Tasty (Kelis album)

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Tasty
Studio album by Kelis
Released December 5, 2003 (2003-12-05)
Recorded 2002–03; Blakeslee Recording Company, Chalice Recording Studios, DARP Studios, The Hit Factory Criteria, Hovercraft Studios, Lot Musik Studios, Master Sound Recording Studio, Mirror Image Recorders, O'Henry Sound Studios, Stankonia Recording Studio
Genre R&B, neo soul, electro, alternative hip hop, rock
Length 51:20
Label Star Trak, Arista
Producer André 3000, Dallas Austin, Dame Blackmon "Grease", Jake and the Phatman, The Neptunes, Rockwilder, Raphael Saadiq, Kelvin Wooten
Kelis chronology

Wanderland
(2001)		 Tasty
(2003)		 Kelis Was Here
(2006)
Singles from Tasty
  1. "Milkshake"
    Released: October 27, 2003
  2. "Trick Me"
    Released: May 24, 2004
  3. "Millionaire"
    Released: October 4, 2004
  4. "In Public"
    Released: April 4, 2005

Tasty is the third studio album by American recording artist Kelis, released on December 9, 2003 by Star Trak Entertainment and Arista Records. Considered the breakthrough of Kelis' career, she was able to expand her success across Europe while reaching new markets in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Unlike her previous albums, Tasty opted for a more pop-yet-alternative-oriented tune which led to a greater success outside Europe with "Milkshake" being the first single from Kelis to receive critical acclaim in the US and a peak position of number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

Album information

Both the album and its singles immediately found success in Europe. The album's second single, "Trick Me", proved successful on radio and music video channels in Europe, and went to the top ten in many European countries during mid-2004. However, the song did not enjoy success in America, where its music video was not released because her US label Arista Records folded at the same time that Tasty was released. Kelis was then transferred to Jive Records, who were not interested in continuing with the album.[1]

This album is Kelis' second to bear the Parental Advisory label (the first being her 1999 debut album Kaleidoscope); as noted on the Parental Advisory sticker attached to the jewel case, an edited version was also available. However, there were only two small changes made to the edited version. A sexual reference was cut out of the song "Trick Me", and Kelis' hidden outro appended to the end of "Marathon" on the explicit version is omitted. In the outro she says "Okay, now, swallow". On the album's Parental Advisory warning, there is note of strong sexual content. Ironically enough, on the edited version, the sexually explicit song "In Public" remains unchanged and is the same version as that on the explicit version. Other explicit songs that have not been modified on the edited version are "Flashback", "Millionaire", and "Stick Up".

The success of Tasty was most obvious in the United Kingdom, where the four singles from the album were released. After "Milkshake" and "Trick Me" came "Millionaire" and "In Public". Her European label, Virgin Records, who she had been with since the start of her career there, decided to persist with the album. Due to her various splits with US labels, promotion for both of her previous projects Kaleidoscope and Wanderland were ended prematurely, just as she was finally breaking through in the UK. Virgin UK did not want her to lose the fan base that she was building up yet again by ending promotion early, because of the US and other territories deciding not to continue with the album.[1] This paid off and Kelis finally cemented her UK status, with four top twenty hits from the album (including three top three hits) and Tasty going platinum there.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 80/100[2]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [3]
Blender [4]
Entertainment Weekly A−[5]
The Guardian [6]
The Independent [7]
NME 8/10[8]
Pitchfork Media 6.5/10[9]
Rolling Stone [10]
Slant Magazine [11]
Yahoo! Music [12]

Tasty received very positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[2] Andy Kellman of Allmusic gave the album four-and-a-half out of five stars and stated, "Despite all the new assistance, Tasty is formatted much like Kaleidoscope and Wanderland, constantly swinging back and forth between bouncy pop and laid-back (not throwback) soul."[3] Rolling Stone's Ernest Hardy referred to Tasty as Kelis' best work, writing it is "lighter and more cohesive than her ill-fated second album, 2001's Wanderland, more focused and mature than her 2000 debut, Kaleidoscope. Take away the Dallas Austin-produced tracks [...], two Neptunes rock attempts and 'Milkshake,' and you have a solid R&B album, one that's thickly speckled with hip-hop influences and nods to early Prince and Eighties Latin freestyle music." Hardy also cited her "raggedly sexy singing" on the song "Millionaire" as "her best performance on the album".[10] Neil Drumming of Entertainment Weekly graded the album A−, calling it "Kelis' past—big beats, out-there imagery, and sex appeal—refined" and commenting that "much of the beauty of Tasty is in witnessing Kelis rise to the challenge of working with multiple imaginative maestros."[5]

In a review for the NME, Tony Naylor viewed the album as "[f]ar more complete than Wanderland or Kaleidoscope", adding that "such vacuum-packed musical freshness is maintained throughout."[8] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian, rating the album four out of five stars, described Kelis as a "parallel universe Beyoncé" and expressed that she "exploits her husky croon like never before, pouring it over lascivious double entendre [...] and, well, lascivious single entrendre [...] The likes of the Neptunes, Dallas Austin and OutKast's Andre 3000 weigh in with assorted flavours of pre- and post-coital soul, sighing to a close with Raphael Saadiq's Massive Attack-echoing 'Marathon'."[6] The Independent noted that she "certainly takes the sexual initiative in several songs", but "[m]ostly, though, Kelis keeps a watchful eye on her affections in songs such as 'Protect My Heart' and 'Trick Me', and has developed a decidedly jaundiced view of hip hop's lop-sided sexual politics, judging by 'Keep It Down'."[7] Joseph Patel of Blender commented that Kelis is "as good playing a hair-twisting, gum-popping tart on 'Sugar Honey Iced Tea' as an all-grown-up cock-blocker on the crackling funk ditty 'Trick Me.'"[4] Slant Magazine reviewer Sal Cinquemani felt that few of the tracks on the album are "as immediately thirst-quenching as the insta-classic lead single 'Milkshake'",[11] and Pitchfork Media's Scott Plagenhoef opined that Tasty is "far from all doom-and-gloom".[9] Adam Webb of Yahoo! Music believed that the album is "not as far out wild as Kaleidoscope but it is a consistently inventive and brilliant record."[12] Steve Jones of USA Today gave the album three stars out of four and said, "guests and idiosyncrasies aside, her honeyed voice is the most important ingredient. It's sweet enough to make you wonder, 'Did she just say that?' No one could ever accuse her of being bland."[13]

Chart performance

According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 533,000 copies in the United States[14] and has gained gold status in the U.S.[15]

Singles
"Milkshake"
A 19-second sample of "Milkshake".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The albums lead single "Milkshake" was released August 25, 2003.[16] The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in December, 2003,[17] becoming Kelis' best charting single in the country to this day. The song achieved commercial success internationally, as it topped the chart in Ireland, and peaked inside the top three in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. "Milkshake" was certified gold in the United States, where it has sold 883,000 paid downloads. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2004.

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s)Producer(s) Length
1. "Intro"     1:30
2. "Trick Me"  Dallas AustinAustin 3:26
3. "Milkshake"  Pharrell Williams, Chad HugoThe Neptunes 3:04
4. "Keep It Down"  Austin, Lonnie Lynn, Dion WilsonAustin 3:26
5. "In Public" (featuring Nas)Dana Stinson, Kelis RogersRockwilder 4:25
6. "Flashback"  Williams, Hugo, RogersThe Neptunes 3:25
7. "Protect My Heart"  Williams, HugoThe Neptunes 4:24
8. "Millionaire" (featuring André 3000)André Benjamin, Rogers, Douglas Davis, Ricky WaltersAndré 3000 3:44
9. "Glow" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)Raphael Saadiq, Glenn Standridge, Bobby Ozuna, Kelvin Wooten, Taura "Aura" JacksonSaadiq 4:00
10. "Sugar Honey Iced Tea"  Williams, HugoThe Neptunes 3:23
11. "Attention" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)Saadiq, Standridge, Ozuna, Wooten, RogersSaadiq 3:24
12. "Rolling Through the Hood"  Williams, HugoThe Neptunes 4:45
13. "Stick Up"  Damon Blackmon "Grease", RogersBlackmon 3:51
14. "Marathon"  Saadiq, Standridge, Ozuna, Wooten, RogersSaadiq 4:35
Sample credits

Personnel

  • Kelis – vocals, executive producer
  • Vincent Alexander – engineer (8)
  • André 3000 – rap, producer, drums, programming, keyboards (8)
  • Greg "Ruckus" Andrews – DJ (2, 4)
  • Chris Athens – mastering
  • Dallas Austin – producer, arranger (2, 4)
  • Daniel Betancourt – assistant engineer (3, 10)
  • Dame Blackmon "Grease" – producer (13)
  • Warren Bletcher – assistant engineer (8)
  • Gerry Brown – engineer (9, 11, 14)
  • Andrew "Drew" Coleman – engineer (3, 6, 7, 10, 12)
  • Regina Davenport – production coordinator (8)
  • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (2, 4)
  • Andrew Dawson – mixing assistant (8)
  • Martha Georghiou – legal representation
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (6)
  • Cesar Guevara – assistant engineer (2, 4)
  • Doug Harms – assistant engineer (2, 8)
  • Jake and the Phatman – co-producer (9, 11, 14); drums (9, 11); percussion, scratches (11); drum programming (14)
  • Kevin Kendricks – keyboards, piano (8)
  • Markus Klinko and Indrani – photography
  • Mike Koch – engineer (5)
  • Marcus Logan – marketing
  • Carlton Lynn – engineer (2, 8)
  • James Majors – engineer (8)
  • Joe Mama-Nitzberg – creative direction
  • Glen Marchese – engineer, mixing (13)
  • Rene McLean – management
  • Kenneth Meiselas – legal representation
  • Nas – rap (5)
  • The Neptunes – producers (3, 6, 7, 10, 12)
  • Tim Olmstead – mixing assistant (3)
  • Dave Pensado – mixing (5)
  • Lylette Pizarro – management
  • Nicole Plantin – A&R coordinator
  • Tony Reyes – guitar, backing vocals (2)
  • Geoffrey Rice – mixing assistant (13)
  • Rockwilder – producer (5)
  • Daniel Romero – mixing (9, 11, 14)
  • Raphael Saadiq - producer, guitar (9, 11, 14); vocals (9, 11); bass (9, 14)
  • Jeffrey Schulz – artwork, layout design
  • Anette Sharvit – production coordinator (11, 14)
  • Rick Sheppard – engineer (2, 4)
  • Dexter Simmons – mixing (8)
  • Matthew Still – engineer (8)
  • Phil Tan – mixing (3, 7, 10, 12)
  • John Tanksley – engineer, mixing assistant (9, 11, 14); assistant engineer (14)
  • Pat "Pat 'Em Down" Viala – engineer (7)
  • Barbara Wesotski – A&R administrator
  • Kelvin Wooten – co-producer, keyboards (9, 11, 14); piano, sitar (9); bass, guitar (11)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2003–04) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[18] 41
Austrian Albums Chart[19] 20
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[20] 35
Danish Albums Chart[21] 15
Dutch Albums Chart[22] 16
French Albums Chart[23] 60
German Albums Chart[24] 51
Irish Albums Chart[25] 15
Italian Albums Chart[26] 43
Japanese Albums Chart[27] 42
New Zealand Albums Chart[28] 48
Norwegian Albums Chart[29] 19
Swedish Albums Chart[30] 48
Swiss Albums Chart[31] 14
UK Albums Chart[32] 11
US Billboard 200[33] 27
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[33] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[34] 161
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[35] 40

Certifications

Region Certification
Australia Gold[36]
United Kingdom Platinum[37]
United States Gold[38]

Release history

Region Date Label
Germany[39] December 5, 2003 EMI
Switzerland[40] December 8, 2003
United Kingdom[41] Virgin Records
United States[3] December 9, 2003 Star Trak Entertainment, Arista Records
Netherlands[42] EMI
Italy[43] January 9, 2004
Japan[44] January 16, 2004
Australia[45] February 2, 2004
Sweden[46] February 11, 2004
Canada[47] February 17, 2004

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Exclusive Interview with Kelis". MP3.com. April 24, 2006. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2007. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tasty – Kelis". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 17, 2009. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Kellman, Andy. "Tasty – Kelis". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Patel, Joseph (December 9, 2003). "Tasty – Kelis". Blender. Alpha Media Group. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Drumming, Neil (December 12, 2003). "Tasty (2003): Kelis". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lynskey, Dorian (December 5, 2003). "Kelis, Tasty". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Album: Kelis". The Independent. Independent News & Media. January 9, 2004. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Naylor, Tony (January 23, 2004). "Kelis : Tasty". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Plagenhoef, Scott (January 5, 2004). "Kelis: Tasty". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hardy, Ernest (January 6, 2004). "Kelis: Tasty". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cinquemani, Sal (December 6, 2003). "Kelis: Tasty". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Webb, Adam (December 12, 2003). "Kelis – 'Tasty'". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2010. 
  13. ↑ Jones, Steve (December 8, 2003). "Kelis, Tasty". USA Today. Retrieved January 21, 2013. 
  14. ↑ Crosley, Hillary (October 29, 2007). "Report: Kelis Splits With Jive". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Retrieved June 4, 2008. 
  15. ↑ "Gold and Platinum – Searchable Database". RIAA.com. Retrieved June 4, 2008. 
  16. ↑ "Kelis - Milkshake". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-09-28. 
  17. ↑ http://books.google.com/books?id=bA8EAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&rview=1&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
  18. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  19. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty" (in German). austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  20. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  21. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty". danishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  22. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  23. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  24. ↑ "Kelis | Longplay-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Musicline.de. PHONONET GmbH. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  25. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 27 May 2004". Chart-Track. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  26. ↑ Artisti – Classifica settimanale dal 16/01/2004 al 22/01/2004. Federation of the Italian Music Industry.
  27. ↑ "ケリスのアルバム売り上げランキング" [Kelis album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved February 1, 2009. 
  28. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  29. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  30. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  31. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 6, 2011. 
  32. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - Tasty by Kelis Search". The Official Charts Company. 6 May 2013. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Tasty – Kelis". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  34. ↑ "2004 Year End Charts: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 25, 2004. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  35. ↑ "2004 Year End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 25, 2004. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  36. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  37. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. October 22, 2004. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  38. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. February 6, 2004. Retrieved November 20, 2011. 
  39. ↑ "Tasty: Kelis" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  40. ↑ "Tasty von Kelis" (in German). iTunes Store Switzerland. Apple Inc. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  41. ↑ "Kelis: Tasty". HMV. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  42. ↑ "Tasty, Kelis" (in Dutch). bol.com. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  43. ↑ "Kelis – Tasty" (in Italian). Internet Bookshop Italia. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  44. ↑ "テイスティ" [Tasty] (in Japan). EMI Music Japan. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  45. ↑ "Kelis discography". EMI Music Australia. musichead. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  46. ↑ "Tasty – Kelis" (in Swedish). CDON.se. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 
  47. ↑ "TASTY by KELIS". HMV Canada. Retrieved December 4, 2010. 

External links

Kelis
Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
Featured singles
Related articles
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