Album Review: Kelela Builds Her Spirit And Sound In “Take Me Apart”

A debut says a lot about an artist, and Kelela makes two things clear: she is simple and self-aware. In many ways, those are the most beautiful things you can be. In her debut, Take Me Apart she goes through a “Rhythm Nation” of beats to serve gorgeous self-reflection. Love can leave you vulnerable, but self-love can make you bare.
Kelela – LMK

It would be so easy to make Aaliyah or Jhene Aiko references in association to Kelela. For one, she has the soft, unwavering vocals that fall upon ears like feathers on a ground. She is absolute light in tracks, “Frontline”, “Turn To Dust”, and “Jupiter”; never amping or forcing her vocals as if they were ironically unfazed compared to her lyrics. For two, she can be compared in their incomparability with eagerness to be self-reflective and explorative, which is why Take Me Apart is so quietly riveting. You always want to know who people “truly are” and what meanings/ motivations work within them to move their decisions. Moreover, we are fascinated by people that dare to figure such things within themselves when, for most of us, such reflection is not in our heads or in our desires. Thus, Kelela builds a natural admiration within listeners as she undresses her spirit in “Enough”, “Blue Light”, and “Altadena”. She is literally representing the idea of Take Me Apart, but you have to question who is taking her apart? A lover? Herself? As she rises and falls to the whims of her relationships, both her own and her partner’s, you witness a neo- R&B record that sounds like the future, but shows humanity will always be the same.
Kelela – LMK (Behind The Scenes)

The irony of self-reflection is that you learn how the “same” you are to others and your own habits. For however much we grow, we can land upon the same behaviors/ choices, for better or worse. As synths and keys croon behind her, I was reminded , again, of a slowed, simmered version of Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” era, where Ms. Jackson turned up rhythms and wisdom on what it is to be a human functioning for yourself and the world. Kelela does the same by taking herself apart to teach listeners how to rebuild themselves better. For More Information Kelela And To Buy Take Me Apart on October 6 Click Here.