Kelela Raven review
Music, Sounds

Kelela, Raven: REVIEW

by Dave MacIntyre

“It’s been a long five and a half years for a follow-up to Kelela’s debut LP, Take Me Apart, but we’re thrilled to say it was damn well worth it.”

Kelela, Raven (Warp)

It’s been a long five and a half years for a follow-up to Kelela’s debut LP, Take Me Apart, but we’re thrilled to say it was damn well worth it. The D.C. songstress has returned with a vengeance with her sophomore LP Raven, and the end result is an even more cohesive, purposeful and enchanting album than last time around. With dazzling, kaleidoscopic production that sounds just as dark and watery as the album cover, we hear Kelela and her icy cool voice hitting higher notes than usual on opener “Washed Away” and dabbling effortlessly in U.K. garage on “Contact.” Whether the tempo is turned up (“Bruises”) or slowed all the way down (“Divorce”), Raven is the sound of Kelela’s artistry hitting a whole new peak. 9/10 Trial Track: “Contact”

“Contact” by Kelela from Raven

For more on Kelela, please visit her website.

This review was originally published in the March 2023 issue of Cult MTL.

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Posted in Music, Sounds

by Dave MacIntyre

Contributing editor for Music
Dave MacIntyre is a Montreal-based freelance journalist. His primary topic of interest is music, but is equally comfortable writing about sports, current events, and Montreal-related initiatives. Outside of Cult MTL, his bylines can be found in publications like BeatRoute and Northern Transmissions. And no, he is not related to Reba, nor to the WWE wrestler Drew, nor to Joey from New Kids on the Block.