Kaleidoscope / Wanderland [Limited]

Rolling Stone - Included in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of 2000". Q - 4 stars out of 5 - "...an inspired debut....[She] establishes herself as a solo artist with an album that packs punches of the Mike Tyson variety and oozes confidence from every beat..." CMJ - "...one of the hottest R&B debuts of 1999....a full spectrum of moods and tempos...bound together by Kelis' reflective lyrics and the rubber soul production of the Neptunes..." Spin - 6 out of 10 - "...Kelis is...a cool sound on an album full of them....[The album's] production standout is 'Mars' where the chorus impossibly melds slow keyboards, fast bully chants, stutter drums, and Kelis' angled wailings with lyrics that involve refusing to leave the planet..." Q - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000" - "...Refreshing, vibrant and replete with futuristic flourishes..." Rolling Stone - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...[her] background in jazz, gospel, rock and r&b brings a deeply felt sonic futurism....this interplanetary power-girl mix sounds both danceably down-to-earth and shockingly new." NME - 9 out of 10 - "...a futuristic, visionary, multi-layered work of R&B, funk, soul and rap, furnished with an inspirational, psychedelic spirituality, rarely seen but desperately needed in these cynical times....We need more like this." Melody Maker - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Pop's best mad psycho-bitch from hell. She does possess a demonic godzilla-with-toothache roar....brilliantly futuristic..." Mojo - "...The producers possibly see themselves as the new Jimmy Jam-Terry Lewis. She is their Mary Davis. The material veers from hard looks at rocky relationships...to, oh dear, UFOs....Best track is 'Ghetto Children', a positive, uptempo song with catchy chorus, crisp rap and a strong echo of Stevie Wonder." NME - Ranked #10 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year". Entertainment Weekly - "...fleshes out her persona with petulant sass and roller-rink whimsy, pegging her romantic maturity halfway between Brandy and Mary J....what lingers are the minimalist staccato beats from production duo the Neptunes..." - Rating: B+

This release showcases the development of a great talent. The album's flaws stem from steps taken backward toward what one could call "mainstream" R&B. It's when Kelis and her production team create tracks that best fit her voice and uniqueness that the end results are outstanding. Although comparisons to Neneh Cherry are inevitable, she does carve out a niche for herself, armed with undeniable talent. Kaleidoscope starts out strongly enough with standouts such as "Caught out There," "Get Along with You," and "In the Morning." Sadly enough, the focus seems to lose its footing midway and from there on out, the remaining songs run from average to good. As an artist who could become, with the proper guidance, a prominent figure for years to come, Kelis is one not to dismiss. ~ Jaime Ikeda|