raven.//kelela

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's really an honour and a privilege to be able to listen to and review this beautifully constructed ethereal masterpiece. When I first received the e-mail invitation to listen to Raven by Kelela Mizanekristos from Warp Records earlier this month, I was awestruck by the description Kelela imparted on the email. In her own words, she describes her focus:

"'RAVEN' is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power." - Kelela

Obviously, I chose to take a moment out of my busy schedule to listen more closely to the Ethiopian-American singer-songwriter, as it happened to be a Saturday afternoon, after all. I was pleasantly surprised. Kelela's Raven did the trick at every stage of the listening process. The release grows on you with every listen. Her songs fuse vivid concepts of an abstract nature with complex layers of soothing song lines that inherently delivers a sort of pleasantly inspirational yet fundementally conflicted vocal mirage.

My response to Ward Records is simply to thank you for such an incredible discovery.

Overall - 10/10

1. Washed - 9/10
2. Happy Ending - 10/10
3. Let It Go - 9/10
4. On the Run - 10/10
5. Missed Call - 9/10
6. Closure - 10/10
7. Contact - 9/10
8. Fooley - 8/10
9. Holier - 8/10
10. Raven - 10/10
11. Bruises - 10/10
12. Sorbet - 9/10
13. Divorce - 9/10
14. Enough for Love - 10/10
15. Far Away - 8/10