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Nov 7, 2017Bursts with textured atmospheres and danceable beats, all led by the unwavering might of Kelela’s lungs.
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Oct 26, 2017Like kindred spirit Dawn Richard, Kelela veers from the requirements of mainstream R&B to explore her own course, and the result is a portent on the genre’s future.
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Q MagazineOct 24, 2017An album rich in swirling emotions, backed by inspired productions from electronica virtuosos Arca and London-based Jam City. [Dec 2017, p.106]
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Oct 19, 2017Nothing is as volcanic as "Bank Head" or as rush-inducing as "Rewind"--two past gems--but these hyperballads and zero-gravity jams always stimulate, covering a broader spectrum of emotional states with deeper resonance.
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Oct 16, 2017It’s this invitation into her most confidential thoughts that makes the album equal parts sensual as it is unflinchingly confident, and it’s the ability to inhabit so many subtleties of the emotional turmoil of relationships that makes Take Me Apart such a memorable album.
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The WireOct 11, 2017The detail and artistry of Take Me Apart more than justify the wait. [Oct 2017, p.56]
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Oct 11, 2017Patience for Take Me Apart validates her audience who saw her as the future from the start. You won't soon break free of it.
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Oct 11, 2017Take Me Apart doesn't feel desperate to reach for anything, it is comfortable, prepared for whatever may come, much like its bearer. Greatness hasn't sounded this natural in this arena for some time. This is everything.
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Oct 10, 2017For the most part, Take Me Apart is sonically more akin to a soundtrack, one for neon-tinged late-night driving. Or for bedrooms with ceiling mirrors--those slippery reflections.
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Oct 9, 2017Kelela treads new ground unlike anything in music today--cavernous, avant-garde R&B that moves the body and heals the broken heart.
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Oct 9, 2017Take Me Apart is genuinely an album without low points, striking a balance between the allure of mainstream pop and the inventiveness of its fringes.
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Oct 9, 2017These are unanchored R&B songs for unmoored times, with Kelela’s alluring vocals holding fast, front and centre.
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Oct 6, 2017Her debut full-length fuses together jagged textures, vaporous synths and her versatile voice into forward-thinking R&B animated by its restless innovation.
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Oct 6, 2017Kelela proudly stands within the genre’s tradition. For the most part, she avoids making any grandstanding romantic or political statements, but Take Me Apart finds its purpose within the subdued complexities.
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Oct 6, 2017Kelela has crafted a cool and sensual album which feels cohesive without slipping into saminess.
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Oct 6, 2017Putting aside all of the work Kelela has done to hit her stride in the mix, she is ironically most brilliant when the producers lay out.
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Oct 6, 2017There’s another EP in here that’s every bit as good as Hallucinogen, but as an album, Take Me Apart remains more proof of Kelela’s talent and still-unrealized potential.
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Oct 6, 2017On the likes of ‘Enough,’ the layers of electronica and muffled beats become oddly oppressive, competing against her--and winning the battle. It’s in moments like this where Take Me Apart proves to be frustrating. When it’s at its best though, it’s an album that invites the listener to do just what its title invites.
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Oct 6, 2017What makes Take Me Apart so stunning is its meticulous attention to detail, with new layers revealing themselves on the third or 37th listen. Its sonorous breadth is mesmerizing.
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Oct 5, 2017The songs are intricately plotted to give the illusion of being impulsive and obsessive, buffeted by shifting emotions: by turns sensual and wary, vulnerable and guarded, leisurely and urgent.
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Oct 5, 2017Kelela’s vocal stops Take Me Apart ending up as a fragmented series of sounds: consistently exquisite as it dances between lovesick confusion and shrewd sensuality.
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Oct 5, 2017Take Me Apart may not appear as immediately interesting and unique as her previous work but there are layers upon layers of elements to be explored, digested and, ironically enough, taken apart.
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Oct 5, 2017Take Me Apart is a subtle, sexy LP from a woman who knows what she wants, and clearly aims to write anthems for fans feeling the same way.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 138 out of 162
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Mixed: 11 out of 162
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Negative: 13 out of 162
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Oct 6, 2017
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Oct 7, 2017
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Oct 6, 2017