Wanderland

Wanderland
Studio album by Kelis
Released October 17, 2001 (2001-10-17)
Recorded 2000
Studio
Genre
Length 62:54
Label Virgin
Producer The Neptunes
Kelis chronology
Kaleidoscope
(1999)		 Wanderland
(2001)		 Tasty
(2003)
Singles from Wanderland
  1. "Young, Fresh n' New"
    Released: October 1, 2001

Wanderland is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Kelis, released on October 17, 2001 by Virgin Records. The album's only single, "Young, Fresh n' New", peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

According to Kelis, Virgin Records did not understand Wanderland. She subsequently left the label around the time of the album's European release, and as a result, the album was never released in her native United States.[1][2]

The song "Flash Back" (retitled "Flashback") was included on Kelis' subsequent album Tasty, while a new version of "Popular Thug", which replaced Pusha T of Clipse with Nas, appears on The Neptunes' 2003 compilation album Clones.[3][4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blender[6]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[7]
entertainment.ie[8]
The Guardian[9]
NME6/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Slant Magazine[12]

Wanderland received generally positive reviews from music critics. The Guardian critic Alexis Petridis described the music as "clever, exhilarating and original" and praised the album as The Neptunes' "most adventurous work to date".[9] Mark Bautz of Entertainment Weekly commented that "Kelis' brash blend of Curtis Mayfield soul, techno-Zeppelin funk, Jobim-lite bossa nova, and ultrasmooth R&B shows a more coherent artistry than many recent boundary-busting experiments."[7] Rupert Howe of Blender found that "[t]he best thing about Wanderland is that [Kelis] seems finally to have begun celebrating her eccentricities", adding, "Aside from the idiosyncratic lyrics [...] she switchbacks from parodying '70s mack-stylin' (the Funkadelic 'Daddy') to an '80s soul croon ('Scared Money')."[6] At entertainment.ie, Andrew Lynch commended Kelis' "aggressive vocal delivery and intriguing, if sometimes confusing lyrical imagery", while calling the album itself "[b]rilliantly produced" and "strikingly original".[8]

Rolling Stone's Barry Walters noted that, musically, Wanderland "doesn't venture far from its predecessor, Kaleidoscope: The Neptunes are still matching jaunty beats to techno sonics. But her pen is busier now, and the result is smarter, more nuanced but no less confrontational."[11] Andy Kellman of AllMusic stated that "the album's first three songs—'Young, Fresh n' New,' 'Flash Back,' and 'Popular Thug'—are on an even standing with the best of the singer's debut [...] After that solid beginning, the album continually loses steam and gains it back."[5] Stephen Dalton of the NME viewed the album as "a solid sophomore effort", but felt that "there is way too much filler here for a hotly hyped alterna-soul princess with her eyes on the big prize."[10] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine opined that the album is "far from rote, but the Neptunes's rehashed retro beats and synths are beginning to sound derivative of Britney Spears's 'I'm a Slave 4 U.' Much of the disc's hooks are unchallenging and repetitive at best."[12]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Intro"  
 1:11
2. "Young, Fresh n' New"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 4:37
3. "Flash Back"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 3:26
4. "Popular Thug" (featuring Pusha T of Clipse)
 4:13
5. "Daddy" (featuring Malice of Clipse)
 3:50
6. "Scared Money"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 4:00
7. "Shooting Stars"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 6:17
8. "Digital World" (featuring Roscoe)
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Amir Porter
 4:25
9. "Perfect Day"  
 3:56
10. "Easy Come, Easy Go"  
 3:31
11. "Junkie"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 2:56
12. "Get Even"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
 4:12
13. "Mr. U.F.O. Man" (featuring John Ostby)
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 4:27
14. "Little Suzie"  
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
 11:48
Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Wanderland.[14]

  • Kelis – vocals
  • C Minus – scratches (track 10)
  • Andrew Coleman – engineering (tracks 1–8, 11–14)
  • Tom Dumont – guitar (track 9)
  • Fieldy – live bass (track 10)
  • Brian Garten – engineering (tracks 9, 10)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 3, 9)
  • Ken "Duro" Ifill – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–8, 10–14)
  • Tony Kanal – bass guitar (track 9)
  • Michelle Laurita – cover photography
  • The Neptunes – arrangements, executive production, instruments, production
  • Pauline St. Denis – inside photography
  • Rob Walker – executive production, management
  • Keith Wood – A&R direction
  • Adrian Young – drums (track 9)

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
French Albums Chart[15] 133
Swiss Albums Chart[16] 79
UK Albums Chart[17] 78
UK R&B Albums Chart[18] 13

Release history

Region Date Label Ref.
Japan October 17, 2001 EMI [13]
Germany October 26, 2001 [19]
United Kingdom October 29, 2001 Virgin [20]
France November 1, 2001 EMI [21]

References

  1. ↑ Ostroff, Joshua (February 19, 2004). "Milk made". Eye Weekly. Star Media Group. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2006.
  2. ↑ Rolls, Chris (April 24, 2006). "Exclusive Interview with Kelis". MP3.com. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ Southall, Nick (December 12, 2003). "Kelis – Tasty". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  4. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "The Neptunes Present... Clones – The Neptunes". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Wanderland – Kelis". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Howe, Rupert. "Kelis – Wanderland". Blender. Alpha Media Group. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  7. 1 2 Bautz, Mark (March 11, 2002). "Wanderland". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  8. 1 2 Lynch, Andrew (October 25, 2001). "Kelis – Wanderland". entertainment.ie. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  9. 1 2 Petridis, Alexis (October 19, 2001). "Strange trips". The Guardian. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Dalton, Stephen (October 23, 2001). "Kelis : Wanderland". NME. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Walters, Barry (April 25, 2002). "Kelis: Wanderland". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  12. 1 2 Cinquemani, Sal (February 22, 2002). "Kelis: Wanderland". Slant Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  13. 1 2 ワンダーランド [Wanderland] (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  14. ↑ Wanderland (CD liner notes). Kelis. Virgin Records. 2001. 7243 8 11092 2 9.
  15. ↑ "Kelis – Wanderland" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Kelis – Wanderland". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  17. ↑ "Kelis" (select "Albums" tab). Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. November 4–10, 2001. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Wanderland" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
  20. ↑ "Wanderland". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Wanderland: Kelis" (in French). Amazon.fr. Retrieved January 5, 2009.
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