SweetSexySavage

Kehlani’s decision to provide spoonfuls of candor throughout the album is why she’ll reach the apex of R&B sooner than a lot of her contemporaries.

The personality that emerges here is surprisingly gentle, with lots of slow jams about self-awareness, positive personal philosophies and respect for others. Musically, it would seem that Alicia Keys is a stronger personal role model than Rihanna. For all the swagger, then, Kehlani proves rather more sweet than savage.

A distinctly contemporary album that is in conversation with trendy, critically acclaimed R&B.

Less interesting songs like ‘In My Feelings’ and ‘Hold Me By The Heart’ should probably have been chopped, but they don’t prevent her from making a great first impression.

The most striking moments on this refreshingly warm LP are the others, the ones where she conveys weakness, vulnerability and self-awareness.

SweetSexySavage is a powerfully optimistic record, and while it glances back to a pop/R&B heyday, Parrish has crafted something entirely of her own, refined by a canny approach to lyricism and unbridled intimacy.

There's a lot to unpack here, and as a result, SweetSexySavage feels a bit overstuffed at times; numbers like "Thank You" and "Hold Me By the Heart" are expressive in nature but aren't lasting. But by getting intensely personal, Kehlani adds a human side to the recordings that's multilayered and unapologetically self-determined.

She sometimes coasts on a singsong, nearly spoken flow that squanders the expressivity of her understated but resonant pipes. Yet haunting highlights like “Piece of Mind” and “Everything Is Yours” prove that beneath SSS’s padding, there’s a succinct, sassy, and sincere album waiting to be slimmed down to Kehlani’s own soul-searching essence.

Kehlani is most comfortable when she’s her most abrasive and cutting, challenging her counterparts as she glides over Pop & Oak manufactured beats.

SweetSexySavage, despite its gung-ho title, turns out to be a fine album, albeit a couple of songs too long.

Refreshingly, SweetSexySavage is at its best when it’s most exuberant, giddy in the face of haters and common sense alike.

SweetSexySavage puts her pop talent on display through occasional moments of brilliance. Despite its flaws and unevenness, it establishes her as a remarkable artist worth following.

In an engaging and accessible way, Kehlani uses her sharp pen game to detail her experiences navigating relationships and her career as best she can, despite her past impacting many facets of her future.