Kelis is probably one of the most fascinating women in the pop universe right now. Too weird for the mainstream and considered too manufactured to be taken by the alternative public, there's always more to her than the eye first meets, from her blasé philosophy to the extravagant looks, strong-independent-woman imagery or an irresistible fuck-it-fuck-them-fuck-me attitude that confuses the regular music consumer. She's not afraid to use new radical sounds - Kaleidoscope remains the best Neptunes-produced-album ever, while Milkshake, her biggest hit to date, is nothing less than pure infectious genius. But she also has no inhibitions to explore (and conspurcate) the mainstream, using the hottest producers of the moment and making market-oriented songs (just let's not talk about that Enrique Iglesias duet, ok?). For her fourth album, the formula remains effective enough to keep us fascinated, expanding even further the music horizons (everything goes in this r&b pastiche, from 80's electro to indian sounds, rock guitars, gospel choirs, brazilian rhythms or opera samples) while the attitude is her strongest and bitchiest ever ("I'm bossy / i'm the bitch y'all love to hate", "You want to get in my pants / I don't think so", "Awww shit / I can make the whole song talk shit"). It may not be her best album yet (as a whole, it lacks a certain sense of unity) but it sure is great to have her around.
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