I love to witness an artist’s journey over the course of their career. California native, Kehlani, has been a pleasure to watch as her superstardom has soared over the years. She has consistently supplied content for her fans to enjoy. This April, she returned with her latest project, blue water road and this effort is a masterpiece.
Listeners will find a new level of maturity for the new mother as her third studio album is a departure from previous efforts. Led by tracks, “altar” and “little story”, Kehlani trades in heavy hitting instrumentals for slow or mid-tempo melodies for most of the project. She has a few features on the album from Blxst, Syd, Justin Bieber, Ambré Perkins and Thundercat. A highlight for me is the ‘90s aesthetic that is present during the project as seen in her latest single, “up at night” and the Slick Rick Children’s Story-sampled “wish I never”. We’ve grown accustomed to hearing about failed relationships and times of toxicity. blue water road, however, consists of a lot of reflection for Kehlani. The versatility in the subject matter goes to further exemplify why I believe Kehlani is in her “Golden Era” of her career. The music is amazing and effortless and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her. You can listen to her new album on all music streaming services.
Reggie Johnson is a poet reigning from Cincinnati, Ohio. Starting at the age of nine, Reggie has been writing poetry through their love of music and life experiences. He has 9 books now available on Amazon. You can follow him on Twitter@r_d_johnson and on IG @rdjohnsonwrites.