KELELA 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: The second studio album by Kelela is now out, coming a whopping six years after her debut Take Me Apart. Whereas beforehand we were hardly clued in as to its sonic and lyrical content, this deluxe 2xLP version provides us a full illumination. Whoppingly beautiful neo-soul vocals from the resident Big Dada/Warp artist glide across contemporary electronic dance production from collaborators from AceMo to Fauzia, making this a thorough testimonial of black women's experience in today's music world. 'Happy Ending' is the standout, skilfully weaving a heated picture of a complex, breakeat-backed love on the dancefloor.

Review: 'Raven' is the name of the largest species of crow in the corvid family of birds. It's also the name of the second upcoming studio album by Kelela, which comes a whopping six years after her debut Take Me Apart - making this a hotly-awaited LP to say the least. Describing the album as an expression of loneliness as a black femme working in the dance music industry, she's made sure to bring along plenty of company, making this a largely collaborative affair. You've got Kaytranada, LSDXOXO, AceMo and Fauzia on there, all working in ultra-glossy, emotive future takes on dancehall, breakbeat and ballad.