REVIEW: Kelela’s “Take Me Apart”

Kelela, Take Me Apart (Warp Records)

Kelela has always been the future of R&B. With the release of her hypnotic debut album Take Me Apart, she unequivocally cements herself as an artistic visionary leading the helm of R&B to galactic proportions. It’s a mature album that explores serious love, relationships and sexuality with urgency. The emotional depths of “Bluff” and “Better” evoke the impassioned fire element, “Frontline” and “Take Me Apart” release sultry sensuality of water; the aerial attribute of air envelopes Kelela’s ethereal vocals in “Turn to Dust” and “Altadena;” an earthly element is embedded in the sexual reverberations of “Truth or Dare” (not surprising with producers Jam City and Kwes behind the track) and “Jupiter” takes us into the ether with celestial vocals. Collaborators include Arca, the xx’s Romy Madley Croft, Bok Bok, Ariel Rechtshaid and Kingdom, to name a few. Overall, the record boasts a futuristic sound with experimental beats that push the boundaries of R&B into a new realm of spacey and mathematical structures translated into splendid artistic audio expression of strength and vulnerability.

10/10

Trial Track: “LMK”