When I first heard “Rumble” a few months, it was a headscratcher. To go from her full-on electronic dance album “FleshTone” to this soulful, lo-fi rocking track produced by Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio) seemed like a major jump. Then again, when you listen to Kelis’ musical development over the years, she has always jumped around and experimented with different genres and producers. Listening to the song, it sounds more like a duet with two voices as Kelis sings with quite a deep, almost unrecognizable rasp on the verses – contrasting with the softer, prettier tone of the chorus sounding more like her recent releases. Maybe becoming a chef has made her focus on becoming a bit more rootsy and back-to-basics with real instruments and expanding her natural vocal range for her forthcoming ‘Food’ album coming on NinjaTune. Club DJs need not fear, though, as Breach (Ben Westbeech) has crafted a brilliant production essentially mashing his two recent singles – with the verse having the darker tone of “Everything You Never Had” and the chorus emulating the bouncy fun of “Jack.” Here’s hoping that all the songs on her upcoming ‘Food’ get the same tasty high quality remix treatment as well.
Image Courtesy of Ninja Tune.