Happy 10th Anniversary to Kelis’ fifth studio album Flesh Tone, originally released in Poland May 14, 2010, in France and the UK May 17, 2010, and in North America July 6, 2010.
To say that there really isn’t anyone quite like Kelis Rogers remains an understatement.
Beginning with Kaleidoscope (1999), Kelis established herself as an R&B firebrand capable of meeting the genre’s commercial demands while simultaneously innovating that same space. When her fourth studio set Kelis Was Here arrived in 2006, she had perfected the science of the musical bait and switch. Those lured to Kelis Was Here by its feminist hip-hop manifesto (and lead-off single) “Bossy” were greeted by a dizzying assemblage of eclectic song stock. It came as no surprise that Kelis garnered attention from GRAMMY panelists for a second time (“Best Contemporary R&B Album”) in 2007.
But, Kelis’ tightrope walk between mainstream appeal and cult status rarely translated into traditional record sales. While the reviews were mostly positive for Kelis Was Here, it did not perform to market expectation. Jive Records, Kelis’ label home at that time, severed all contractual ties to the singer-songwriter just a few months after her GRAMMY award nomination. Although Kelis kept busy pursuing her passion for the culinary arts—she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu as a saucier in this interstice—three years came and went before the follow-up to Kelis Was Here materialized.
However, two major life events were about to change the direction of Kelis’ life and her art.
Kelis’ marriage to hip-hop titan Nasir “Nas” Jones made the pair the only other black music power couple of the period to rival Beyoncé and Jay-Z. But, behind their cool public face was a stormy relationship that finally reached critical mass at the top of 2009. Citing irreconcilable differences, the pair acrimoniously separated in April of that year with Kelis giving birth to their son, Knight Jones, three months later.
Standing at a personal and professional crossroads, an opportunity presented itself to Kelis via an offer from William Adams—better known as the Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am. On the likely basis of assured creative autonomy, Kelis eagerly onboarded with Interscope Records through Adams’ subsidiary imprint, will.i.am Music Group. Having finalized her divorce from Nas in early 2010, the first taste from her fifth LP Flesh Tone came in the form of “Acapella” in late February.
Kelis’ transition into motherhood became the catalyst for the Flesh Tone sessions in 2009. Ideas rushed in at a breakneck pace in light of her eagerness to channel all these new sensations she was encountering; invitations went out to an impressive cross section of song scribes and boardsmen to make these concepts a reality. Featured among a sizable roster recruited to write and produce in cooperation with Kelis were will.i.am, Matthew Burns, Jean-Baptiste “Free School” Kouame, David Guetta, Damian “DJ Ammo” Leroy, Alexander “Boyz Noise” Ridha, Cathy Dennis, James Fauntleroy and cousins Benny and Alessandro Benassi.
On the nine selections that make up Flesh Tone—ten on the Japanese pressing—Kelis led as the primary songwriter on the taut song cycle. Possessed of the desire to tell her story (up to that point), the content on Flesh Tone divides itself between pieces espousing a metaphysical reawakening owed to her recently uncovered maternal instincts (“Acapella,” “Brave”) and odes to communal, club-oriented futurism (“Scream,” “Emancipate”).
Coupled to the emotional charge of the LP’s scripts is its music which marked an intrepid departure from her usual R&B motifs. Kelis was no stranger in putting digital soundscapes in service to her husky mezzo-soprano on her anterior efforts, but the avant-garde glass and steel sonics employed on Flesh Tone were altogether different.
From the chrome-plated stompers of “22nd Century” and “Home” to the electro-pop-house fusions of “4th of July (Fireworks)” and “Carefree American,” all four entries are urgently uptempo. In between every track on Flesh Tone are brisk segues; these instrumentals are as captivating as the sides that they bridge. Only “Song for the Baby” parts itself from the danceable electronic architecture of the long player with its alternative soul persuasion that unconsciously laid the groundwork for Kelis’ sixth LP, Food (2014).
To risk the loyalty of her R&B base with such an audacious album like Flesh Tone must have briefly weighed on Kelis, but she was never one to backtrack once she started on a path. After christening the rollout for Flesh Tone with “Acapella”—the single yielded Kelis her sixth British Top 10 charter—the album entered record shops on May 14, 2010 in Poland, followed by an expanded release in France and the UK three days later on May 17th. Across the board critical adulation ensued despite its demure sales on either side of the Atlantic. Subsequent singles—“4th of July (Fireworks),” “Scream” and “Brave”—also cast limited commercial ripples, but did further endear a new audience to Kelis’ charms.
In the decade since its unveiling, the mark Flesh Tone has left on Kelis’ discography is singular. Brimming with the energy of continued self-discovery and empowerment to come out of her lived experiences, Kelis brought both a newfound maturity and an edge to Flesh Tone—it still makes for a fantastic listen.
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