This came out in 2000 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
If you’ve flipped past MuchMusic lately, chances are you’ve come upon a woman with a mushroom cloud of red curls primal-screaming, “I hate you so much right now!” over a funky backbeat.
No, it’s not the new Tori Amos video. It’s American singer Kelis, and the heavy-rotation hip-hop cut is called Caught Out There. But don’t be caught thinking that shrieking is all that’s in store if you pick up her debut long-player Kaleidoscope. True to its title, it’s less volatile and more colourful and playful — although no less distinctive. Kelis (last name: Rogers) certainly has a flair for the unusual; switching between husky-voiced hip-hop and bratty rap over a blueprint of neck-snapping urban funk, she tosses off weird tales of futuristic UFO nookie, roller-rink romance and how her love is like the Mafia (“Sealed in blood and Corleone kisses … For you I will testify”). Hey, there’s more than one way to organize a hit.
