Search - Kelis :: Wanderland

Wanderland - 4.5 stars

Geminigirl | Philadelphia, PA United States | 03/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like most reviewers, I had heard about a sophomore album by Kelis but could never find it till I started shopping on this site. After a few listens I think it's a real shame that the record label wasn't courageous enough or didn't believe in this project enough to release it in the USA.



The collaboration between Kelis & The Neptunes continues the truly original path that they started on her excellent debut. As with the debut, there are a lot of tracks featuring hot beats by the Neptunes that make the best use of Kelis' vocal ability.



Overall I really enjoyed listening to the whole album because each song is uniquely distinctive and sounds like no other artist - Kelis is right about one thing she said recently "she is the first girl to scream on a track" and others are copying her style but fans know that Kelis is an original!



My favorite tracks where her vocal performance & the beats are sheer perfection are: LITTLE SUZIE, SHOOTING STARS, FLASHBACK, YOUNG FRESH 'N NEW, MR. UFO & POPULAR THUG



Other great tracks that I love moreso for the beats than Kelis' vocal performance are: DADDY (Kelis raps more than sings on this one), SCARED MONEY, DIGITAL WORLD, PERFECT DAY, GET EVEN (kind of a sequel to CAUGHT OUT THERE) & JUNKIE



Like I said before, it's a shame that fans who enjoyed Kelis' debut weren't given a chance to support this disc - I really think that if POPULAR THUG, SHOOTING STARS OR FLASHBACK had been released stateside, Kelis could've continued to build upon the momentum and gained more fans since her music was so original and unlike anything other artists were releasing at the time."

Great album for Kelis/Neptunes fans

M. Harris | Los Angeles, CA | 03/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm late to discovering Kelis. I enjoyed her singles but just recently started picking up the CDs. I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks to Amazon, I was able to discover "Wanderland". After picking up Kaleidoscope, I was more than anxious to follow it up with more of Kelis.



I really enjoy this CD. I am a fan of the Neptunes sound, so I immediately fell in love with Kaleidoscope, and I was happy to find that they were back again on Wanderland. It's something about Kelis and the Neptunes that jives SO well together. I guess they figured if it aint broke dont fix it. But that's the thing...one can have too much of a good thing. I would have liked to hear more variety on this CD. Many of the songs have that very typical "Neptunes sound"; the beats are similar to each other and songs from Kaleidoscope. Maybe there needed to be a mix of producers...which is why I didn't give it 5 stars.



Nonetheless if you're a Kelis/Neptunes fan (and being a fan of the Neptunes is JUST as important) then pick this CD up. If you're not a HUGE fan, then you'll probably be satisfied with Kaleidoscope and Tasty for your Kelis fix.



Fave tracks:

* Young, Fresh, N' New - LOVE this beat, great way to start the CD off



* Popular Thug - Decent beat; good cameo from Pusher of Clipse



* Mr. UFO Man - this one's a different sound, and deep lyrics, love it



* Perfect Day - Rock w/Gwen Stefani on background vocals; nice!



* Little Suzie - another one with a different sound, deep lyrics



Honorable mentions:

* Daddy & Scared Money - these are both cool; but is it me or isn't the beat almost the same but different tempo??



Great CD for the price. Check it out.



Happy listening!"