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On her first new record in six years, Kelela worked with no fewer than 15 producers—including the provocative LSDXOXO and genre-spanning Bambii—layering ideas on top of each other. Yet the 15 songs of Raven are remarkably restrained and a cohesive set; there's a refined clarity that lets the second-generation Ethiopian American singer express her mind without any hesitation. That goes for "On the Run," an R&B seduction ballad that casts Kelela as a life-giving goddess ("Open up, babe, to the sun/ Come out and touch the rays"). It equally applies to spacey-cool "Contact," a 2 a.m. celebration of dance-club empowerment: "Rollin' up, we bring in the light/ It might just render you blind/ We're workin' hard every day/ Don't need your help, I can pay." And it's true, too, for the title track. Over a panning laser effect, Kelela coolly dismisses people who only woke up to anti-racist values once they had no choice otherwise: "Took all my labor/ Don't tell me that I'm strong/ You'll never wake up/ Your silence lasts so long." Indeed, the social- and racial-justice demonstrations of 2020, Kelela has said, inspired her to only work with collaborators who supported her the way she wanted to be, even if that meant cutting some people out of her process. That culture shift also helped break her out of her writer's block by letting her be herself. "Perfectionism, I would say, is one of the central components of the culture of white supremacy," she recently told The Guardian. Perfectly imperfect, she evokes the feminine, sexy cool of Minnie Riperton, Aaliyah or FKA Twigs and graciously leaps from neo-soul to slow-jam R&B (see: "Closure" and its deep-as-it-goes bass) to haunted-house foreboding ("Fooley") to cafe pop x drum 'n' bass ("Happy Ending"). On "Missed Call," propelled by a hyper, glitchy beat, you can hear her early musical education at jazz open-mic nights. Opener "Washed Away" is sublime, with soulful vocalizations against great washes of pretty sound. Unbound by gravity, "Divorce" sounds magically suspended in amber. And the kick drum beat of "Bruises" could be maddening or hypnotic, depending on your mood. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz
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Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Janiva Ellis, Lyricist
2023 Warp Records 2022 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - LSDXOXO, Producer
2023 Warp Records 2022 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Asmara, Producer - Kelela, Producer, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Janiva Ellis, Lyricist - Florian TM Zeisig, Producer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kaytranada, Producer - Asmara, Producer - Kelela, Producer, MainArtist - Junglepussy, Lyricist - Bambii, Producer - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Janiva Ellis, Lyricist
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Asmara, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Producer, Engineer - LSDXOXO, Lyricist, Producer - Kari Estes, Mixer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - LSDXOXO, Producer - Kari Estes, Mixer - RAHRAH GABOR, Composer, FeaturedArtist
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Sony/ATV, MusicPublisher - Asmara, Lyricist, Producer - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Producer, Engineer - LSDXOXO, Producer - Kari Estes, Mixer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Producer, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Janiva Ellis, Lyricist - Khalí Carela, Producer, Arranger
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Florian TM Zeisig, Producer - Khalí Carela, Producer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Asmara, Producer - Kelela, Producer, MainArtist - Fauzia, Producer - AceMo, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Asmara, Producer - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - LSDXOXO, Producer - Kari Estes, Mixer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Paris Strother, Producer - Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, Producer, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Producer, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Shygirl, Lyricist - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Janiva Ellis, Lyricist - Florian TM Zeisig, Producer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Mocky, Producer - Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Sony/ATV, MusicPublisher - Asmara, Producer - Kelela, MainArtist - Badsista, Producer - Bambii, Producer - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer - Janiva Ellis, Lyricist - Florian TM Zeisig, Producer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Yo van Lenz, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - Kari Estes, Mixer
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
Album review
On her first new record in six years, Kelela worked with no fewer than 15 producers—including the provocative LSDXOXO and genre-spanning Bambii—layering ideas on top of each other. Yet the 15 songs of Raven are remarkably restrained and a cohesive set; there's a refined clarity that lets the second-generation Ethiopian American singer express her mind without any hesitation. That goes for "On the Run," an R&B seduction ballad that casts Kelela as a life-giving goddess ("Open up, babe, to the sun/ Come out and touch the rays"). It equally applies to spacey-cool "Contact," a 2 a.m. celebration of dance-club empowerment: "Rollin' up, we bring in the light/ It might just render you blind/ We're workin' hard every day/ Don't need your help, I can pay." And it's true, too, for the title track. Over a panning laser effect, Kelela coolly dismisses people who only woke up to anti-racist values once they had no choice otherwise: "Took all my labor/ Don't tell me that I'm strong/ You'll never wake up/ Your silence lasts so long." Indeed, the social- and racial-justice demonstrations of 2020, Kelela has said, inspired her to only work with collaborators who supported her the way she wanted to be, even if that meant cutting some people out of her process. That culture shift also helped break her out of her writer's block by letting her be herself. "Perfectionism, I would say, is one of the central components of the culture of white supremacy," she recently told The Guardian. Perfectly imperfect, she evokes the feminine, sexy cool of Minnie Riperton, Aaliyah or FKA Twigs and graciously leaps from neo-soul to slow-jam R&B (see: "Closure" and its deep-as-it-goes bass) to haunted-house foreboding ("Fooley") to cafe pop x drum 'n' bass ("Happy Ending"). On "Missed Call," propelled by a hyper, glitchy beat, you can hear her early musical education at jazz open-mic nights. Opener "Washed Away" is sublime, with soulful vocalizations against great washes of pretty sound. Unbound by gravity, "Divorce" sounds magically suspended in amber. And the kick drum beat of "Bruises" could be maddening or hypnotic, depending on your mood. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 15 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:33
- Main artists: Kelela
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Warp Records
- Genre: Electronic
2023 Warp Records 2023 Warp Records
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