If you have followed this blog for a while or just know me and some of my tendencies with music these days, you would probably think that Kehlani is an artist I know a ton about. I have definitely been fond of many artists in their lane or who make music that would be considered adjacent to theirs. Until doing some research on Kehlani for this review, I realized I knew nothing about their career. I have been aware of them for a while and know they have been prominent in Alternative R&B for the better part of a decade, but I did not know quite how impactful and revered some of their music has been. Over the years, Kehlani has dropped multiple projects that were considered to be some of the R&B projects of the respective years they came out. Before this new record, Kehlani had released three studio albums: 2017’s SweetSexySavage, 2020’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, and 2022’s Blue Water Road. All three of these albums were very well received, with Blue Water Road being considered their best work yet. Kehlani’s new album, CRASH, has also been received very well, with it being especially lauded for its diverse and experimental sound. Due to my newfound knowledge of the love for Kehlani’s first three albums and the attention Crash is getting, I knew this was an album I could not miss, so I decided to return to it. With all of that being said, here is how I feel about Kehlani’s CRASH. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this record, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole.
To be honest, considering it is called ‘GrooveTheory,’ I would assume the opening track would be more funky. Instead, it is very classy and deliberate. This is a two-part track with very distinct sections. The first forty percent or so of ‘GrooveTheory’ has a sweet classic Pop feeling, honestly reminding me of 1950s Pop. The second section of the track is more modern and dark, driven by a gritty, uneven drumline. One thing is very consistent throughout this song, and that’s the excellent vocals. ‘Kehlani’ flexes their range on this one and their tone makes the song feel so emotional. On ‘GrooveTheory,’ Kehlani sings about trying to look past some hiccups with a former significant other to start fresh. ‘Next 2 U’ is a lot more intense than the first track. This one also feels a bit more traditional, taking on a modern Pop-Trap feeling. ‘’Next 2 U’ does certainly contain some of the quirkiness that we got on the opener, though. For one, the beat is driven by an underlying buzzing bassline that almost sounds like a motorcycle revving; this bassline gives the song an intensity that stands out. The melody for ‘Next 2 U’ is driven by heavy synths with varying distortion. This melody has a super ethereal yet dark feeling to it. Kehlani’s vocals on ‘Next 2 U’ are even nicer than they are on ‘GrooveTheory.’ I like how full their tone is on this one as it adds an emotional element to the track. In ‘Next 2 U,’ Kehlani sings about how they know so many people are in love with their partner, but they know they have this person’s heart. ‘After Hours,’ the lead single from this project, has been becoming increasingly popular online recently. It is not tough to see why so many are attracted to this song. ‘After Hours’ feels so familiar, yet so fresh. The track is driven by a sample from the 1990s hit ‘Move Ya Body’ by Nina Sky. This melody takes elements of that iconic track and brightens it up a bit, making the melody for ‘After Hours’ feel so floaty. The best for ‘After Hours’ feels inspired by ‘Move Ya Body’ as well; ‘After Hours’ does have more of a funky Dance Pop sound, but I can definitely hear the influence. Kehlani’s vocals on ‘After Hours’ are not quite as strong as they are on the first two songs, but their delicate tone does make this one feel so warm. On ‘After Hours,’ Kehlani sings about wanting to spend all night with their new fling because their connection is so strong. ‘What I Want’ is another song that contains a very interesting and cool sample. The melody for this one is driven by a pitched-up version of the chorus from Christina Aguilera’s ‘What a Girl Wants.’ While that vocal sample from Christina is pitched up, the synths that surround it are very dreary and dark, creating a cool juxtaposition. The beat for ‘What I Want’ has a hard-hitting and sludgy Trap tempo that sounds very interesting when paired with this instrumental. Kehlani’s vocals on this track are as pushy as the instrumental and make this song really pop. I especially like their vocal performance on the outro where they sing rap, as it gives the song a cool texture. On ‘What I Want,’ Kehlani is singing about what they want to do for and with a new partner in a variety of enticing ways.
‘Crash’ is a complete switch-up from anything before it. I did not know that Kehlani could go in this direction, but I am certainly glad they did. ‘Crash’ has an old-school Soulful Funk Rock sound that is so deep and full. I really enjoy how fuzzy and grand the melody for this song is, as it makes the track feel so heavy. The drums on ‘Crash’ hit very hard as well and add to the track’s emphasis. ‘Kehlani’s vocals on ‘Crash’ are emotional and rangey, giving so much power to it. On ‘Crash,’ Kehlani sings about how their new partner attracts them like gravity and makes everything in their life better. ‘8’ is the first song that feels like a bit of a miss for me. This one literally feels like it was made for the memes, and not in a good way. The repeated chorus of ‘eight, eight, eight…’ sounds like it was meant for TikTok. Considering I have not heard this one on there, I am guessing this ploy did not work. There is nothing else about ‘8’ that sonically really grabs me, as it has a pretty basic Pop Trap sound. It is not necessarily bad, it is just kind of whatever. ‘Sucia,’ which features Jill Scott and Young Miko, is another one that totally throws me for a loop in a good way. This is certainly the weirdest song on the record. It takes the soulful Funky Rock sound of ‘Crash’ and quirks it up a bit. The melody of this song feels daunting. It has a tone that feels distinctly Persian or Egyptian. The drums on this one are slow and hypnotic, fitting the melody so well. All of the vocals are great on ‘Sucia,’(Jill Scott’s spoken word is certainly pertinent) but Young Miko really stands out to me. The way their low and raspy tone contrasts the softness of the melody sounds so nice. On ‘Sucia,’ Kehlani and their guests are talking talking about female empowerment and embracing themselves.
Kehlani again goes in an entirely different direction on ‘Better Not.’ This is a song that has a pretty noticeable Country element to it. The melody for this one is very twangy; it is driven by a Southern-style acoustic guitar riff that is complemented by various light and bright synths that make it feel sort of Poppy. The beat for ‘Better Not’ is pretty understated, putting the focus on that Country melody. Kehlani’s vocals on ‘Better Not’ are solid, but they are not among the strongest on the record by any means. On ‘Better Not,’ Kehlani is telling their partner not to hurt or disrespect them by becoming interested in someone else. ‘Tears,’ which features Omah Lay, returns to the Groovy Funk-Pop sound that we got on the song ‘After Hours.’ This song has a bit of an amapiano feeling to it in the beat as well. This is the kind of song that will get anyone dancing when it comes on. The melody has a shimmering and bright Funky R&B tone to it and reminds me of partying the night away under a Disco ball. There is nothing complex about this melody and beat; in fact, they are probably among the most simple on the record. They work so well, though, As I sit here listening to ‘Tears,’ I can’t help but want to move around my apartment. It is a song I knew I had to immediately download, as I know it will get any function popping when it comes on. The vocal performances from Kehlani and Omah Lay on this track are not out of this word, but they are more than adequate. Both artists sing with very luscious tones and complement each other well. In ‘Tears, ‘Kehlani and Omah Lay sing about someone who is in love with them who they heard was crying over them in the club. They are wondering why this person will not just be with them if they care so much. Kehlani leans into a trend that is very popular in Pop music in the song ‘Vegas.’ There are multiple moments of major originality on this record, but similar to ‘8,’ this is not one of them. This track has a pretty typical 1980s-influenced Synth-Pop sound. When I hear this one, I immediately think of the music being made by artists like The Weeknd and Dua Lipa these days. For the most part, there is not much about this one sonically that stands out to me. There is an interesting drum breakdown and guitar solo at the end of ‘Vegas’ that breaks up the texture of the track that I appreciate, but besides that breakdown, this one is somewhat mundane. Kehlani’s vocals on ‘Vegas’ are very nice, but they do not do enough to save it for me. On ‘Vegas,’ Kehlani compares their new fling to Las Vegas, stating: “What happens here stays here.”
‘Deep’ sees Kehlani return to that harsh and intense Rock-tinted sound we got on ‘Sucia’ and ‘Crash.’ This track feels a bit more Hip Hop-tinted than those(especially when the beat cuts out and changes and also due to the flow that Kehlani sings and raps with), but the song does have that Heavy Rock tone I have been digging from Kehlani. The melody for this song is so Trippy and atmospheric; the guitar riff and synths that complement it will make the listener feel like they are floating through space. ‘Deep’ may contain Kehlani’s best vocal performance of the project so far. Everything about their vocals on this one is awesome, from the variety of flows to the range they sing with to the massive amount of texture in their voice. On ‘Deep,’ Kehlani sings about their rags to riches story and how they know the only person they can count on at the end of the day is themself. ‘Chapel’ is probably the biggest and grandest song on the album to this point, which is honestly saying a lot. The build-up on this one is pretty snail-like, but it certainly does explode when all of the instrumentation finally comes through. ‘Chapel’ has a Chamber Pop feeling to it that kind of feels like a more synthesized version of what one may expect from Lana Del Rey. This one does feel a lot more modern than most of Lana’s music, but the influence has to be there. I do not know how I feel about ‘Chapel.’ On the one hand, I appreciate how bold it is. The vocals on this track are awesome; not only does Kehlani show off their range, but the vocal fry and distortion that comes in and out make the track feel so futuristic and wild. I do think that the build-up in ‘Chapel’ takes a bit too long, though. I feel like I am waiting for the song to hit that extra level excessively. In ‘Chapel,’ Kehlani sings about wanting their partner to commit and hoping that this person will agree to marry them. I wondered whether Kehlani would close this album out on a huge and bold note or if it would have a more subdued ending. Kehlani went the subdued route with ‘Lose My Wife.’ This may be the most laid-back and stripped-back song of the whole record. The instrumental consists solely of a soulful R&B guitar riff. The beat, if you can call it that, sounds like it is just being played by someone hitting the guitar and making a clapping tempo as they play it. Because the instrumental is so rudimentary, the focus is put on Kehlani’s great vocals. The flow in which they sing is super engaging, and the range they sing gives this song so much emotion and vitality. In ‘Lose My Wife,’ Kehlani sings about partying while out at night and doing things that may make their partner want to leave. Although ‘Lose My Wife’ is the most calm song on the record, it may be one of the most gripping, making it a great send-off.
I am not going to lie, due to the massive amount of hype around this record and due to my newfound knowledge of Kehlani’s other music, I had pretty high expectations for CRASH. I am not going to say that I was disappointed by this record, but I will admit I thought I would get a little bit more. Do not get me wrong, Kehlani’s massive amount of talent and diversity as an artist shines on CRASH. One super cool thing about this record is how wide-ranging its sound is. I feel like there is something for so many kinds of music fans on this record. From Rock to R&B to Hip Hop to even Country, there are so many interesting sounds on CRASH. Kehlani’s vocal prowess and lyricism are great on this record as well; they prove how great their range is as a singer on so many tracks, and their writing is very intricate and interesting on this one. I do feel like CRASH feels a bit sonically disjointed, though. I have no problem with trying a variety of different styles of music on a record, but in this case, it is scattered at times. If there was a bit more cohesion in the tone of this record, I think it could be a top R&B album of the year. In my opinion, the scattered feeling of the record does hold it back. Regardless, CRASH is a fun album with so much quality; I am happy that I now see where all of the love for Kehlani’s music comes from.
EAST SIDE VIBES 