Kaleidoscope

1	Intro 1:55
2	Good Stuff / Terrar 3:52
3	Caught Out There 4:51
4	Get Along with You 4:27
5	Mafia / Markita 4:18
6	Game Show 5:04
7	Suspended 4:53
8	Mars 5:15
9	Ghetto Children / Marc Dorsey 4:48
10	I Want Your Love 4:14
11	No Turning Back 4:10
12	Roller Rink 4:58
13	In the Morning 4:20
14	Wouldn't You Agree / Justin Vince 4:32

Barnes & Noble

Kelis has landed. Like a hip-hop/R&B version of Björk, Alanis Morrisette and Liz Phair rolled into one, Kelis flashes female angst. “I hate you so much right now,” she screams on her breakthrough hit “Caught Out There,” before switching into a delicious lullaby croon. These ear-bending combinations fill KALEIDOSCOPE, making for an appealingly weird soul cocktail that mixes polytonal instrumentation, gorgeous funky melody and black girl plain-speak. Except for the Timbaland-like production on “Get Along With You” and “No Turning Back,” the disc scores high marks for its operatic elements and its liberal use of heavy thudding drum ‘n’ bass. Virginia’s production duo, the Neptunes (the minds behind Noreaga’s 1998 hit "Super Thug") match Kelis’ sexy singing with thumping drumbeats and her quirkiness with pizzicato and dark, elliptical arrangements. Lyrically, the Harlem-born space child’s verse on “Mafia” borrows the similar loyal girlfriend message of “Through the Fire,” Chaka Khan's burning love ode, but with a gangsta moll edge. "For you I’ll testify/ I’ll lie for you of course/ because my love is like the mafia/ For you I will fight," Kelis sings. By "Ghetto Children," Kelis turns inspirational and you’re cruising on a magic carpet ride through the emotions of a vocal powerhouse. Swirling with upbeat tones, KALEIDOSCOPE is a mothership of femme-fortified, psychedelic hip-hop soul from out of this world. Martine Bury

All Music Guide

This release showcases the development of a great talent. The album's flaws stem from steps taken backward toward what one could call "mainstream" R&B. It's when Kelis and her production team create tracks that best fit her voice and uniqueness that the end results are outstanding. Although comparisons to Neneh Cherry are inevitable, she does carve out a niche for herself, armed with undeniable talent. Kaleidoscope starts out strongly enough with standouts such as "Caught out There," "Get Along with You," and "In the Morning." Sadly enough, the focus seems to lose its footing midway and from there on out, the remaining songs run from average to good. As an artist who could become, with the proper guidance, a prominent figure for years to come, Kelis is one not to dismiss. Jaime Ikeda