Take Me Apart

by 
AlbumOct 06 / 201714 songs, 53m 51s98%
Alternative R&B UK Bass
Popular Highly Rated

R&B singer Kelela’s deeply personal debut LP does just what it says on the label. Over beats from Jam City, Bok Bok, Kingdom, and Arca—which swerve from warped and aqueous to warm and lush to icy and danceable—Kelela turns her emotions inside out with a sultriness and self-assuredness that few underground artists can muster. She’s tough and forthright, tender and subdued on songs about breakups (“Frontline”), makeups (“Waitin”), and pickups (“LMK”)—and the way she spins from one mode to the next is dizzying in the best way possible.

141

8.6 / 10

Kelela’s debut album is technically stunning and emotionally realized. It lives in a new, outré, rhythmic pop galaxy that honors but outpaces its peers.

C

The Kid marks a new career high for Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, while Kelela’s first proper album feels watered down. These plus Wolf Parade, Liam Gallagher, and more in the week’s notable releases.

8 / 10

8 / 10

It’s the ability to inhabit so many subtleties of the emotional turmoil of relationships that makes Take Me Apart such a memorable album.

Kelela's long awaited debut ‘Take Me Apart’ is concise and candid, a 14-track collection of super-modern electro-R&B.

Our take on 'Take Me Apart,' the debut full-length from the buzzed-about singer.

At times she sounds in danger of being overshadowed by the sounds around her.

Almost four years to the day, after key appearances on songs by the likes of Kindness, Solange, Danny Brown, and Gorillaz, and the release of a strong EP, Kelela followed it up with this second full-length, what she calls her first album.

There are layers upon layers of elements to be explored on Kelela's debut album Take Me Apart.

9 / 10

Fans of forward-thinking, fearlessly feminist alt-R&B have been enjoying a moment as of late. Beyoncé's Lemonade; Her sister Solange's equal...

8 / 10

On her debut full-length, Kelela tackles the ghosts of her past love and starts anew, the decadent opener ‘Frontline’ beautifully capturing

The LA-based singer fuses old-school vocals with cutting-edge music on her alluring debut

8 / 10

On Kelela's debut album proper 'Take Me Apart' she has the chance to join the pantheon of great pop artists - she's firmly on her way.

8 / 10

8.0 / 10

'Take Me Apart' by Kelela: Our review finds Kelela's 'Take Me Apart' a triumphant debut for the singer.

85 %

Kelela is not softening her sound so much as sharpening it.