like this as much as I did. Glad an album like this is on the list.
Nothing stood out
More and more enjoyable as it went on.
I loved this. An artist I’ve never heard of, a genre I’m not to keen on, yet it blew me away. The rest of the R&B community needs to catch up with Kelela.
starts promising but it turns out to be just another r'n'b album
2.5
I had heard this album sometime during the *COVID PANDEMIC* and remember liking it. Take Me Apart is such an interesting album. fantastic vocals by Kelela, but the tracks get very atmospheric, sometimes glitchy, and often have LUSH production. This is R&B by way of vapor/trap wave and video game music. The downtempo energy of the album is refreshing and makes it replay-able in most scenarios; It's that perfect balance of off-kilter and strange enough to sound fresh and interesting, but familiar enough to not be too challenging. I'll be spinning this all summer.
Not my typa music
Man I really don't like this type of music. Some of the songs were interesting enough. Lyrics were a weird mix of explicit and vague, often back to back. Don't get me wrong, slap this on low in the background when you're trying to do the damn thing. But I didn't really need to listen to this.
Take Me Apart is definitely a jack of all trades, master of none type of album. A lot of the time, i really do like the mix of R&B as well as hip-hop/electronic type of music this album is going for and it does seem to do that style well. The music is pretty good, Kelela has some good vocals and the lyrics are solid as well. The problem is, that's all the album really does. Every song seems to rely on this formula with some slight changes here and there but each song more or less gives the same kind of vibe. This causes a lot of the songs to become pretty forgettable as they all blend in too well. This album is far from bad but i did expect more from it. Best Song: Blue Light Worst Song: Enough
I like the glitch elements, and most of it doesn't feel like generic pop, which was a relief. She's an amazing singer but the main drawback is that I think some songs could have gone harder, there are quite a few uninteresting trap type beats which leave a lot to be desired. The best ones are all synthpop/more ambient ones, which there is a few of. Favourite songs: frontline, waitin, better, blue light, onanon, turn to dust, altadena. Overall around 6/10
It's almost impressive how the music industry has refined modern r&b. Every song, album and artist are pretty much indistinguishable from each other.
3.5?
While this is a good R&B production, I don't see anything outstanding or "futuristic". Combining R&B with other styles is nothing new, even with electronica. She has a nice voice. The themes may be personal, but they're a bit bland to me. Nevertheless, if one of the tracks comes up in the future, I probably won't skip it.
Better than average but not great
it definitely started off strong and I was vibing with the beat, and then it just kinda got mid. It had potential and I was definitely enjoying however the lyrics and a lot of it just sounded bleh.
Not a genre I listen to often, but this seems to cross a few - one immediate like is that she's not oversinging - I like the restraint in her voice which adds a bit of tension to the music. Big strike against the trap beats - something I really dislike, and does an even bigger disservice here because the music is pretty good. But overall I'm left trying to remember details of what I just listened to...? Nothing annoying at all, and a generally smooth sound (and the trap beats weren't entirely pervasive, thankfully) that lets each song run into each other which I always end up feeling mid about. Feels like a great mood record and as a result I don't have a favourite track because 1=14 and everything in-between. Very nice chill vibe (if pressed, my fave song: "Better" - I'd swear whoever wrote the initial keyboard lines cribbed Marillion's "Kayleigh") - honestly would have loved a bit more variety but it's a solid 3 here. 7/10 3 stars.
This doesnt deserve to be here but still pretty enjoyable
I think artists sometimes get tunnel blindness in studios, when everything sounds great over the speakers, and they're laying down vocals and playing around with the bleeps and bloops and that goes on for months and they're sure it's a masterpiece, and they've just lost sight of the fact that they're making a really dull album.
Just not my jam.
Nice r&b. I liked eqch song and saved one but nothing really stood out as exceptional imo
I liked it! Not my typical favorite genre but it was fun and a lil sexy
Nice backing
Not my cup of tea however I do think this is a good album and can see why it is on this list
YAS
Good album but not for me
Gold from the start! Instant buy
my review is both connotations of the following sentence: fine r&b
Decent R&B but kind of forgettable for me. This is not my genre really. Great voice. Album seems pretty personal
Just didn’t grab me. Very ambiance and it was okay but I couldn’t get into it.
2.4 - Just didn't do anything for me to be honest. Not much substance
This is totally fine, but don't see anything really groundbreaking here. Nice to have on in the background, barely caught my attention though most of the time. Fave Tracks: LMK 3.2/5
As heard in: Aeropostale, American Eagle and anywhere teens and their parents shop together.
So, the music good. I enjoyed listening to the record. It didn’t totally grab me, but still I could see myself giving it another listen.
Another “I don’t get it album”. With all the mighty giants in this list and somehow this album makes it on there to? I will say, it wasn’t unbearable, not even close. It was just blah though. Every song sounds the same. The vocals are good. I sort of wish that Kelley got the Lauryn Hill treatment instead of Lauryn Hill because well, she’s a bitch. Anywho This is bland, blah, boring. Not terrible but not a top album of all time
This is music you can play in the background because it doesn’t sound very interesting or harsh. It’s not bad but just nothing special.
A really good, yet sparse, pop offering. Similar vibes to FKA Twig's LP1, which shares some of the same production team.
too atmospheric, listend on commute - probably not my jam. Bit FKA twigsy?
Pass. This, like most modern R&B, all sounds the same.
This album is not for me... I have never really cared for R&B, it is just too slow and lacks anything that makes me excited about music. The production and singing here is fine (the autotune or whatever vocal effect is a little too much though), but overall everything just seems really boring to me. All the songs feel too long as well which makes the album feel bloated. I was completely zoned out and ready for this to end around track 7. Not a bad album, and I understand why someone would like this, but this did nothing for me. Mid 2.
Je sais pas si c'est moi ou si j'ai pogné une grappe d'album qui m'allume pas depuis deux semaines, dans tout les cas c'est surtout pas Kelela qui va casser le streak
Całiem niezłe. Dobry basik
Didn't move the needle for me. She has a decent voice but this is typical R&B material of let's have sex, oh we're fighting now, baby please come back stuff that's so typical. Sigh.
Pleasent surprise
R and B - can't even judge. This genere has its stereotype sound
I wanst realy on the vibe for this RnB when I listened to it, nothing stood out I guess
Frontline LMK
> The Beatles I was unsure of this album at the start but I ended up vibing so hard with this
This album came with a ton of hype from critics and publications like Pitchfork, but I think it was more praised for the idea of what it was supposed to be and the fact that it was released on Warp Records than for the actual music. I get the cool concept and the appeal of being on Warp, but when you strip all that away, the album is mostly just boring. Some of the production had its moments, but it wasn’t as innovative or futuristic as it aimed to be. Plus, her vocals didn’t do it for me. The tracks with strong production would have been better without her, and honestly, the whole album might’ve been better without her vocals altogether.
An artist I wasn’t familiar with, which is mad as this is my kind of thing. Real soulful pop music, some lush instrumentation, and Kelela’s honey rich vocals make this album a winner. One I’ll be returning to.
This album is….fine. For the life of me I can’t figure out why it’s on this list, there doesn’t seem to be anything remarkable or innovative about it at all.
3.5 If i owned a high-end speaker store, I would probably put this album quite a bit. Thought it sounded great. I would consider this a pretty good pop album but it lacked the hooks to really grab me. Check out Sudan Archives if you liked this, that's interesting too
I bounced back a few times from this record but got back into it again after a while. Overall, it's not my type of music but I enjoyed the great vocals and overall atmosphere of this record. The instrumentation and production is honestly really good and I love the electronic influences. It's just not something I would actively listen to if I'm honest. The vibes are great though.
I perhaps listened to this at the wrong time, but there was a lot of ballads and that's not normally my thing. Often why I struggle with modern R&B albums. (21 known/39 new)
Perfectly all right solid pop.
point9.
Good to groove to while doing data entry. 3/5
Pleasant background music. Otherwise generic.
Run of the mill r&b.
It was okay, but not my fave. 2 stars
not sure if this slower r&b was my style
This was so insanely boring to me. I'll admit that R&B is almost never my thing, but on top of that, the lyrics were mind-numbing. I get tired of listening to people speak the words she is singing; adding music doesn't magically make the words interesting.
Good
I don't want to take her apart and I didn't listen to the whole thing but what I listened to was ok but not as interesting as I'd hoped.
As always with this project, I'm intrigued with an artist/band I've never heard of. Sometimes it's a fun experience; most of the time it's not so fun, and this album definitely falls into the latter category, but in every case I feel like I've been exposed to music I probably wouldn't have ever listened to. I've never heard of Kelela, and I'm pretty sure I've never heard anything by her, certainly not from this album. I also found I was double-checking that this really did come out in 2017, rather than the 90s or 2000s, as there's nothing particularly recent-sounding on this album. And I have to question the wisdom of her choices with the opening track's video for "Frontline", a *very* antiquated-looking VR-like animation of a woman apparently having enough of her man; the video totally distracts from the song, and I kept thinking how strange it was to have a fairly-recent video looking like it might have been made with technology from the 90s. (Thankfully, the other two are live videos, and while "LMK" isn't particularly interesting, "Blue light" has a somewhat interesting erotic horror element, likely inspired by Bjork but having a certain Lovecraftian spin.) Unfortunately, the non-video tracks didn't really have much going for them either, at least for me, and I'm hard-pressed to distinguish most of the songs from each other ("Better" is a bit more distinctive than most). This could easily have been a *much* shorter album and not lost a thing, sadly. Given that the primary appeal of this album seems to be the melodic singing over electronic music, a la Bjork, I'm *very* frustrated that we got this album yet literally nothing from Faithless, which did many aspects of this approach and mood *so* much better (or, for that matter, anything from Dido). That's not Kelela's fault, of course, but it's hard not to ding her for not measuring up to past artists.
This isn't my groove, so me thinking it was okay is pretty good.
This is one of those obvious "critic favorite" albums. Sometimes, I agree with the critics and think we've all discovered something new in music. Sometimes, like now, I feel like they were reaching for the descriptions of this "cutting edge production" and "futuristic sound." It was fine. I thought it stood out at the time because R&B was in a bad spot in 2017, but there was some other good albums, so I don't know. I definitely didn't hate it, but I didn't add it to my collection to ever listen to again, either.
If I was just sweet 16, putting my makeup on and playing some cool tunes in the background I'd probably enjoy this. Alas, I'm just a middle aged dude putting my makeup on, hence I enjoyed it less. To be fair, it's ok for what it is, it's just, well stereotypically predictable.
You can see that a lot of time was spent on the production of this album, so a bonus star for that
Not my jam
Muzak for cool shops and bars that make me feel old. Not offensive but not for me, leave it for the kids
Another tick in the box for "Sexy lady singing about sex in a sexy way." Less pop than a lot of other sexy vibe songs, but to be honest I was bored by the whole thing.
NOW! That's What I Call Music for duck-faced teenagers! Old grey doesn't get it, sounds like commercial churn to me. All warbling and ASRM appeasing toss.
This is a good example of the modern R&B sound. Singer has a nice voice; songs sound good. Not sure why it’s an album i needed to listen to before i died, but now I have.
Fine background music I guess. Some cool production. Is this really a top 50 album of the 2010s (there are 44 from that decade on the list right now)? Not even close.
I listened to this. It’s not my usual sort of genre that I listen to. Sort of electronic R&B? But yeah. It was good to listen to something different. I might come back to it. But at the same time, it’s not really what I reach for so… 3.5?
Interesting. Might revisit.
Solides Woman Voice R&B aus 2017 als passende Begleitmusik zum Mojito - aber nich grandios.
nope
Never heard of her. It's pretty enough, but I have no clue why it would end up on a list.
2.5, good rnb album. Not my thang
I was a tiny bit of a Tumblrina in my college years, as I think many queer, younger Millennial women were at the time, but I was also a party girl, frequenting house parties and local basement shows and dive bars of all shapes and sizes. The Venn Diagram between those two scenes is now referred to as ✨Indie Sleaze✨, although I personally perceive that term to refer to the Meet Me In The Bathroom Core™️ bands. By 2013 or so, that vibe had largely shifted over to represent folks in the Alt&B scene, which is a genre that’s gone through several rebrands. In the wake of Jai Paul, though, Cool Girl™️ party music got a lot moodier, a lot more stoned-out, and a lot more introspective, with concave 808 bass drums and mumbled vocals. This was primarily what people meant when they talked about Alt&B, despite Frank Ocean reviving the original neo-soul tradition of the genre in 2012. Because I was already a lifelong R&B fan, though, I got absorbed by this new sound and aesthetic. In fact, I loved it. I was a fiend for it, and still have a soft spot for a lot of those artists: Banks, AlunaGeorge, Blood Orange, The Internet, Tinashe, James Blake, Kaytranada and that one Boiler Room set. By 2017, though, this aesthetic was already starting to die out again, inevitably replaced by the neo-soul revival of Frank Ocean’s Blonde and Endless, and, more importantly, the slow rise in popularity of SZA off of Ctrl. This introverted aesthetic was taken out of R&B and placed in mainstream pop (Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, etc) and alt/emo-rap (XXX, Brent Faiyaz, etc), or was left alone for the art pop queens like FKA Twigs to tamper with. I think of Kelela’s Take Me Apart as this scene’s last big firework before the sparklers are all sent into the sky. It’s both a club record that encourages you to get a little high and shake your ass, and record that creates space for you to cry about your ex while you hotbox your Toyota Corolla, and sometimes, it wants you to feel like you want to do both at the same time, and that’s really what this era of Alt&B embodied. It takes a lot of cues from R&B a decade before– in particular the beat structure of Destiny’s Child– but adds emotional depth and vulnerability to the subject matter, while also deconstructing that sound to build to momentous moments. I think the best examples can be found on “Better,” “Blue Light,” and “Enough,” but the whole album has that same feeling on a full listen. I think the subtle electronica textures help, some of which are produced by Arca, which felt obvious once I learned that fact. And while emotional vulnerability is the name of the game her, there’s also more than enough moments that can be enjoyed simply as club bangers: “Waitin,” “Onanon,” and especially “LMK,” which is one of those songs I feel should have been bigger than it was. And then you have songs that split the difference, like “Frontline” and “Truth or Dare.” I will admit, I get the criticisms for Take Me Apart. It can be a little too introverted, a little too moody, and aesthetically, it can wear thin. Even as a fan, I do find myself starting to disengage over the course of the last few tracks. As a full listen, it can be a bit much. It also has a slight Pitchfork Approved™️ quality to it. But those are critiques you could throw at the entire Alt&B scene in the mid-2010s, and at that point, you’re either in or you’re out. And I am very much still in. I know this genre didn’t die– Kelela is still making excellent albums in this lane, Banks is about to release a new record, James Blake and Dev Hynes and Kaytranada are all well-regarded pop producers now, and Tinashe and FKA Twigs are more popular in 2025 than they maybe have ever been– but I feel like the moment has passed. I don’t really relisten to this era much any more, and truthfully, I kind of forgot how much I used to adore Take Me Apart. What’s more ironic is that, at the time, I would not have said this is the best album the scene ever produced. But in retrospect, I think it’s the obvious example. Like Diana for disco, it’s maybe not the last album in a genre that arguably never really died, but it’s the last important marker, a late-era release that burned so bright it made everything after it feel like a fade away.
I had never heard of Kelela before. She is a great singer for modern R&B. I appreciated the ethereal vibe of her music which blended with her silky voice. I appreciate too that she sounds different from the other pop princesses out there like Arianna, Demi and Selena Gomez. Key songs were LMK and the opener Frontline. Unfortunately her music was so smooth that I started zoning after a while. It is a good album, just not my personal preference.
Random thoughts: * I've never heard of Kelela. As a matter of fact, of the related artists on her Spotify page, I only knew 2 of the 12. There is so much good music these days. It is just a matter of breaking through. * LMK is the best song and definitely stands out. * This really isn't my kind of music and I probably won't be revisiting it. It's fine and I'd listen again if it was put on by someone else. I just won't be choosing this myself. It's just not my jam.
Really like the production and trippy electrónica instrumental- need to listen again to pay attention to lyrics.
Not my type of music, but a very easy listen. It ended up being background music with a very chill vibe.
I'm a sucker for a good r&b sound so go ahead and count me as a fan of this album
R&b is not my go to genre. A lot of it blends together for me. She has a nice voice though. It was perfectly nice but I probably will not revisit this.
Expected a straight forward r&b album but I was surprised by the electronic components. Her voice is sweet and this was pretty nice overall. Standout track is: “Jupiter”
Electronica and R&B for me is not high on the list of genres but this one worked well enough. It was fine overall. No real standouts and probably won't recognize the songs if I heard them again.
Eh, whatever. Not the fusion of genres and elevation I was hoping for; fairly straight-forward. A couple of te songs were catchy enough (blue light and onanon) but nothing show-stopping. 1.5/5 stars.
It’s always interesting that often, when there is an album other than 60s/80s soft rock it gets poor reviews… just an observation.
Really nice vocals here. Production is well done too. Just not anything I'm interested in listening to.
Track one has me pulled in... how has this never hit my radar? Track four gets a little dreamy and slow, but still a nice lounge music vibe. Feels like good bourbon and conversation.
This is the 34th album I’m rating. I don’t know who this is and I’ve never heard of the album. Based on the cover I’m assuming this is like Janelle Monáe. Adding to my Playlist - Nothing. Not Adding to my Playlist - Frontline, Waitin, Take Me Apart, Enough, Jupiter, Better, LMK, Truth or Dare, S.O.S, Blue Light, Onanon, Turn to Dust, Bluff, and Altadena. Frontline - I’m very disappointed this sounds so basic. All in all I liked 0/14 songs. This is so boring. It feels like something you would hear in Walmart. How can something be this boring?
Pleasant - updated Sade - didn't mind
Not bad, I enjoyed the downtempo but I don’t tend to go for modern R&B
Happy to have the odd one of these in my playlist now and again.
Raven clears
Honestly surprised this album is one of the 1001 albums to hear before you die. I thought it was fine, but pretty generic R&B that could have been replicated by any genre release of the last 20 years. Didn't really connect with it, but a fine enough listen. Very musically challenging in some spots, and not in a good way. Top tracks: Waitin, LMK
Even though I'm not a fan of electronic music, what I enjoyed most about this album was to (re-)discover the alternative R&B style, mainly in the songs with more electronic effects.
I will admit to not being an R&B guy at heart, but this is not my music. And this is not the best of R&B, Mr1001. It’s full on dragging and down tempo in the worst way. It’s boring. It’s boring like Gershwin wrote songs about my cat, eating yogurt
Don’t know why, but I kind of like this. Straight up pop but there are little flourishes that hook me in. Not high art but I’ll definitely put this on in the car in the summer with the windows down
I wish I could give this 3.5
It was a'ight. Great production. The lyrics didn't really stand out to me. I'm not big on the whole "production by committee" thing. If it had been more of a focused individual effort, I would be evaluating it completely differently.
This didn't hit with me at all. I can see how this can be enjoyable, especially as background music while focusing, but it just is not for me. Too mellow, with no real texture that would grip me, so I glossed over it without anything to note.
Good, but not enough variety to justify the runtime.
Just generic r&b
Once again 'it's ok' but nothing special. I quite like it but there were no sounds or themes above a million other artists or albums in this genre.
I kept waiting for the special sauce on this album, seeing as how it was included on this list, but it never fully separated itself form the majority of mid 2010s R&B records.
Clearly a baffling addition to the book’s later editions despite some nice vocal stylings and killer production throughout.
Take Me Apart leans heavily into a polished pop/R&B sound, but it doesn’t feel particularly innovative. The music is fine, it's smooth and well-produced, but nothing stands out enough to make it memorable. It’s hard to see why this album belongs on this list.
I've never heard of this album or artist before. She has a good voice and the music was fine enough. Not really my style but didn't mind having it on either. 5.25/10 (2.625/5)
I get the feeling I would hear a song from this in a cool bar on a nice Sunday afternoon. I’d like if and make a point to listen to the album which I’d also like because it’s all that same song. Listened to half and realised I’d heard all this album has to offer.
Enjoyed this one.
there's nothing i love more than a pop record drawing on the burgeoning electronic sound of the era. Ray of Light takes influence from german trance and trip hop, Speak for Yourself saw Imogen Heap managing to get Jeff Beck from the 70's to absolutely shred on a glitch pop track, and all i have to say is the word Vespertine for you to get the meaning. hell, even in the world of R&B, you see stuff like Transient and One Touch popping up, bringing a taste of the dancefloor to the world dominated by the Neptunes and Timbaland's less-EDM inspired (but no less forward thinking and off-the-wall) production styles. the dance music of today, however, sounds a lot different. and can seem scarier. the bass has no limit, and neither does the percussion. Take Me Apart feels like one of those aforementioned records, but for music too weird to really be considered something you can dance to. UK bass is a hard genre to pin down, and you could argue it's not even really a genre, serving more as a production style indebted to dubstep, future garage, and the ever invaluable wonky. hell, things like PC Music and the epic collage of Elysia Crampton probably at least take some inspiration from the netweirdos of the scene, a new digital sound pulsing like a feeling through your headphones rather than a set of samples and/or MIDI-controlled pianos. it sounds like the FUTURE, goddammit. to UK bass, the future is dark, sleek, and growling. Kelela wields these sounds with the utmost confidence, melding her voice into it in an almost ghostly manner, always hitting beautiful hooks or soaring highs with her voice, and sometimes dying down to a whisper, almost centimeters away from the microphone and the inside of your brain. for some reason, the sound of the future isn't sinister to me here as it would be on, say, Faith in Strangers or even In Colour. it's dark and sleek, sure, but it's like velvet or a rabbit's fur instead of a cold, unfeeling car or the motion smoothing on your uncle's new TV. i get the feeling that there is no theatrical routine of life maintained beneath the surface -- seemingly, there is life. but i'm not 100% sure. in a way, the title serves as instructions. "Take Me Apart". i will let you find out for yourself.
Laudable tilts to futurist ghostliness with assemblages of broken beats and synth that could have been drawn up by an architect on a beer mat make this best heard in the background - the cool production showcases a beautiful voice reading our nondescript diary entries, no groove, little in the way of refrain - this is void with an impeccable setting. I wish I enjoyed it more.
Dull, like an FKA Twigs without the talent and creativity or a Beyonce without the over-egged production. Do better!
Rarely do I get to talk about an album that released recently. Except I can’t even really say recently anymore, since this was nearly 8 years ago. 2017 being almost a decade old is a slightly terrifying thought. I’ve never heard of Kelela. Although I have seen the cover to her 2023 release Raven before. She seems relatively well known, but she isn’t the new face of modern alternative R&B or anything like that. Although she seems very popular with the music critics. Which anyone with a brain should know by now is not indicative of quality. I think this gets off to a pretty solid start. And it made me hold out hope for something really cool. But reality set in fast that what you get in the beginning basically sums up the whole record. I’ll start by saying the production is amazing. Whether I like most of the songs or not, I cannot deny this its flowers. The whole record has a glossy and futuristic feel to it. It’s like the musical equivalent of a fancy, expensive chrome sports car. Specifically one that is driving through some sort of neo-futuristic city. Imagine the luxury vehicles the Corpos drive in Cyberpunk 2077. Drawing on the UK Bass and dubstep genres creates a very dense sound profile fueled by synths, that’s backed by glitchy electronic drums. And Kelela herself has an amazing voice. But all of this can’t necessarily carry your album. Many of these tracks sound the same, and considering how little really changes within them, some are maybe longer than they need to be. It’s disappointing that an album with such an impressive and refined sound isn’t as fine tuned in the songwriting department. Rating: 6/10
Let’s goooo it’s over Rating: 1.3
Interesting, but I couldn't pay much attention to lyrics. sound was nice for the most part.
R&B mixed with some electronica. Pretty good, took a little while to grow on me, might go up with another listen
So basic.
Really didn’t do anything for me. Not my usual style. When I get these I try to really critically listen to see if I can grab onto the music, the lyrics or the flow. Possibly if I knew more about the history of this style I might see why this was included on the list. But as is it sounded just like a lot of other stuff.
It’s nice to get something that’s less than ten years old. And also something that could be very much in my wheelhouse that I wouldn’t otherwise check out. And its Warp Records, and they have a good track record. I feel like if you’ve been in any sort of alt/indie whatever spaces in the last 15 years, you’ve heard stuff like this, and while I don’t keep up with it in any sense it is good stuff. Anyhow, it’s a big, sparkly R&B record. I liked it and I think it’s got great tracks and the idea is good, but it does drag a bit for me. The sound of the record is very “rounded off” — on most of the tracks, there’s nothing sharp or crunchy or snappy. There’s also a lot of lush, ethereal reverb all over everything, which sometimes sounds good and other times makes a track sound like Eurodance at an ice-skating rink. I think more live instrumentation would’ve helped a lot. The problem with any album that critics describe as “futuristic” is that it doesn’t sound “futuristic” within five years of its release. The reviews for this really described it in ways that I didn’t hear. I heard good, current alternative R&B. But I don’t think this needed to be 14 tracks and I don’t hear what the reviews are talking about at all. Take Me Apart, LMK, S.O.S., Onanon, and Turn To Dust were highlights. 2/5 feels unfair because it’s good, but this feels very of its time and very of the Heavy Reverb Pop Spotify Playlist niche. I really wanted to enjoy this more than I did. 2.75/5?
Good voice but seemed very overproduced
Nice voice. Sure looks like she’s selling sex rather than her vocal ability which is significant. Spoke heels and bodycon clothes, try to be an artist! 3/5
I'm kind of surprised I've never heard of Kelela, this was pretty great. Some of it got a bit monotonous but it was a nice pleasant listen. More of a 3.5 if I could.
She's got some game.
Repetitive and kind of boring. Her voice is pretty though
boring 2/5
2.5
Was not expecting to like this album. I loved it.
This was another album that was new to me. Meticulous in its production and arrangement, Kelela's Take Me Apart is smooth and sensual R&B fused with electronic music. Not mind over machine, Take Me Apart's electronic grooves are a testament to mind's recognition that the machine is embodied. The future never sounded so enticing. Download this R&B 2.0 directly into your central nervous system and explore the matrix.
Very smooth. Maybe too smooth. It reminds me of the thousands of bottles of babyoil from Diddy.
Ver buiten mijn comfortzone qua muziek, dus niet direct iets wat ik zelf zou opzetten, maar bon, daarom zijn we hier he. Heb ik het uitgeluisterd: ja Heb ik nummers geskipt: ja Heb ik nummers opgeslagen: neen Dit moest er dus niet op, imo. Er zijn andere R&B albums die ik hierop zou zetten. 2.1
Interesting production. Some of it was too electronic for me but still good. Enjoyed the first half more than the second half.
Wow I was not expecting to like this as much as I do, its pretty good. Im surprised ive never heard of kelela. On the sza album I said I don't really like r&b, thats a lie. Any generalization I make about my feeling on a genre is a lie-- I think I just like music. glad this is on the list.
7/10 - There was a lot of really cool stuff in this album. I feel like I am not usually into this type of stuff but a lot of the instrumentals are extremely cool and the production is fantastic.
It was quite good
2.5
2.5 Nice enough, didn’t hate myself while listening to this. A couple good songs and she has a pleasant voice. Just not sure what was special enough about this album to necessitate inclusion on this list.
Enjoyed this. Decent listen.
There is so much I want to like about this album. First of all I love her voice. There's an aching passion that draws me note for note though out the album. I think that's what keeps me wanting to appreciate this more. It is a bit out of my usual wheelhouse, but done female Neo-soul act hace garnered my attention as of late. Though out this album there are some great production sonics that I really dig. But I think it comes down to the songs themselves don't make any of this feel like something I'd like to revisit over and over again. I'm going to give this a really light 3½, just because there is something there that really attracts me, but not fully fleshed out. (7.00) ★★★½
There are some interesting production choices on here, particularly on "Blue Light" and "Onanon", but ultimately this is a genre I just don't like very much and the close to an hour runtime is too much for me here. 2.5 stars
I think it's well produced and pleasant, but I don't think it's as revolutionary as the critics seem to think it is. It's solid modern R&B. "LMK" and "Frontline" are probably the standouts for me. 3 stars.
From top to bottom she is a bit of a stunner but from front to back this album is actually quite a letdown. It starts off so alluringly with a couple of extremely strong singles and she has such a smooth, silky voice with a sweltering swelterpit of synthy, clubbish RnB neo soul behind it. Unfortunately this sweltering swelterpit of neo soul goodness turns to completely vapid smush about 3 tracks in as no more actual different beats or grooves or songs are brought to the table. Even Kelela’s seemingly super silky, siren like voice gets kinda tired and samey after a certain point. A one trick pony albeit a sexy one so 3 stars.
Bland mid 2000’s r&b
Really engaging r&b stuff. Lovely, dark, and rich. Feels like it's a pastiche of multiple decades. Nice.
The production and backing music was a little interesting, just enough to scrape 2 stars if the generic singer had been better. But she wasn't, she was awful, so only one star from me.
mega mega nöd miis, sie singt super d produktion isch oft seeehr kreativ aber d songs sind würklich nüt bsunders. altadena hani am beste gfunde worschinli. chan nöd es 1 geh weg dem song glaub aber es isch würklich nöd es album wo mues uf dere liste sii. kartoffelsalat.
hmm find d atmosphäre wo bi frontline ufbaut wird rig cool, aber de refrain isch iwie unbefriedigend? und die pop-layers bide vocals hani iwie nöd soo gern die "aaah's erinneret mich mega ad ariana grande hahaha wieder find de bsat eig no cool und so lowkey, doch leider isch wieder de refrain zu lowkey? jo das zieht sich sochli durre, iwie schono spannendi muskalischi sphärene wo gschaffe werdet aber halt würkli packe tuts mi nöd und jo die art vo singe stresstmi amigs recht leider POAAAH DA FEHLT DOCH EIFACH CHLI DE OOMPF AAAAA truth or dare hani echt langwilig gfunde jooo es isch z lang finds leider echt recht langwilig das doch einigi lieder 4:30 oder länger sind, het für mich bis jz au wenig sinn gmacht, iwie wird nüt speziell gaddet dur das? bö ja herts 2 sicher keis 1, ich verstah scho au de reiz aber mier hets leider eecht wenig geh
Boring.
Songs i knew: 0 Songs i liked: 0 Didnt like any of these songs, also didn't dislike any. Just a bit of a nothing album, another inoffensive one that I'm failing to see how it made the list. Low 2.
Little expression in the voice. Songs too pleasing, no R&B vibes come across when listening.
pretty awesome atmospheric rnb stuff, nothing crazy, but very good
Nicht so mein Stil. Hat mich auch während dem Hören leider nie irgendwie gepackt. Aber grundsätzlich sicher solid in dem, was es sein soll.
I like the sound of this album, the R&B Electronica with the vocals work well together, it’s just very repetitive. There’s not much variety so it all starts to blend together if I’m being completely honest.
Fine yet planned R&B that all melts together into one long song.
Not unpleasant but I failed to engage; instant background music. Insufficient variation between the tracks to interest me. I'm going to give it 2/5.
She has a beautiful voice, but I don't understand how this is considered futuristic. It's very enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but it could have been considered futuristic in 2010.
Why does this album feel like it’s 10 hours long? At 53 minutes, Take Me Apart outstays its welcome, but why? I like the general sound of the record, but every song really does have a very similar feel. To me, Kelela sounds like a much more even-keeled Solange Knowles. Both use unique, bass heavy arrangements, but unlike Solange, Kelela’s tempo and overall dynamic remain almost constant throughout, and the few tracks with any sort of unique qualities are the standouts. 3/5
Op zich wel mooi gezongen, maar het is niet mijn favoriete genre. ***
Nice but not extraordinary.
this was a good album, i’d listen again
Interesting and cool. Would listen again and it could definitely grow on me more.
Listened Before? N This was a super interesting listen. I've never heard of her before but apparently this album is well known. I see why, it's very good and a unique blend of musical styles. Really enjoyed it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Frontline
It's OK
Fín rödd og áheyrileg og hófstillt R&B-techno blanda. Svo sem ágætt í bakgrunni en ekki mitt fyrsta val í tónlist, eða annað ef út í það er farið, nú eða þriðja, og ekki það fjórða heldur, &c.
I admit my heart sank a little when this popped up; slick modern R&B is not my thing at all. I had never heard of Kalela but knew exactly how this would sound. And I was so wrong. Take Me Apart is modern R&B but it has a huge soundscape. Atmospheric, with rumbling sub-bass and glitchy beats. Loads of EDM elements but also proggy (especially in the layered, 10CC-like vocal parts) and consistently interesting. Apparently Kalela played in metal bands at one stage and it’s not too fanciful to hear some of the things Sleep Token are doing, particularly in the breakdowns.
Remember listening to this a lot back in 2017 and having it go over my head a lot. Honestly can't say much has changed. There's some good stuff here, but I do think the electronica/R&b stuff has been done better. Moments hit but mostly this is just okay. Best Track: LMK Worst Track: Turn to Dust
Didn't do much for me. Sits a bit closer to R&B than electronic than I'd like.
I praise the production team for making every song sound like the one that came before it, and making me question my ears.
Not terrible but not great either. Another middle of the road album in a long list of middle of the road albums.
This was pretty good. Nice, easy, quiet. Good for background music. Nothing earthshaking. Just a nice, low key hip hop record. Somewhere between Solange and TLC.
4 stars not bad
Eu gostei geral, mas nenhuma música se destacou para mim. Mas pretendo ouvir futuramente de novo.
R&B gostosinho demais de ouvir e o GRANDE destaque aqui é "Onanon", sem dúvida alguma. Viciante demais, com um d&b perfeito. Kelala andou nessa faixa para que Pinkpanthress pudesse correr. Destaques: Onanon, Frontline e Truth or Dare
The production is gorgeous, her voice and performance is awesome, but most of the record blends into each other to me. It's still a good record mind you - but I don't rate it as highly as quite a few records on this list.
Favorite was "LMK" Rating a 3 but really probably more like 3.5.
Don't know exactly why this is here. Sounds like I have just played a default Spotify playlist. Nothing worthy of remark.
This album cover tells me all I need to know about the album...I just know I'm going to hate it (I was correct). Contemporary R&B mixed with electronica. Like Mariah Carey mixed with Usher club music. That fucking breath-y half whispered bedroom music but with a dance beat. R&B always sounds like it's sung by someone who is actively BEING banged. I don't need to hear that shit. Omg, I can't take more than like 2 songs on this shitty album at a time. That was absolute garbage. I feel dumber for having listened to it. Fuck this whole genre. Favourite songs: LMK, Frontline Least favourite songs: Enough, Better, Jupiter, and the rest of this dumpster fire 1/5
Never heard of her but love this
Liked it a lot
This is fun. Good r&b sound and she's got a good voice. Frontline and Onanon were my faves. Will definitely listen to again.
Trite shite
Not bad but its a one and done for me.
Yawn. I set an alarm to make certain I woke up when it ended. Not that it isn't skillfully executed - just a genre that I do not find entertaining.
Definitely not for me. I couldn’t get into this one. I gave it a second listen in case I was distracted. Just not for me.
What in the world makes this album Top 1001 worthy? It's great if you like soft R&B with no beats or anything compelling to make you want to continue listening. Boring was my immediate thought, slow pace from start to finish with zero vocal gymnastics or musical groove. Apparently people listen to this there are two songs with over 11M listens. She might as well have been talking for 53 mins. Not my thing, not worth finishing. It felt like she was making up the words as she went along & the tempo rarely changed. This is a glaringly bad choice to include. One star, and that's just because it's listenable, just not enjoyable. If you like slow and boring, this is your album!!
I apologize, I wasn't really familiar with your game
Bit of a hit and miss album for me, some really good tracks but I feel the start and end of the album gets a bit weak
First song bangs
Think I gave this a shot when it came out and enjoyed it, just never went back to it again. Not because it's not a good album, it definitely is, but r'n'b is just not my jam. Still, great production and vocals, didn't mind giving it a run through at all.
Actually quite enjoyed this more modern form of R&B from 2017.
She has a nice voice, and the beats are chill. There is an almost industrial quality to it that makes it more interesting.
Take Me Apart is pretty immaculately constructed with shades of Jon Hopkins and Burial in the beat work, and I imagine that’s why a lot of this works for one audience, and why it doesn’t for others. I’m a fan of the both of the artists I’ve listed as influences, and as such I think it’s interesting to hear it used within an American Pop context which is also why I’m sure American critics were so fond of it, because without the context of the American Pop scene this does sound fresh and exciting. But, from the context of British Electronica, this is utilising styles which were at the time about 10 years removed. If you’re a fan of Electronic music, there’s certainly a lot to like here. And as such, I enjoyed it. But as an R&B album, I’m not sure it works. It’s too reliant on the beats, and not the traditional R&B hallmarks, the vocals and the songwriting. Kelela’s vocals are fine, often beautiful even, but they always feel secondary to the music. The same is true of the lyrics and song structures. None of these songs really have choruses, which is I imagine why some people have had trouble differentiating them. The hook is the use of these specifically British sounds in the beats, which works as a piece of experimentation. But I think to be a true great, Kelela needs to start working on her songwriting, refining the lyrics, finding her niche on specific topics, and working on hooks and choruses. Also, and this is besides the point but I feel it has to be mentioned, the photo on Kelela’s ‘About The Artist’ section on Spotify cuts out her face and instead presents her to the world nipple first, which is… a bold choice let’s say
This album sounds like all R&B albums. It could be anyone, singing anything. Very meh. This one is particularly bad. I have no idea how it made the list. Favourite song: I couldn’t pick one Least favourite: All tracks Album artwork: Meh
Yes
This was pretty and relaxing
Mellow and kinda relaxing right at this the right time
Agradable pero monótono
Interesting production / background music. Definitely an R&B feel, but more modern.
Another in the growing list of "British Artists That I'd Never Heard of Before." At least albums R&B meets downtempo electronica made it a little more interesting than other albums on that list.
One of the first contemporary albums I'd not heard of. Enjoyed it but agree with others that it took intentional listening to keep the songs from blending together. But when songs stood out, they were really great.
I like this, I’m intrigued. Smooth but glitchy R&B. I doubt I’d ever get up to 5 stars but I would like to spend a little more time finding out.
Super generic. Sounds like every other bland R&B artist from the last 20 years.
Smooth
not bad, but nothing special
Pretty cool electronic r&b music. a few songs can be a little repetitive though.
Gave me good feelings on my lunch break.
Great voice, and unique sound. Not quite my style but worth the listen this morning.
I didn't know this artist but this album is pretty nice if a little same paced
Interessante, senza essere il mio genere.
decent R&B sound overall.
I don’t even remember listening to this and it was yesterday. 2 stars because it wasn’t annoying, just boring.
Overall 3/5. I didn’t love the sound I feel like there was an over reliance on the production and not enough dynamics in the voice. Although the songs were smooth for the most parts many of the more experimental elements didn’t do it for me and they came off as a little jarring.
This album has 20 people listed as producers or instrumentalists, including Kelela herself. I've no idea what they were all up to, as this sounds like something that could be knocked together on a laptop in about a week. Her voice is ok but it's just generic RnB. I gave it a second chance but couldn't last a full go through. Whatever was bumped from the previous editions to accommodate this 2017 effort was almost certainly more deserving of its place.
The production was good on a few tracks but the album was way too long and not very memorable otherwise. I'm really starting to doubt the quality of anything on this list that was released after 2010
Just not for me.
It’s meh club music. Pass.
Great vocalist! Soothing R&B for a slow evening. Very well done.
Light and airy. Not bad as background, but don't think I'll bother again.
Really interesting sound
It was decent
Sad girl music, heavy on lyrics, was about relationships
Ok admittedly not a big RnB fan. And I've had a couple of similar ones that sound good on first listen and quickly become boring. I reckon this will fall into this category so won't put it on rotation. But still, find it pleasant overall.
They should wait at least 10 years before putting new albums on this list.
Lots of songs. But nothing really remarkable to me. For a soul record it didn’t seem to be to have a lot of soul.
Considering her output in the years to follow after this album, this is a refreshingly progressive pick to be on this list. Highlights for me are “SOS” and “Onanon”.
Smooth and easy listen
Not music that I enjoy.
interesting
Lush and expansive electronic soundscapes serving as a backdrop for a leftfield R'n'B singer who is obviously skilled on a technical standpoint, yet also often devoid of any striking personality on an artistic one, quite unfortunately. Most of those gentle vocal lines are sensual for sure, but they are also so *generic*, for Pete's sake! "Critics" who went out of their way to compare Kelela to Björk are just tone-deaf, plain and simple! Sure, Kelela shares with the Icelandic arty diva a knack for collaborations with gifted contributors (Arca, Ariel Reichstadt...), along with a love for futuristic moods. But most of the time, she just can't pull off something truly memorable, contrary to FKA twigs in a very close genre. And if, instead of electronica, you take R'n'B as a reference point, let's say that I'd rather go to Beyoncé's whole discography instead of wasting too much time on this record. At least I would find way more highlights there. A lot of those songs just pass you by without leaving much of an impression or even have the time to build up to something conclusive. Interestingly, if you take out Kelela's vocal lines out of the picture in at least one half of those songs, you can even suspect that the music would actually sound better overall. There is something a little ridiculous in seeing Warp Records so desperate to become relevant for a new generation of listeners and yet partly failing at it. Just see those streaming numbers -- they reveal there is indeed a relatively niche audience for this artist, yet those numbers are probably not up to the level of popularity they had hoped for in the first place. Good for Kelela that she found a home to express herself artistically, and that she can make a living out of it. Yet if the future of Warp Records is to aim at soundtracks for H&M changing booths -- and actually only manage to have one song or two played there once in a while -- I can't help feeling it's a sad outcome for the historical electronica label. All considerations about the future of Warp records aside, I really tried to open my mind to what the record had to offer. As its first half played, I noticed that the impressive chord modulations at the end of the title track were nicely done, that the moody and twirling sci-fi cut "Enough" was a clear standout track thanks to Arca's daring producing chops, and that "LMK" has a nice bounce to it, explaining why it was chosen as a single. Once again, please note that Kelela's input is absolutely not decisive to make those tracks work. Her input becomes much more pivotal during the last leg of the album, though, thank the heavens! Her vocal performance acquires an intensity not witnessed up to that point on "Onanon", it's nicely attuned to the strings-enhanced twists and turns of "Turn To Dust", and it finally finds out how to create a sweet and memorable vocal hook and catchphrase at the *literal* last minute on closer "Altadena". It's too little and too late, but at least, it saves this album from a 1/5 grade for the purposes of this list. Better than nothing, I guess. 🤷 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2) Number of albums left to review: 50 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 409 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 238 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 304 (including this one) As a reference point, here's my list of favourite albums for 2017, to me *all better* than *Take Me Apart*: Big Thief - Capacity Idles - Brutalism Protomartyr - Relatives In Descent Kendrick Lamar - Damn. King Krule - The Ooz Slowdive - Slowdive Aldous Harding - Party King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Polygondwanaland St Vincent - Masseduction Tyler The Creator - Flower Boy Pissed Jeans - Why Love Now King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard - Flying Microtonal Banana Mount Kimbie - Love What Survives Björk - Utopia OMNI - Multi-Task Broken Social Scene - Hug Of Thunder Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Luciferian Towers Thurston Moore - Rock'n Roll Consciousness Fleet Foxes - The Crack-Up Thee Oh Sees - Orc Metro Boomin / 21 Savage / Offset - Without Warning The Psychotic Monks - Silence Slowly And Madly Shines Chad VanGaalen - Light Information Lana Del Rey - Lust For Life Lorde - Melodrama Mogwai - Every Country's Sun Do Make Say Think - Stubborn Persistent Illusions Kamasi Washington - Harmony of Difference Mount Eerie - A Crow Looked At Me (Sandy) Alex G - Rocket Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins Wolf Alice - Visions Of A Life LCD Soundsystem - American Dream William Basinski - A Shadow In Time Charli XCX - Pop 2 The xx - I See You Converge - The Dusk In Us Pile - A Hairshirt Of Purpose Jay Z - 4:44
Not my genre. Couldn‘t find my personal „something“ in it
One or two ideas stretched to its limit on a single album. It's almost impossible to distinguish one song from another. 2*
It's fine. Kinda repetitive with nothing really standing out. Good background music. I wish one of the songs had like a big pop moment similar to the Weeknd but it all seemed like deep album cuts.
Groovy, vibey, music to make out to
Very generic not my jàm
I missed this when it came out - I like it, very chill spacey r&b.
I liked her voice more as the album went on. Definitely a lot of bedroom type of music, VERY sexy. Somewhere around "Blue Light," I was really impressed with the instrumentation as well. I don't know if it's something I will keep coming back to, but the more I listened, the more I enjoyed it. Top tracks: "Jupiter," "Blue Light," "Turn To Dust"
I didn't understand what was so innovative about this album. It sounded like it came right out of the 80's or early 90's - strong female vocals with a bunch of synth and production room sounds. It could've been a Janet Jackson album with how it sounded. Maybe that was new again in the 2010's for R&B? At least the 80's and 90's didn't add autotune to their synth. She sounds like a really good vocalist, so why bother with that crap? Aside from that, it was all kind of the same for me song to song. Meh - average.
Super generic. Autotune is an automatic -1 for me. Outside of autotune, the album is not bad, but not memorable. Tracks that caught my ear in a good way: Frontline (had me hoping for a good album, but then it turned pretty generic), Better, LMK (decent, but again pretty generic). Track that caught my ear in a bad way: Blue Light - autotune must die. Next.
This album is pretty damn fantastic.
Not for me. I did finish the album though Will I listen to again: 0%
"LMK" was a really good song. The rest of the album was middle-of-the-road singing backed by what sounded like an overproduced Enigma album. I wouldn't put this album on the list of "must hear" from the year 2017 alone.
Synthetic + generic = disposable. Here voice is good, even excellent at time, but the songs never get anywhere, for being drenched in effects that were no doubt sold as cutting edge and sound dated within a decade.
4/5
Sultry seduction Whispered on subdued dance tracks More than just a voice
# Album Name: Take me apart # Artist: Kelela # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: I've never heard of the artist so was wondering what this would be like. The last 10 or so years of music hasnt been the best so i thought i would give it a chance before writing it off. I like the electronic feel of the album. But the sounds are so generic. It feels like its all done at home on your mac. There wasnt any standout tracks. These could easily be background noise in your local H&M store. The album doesnt bring anything new to the table imo - unless its due to the mix of electronic and hip hop?! I honestly cant see why this is on the list. Rating this was very tough. I didnt hate it. Definitely didnt like it. was it ok? At a strong push maybe. Overall id say underwhelming and forgettable, a 1.5-2 would be a fair rating for me. # Top Tunes: None. # Would I listen to it again? Nope.
Part of the challenge with best-of lists is that they tend to be dominated by a certain type of older/male-er/whiter listener/collector/wannabe-curator. So I am absolutely here for hearing more new stuff from young woman artists/producers. Whether I actually like this or not isn't that relevant. I thought it was alright; quite sexy, although modern RnB is probably never gonna be my jam in a big way. I enjoyed discovering this record.
Aika perus rnbtä. Joissain biiseissä kivaa kaikuääntä
*before listening* : oh, interesting. This is from 2017 and I hadn't heard of it or the artist *after listening* : oh, that's why.
Perhaps my most unfair one-star, and I recognize that this album could really hit the mark as something for others. Its smooth, candy-coated exterior is complimented by its gooey exterior that isn't dissimilar to acts like Sade, but with a modern coat of paint in the production and lyrical content to make it a truly definitive modern R&B record. However, I just find it incredibly tepid. Nothing here ever aims to do anything to get my gears actually working, or to even remotely interest me, and I just find it BORING. I know that tends to be a no-no word for music, especially slower stuff, as it doesn't define any issues I have beyond a surface level, but it is hard to help to feel anything else. I found myself completely tuning out before each song had even hit its halfway mark, and I paused the album entirely to take a break, as my eyes were glazing over, and I needed to refresh. That just isn't something I do with music normally, and for an album to disinterest me that heavily is something fierce. Songs meander and feel like they're dragging their fit so that they don't have to show the next song, which is assuredly just as sleepy. It has structure, yes, but that doesn't stop every song from seemingly going nowhere and everywhere at the same time, and it just seems scattered. Not helping is the runtime, which is frankly unnecessary, especially when there is very little variation amongst this album's tunes. Perhaps this could be something sexier, but then I can only think of better acts to cover that niche as well, leaving this album feeling uninspired on top of the boredom claims I'm fronting. I get why someone would like this, and I even understand praising it, but to me this just seems lethargic and my initial lukewarm feelings quickly developed into disdain over the course of an hour, feelings I can't really shake.
2/10
# 317 : I don't love it, I don't hate it, 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.
4/5
girl 🤦♀️