The Hits
The Hits album is available in European music stores since last week, it will be released in the United States tomorrow (March 11th). Make sure, you buy it. Below the cut, you can read a great article from blogcritics.org.
When music critics talk about contemporary R&B divas, Kelis is never mentioned and, for many, hardly an afterthought. It is quite a shame though, considering the body of work she has created over the past ten years.
As an artist that refused to be defined by the music industry’s “cookie-cutter” labels, Kelis was a dynamic and charismatic artist who came before her time. And despite being an American singer, who set many of today’s music and fashion trends, much of Kelis’ success was attained overseas, especially in the United Kingdom, where she garnered six top-ten hits.
Her lackadaisical acceptance in the United States was due, in part, to her unabashed and forward-thinking experimentations with genres generally unassociated with traditional R&B music. To date, true appreciation of her artistic talents has failed to be recognized by American radio outlets, promoters and music lovers, although Kelis has been nominated by the Recording Academy for two GRAMMY awards.
In 1999, Kelis broke into the music industry with a bang, as the featured singer on “Got Your Money,” a collaboration with Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Russell Tyrone Jones), one of the founding members of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The success of “Got Your Money” brought Kelis global attention, along with the Neptunes, the production duo behind her first solo effort, Kaleidoscope (Virgin, 1999). In the wake of her newfound stardom, Kelis released “Caught Out There,” the lead single off of Kaleidoscope. “Caught Out There” was a modest radio hit, eventually peaking at #9 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and #54 on the Hot 100. The song was very successful in Europe, though—eventually becoming a top five hit.
The overall response to “Caught Out There” would begin a checkered history between Kelis and her American audience. The song created quite a ruckus amongst music lovers of all stripes, since Kelis’ artistry and colorful style differed from the R&B fare offered by her contemporaries at the time: Deborah Cox’s “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” Whitney Houston’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” Faith Evans’ “Never Gonna Let You Go” and Mariah Carey’s “Heartbreaker.” Her divergence from artistic norms failed to translate into sales, with Kaleidoscope debuting at #144 on the Billboard 200, on the sale of 10,736 copies during the first week of release.
In hindsight, one would expect a single, let alone an album, produced by the Neptunes (Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams) to chart well, considering Kaleidoscope’s sonic novelty at the time. In 1998, the production duo was just starting to gain widespread notoriety in the music business and Kelis had become their muse, an honor and appreciation the Neptunes have not bestowed on a female singer ever since.
Unfortunately, for Kelis, the fate of Kaleidoscope was doomed, with poor sales leading to half-hearted promotion inside the United States. Two additional singles followed: “Good Stuff” (featuring Terrar of Clipse) and “Get Along with You.” Alas, neither single managed to chart on the Billboard’s Hot 100 and, with that, the writing was on the wall for Kelis’ relationship with her label, Virgin Records. Although “Get Along with You” was a remarkable ballad, the song’s stark change in artistic direction muddled Kelis’ image, when compared against “Caught Out There,” and never generated enough steam in the United States, regardless of the fact that the song peaked at #6 on the U.K. R&B Singles chart.
Having three sizable hits in the United Kingdom and following her receipt of a BRIT Award for “International Breakthrough Act,” Kelis’ second album, Wanderland (Virgin, 2001) was exclusively released to the European market. Even with much critical acclaim, Virgin Records opted to can an American release, because “Young, Fresh ‘n’ New,” Wanderland’s lead single, failed to chart in the United States.
Soon thereafter, Kelis left Virgin Records in a storm of controversy and mainstream success would evade the artist until the release of her third album, Tasty (Star Trak/Arista, 2003), with the meteoric success of her fifth single, “Milkshake.” The time between the release of Wanderland and Tasty was well spent, nevertheless, with Kelis touring with U2 and Moby.
To be certain, “Milkshake” is Kelis’ signature song, if only for the global success the song achieved: a top five performance on the United World Chart, a GRAMMY nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance (2004) and her first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart since 1999. As sales exceeded 500,000 copies, Tasty was certified with gold status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Sadly, promotion for Tasty soon crashed, due to the folding of her American label, Arista Records. Virgin Records, her European label, continued to promote the album—releasing singles for “Trick Me,” “Millionaire” and “In Public.” As with Kaleidoscope and Wanderland, Kelis continued to have much success in the United Kingdom, with Tasty amassing platinum sales and generating four top twenty hits (of which three, “Milkshake,” “Trick Me” and “Millionaire” were top three hits).
The success of Tasty landed Kelis on Britney Spears’ The Onyx Hotel Tour. As the opening act, Kelis was able to expand her audience, by performing in front of a mainstream, pop-loving audience. Kelis’ growing base was evidenced by the top performance of her fourth album, Kelis Was Here (LaFace/Jive, 2006), on Billboard’s Hot 200 chart.
Despite the album’s strong opening sales, Kelis Was Here failed to be certified gold, although the album’s lead single, “Bossy,” garnered multi-platinum sales, a rare feat for any artist. Follow-up singles, “Blindfold Me” and “Lil’ Star” received little to no radio airplay in the United States. “Lil’ Star” topped the U.K. R&B Singles Chart, however, and became her fourth top three single in the United Kingdom. Kelis Was Here eventually received critical praise in the United States, with the album receiving a GRAMMY nomination for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In spite of eventual industry approval, Jive Records dropped Kelis in late October 2007, due to poor sales of Kelis Was Here.
Kelis’ departure from Jive closes yet another tortuous chapter in her prolific and innovative musical career. To date, none of Kelis’ albums have been able to generate platinum sales, even though she was able to generate multiple sizable hits. Her continued success in Europe is evidence of her aesthetic brilliance and the release of The Hits (Star Trak/Jive/Legacy, 2008) highlights her unbridled experimentations within the R&B genre.
Hopefully, in time, the career of Kelis will be treated with much more care. For now, all one can do is cherish Kelis’ Hits, for this compilation is the closest any contemporary R&B artist has come to exploring the outer limits of the genre.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/03/08/210802.php
—Mar 10, 08:31 PM, by Patryk, #,
Comments
Commenting is closed for this article.
Well I think music industry i losing its groove! back in the days there were true artist!not musicians artist like Kelis.. who is original, outstanding and damn an extraordinary person! if thw olrd can´t see how value its her work. one day it will!! and everybody ill recognize this poliphonic artistXD
luv kelis
— Jhuan · Mar 11, 06:52 PM · #
Well, I have all of Kelis’ albums and am contantly trying to get her attention and air play. The best I’ve been able to do thus far is play her on the jukebox at my favorite bar where everyone comes up surprised to know that it’s Kelis’ music that I’m playing.
— Geronimo · Mar 14, 11:34 PM · #
I loved that artical, it’s so true. It’s a shame great artist who dare to stand out can’t really make it in the States. Just seem like if your not coming with the same shit that everybody else is, people are scared. Keep doing your thing Kelis.
— d.j · Mar 17, 09:50 PM · #
I love her music! but In Russia very difficult to find any album Kelis:)
— o-ren · Mar 19, 06:59 AM · #
I don’t like any of the songs on her greatest hits album… those are not her greatest hits.. SORRY she’s gonna kept making the same mistakes and thats why she’s going NO WHERE in the states…Lets be real…
— Krock · Mar 19, 06:33 PM · #
uuummm if they are not her greatest hits then what in the earth is? Those are almost all the singles she put out. Wow that was just a crazy thing to say.
— d.j · Mar 26, 08:47 AM · #
I love Kelis. It is a shame they dont appreciate her here in the states. She has beauty and orginality something alot of people lack. I love all her albums. i think blindfold me should have been on the hits though i loved it.
— RoRo · Mar 29, 07:50 AM · #
I’m pissed off…I am an original Kelis Kid and I am locked out the forum? Is Gigi still running this? WTF? I’m pissed off! This shit ain’t cute. Mig there? Come on now kids….something needs to happen….
— Geronimno · Apr 21, 11:59 AM · #