Discussion: The Good Stuff: Kelis Discography Rate - Page 74

Subomie

Trick Me

I mean... was there ever any doubt?

With the most 11s in the rate, the most 10s in the rate and not a single score below 7.5... Trick Me is your winner by a landslide.

Released as the follow-up to Milkshake, Trick Me didn't just ride that hype wave: it conquered it and made itself an even bigger force. Although never released in the US due to her label folding, Trick Me was her second #2 in the UK in a row, in addition to Top 10 in Australia and almost every single European country, even the ones that didn't use Milkshake. It's her first and only Top 10 in Germany and Top 20 in France. Milkshake may be the signature, but this is the recurrent bop.

It's video is very cute and very fitting, simple but effective, as is the track. And it's possibly the best she's looked? She looks amazing and serves a lil bump n' grind. In Public was actually intended to be the follow-up to Milkshake, but was changed last minute to this. Scary thought! The era could've ended there and the would never have known Trick Me.

As for the song itself, well it's easy to see why it became such a big hit. Even the voters not enamoured with it couldn't hate it. It's inoffensive catchy and Kelis. Dallas Austin did a great job on Tasty, between this and Keep It Down, he knew to play with Kelis strengths and really amplify her. This just sounds so natural to her even with the little ska twang in there. This is a staple of Kelis shows now and gets the audience as excited as the voters in this rate. If you can't sing all the words you need to remedy that immediately.

This song did not take the lead til the last part of voting, but those 11s truly propelled it out of reach of anything else.

And there could've been more according to Diarrhoea, "So yeah, this is so easily her best single. It perfectly splits the difference between her bops and her slower songs, the reggae thing is a background thing but it adds flavour, her vocals are understated and beautiful, the chorus is simple but effective... yah. Very nearly my 11, but I thought I'd try and help a more underrated track." ECNEICSNOC similarly was rooting for it after giving his 11 elsewhere, "Probably the main song I’m rooting for since my 11 doesn’t stand a chance." Doogle has "memories of listening to this on a crappy CD player on some dodgy bootleg copy of NOW 58, it has aged wonderfully." But did you buy Tasty? This is need to know information?

Latinazza

Where's the post announcing Trick Me as the winnah?

Did Subomie get 522'd like I have for the past hour

EDIT: and there it is

Kingie

Great write-ups for COT and Kaleidoscope, I agree.

Few artists make a debut as explosive and fully-formed as Kelis did, it makes me sad that there's really no new Kelis in the new bunch of girls, but she's so unique I don't think anyone could replicate her.

Doing the rate made me realise, my favourite album by her is Tasty, followed by Kaleidoscope, so I'm super happy with this outcome.

conatus

Trick Me is like the best song ever so I couldn't have asked for a better result. Thanks for hosting Subby!

Subomie

Highest Scorers:
1. Theus / LanaDelRey - 8.2308
2. Diarrhoea - 8.115
3. Subomie - 7.9308

Lowest Scorers:
1. SebaMonster - 5.2308
2. rlj - 5.846
3. HonourableVomit - 5.923

In most cases the most successful album fares the best for a lot of reasons. More people know it, people are more familiar with it than the obscure ones, people listen to it more and it grows on them more, they constantly hear the songs through radio and have nostalgia or memories associated with them. Most of the time I disagree with that, but here... well I can't fault anyone for loving this album the most.

The whole thing is this perfect picture of Summer, the sultry parts, the energetic and fun parts, the sexy parts and the wild parts. Flash Back is more at home here than it ever was on the space age of Wanderland. Filler is here as mentioned, Attention is a weird title for a track that commands so little and Stick Up is funny for the wrong reasons. But these tracks aren't even bad, just bland. And if the worst sin the album commits is a few minutes of blandness between the good stuff then I think that's a triumph.

Standouts... like the previous album I could mention most of the tracks. Milkshake is iconic and remembered for a reason, Trick Me has that reggae twang that gets you out of your seat, Keep It Down is her best foray into rock yet, Millionaire is one of her all-time greatest collabs and Marathon is the minimal closer that finishes the race for her. This was her first time let off the Neptune leash a little and the results were fruitful. Keep the old dudes for their good stuff but don't let them flood the album with the bad like Wanderland, and explore other options. Whether paired with the old friends the Neptunes, Dallas Austin or Saadiq, Kelis still feels at home and makes every track her own. That an amalgamation of all these ideas could come together so perfectly for this album is just right for Kelis. It really shouldn't work, but it does.

Diarrhoea

The difference

A great rate, thanks for hosting, shame about the taste of some of these sinners though!

Eeveelution

I mean, I could have sabotaged it, but I'm too klassy.

Anyway, this was fun, thnx for hosting bb.

Tom Vercetti

Quote:

This song did not take the lead til the last part of voting, but those 11s truly propelled it out of reach of anything else.

My impact

conatus

Glow was robbed, by the way.

Latinazza

Thank you for a great job hosting, as usual, Subomie

Cheers and congrats to a great #1

Doogle

Thanks for hosting Subomie, I was living for the well-written and funny write ups for the songs and loved seeing tasteless members get clocked (myself included) within the commentaries. The album write ups were such a nice addition and I appreciate the effort you went to with the entire thing; someone as underrated as Kelis definitely deserved her minimal stans being so committed.

Good job everyone, generally good results. Mars and Flash Back making the top 10 was the highlight for me.

ECNEICSNOC

Aside from 80s Joint being 26 places too low this was a great rate. Thanks Subby!!

Subomie

OVERALL

Highest Scorers:
1. LanaDelRey - 7.6644
2. Diarrhoea - 7.6333
3. Doogle - 7.5333

Lowest Scorers:
1. ECNEICSNOC - 5.3444
2. SebaMonster - 5.4111
3. rlj - 5.9556

Doogle

Thanks Diarrhoea for being even more generous than I was with scores, too.

Tom Vercetti

thnx for yet another fun R8~

Latinazza

I can't believe I wasn't a top 3 rater on any of the albums.
I should've been more generous with Kaleidoscope.

Subomie

You're all very welcome, and thanks to everyone who voted and commented. You made this fun as much as I did.

I hope I introduced new and old fans alike into some music they grew to love and I'm just happy to give such a great artist a rate she deserves, and hey: the results weren't outright awful.

Kingie

Quote:

Originally posted by conatus

Glow was robbed, by the way.

!!!

Thanks for hosting Subomie, was super fun. Your graphics were great and the write-ups were entertaining to read

Subomie

Quote:

Originally posted by Doogle

Thanks Diarrhoea for being even more generous than I was with scores, too.

The good sis Lana popping in to be a saint and departing like Nas after he saw Kelis makeover.

Reverie

Great rate as always, thanks Subomie! Your writeups are always lovely and you never fail to entertain. Cheers