It’s been 20 years since Kaleidoscope, the groundbreaking, game-changing debut album by Kelis. She recorded the album aged 17, naive to its everlasting resonance, and from the moment it was released, it was a bolt of lightning, ahead of its time, pioneering on all sides, from the bold Neptunes production to its sci-fi aesthetic. With features from Pusha-T, Markita and Justin Vince, Kaleidoscope is an album that’s boundary-pushing – Afro-futurism feels as fresh and relevant today as it did on release and not only influenced, but defined music, culture and style for generations to follow.
Six studio albums and 39 singles later, Kelis is going back to where it all began, marking the milestone anniversary of the record with an extended digital release on February 21, featuring six brand new reworks that have never previously been available digitally. Alongside this, a limited translucent orange 2LP deluxe (180 gram) vinyl will be released on March 6, featuring four never before heard on vinyl alternative versions of “Caught Out There (Neptunes Extended Mix)” and “Get Along With You (Pharrell Edit, Soul Inside Radio Mix, Mix Show).”
The album which peaked at #23 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart, features her singles “Good Stuff”, “Get Along with You” and the signature track “Caught Out There” which Pitchfork praised saying, “this post-breakup mania is a top-rate, ahead-of-its-time Neptunes production, with snapping keyboards accompanied by high-pitched tones that sound like dynamite exploding in space.”
Kaleidoscope broke into the Billboard’s Top 200 albums and landed a #7 spot on the UK top R&B Album chart where it was certified gold. Featuring the iconic line “I hate you so much right now”, “Caught Out There” ushered Kelis into the collective hipster consciousness with usage in MTV’s Daria and a CK One ad for Calvin Klein. Celebrated upon release, Rolling Stone pointed at “the ultrahip production duo the Neptunes [who] makes this interplanetary power-girl mix sound both danceably down-to-earth and shockingly new.” SPIN embraced the album’s diversity calling each track “another cool sound on an album full of them.”
Pre-order the Kaleidoscope vinyl HERE
TRACKLISTING
VINYL
LP1 (side A)
Intro
Good Stuff
Caught Out There
Get Along With You
Mafia
LP1 (SIDE B)
Game Show
Suspended
Mars
Ghetto Children
LP2 (SIDE C)
I Want Your Love
No Turning Back
Roller Rink
In The Morning
Wouldn’t You Agree
LP2 (SIDE D)
Caught Out There (Neptunes Extended Mix)*
Get Along With You (Soul Inside Radio Mix)*
Get Along With You (Mix Show)*
Get Along With You (Pharrell Edit)*
*on vinyl for the first time
DIGITAL
Intro
Good Stuff
Caught Out There
Get Along With You
Mafia
Game Show
Suspended
Mars
Ghetto Children
I Want Your Love
No Turning Back
Roller Rink
In The Morning
Wouldn’t You Agree
Caught Out There (Neptunes Extended Remix)
Get Along With You (Morales Club Remix)
Get Along With You (Soul Inside Radio Mix)
Get Along With You (Mix Show)
Get Along With You (Pharrell Edit)
Get Along With You (Bump & Flex Radio Edit)
Over nearly two decades in the music industry, Kelis has released six albums, has been nominated for multiple Grammys, charted numerous top 10 singles and has sold millions of albums. Kelis went on to release her worldwide smash hit song “Milkshake,” her uniquely feminist anthem “Bossy”’, and her dancefloor-dominating collaboration with Calvin Harris “Bounce”. She has toured the world, playing sold out tours and festivals many times over and is now a world renowned Le Cordon Bleu trained chef building her own Bounty and Full empire.
As an artist who “harks back to old school rhythm’n’blues without playing the retro card” as The Scotsman once wrote, Kelis’ staying power transcends decades. Fiercely committed to creating music that pushes her forward, her very beginnings on Kaleidoscope show all the colorful shades she’s capable of. Or, as Pitchfork so succinctly wrote about this record: “In a word: Damn.”