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Flesh Tone

Flesh Tone is the fifth studio album by American singer Kelis, released on May 14, 2010, by the will.i.am Music Group and Interscope Records. Recorded while the singer was unsigned and pregnant with her first child, the album is an ode to motherhood and marks a distinct departure from the R&B sound of her previous albums. The album features production from David Guetta, Boys Noize, Jean Baptiste, and Benny Benassi, amongst others.

This article is about the Kelis album. For the skin tone, see Human skin color.

Flesh Tone is an electronic dance, dance-pop, and electropop album that incorporates elements of house, synth-pop, and dancehall. The record serves as Kelis' debut with Interscope Records under the will.i.am Music Group. Contemporary music critics praised the album for being cohesive as well as refreshing and lean. Flesh Tone spawned four singles, including "Acapella" and "4th of July (Fireworks)", which were successful on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the UK Dance Singles Chart.

Background[edit]

In October 2007, Kelis parted ways with Jive Records due to the lackluster commercial response of her fourth studio album, Kelis Was Here, in the United States.[1] Kelis was signed to Pharrell Williams' record label Star Trak, which was originally distributed by Virgin Records, but after it was bought by Arista Records, she was moved to Jive Records. Her manager Jeff Rhaban explained, "It was a case of being in the ever-shrinking world of the record industry and finding herself on a label she wasn't signed to and without a champion".[1] Two years later, Kelis began working on a new album as an unsigned artist. She recorded much of the songs in the garage of her Los Angeles home,[2] named Casa de Kelis, while finishing touches were added at Jeepney Studios.[3] Soon after parting ways with Jive, it was reported that Kelis had been working on an indie dance album with Cee-Lo.[1]


On December 1, 2009, it was confirmed that Kelis had signed to Interscope Records through the will.i.am Music Group, and that her then-untitled fifth studio album featured production from will.i.am, Free School, Boys Noize, Burns, DJ Ammo, and David Guetta.[4] She played the album to a few record labels before choosing will.i.am's label. "I think that he's brilliant", Kelis said of will.i.am. "As far as this generation goes, there's not a single song that you can bring up to him or a reference or an artist or an era of music that he is not privy to or that he doesn't understand. [...] He's not afraid to push the limits and kinda go further than everyone else and that's exciting. He still seems to be having fun doing it and that's what it's all about."[5] In response, will.i.am said, "Kelis represents the kind of edge that pushes all of us not just musically but stylistically as well. She has always opened new doors for her audience and we're ready to walk through this next one with her."[6]


According to Billboard, which ran a preview of Flesh Tone in January 2010, the album would consist of eight songs,[7] although Kelis would later confirm that the final mastered version of the album actually contained nine songs.[8] The preview also detailed individual songs: "Acapella", helmed by David Guetta, is a tribute to her son; "4th of July", which was produced by DJ Ammo; "Kids", which is inspired by gay clubgoers; and "Carefree American", an acoustic-guitar driven number. She also entered the studio with label head will.i.am to produce recordings for the album;[7] according to a press release, one of his tracks was set to appear on the album.[9] Guetta also contributed another song, "Scream", to the album.[10] It was also reported that the singer had worked with English synth-pop duo La Roux.[11] The songs "Alive" (produced by Diplo)[7] and "Carefree American" (produced by Jean Baptiste)[12] are not included on the standard pressings of the album. Additionally, the iTunes Store confirmed that the album contains segues.[13] On March 11, 2010, it was revealed that Kelis was working with British fashion photographer Rankin, who helped fellow British director Chris Cottam to produce the video for the album's lead single "Acapella", as well as helming the photoshoot for the album's imagery and cover.[11]

Composition[edit]

Flesh Tone is an electronic dance,[14] dance-pop,[15] and electropop album.[16]


The album opens with "Intro", which has an electro-funk production and bears resemblance to some of David Bowie's early work.[17] "Scream" has elements of electro-rap, house, and electroclash,[18][19] and its production contains a "blade of blues melody [that] slices in atop a rinky-dink sampled piano". It also has "lots of sonic confusingness" as the "song evaporates in the middle ... then reassembles and feeds into a staccato spoken-word electroclash midsection."[17] Several critics stated how the song has split sections, sometimes like "a beat-free beach house piano-based meditation"[19][20] whilst at other times, sounding like "haughty electroclash ingenue".[19] The verses are mainly house music while the choruses are electronica and have rap music stylings.[18] "Acapella" is about being "swept up in a new love, and transformed by the giddy thrill to such a degree that everything that happened before seems drab and gray by comparison". The track was compared to Donna Summer and "her astonishing synth-disco amazingness from the '70s".[21]

Singles[edit]

"Acapella" was released on February 23, 2010, as the lead single from Flesh Tone.[22] The song topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the UK Dance Singles Chart,[23][24] while reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart and number 17 on the Irish Singles Chart.[25][26] The album's second single, "4th of July (Fireworks)", was released in the US on June 8, 2010, and in the UK on July 4.[27][28] It peaked at number four on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart,[23] number six on the UK Dance Singles Chart,[29] and number 32 on the UK Singles Chart.[26]


"Scream" was released as the third single from the album on October 7, 2010,[30] coinciding with the European leg of Kelis' All Hearts Tour.[31] The single peaked at number 168 on the UK Singles Chart.[32] "Brave" was released as the album's fourth and final single on January 6, 2011.[33] Kelis also re-recorded the track in Simlish for the 2010 video game The Sims 3: Late Night.[34]

Commercial performance[edit]

Flesh Tone debuted at number 48 on the US Billboard 200, selling 7,800 copies in its first week.[65][66]

signifies a co-producer

^[a]

signifies a remixer

^[b]

All segues produced and performed by Free School.

– photography

Rankin

Nelly Recchia – body art painting

Kenn Brown – body illustration

Mogollon – art direction