The Pop Corporation

There’s always a danger with Kehlani that her brand of R&B reads too much Tumblr. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but her seam of through-thought can occasionally focus a little heavily on who she’s making eyes at, identity and poor decision making in love and lust. It’s a common complaint of R&B at large, but we love her just the same. That’s because there’s a trio of R&B singer-songwriters who have managed to forge big careers, but somewhat on their own terms without falling foul of the grandiosity and worthiness of say, Beyonce and Usher.

While SZA is headlining Glastonbury, Tinashe is the club kid’s favourite, Kehlani completes the three with probably the purest R&B of the lot. Kehlani, like the aforementioned, seems to have had to wrestle her career back from those faceless shills who seem to consistently offer terrible advice to young women in the industry, which is why there’s a feeling of untapped gigantic potential with all three. Mercifully, in the case of Tinashe and Kehlani, there’s a sense that they’re emerging from this stew of crap PR and middle-management decision to make music from themselves, and ergo, what their dedicated fanbase actually want too.

There’s been many moments in Kehlani’s back catalogue that have been up there with the best, but with ‘CRASH’, it feels like we’ve got her most complete project to date.

‘After Hours’ is the centrepiece to this album, and showed Kehlani in fun, dancefloor-ready form which is a version of Kehlani that we happen to like a great deal. Fans have lapped up the more introspective, personal stuff, but for our money, Kehlani’s too big a talent to keep it on the down-low. She’s a terrific dancer and a top-tier flirt, so when she’s backed by something more uptempo, she absolutely sparkles as a performer.

Another strong track is ‘Tears’, which sees Kehlani melding something akin to afrobeats and club-ready 4/4s. Think of Kaytranada and Chanel Tres, and you’re in the right ballpark, as it’s a perfect summer chugger rather than a tops-off banger. This is an R&B album, let us not forget.

For fans of the more retro inflected, doe-eyed Kehlani from ‘SweetSexySavage’ and ‘Cloud 19’, there’s certainly enough to chew on too. Album opener ‘Groove Theory’ is a tribute to the ’90s legends of the same name, and ‘Sucia’ features the wonderful Jill Scott. ‘While We Wait’ has a similar effervescent, bubbly vibe found on ‘Blue Water Road’, and that’s because Kehlani can’t ever be accused of being a one-trick pony. This album feels like an attempt at making a classic, and while listeners will decide just how much of a classic it is or isn’t, there’s a richness and depth to Kehlani’s music that scores of her peers lack.

For the die-hards, this will tick all the Kehlani boxes. For the more passive fan, there’s a lot of fun jams and confident ballads. It’s got all the usual melodrama that Kehlani is prone to courting, but perhaps most impressively is that she’s made a properly lengthed album that isn’t overloaded with filler in a bid to fudge the algorithm for increased plays. It’s clear that Kehlani had something cohesive in mind and she’s pulled that off. 13 tracks, no messing around, some uptempo numbers, some classic R&B, some ballads, some deep breaths and a little party. Of the summer soul albums, you could do a lot worse than this.