Kehlani Sweet Sweetsexysavage
Released: January 27th, 2017
Essential Listening: Personal
Kehlani went through a lot in 2017. Her major label debut was shelved, she had a few issues that spilled over into the media and she released very little music as a result of that. Well she decided to kick 2017 off with a bang with her album Sweetsexysavage. Sweetsexysavage is strictly for women, and an album where she’s nobody but herself. If the goal was to have people listening to her and what she sounds like, this was perfect. She ditches the big name producers for what sounds best for her, and that’s another win.
Sweetsexysavage is a play o n TLC’s classic Crazysexycool, but she adds a modern twist to it. She even samples some vintage R&B like Aaliyah’s “Come Over” on Personal. She has a fast flow that she sings on the song as well, making it an easy stand out on the album. What makes her music so strong is her conversational tone that she’s able to take on tracks. Many female singers don’t possess that, and that puts her in a league of her own.
She’s confident on the album, singing for women everywhere on the 18 track album. Standing up for women is something she’s made a habit of, and that’s no different here. She gets player on songs like “Do U Dirty,” lovey on “Everything Is Yours,” and she digs deep on tracks like “Not Used To It,” which is about the fear of commitment. Kehlani has a lot of different things going on here, but it works perfectly. It may not spawn any hits, but it’s cohesive and a good body of work.