Kelis - Food

It seemed Kelis' career as a singer had gone past its use-by date back in 2010. Her last album Flesh Tone, as great a listen as it was, didn't make waves on the charts and when she announced her departure from music to pursue a career as a chef we just thought, 'well that's that then'. Now, 4 years on, the timer has sounded on her musical oven and out of the stur we have Food, a contemporary soul album that reminds you of why you loved Kelis in the first place but also reveals a new found authenticity in her sound. Kelis has never sounded so comfortable and those famous smoky tones shine throughout the album. Food opens with Kelis' son Knight making a cameo and playfully welcoming us with 'Hey guys! You hungry? My mom made food...' 

The album's lead single Jerk Ribs is one of 2014s best songs, backed by an incredible horn arrangement and lead by vocals that soar through to the final chorus. It's the strongest track on Food, the most instantly likeable and the best song to cook to (I've tried and it just works so well). This tempo is continued in the latter stage of the album with Friday Fish Fry, an infectious rhythm and blues number with a rock guitar riff. The only other uptempo track is Cobbler, a song that sees Kelis sing about a new man in her life, comparing being with him him to a holiday. It's unsurprising, given the song titles, that she came up with song concepts whilst cooking dinner and producer Dave Sitek jammed on his lounge piano. 

There are some movie worthy moments on Food too. Songs like Hooch and Change wouldn't sound out of place on a Quentin Tarantino / Bond soundtrack, respectively. The former has a simple bass riff that leads into a gorgeously understated vocal performance smoother than vanilla cream. The latter opens with a haunting chant and minimal production, before the horns kick in and Kelis' vocals erupt like a vocal volcano when she sings 'you can't escape the grips of desire/ you lie to yourself but you always remember...'

Kelis' vocals have never been 'epic' in proportion, but on Food the roughness that comes with her upper register is the perfect accompaniment to the smokiness of her lower above the soul & r&b arrangements.  Downtempo track Running is a well put together love song, with the horn section that's become one of the album's biggest supports and a thumping bass line. Dreamer closes the album in immense form. It's less retro soul and more future soul infused with ethereal r&b production. The chorus echoes vulnerability, something Kelis' raw vocals carry well. This 'heart on sleeve' theme is heard earlier on Floyd, where Kelis tells us what she wants from her new man, 'I want to be blown away' with low key, smooth vocal technique. A surprising highlight is acoustic guitar lead ballad Bless The Telephone, the album's only cover (original by Labi Siffre). This is sweet, simple and pretty wonderful to listen to. It's also the album's only duet, as she sings with Sal Masekela.

Food transports you to another world, a place where your life is about kicking back and absorbing nothing but soul and great beats. It's not about how well you can sing or how commercially relevant you sound, it's about rare pieces of musical meat that still bleed when you prod the surface. Granted, there are moments where Kelis' vocals can't quite carry her to the high places the productions warrant, but they never lose their charm. Food continues to do what Kelis has always done, lead the crowd - follow no one. If you want an album you can listen to from start to finish without skip desire this could be the one for you. 

4.5/5

Download the whole album, but if you're being tight get these: Jerk Ribs / Friday Fish Fry / Change / Dreamer / Bless The Telephone