Customer Reviews

Kaleidoscope

5 star:		(80)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

In the world of copycat R&B artists it is refreshing to hear someone new and different...

Recorded in Virginia Beach, VA. the city that gave you New Jack Swing and put the (Kack, Kack, Kack as Missy Elliot would say) in R&B, comes Kelis. Expect to hear other artists bite the beats from this one too.

People who are real particular about their music will find this CD-the SH(tuff). There is not a track on this CD to skip over. By the time Kelis' soulful vocals lure you in, the beat hits you and then-BAM! DAMN! You just want to turn it up and jam!

If you like Caught Out There, you will love the rest of this CD. Tracks worth mentioning- #9 Ghetto Children (good positive upbeat radio-type song); #14 Wouldn't You Agree (A Jerry Springer Relationship). #2 Good Stuff and #6 Game Show are also good mentionables.

The songs and production quality on this piece is top quality! Unfortunately, a lot of people might miss this one because it came out on Notorious B.I.G week. This CD is for music fans who are into Erika Badu, N'dea Davenport, Brand New Heavies, Angie Stone, Dionne Farris, Grenique, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, Lauryn Hill and other neo-soul artists.

Enjoy:)

Remember Kelis? The angry girl with the big, puffy hair? In case you've slept on her, you need to wake up. On her debut CD, Kaleidoscope, she blends R&B, soul, rock, and late-night funk into one. All her songs are produced by the hottest production team around: The Neptunes. They not only write all 10 of her songs (Kelis wrote 3 on her own), but they give her some solidly crafted beats that compliment her high-soprano. All of her songs are tight to me, but if I had to pick my favorite song off of the CD, it'd be the Nightmare Before Christmas-influenced "Get Along With You". The beat is tight and you can hear the pain in her voice when she sings "You took my heartbeat from me/This is the saddest story..". She even has a wicked video to go along with it. Like I said, all of her songs are tight, so I'm just gonna give you a run-through of the tracks:

1. Intro- Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes talks on this intro. He is saying how he found her. If you listen closely you can hear a young-sounding Kelis trying to get a boy to notice her.

2. Good Stuff (featuring Terrar)- Kelis is telling a guy that she has the stuff he's been waiting for. The good stuff. She's telling him to forget about the other girls and come to her. Hell, she'll even throw her heart in free. And if you don't like it, just send her back in 30 days. This track is hot, but it could've done without Terrar's rap. But it's still worth a listen.

3. Caught Out There- This is the single that jump-started her career. Her first single. You've probably seen the video in which alot of angry woman stomp through the street yelling "Yo!!" Kelis is telling her guy "what the hell went wrong in our relationship? and why are you cheating on me with her?" Alot of women/girls can relate to this song.

4. Get Along With You- This is arguably the best song on her album. From the bass-driven beat to the sad lyrics, it's evident that Kelis has a hit on her hands. I can say alot about this song, but give it a listen and you'll fall in love with it.

5. Mafia (featuring Markita)- Kelis's love is just like the mafia. She'll take care of the kids for you and she'll load up your guns for you. Female rapper Markita blazes through this dark beat with rhymes about a "so-called psycho" as Kelis tells a tale of her lover.

6. Game Show- This is a funny track about marraige. Kelis feels stunned when her boyfriend talks about it. But at the end of the track, there is an interlude in which Kelis is telling people that she wants "this one, and then that one, and oh yea, that one too". She's shopping maybe?

7. Suspended- This is a slow-burner about Kelis dreaming. She doesn't wanna wake up, but Pharrell is telling her to. This is a good song to fall asleep to (though you'd miss out on a good song). The beat is complete with a xylophone (however you spell it) and pounding bass.

8. Mars- This track combines rock and R&B with Kelis's screaming vocals. No, she's not yelling at her man. She's yelling so everybody can hear what she's talking about. In one verse, Kelis and her boyfriend are watching TV while smoking a blunt. On the Channel 3 News, a reporter was talking about outer space. This track is also talking about friendship and bad days.

9. Ghetto Children (featuring Marc Dorsey and N.E.R.D.)- This is a life-lesson song about children. Kelis trades verses with crooner Marc Dorsey, and they both talk to their sexes about growing up and how to live up to expectations. N.E.R.D., Pharrell's rap group, takes some time by talking about life. Remember, ghetto children are beautiful.

10. I Want Your Love- This is a straight-forward love song about infatuation and wanting somebody so bad. She tells the boy "If you have some, you can come spend the night.." This beat is similar to "Caught Out There", but has different elements. This is a song you should play fror your crush.

11. No Turning Back- Kelis tells everybody that it will take a long time to find true love. You can look and look, but when you find it, there's no turning back. This beat could be described as R&B/pop.

12. Roller Rink- Like the title says, you can skate to this song. Besides the fact that it has alot of "naughty language", this track could be a favorite. Kelis talks about UFO's and unworldly things, but invites people to skate and forget about their problems on the chorus. Although it doesn't say, Pharell raps on this track.

13. In The Morning- Have you ever woke up and felt lonely now that you lover has gone away? Well, that's what Kelis is singing about. "But in the morning, when you're gone/I'll just wait and be strong.." Tough chick. The beat is beautiful and reminds me of the sun rising in the morning.

14. Wouldn't You Agree (featuring Justin Vince)- I don't really know much about Justin, but his voice is heard first on this song. This is a love-gone wrong song. The slow midnight-like beat goes well with Kelis and Justin's vocals. Some say this the best duet of 2000. Listen to it, and see what you think.

Overall, Kelis delivers a classic uncategorized album. It's a shame that she got slept on. If you are reading this and haven't bought Kelis's album, then go buy it. You'll be suprised at what you hear.

I am Kelis' little sister, and I have something to say. I was very happy to see so many good reviews for "Kelidescope". For those of you who have judged the album on the single "Caught out there" you are in for a big surprise. Kelis is probably the most divers singer of our time. You have to believe me when I say this album has something for everyone. There are 14 amazing tracks, including an adorable intro. #2, "Good stuff" is a nice up beat, bop your head kind of song that you can't help but sing to. Actualy every song will make you want to sing. No matter what your vocal status may be. Everyone has heard #3 the single. If not you need to crawl out of the hole you've living in for the past month or two. Its like the chick anthum. But nothing for guys to get mad at. Most of them love it too. #4 "Get Along With You" is Kelis in a softer voice along with a hot beat that you cant help but love. #5 "Mafia (featuring Markita" is a song you just have to blast,so you can feel its deep base really get into. #6 "Game Show" is another headbopper that catches your attention. #7 "Suspended" is my favorite one. Its a slow that reveals Kelis' jazzy voice. It dicribes her, spirituly. The words will run deeply through you and make you want to close your eyes and hear it over and over again. #8 "Mars" has a slow swaying part, then a chorus that makes you want to jump up and down saying "yo yo yo yo..." on several ocations I have. #9 "Getto Children" is an inserational song with good advise that she sings with Mare Dorsey and N.E.R.D. #10 "I Want Your Love" Is a good song to sit back and listin to. #11 "No turning Back" Always makes me want to dance. #12 "Roller Rink" Is another one you have to turn up and dance to. #13 "In the Morning" Is definately another favorite of mine. Its a really smooth song that makes you want to praform. #14 "Wouldn't you Agree (featuring Justin Vince)" is an increadable way to end the cd. These two really compliment each other. This is another song that is sang with a lot of fealing that you can get caught up in. I'm sure you'll love it. This album erases all bounderies such as age color, musical interest and gender. Please don't miss out on this one. It is a must have that anyone can enjoy.

I've had this Cd for about a month now and am really just now getting into it. And when I say getting into it, I mean listening to it from start to finish without having to skip any songs. That is a good CD to me. One you can throw on and sing and dance your heart out. So "Kaleidoscope" is probably going to end up one of my favorite cd's of all time. But I have to give props where they are due. I think the reason this cd is so hot is because of the Neptunes who produced the whole album. Don't get me wrong Kelis can sing and I really really like her voice. She's a good writer and all that. And damn is that girl fine. The inside pictures show her true beauty. She is a natural beauty. But we're not talking about her looks we're talking about her cd. But like I was saying it's all about the Neptunes. Like the first song "Good Stuff" is hot to death, but I really don't like her singing on it, I think she emphasizes the wrong words...or something about her vocal performance doesn't seem right. But the production is off the hook. "Mars" I mean come on what the hell is that song about...it starts off cool, I like the verse about friends it speaks to me. But the last verse is so freaking weird "Do you hear what I'm talking about , they're bout to send your black ** to mars" and than she talks about "the speed of light and laser guns" ? , but damn the production on that song is off like 12 million hooks. Everything about that song is hot except the lyrics. But again Kelis is hot. She's a good writer. "Get ALong with you" is really good, "Game Show" is well written. I really like "Mafia" (my fave part "I'll raise our sons for you, I'll save our ones for you, load up your guns for you"). The whole CD is hot. The whole CD. I would definetley recommend this CD. It's not standard anything. It's sorta like one of those out there white chicks like Fionna or Alanis or Tori Amos to a hip hop beat...a hard hip hop beat. But Like I always follow producers like Timbaland (my favorite), and I'll be seeing what The Neptunes are up to.

Kelis's album will probably be one of the most slept on albums this year. While "Caught Out There" gets your attention for her shouting, "I hate you so much right now" and the very upbeat, danceable track, all with Kelis sporting wavy pink hair, you figure that this is just a gimmick to disguise another "studio-produced" artist with no talent. What I discovered when I bought the album is that Kelis is a very talented vocalist. It is difficult to define the style of the album because each track is unique. But I truly love this album while originally I thought that there would be only two or three tracks that I could really jam. Her ballads "Get along with you" and "Wouldn't you agree" are atypical sad love songs yet the emotion of a lover scorned is still heartfelt. My favorite tracks are "Mafia", "Ghetto Children","Good stuff", and "Suspended" yet they range in tempo, theme and style. Don't worry you won't be fastforwarding through this album. This is a solid investment for a music addict that is frustrated with the typical R&B genre.

If there was ever an album to buy on the strength of one song, this is it! "Caught out there" is one wicked song of many..Other favourites include "Roller rink", "Good stuff" to name a few. These days, when so much r'n'b seems so mediocre, "Kaleidoscope" is breath of fresh air, an album mixed with soul/hip hop/garage/rap.....Basically, if you're into music, you're into this album. Get ready for world domination...

Kelis is certainly a a refreshing newcomer. The world has a tendency to put black performers in a box (immediately R&B or Rap or Hip-Hop). Kelis falls out of this easy categorization. Her music is hard to pinpoint. Her product is an amalgam of techno, rap, hip-hop and rock. She has a strong, resonant voice - which surprises you (she's only 20 years old). I recommend this album for those who want something fresh and new. Kelis has staying power. This album demonstrates samples of her aptitude. With some fine-tuning here and there . . .she will go places. My friends who have listened to my cd have loved it too. Go and get it.

This is the album that introduced the world to Kelis. Her ecletic style has been copied by Gwen Stefani, Pink, Nelly Furtado, Fergie and countless others. Kelis has always managed to stay one step ahead of the game. This debut was unlike anything any female esp. in 1999 would dare put out. While the Neptunes and Kelis has parted ways as of 2004, this is an excellent album for those post Neptunes fans. Kelis is as angry as any black woman scorned on lead single, "Caught Out There" famous for the line "I HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!" She's contemplative about a fading relationship in "Get Along With You." She compares her love to that of a "Mafia" and so on. Nice album with pulsating beats mixed with Kelis' smooth and sometimes distraught vocals make for one of the most overlooked albums of 1999. It makes me wish I would of picked it up a lot sooner.

I love Kelis' approach to her music - she refuses to be classified as just another "r&b chick" and from this disc to her upcoming release, always pushes the boundaries which creates some interesting music indeed! I was intrigued enough by the single, CAUGHT OUT THERE that I took a chance and bought the entire disc which as a whole, did not disappoint.

Kelis is not a powerhouse vocalist but she uses her throaty lower register to her advantage throughout the disc, doesn't manufacture runs up and down the vocal scale and didn't reach for notes that are out of her range. It's also interesting to note that this is the project that drew so much attention to the Neptunes since Kelis was Pharrell's muse during the production of the album. It's also cool to reference this album as the starting point for the Neptunes "sound" when you listen to other tracks they subsequently produced for other artists.

I would strongly recommend this dics to fans of unconventional singers & of the Neptunes because even the 2 songs I felt were filler tracks, sound great because of the beats used.

My favorite tracks are:

GET ALONG WITH YOU (also featured a very inventive video treatment that perfectly matched the sentiment of the song);

CAUGHT OUT THERE

GOOD STUFF - great beats!!, catchy single where her vocals really shine;

GAME SHOW - cute production with the game show theme music as the backdrop

ROLLER RINK - love the chorus & again the beats are excellent

MAFIA & WOULDN'T YOU AGREE - I found both to be very stylized but enjoyable songs that worked because of the music production moreso than Kelis' vocals

The flow of the album is really good too - each song has its own individuality without lulling the listener into boredom and as I mentioned earlier, even the filler tracks are interesting to listen to for the excellent beats produced by the Neptunes.

Overall, this is a strong debut from a young woman who has a definite point of view and shows off that individuality in her image as well as in her music. I'd highly recommend it to those who are curious about Kelis'/Neptunes' beginnings.

What can I say. I was frightened when I heard the first single "Caught Out There" (the I hate you song), so much so that I had to run (literally) to the store to pick up this... Kaleidoscope. Of course this was when the Neptunes were just starting out on their quest for complete musical domination when I wasn't wary of them then (I like them, I just think they should take a break). Anyway, I didn't know there were any other weird black people out there besides me who thinks the way Kelis does on tracks like "Suspended," or "Roller Rink," or the best song on the album, "Mars." The lyrics could be be tighter but I'm not complaining.

Best tracks (to me) include:
2. Good Stuff (simple, gets the job done)
3. Caught Out There (The I Hate You song... need I say more)
6. Game Show (humorous)
7. Suspended (she was under the influence of something when she wrote this song)
8. Mars (best song on the album)
12. Roller Rink (spacey, feels like you're inside a video game)

Basically, this album is not of this world but it holds rank with R&B/Hip Hop classics as "One In A Million" & "Miss E... So Addictive"