November 04, 2003 @ 8:01 am

KELIS - TASTY (STAR TRAK/ARISTA)

Jason King

No singer in contemporary R&B is more left of center than Kelis.

No singer in contemporary R&B is more left of center than Kelis. Don’t compare her to Mary or Beyoncé; Kelis is closer in spirit to baaad-ass, punk-inspired divas like Joan Jett and Nona Hendryx. Consider “Milkshake,” the whimsical debut single from Kelis’s third album, Tasty. It’s not easy to carry off droll, sex-laced lyrics (“My milkshake brings all boys to the yard”), especially when you have to sing over the Neptunes’ clangorous, buzz-saw funk. But Kelis’s trademark voice—disaffected, robotic, slightly flat—has a scrappy energy that somehow makes the whole thing work. Kelis hasn’t had a solo chart hit in four years (her last album, Wanderland, wasn’t released in the U.S.). Tasty, however, is chock full of A-list producers delivering state-of-the-art tracks. On Rockwilder’s grinding “In Public,” she lets her freak hang out, whispering in her partner’s ear, “Let’s make a movie—can we get away with it?” Dallas Austin delivers the reggae-inspired “Trick Me” as well as “Keep It Down,” a power rock tune that matches the rebellious spirit of her 1999 single “Caught Out There.” “Running Mate,” produced by Timbaland, is supposed to be Kelis’s ode to her current fiancé, Nas, who also makes a guest appearance on the album. Unfortunately, the romantic sentiment suffocates under the hyperactive drum ’n’ bass beats and swirling rock guitars. Kelis is still at her bizarre best when she’s paired with longtime collaborators the Neptunes. She sizzles on their Diwali-influenced, polytonal “Freak Me Slow.” And “Suga Honey Ice T” is a seductive midtempo track replete with strings, bluesy saxophone, and twinkling electric piano. “Rollin’ Through the Hood,” with its 1970s-style horn blasts and melancholic funk groove, is the Neptunes’ most stylish offering. For a wistful song about romance in the ghetto, the slickly produced, avantgarde sound brings to mind more otherworldly settings, like the rain-soaked, futuristic streets of the film Blade Runner. Peppered with outlandish style, Tasty will not be everyone’s flavor. But it’s definitely Kelis’s original recipe.

Article tags: KELIS, TASTY, STAR, TRAK/ARISTA