Kele, better known as Kele Okereke, the lead singer of the British alternative band Bloc Party, debuted his first ever solo album, The Boxer, on June 22nd for the Glass Note Label. Bloc Party are currently “on hiatus” which has given Kele time to experiment and create a body of his own solo work. Those who are expecting a more “alternative” sounding album in the same vain as a Bloc Party album, such as Silent Alarm, are in for a surprise. The Boxer is best described as a dance/electronic pop album. Kele really distances himself from what most people know him for, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I personally like it when an artist isn’t afraid to dabble and experiment in genres out of his or her “comfort level”. That being said, The Boxer is a decent debut for Kele, but the album is somewhat inconsistent, there are tracks that really just blend into one-another without anything really sticking out such as “New Rules” and “All The Things I Could Never Say”. On the other hand, I really enjoyed “Tenderoni”, the first single off the album, “Rise” which is more downbeat than some of the songs but has pretty powerful lyrics, and "On The Lam” which has a beat that is almost trance inducing. Although The Boxer can be inconsistent at times, I would suggest giving it a listen, if not for only a few good tracks. This is a solid step in the right direction in a promising solo career, especially with Bloc Party being on hiatus.
Buy (From iTunes)
Download
Kele's Official Website
Last.fm
No comments:
Post a Comment