Raven is the sophomore record from the experimental, Warp records-signee, singer, and producer Kelela. This is the follow-up to her 2017 debut record Take Me Apart which really made a splash in the underground music scene for its fusion of ethereal R&B vocals and futuristic, cerebral electronics. This new record is a double helping of the same sounds, however, this time around it’s enveloped in a subtle and nocturnal shroud of ambiance.  

Fans of Aphex Twin and late-90s Björk I feel will really enjoy this album for how much Raven borrows from this era of electronic music. The two main aspects of Raven are club-ready bangers and expansive ambient tracks that border on New-Age. Breakbeats and 2-step grooves appear all over this record such as songs like “Happy Ending” and “Contact” which were some of the best singles in the lead-up to this album. The title track is also a standout for its trance-like synths that transition into a dark, four-on-the-floor techno beat. Finally, “Bruises” is another favorite for its funky house grooves and Kelela’s awesome vocal melodies and harmonies. The production on this album is really something else, Asmara returns on productions from Take Me Apart along with LSDXOXO who recently broke out into the mainstream and must have the Midas touch because his credited songs on Raven are all in my favorites. Not to mention Kelela’s own production talents which really shine on this record, particularly the title track.  

As I mentioned there is another facet to Raven which is the ambient tracks. These batches of songs are unfortunately hit-or-miss for me personally. I hate to use the commonly reductive phrase attached to the ambient genre, but a lot of these songs do just become pretty background music. I think Kelela’s smooth and light voice works as an awesome contrast juxtaposed with the grooving electronics, but I find the laid-back tracks to be just too washed out. I would not say at all that any of these tracks are bad, but I do find myself a little bored around the middle of this album when many of these songs crop up. I do love the opener to this album “Washed Away” with its aquatic keys and the song “Divorce” which could have been produced by Björk with its lush strings and resonant bass tones. “On The Run”, co-produced by Kaytranada is a soulful tune with some dancehall influence and one of the hookier melodies from the low-key songs. To be honest I find myself returning to the club tracks more often than I do these other tracks just because they are just that good.  

Conclusion: While I think Take Me Apart is overall more cohesive, I find that Raven has the greater highs among its more wishy-washy tracks. At the end of the day, Kelela knocked it out of the park on her vocals, her best to date. Also, an extra bonus for all the tracks effortlessly flowing into each other which really adds to the holistic experience!  

Favorite Tracks: "Washed Away", "Happy Ending", "Let it Go", "On the Run", "Missed Call", "Contact", "Raven", "Bruises", "Divorce"