Customer Reviews

Psychic Cat

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Kelli Ali is probably best known as the original voice of the Sneaker Pimps, from the 'second' British Invasion of the 1990s. Unlike most trip-hop artists, who seem to court anonymity, Kelli's voice projects a lot of personality. She moves from sweet to bratty to soulful within each song, and in both image and voice is as far from a cookie-cutter pop singer as you could ask for. In other decades her originality would have been an asset, but in the current climate, her special personality locks her in the margins.

'Psychic Cat' should have been a huge hit. While the songwriting is varied, most of the material here attempts to wed Kelli's rock background with more mainstream electronica ala Goldfrapp. 'Graffiti Boy' and 'Speakers' do this particularly well, and the mix of hard rock guitars with drum machines reminded me a lot of mid-1980s Queen - in a very good way. 'Home Honey I'm High' and 'Last Boy on Earth' are polar opposites, and Kelli's willingness to include this much variety, again, is quite Queenlike. Kelli doesn't limit herself to just one or two style, but her chameleonlike talents don't allow her (or this CD) to fit into a single genre very easily. This is a great CD to buy, therefore, if you're an open-minded person who likes contemporary alternative styles and does not like being pigeonholed into a repetitive CD.

In a better world, Kelli would be on the cover of Rolling Stone announcing she is U2's new opening act. Here's hoping we get another Kelli CD soon, and at a low domestic price. If only Kelli Ali would be more prolific . . .

Album is great, alot more techno and hard sounding than the first album, which by the way is amazing aswell. Kelli Ali is a huge talent and i recommend thius album to everyone. I wish she would tour the US!!

After two solo albums, Kelli Ali hasn't yet found musical backing that is worthy of her uniquely sexy and sassy singing voice. This album is, unfortunately, a telling example of how a great singer can be dragged down to the level of inferior material. What Kelli needs is to either hire some professional songwriters or to join a gutsy real band, instead of collaborating with mediocre studio dwellers like she has on her two solo albums. The music on this album is quite maddening as you listen to it drag Kelli down, such as new wave-ish pseudo-rock in 'Hot Lips,' tired dance-pop in 'Home Honey I'm High,' or watered-down industrial in 'Ideal.' And by all means avoid the catatonic balled 'In Praise of Shadows.' Even Kelli's awesome singing abilities can't save this material, and she only gets to open up and stretch out in the album's final two songs. 'Voyeur' brings some swinging trip-hop, and 'Last Boy on Earth' is a strong tension-builder. In these two tracks we finally hear Kelli singing in all her glory, but it's too little too late. Now don't get me wrong, I'm an enormous fan of Kelli Ali's voice and talents, and I wish her all the success in the world. That's what makes this poorly written and produced album all the more disappointing. [~doomsdayer520~]

"Psychic Cat" has a nice story behind it - singer Kelli Ali leaves the Sneaker Pimps, goes on the dole, does soul-searching and travels for a while, eventually recording a solo album. While recording the album, she meets a Santa Monica street performer with a pair of psychic cats - hence, this album's title. Unfortunately, Ali's second solo effort is a bland electro-pop affair, falling somewhere between Avril Lavigne and Depeche Mode. Her voice is largely wasted on prosaic lyrics and safe production that connotes rather than conveys attitude. Pro Tools may make a singer, but it can also break one.

i must confess, i haven't bought her 1st solo album because most of the reviews described it mainly as pop, which i'm not very fond of... but at the same time, most of the reviews for this one described it as being much much better and i totally agree!

definitely worth the price for being an import! for all of us who really miss kelli's voice, after almost 10 years we can finally haver her back, with brilliant catchy tunes... my favorite: home honey i'm high (#4)

Kelli had a solid solo debut with Tigermouth, but the album was generally too poppy sounding for someone coming from Sneaker Pimps.

She's upped her sound on Psychic Cat big time! This album attacks you right from the start with Hot Lips. And the raw screaming guitars on Ideal are cool as hell. The title track is dark and explodes at the end. The album closes with the beautiful Last Boy On Earth, maybe the best track Kelli has written so far.

The only reason I don't give this album 5 stars is because it still seems like Kelli's trying to find her niche. Like I said, its a huge improvement over Tigermouth but there's still room for improvement. I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could.

I love this album!!! Kelli has a magical storytelling quality that few artists can match. Her songs are intimate, her voice is lush, and totaly flawless!
I feel personaly this is stronger than her first album, "Tigermouth", which I also loved. But where that album was mellow and dreamy, much of "Psychic Cat" has a definate message, a fist punching the air!!
"Speakers" is the most dramatic example, an appeal to the listener to do somthing, anything, to take back the earth from big business, government, & MTV :-)
Other songs have a more personal message, about love, booze, drugs!! A guest appearance from Primal Scream guitarist Andrew Innes on "Ideal", adds the required kick to make this album very special.
It's impossible to sum up Kelli Ali with one song or album, she is an artist for all seasons, and so many different moods!!!

This album isn't as good as Tigermouth but is still worth the purchase. I found this album to have a more rock edge to it. Tigermouth is alot more downtempo than this album. If you like Kelli, this album belongs in your collection.

these other people that wrote bad reviews for this album are crazy. this album is great. the songs have a cool rock sound with some electronic sounds together with kellis very beautiful voice make a very awesome album. this is one of my favorites along with kellis other album Tigermouth.

Like most of the other reviewers, I am a fan of Sneaker Pimps and held out hope that Ali's solo album would unleash some new sounds. Unfortunately, it's painfully apparent that most of the creativity may have been as a result of the group's interaction rather than Ali. The lyrics are atrociously juvenile and mundane. Her voice stays within about five keys and never strays, sounding more and more like a strange robotic noise than a human voice. The music itself has possibility, but the lyrics ruin it for anyone looking for something deeper than "SKY'S SO BLUE - SO DON'T BE SAD COS WE LOVE YOU PSYCHIC CAT."