#Kelis food book professional#
#Kelis food book tv#

His retro-R&B flourishes on вЂњFloydвЂќ and his kitschy exotica trappings on вЂњChangeвЂќ just sound cutesy, undermining the gravity of KelisвЂ™ vocals. вЂњCobblerвЂќ jumbles its chockablock layer of percussion, horns and vocals, strangling the groove of any immediacy. He tries to craft a light and airy sound, but it too often sounds flat, awkward and fussily self-impressed. If it seems like an intriguing partnership, it quickly curdles.

#Kelis food book tv#

Perhaps thatвЂ™s the reason she brought in TV on the RadioвЂ™s Dave Sitek to produce. Instead of distracting, that odd grain only intensifies the desperation of вЂњRunninвЂ™вЂќ and the easy contentment of the gorgeous вЂњBless the Telephone,вЂќ originally by British folk singer Labi Siffre.ДЄlways an adventurous and unpredictable artist whose ranges extends well beyond R&B, Kelis has always been a criticsвЂ™ favorite, yet sheвЂ™s never really had a commercial breakthrough, unless you count the one-off novelty hit вЂњMilkshakeвЂќ back in 2003. You can almost hear the frustration in her voice, which has grown raspier and hoarser in the last few years. In the four years since her previous album, the excellent and adventurous Flesh Tone, Kelis has recorded a full-album with a handful of British DJs producing, yet that album was eventually shelved following a few disputes among them. вЂњGive me what I want, give me what I need,вЂќ she sings on вЂњFriday Fish Fry.вЂќ вЂњIвЂ™m begging you please, IвЂ™m down on my knees.вЂќ Must be one incredible recipe.

#Kelis food book professional#

To promote Food, her first album in four years and her first for Ninja Tune Records, she served gourmet meals from her food truck at SXSW.ДЇood is only a loose theme on Food, which features songs called вЂњBreakfast,вЂќ вЂњBiscuits n GravyвЂќ and вЂњBackyard Barbecue.вЂќ Cuisine is a useful metaphor for pretty much any topic Kelis wants to sing about, whether itвЂ™s sexual desire, romantic reassurance or professional concerns. Best known for her 'Milkshake,' singer, mom, and chef Kelis serves up plenty more in her cookbook, My Life on a Plate, a collection of recipes inspired by her. Over the past decade, she has trained as a saucier, written her own cookbook, graduated from Le Cordon Bleu, and landed a cooking show called Saucy & Sweet on the Cooking Channel. But Kelis means вЂњcookвЂќ very literally, too. As advertised, the song really does cook, placing her throaty vocals on a bed of Philly soul strings and horns. It's a pace further away from the massive hit song that, more than a decade later, refuses to go down.вЂњI know I donвЂ™t look it, but I can really cook,вЂќ Kelis Rogers sings on вЂњFloyd,вЂќ a breathy old-school slow jam on her new album. Instead of playing her position and exploring with futuristic interpretations, Kelis tips her hat to the past with a palette that revels in soul, doo-wop and layered girl-group harmonies. The result is songs that we'd never have expected from the singer. In flipping her sound once again, she found an unlikely partnership with indie/art-rocker Dave Sitek (of TV on the Radio fame) and the 13-piece band that came with him. Whether she was screaming about how much she hates you, spearheading the shift toward a new R&B sound or diving into the world of electronic dance music, Kelis has never been one to sound subdued or stagnant.ДЄt 34 years old - post divorce, contract liberation and since becoming a mother - Kelis is beyond the point of trying to fit into any box that the industry has tried to squash her into, whether it was a label with misgivings or a radio station that couldn't figure out where she belonged. Since her first blip on the radar in 1999 as the hook singer on Ol' Dirty Bastard's ' Got Your Money,' Kelis' work has run the gamut of musical experimentation her approach has been nothing less than bombastic. For Kelis Rogers, R&B's resident provocateur, Food - her first album since 2010's dance-heavy Flesh Tone - is the embodiment of what she has always contended as an artist: that she can't be molded to fit inside one genre - one flavor, one dish, one cuisine. At base, it's sustenance, and at its most complex, like when it appears in song, it can evoke nostalgia, carnal desires and comfort. It's the connective tissue between families, communities and cultures. Kelis' new album, Food, comes out April 22.ДЇood is life.