Kaleidoscope is a perfect combination of a young, ambitious singer and a production team unafraid to experiment.
AMERIE 1 THING DISCOGS FREE
In 2003 she broke free from any such typecasting with the release of her Milkshake single, and in doing so confirmed her reputation as one of the premier vocalists of the 00s. Williams and Hugo would soon be ubiquitous, writing and overseeing a run of era-defining records for the likes of Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake and Beyoncé but for a while it looked like Kelis would forever be the “I hate you so much right now” singer. Although it dabbles in a lot of genres, Kaleidoscope sidesteps cliché – the doo-wop heavy soul of Suspended, the AOR of Mars, and the sing-song strangeness of Mafia all possess sufficient individuality. But don't act obtuse like ya'll don't remember the lengths Matthew Knowles went to to make Beyonc 1. Amerie could've been on top but she wasn't cut out for how cruel the industry is. Ghetto Children, which features Williams’ and Hugo’s band N*E*R*D, is swooning, urban RnB that owes something to the Fugees. Her father had the pull to sabotage her through the stations/record execs. Caught Out There broke Kelis in the UK, with its “I hate you so much right now” refrain – it still steals the show today, and was one of those songs that was heard everywhere at the time. There is no formula here – considering its time, Kaleidoscope offers little sultry swing beat or neo-soul, instead featuring The Neptunes’ acoustic hip hop beats with their touches of otherworldly, Middle Eastern and Arabic influences. Kelis retains this sassy forthright attitude throughout the album. The Intro sends up the autobiographical skits of the era: we hear a minute or so of nostalgic mumbo jumbo, when she cuts in with, “Yeah, yeah, and now I’m grown up”. With Kaleidoscope, Kelis appeared as if from outer space with her shock of brightly coloured hair and sang with experience seemingly beyond her years. This marriage of the two creative forces forged an album that rewrote the RnB rulebook. American singer Amerie has released four studio albums, two compilation albums, one mixtape, three extended plays, and fifteen singles.Her debut album, All I Have (2002), was certified Gold in the United States, and produced the top forty song 'Why Dont We Fall in Love'. Kaleidoscope was not simply the first time many heard the smoky, rich voice of 20-year-old Harlem-born Kelis Rogers it was also their first encounter with the wizardry of young production team Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes.