Just Keke

海外では女優として有名なキキ・パーマーによる3作目となるスタジオ・アルバム『Just Keke』。深くパーソナルなアルバムで、彼女の音楽界への復帰を記念する作品。

The nightmare that begins Just Keke lays to bed any thought that the album could be the long-lost musical companion to Keke Palmers like-named teen talk show from 2014. Released only two years after Big Boss, the three-act Just Keke is very adult and highly personal, as anyone aware of the singer/actress public 2023 breakup can discern from the opening "Off Script." A midtempo ballad that shimmers and booms, the song shows Palmer in a frustrated state over an insecure ex who "Got me on some viral shit, scandalous." Before the end of the first act, shes more explicit and pointed over the twitching drums of "My Confession," quoting lyrics by dance partner Usher and lashing out, then on "Exposed," she flips the script on gender norms with questions like "Who put the rocks in your wrist watch?" and "Whose house is this?" In the shorter and more fragmented second act, Palmer is at her most playful ("Tea, Boo") and expresses jealous curiosity ("I Wanna Know") within a matter of a couple minutes. The final and shortest act features a bite-size Whitney-like ballad where Palmer aches for resolution, but before the finale, she takes a philosophical stance on her breakup, resolving that "We both cant be the victim." Some of the most exciting moments on Just Keke are brief diversions. "Ripples" starts like a powerful womens anthem but begins to fade out before the minute mark, like a snippet on a cassingle. Even the carefree slow jam "125 Degrees" seems unfinished despite being one of the longest tracks. (Granted, its still well short of three minutes.) Palmers closest collaborator here is Tayla Parx, and the two prove to be compatible, as the lyrics are sharp and sometimes funny, and the singers ebullient personality shines through at all times. The candid lyrics and clipped song structures create an odd sort of tension. ~ Andy Kellman

銀幕での活躍に加えて、昨年はガール・グループも結成した人気者による2年ぶりのソロ作。懐かしのシットコムなどをオマージュした映像との連動となる3幕構成で、楽曲もアッシャー"Confessions Part II"の引用を含めた00年代R&B風やマイアミ・ベース調など往時のムードを漂わせる。親友のタイラ・パークスと共作したスロウ・ジャム"125 Degrees"が極上だ。
bounce (C)林剛