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Kelela|Raven

Raven

Kelela

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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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Raven

Kelela

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1
Washed Away
00:03:36

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

2
Happy Ending
00:04:08

Chris Tabron, Mixer - Kelela Mizanekristos, Composer, Lyricist - Kelela, MainArtist - Bambii, Producer - Brandon Peralta, Engineer - LSDXOXO, Producer

2023 Warp Records 2022 Warp Records

3
Let It Go
00:04:22

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

4
On the Run
00:04:52

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

5
Missed Call
00:03:51

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

6
Closure
00:03:29

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

7
Contact
00:04:00

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

8
Fooley
00:03:34

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

9
Holier
00:04:14

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

10
Raven
00:04:36

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

11
Bruises
00:04:15

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

12
Sorbet
00:05:29

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

13
Divorce
00:03:21

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

14
Enough for Love
00:04:25

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

15
Far Away
00:04:21

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

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