Tasty (Kelis album)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=Wanderland2001Kelis Was Here2006studioTastyKelis - Tasty.pngKelisTemplate:Start date2000–2003Template:FlatlistR&B<ref name="rollingstone"/>51:20Template:HlistTemplate:Hlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}}

Tasty is the third studio album by American singer Kelis, released on December 5, 2003, by Star Trak Entertainment and Arista Records. As executive producer, Kelis enlisted previous collaborators the Neptunes to produce the album, as well as new collaborators such as Raphael Saadiq, Dallas Austin, André 3000, Rockwilder, and Dame Blackmon "Grease". It also features guest vocals from Saadiq, André 3000, and then-boyfriend Nas.

The album was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised its originality and viewed it as an improvement on Kelis' previous albums, Kaleidoscope (1999) and Wanderland (2001). Tasty debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 93,600 copies, earning Kelis the best sales week of her career in the United States. The album also became her highest-peaking album in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 11 on the UK Albums Chart. It spawned four singles: "Milkshake", "Trick Me", "Millionaire", and "In Public".

One of the Neptunes-produced tracks on the album, "Flashback", was originally included on Wanderland, which was not initially released in North America.

Singles

"Milkshake" was released on August 25, 2003, as the lead single from Tasty.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Kelis' highest-peaking single on the chart to date.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on October 25, 2004,<ref>Template:Cite certification</ref> and has sold 883,000 digital downloads in the United States.<ref name="USsales">Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Milkshake" also achieved commercial success internationally, reaching number one on the Irish Singles Chart and number two on the UK Singles Chart,<ref name="IRE-singles">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="UK-chart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as peaking inside the top five in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in 2004.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"Trick Me" was released on February 17, 2004, as the second single from the album.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The track was successful in Europe and Oceania; it peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart,<ref name="UK-chart"/> while charting inside the top five in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and Norway, and the top 10 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.<ref name="IRE-singles"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"Millionaire", which features André 3000, was released as the album's third single on October 18, 2004.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the album's third consecutive top-three entry.<ref name="UK-chart"/> "Millionaire" attained modest success elsewhere, reaching number 11 in Finland, number 23 in Australia, and number 27 in New Zealand.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The album's fourth and final single, "In Public", features Nas and was released on April 4, 2005.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The song reached number 17 on the UK chart and number 22 on the Irish chart.<ref name="IRE-singles"/><ref name="UK-chart"/>

Critical reception

Tasty received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 18 reviews.<ref name="MC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Andy Kellman of AllMusic stated, "Despite all the new assistance, Tasty is formatted much like Kaleidoscope and Wanderland, constantly swinging back and forth between bouncy pop and laid-back (not throwback) soul."<ref name="allmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone praised Tasty as Kelis' "best work" and wrote, "Take away the Dallas Austin-produced tracks [...], two Neptunes rock attempts and 'Milkshake', and you have a solid R&B album, one that's thickly speckled with hip-hop influences and nods to early Prince and Eighties Latin freestyle music."<ref name="rollingstone">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Entertainment WeeklyTemplate:'s Neil Drumming described the album as "Kelis' past—big beats, out-there imagery, and sex appeal—refined" and commented that "much of the beauty of Tasty is in witnessing Kelis rise to the challenge of working with multiple imaginative maestros."<ref name="EW">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In a review for NME, Tony Naylor found the album to be "[f]ar more complete than Wanderland or Kaleidoscope", adding that "such vacuum-packed musical freshness is maintained throughout."<ref name="nme">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian dubbed Kelis a "parallel universe Beyoncé" and wrote that she "exploits her husky croon like never before, pouring it over lascivious double entendre [...] and, well, lascivious single entrendre", concluding, "She may not be R&B's biggest star, but Kelis remains its most compelling character."<ref name="guardian">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Independent noted that she "certainly takes the sexual initiative in several songs", but "[m]ostly, though, Kelis keeps a watchful eye on her affections in songs such as 'Protect My Heart' and 'Trick Me', and has developed a decidedly jaundiced view of hip hop's lop-sided sexual politics, judging by 'Keep It Down'."<ref name="independent">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Joseph Patel of Blender commented that Kelis is "as good playing a hair-twisting, gum-popping tart on 'Sugar Honey Iced Tea' as an all-grown-up cock-blocker on the crackling funk ditty 'Trick Me'."<ref name="blender">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Slant Magazine reviewer Sal Cinquemani felt that few of the tracks on the album are "as immediately thirst-quenching as the insta-classic lead single 'Milkshake'",<ref name="slant">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and PitchforkTemplate:'s Scott Plagenhoef opined that Tasty is "far from all doom-and-gloom".<ref name="pitchfork">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Adam Webb of Yahoo! Music expressed that the album is "not as far out wild as Kaleidoscope but it is a consistently inventive and brilliant record."<ref name="yahoo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Steve Jones of USA Today viewed that, "guests and idiosyncrasies aside, her honeyed voice is the most important ingredient. It's sweet enough to make you wonder, 'Did she just say that?' No one could ever accuse her of being bland."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Commercial performance

Tasty debuted at number 27 on the Billboard 200 with 93,600 copies sold in its first week; it gave Kelis the best chart week of her career, and became her second highest-peaking album to date, after Kelis Was Here (2006).<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album was certified gold by the RIAA on February 6, 2004,<ref name="RIAA"/> and had sold 535,000 copies in the United States as of December 2009.<ref name="USsales"/>

The album debuted at number 53 on the UK Albums Chart, climbing to number 21 the following week.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In its third week on the chart, the album rose to its peak position of number 11,<ref name="UK-album-peak"/> becoming Kelis' highest-charting album in the UK to date.<ref name="UK-chart"/> Tasty was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on October 22, 2004,<ref name="BPI"/> and by April 2014, it had sold 476,034 copies in the United Kingdom.<ref name="UKsales">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Track listing

Notes

• ^{^a{{#if:| }}} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^b{{#if:| }}} signifies a remixer

Sample credits

• "Keep It Down" contains excerpts and samples from "I Used to Love H.E.R." by Common.
• "Millionaire" contains excerpts and samples from "La Di Da Di" by Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tasty.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Musicians

• Kelis – vocals
• Dallas Austin – arrangement Template:Small
• Tony Reyes – guitar, background vocals Template:Small
• Greg "Ruckus" Andrews – DJ Template:Small
• Nas – vocals Template:Small
• André 3000 – vocals, drums, music programming, keyboards Template:Small
• Kevin Kendricks – keyboards, piano Template:Small
• Raphael Saadiq – guitar Template:Small; bass Template:Small; vocals Template:Small
• Kelvin Wooten – keyboards Template:Small; piano, sitar Template:Small; bass, guitar Template:Small
• Jake and the Phatman – drums Template:Small; percussion, scratches Template:Small; drum programming Template:Small

Technical

• Dallas Austin – production Template:Small
• Rick Sheppard – recording Template:Small
• Carlton Lynn – recording Template:Small
• Doug Harms – recording assistance Template:Small
• Cesar Guevara – recording assistance Template:Small
• Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing Template:Small
• The Neptunes – production Template:Small
• Andrew "Drew" Coleman – recording Template:Small
• Daniel Betancourt – recording assistance Template:Small
• Phil Tan – mixing Template:Small
• Tim Olmstead – mixing assistance Template:Small
• Rockwilder – production Template:Small
• Mike Koch – recording Template:Small
• Dave Pensado – mixing Template:Small
• Serban Ghenea – mixing Template:Small
• Pat "Pat 'Em Down" Viala – recording Template:Small
• André 3000 – production Template:Small
• Matthew Still – recording Template:Small
• Vincent Alexander – recording Template:Small
• James Majors – recording Template:Small
• Warren Bletcher – recording assistance Template:Small
• Dexter Simmons – mixing Template:Small
• Andrew Dawson – mixing assistance Template:Small
• Regina Davenport – production coordinator Template:Small
• Raphael Saadiq – production Template:Small
• Jake and the Phatman – co-production Template:Small
• Kelvin Wooten – co-production Template:Small
• Gerry Brown – recording Template:Small
• John Tanksley – recording, mixing assistance Template:Small; recording assistance Template:Small
• Daniel Romero – mixing Template:Small
• Anette Sharvit – production coordinator Template:Small
• Dame Blackmon "Grease" – production Template:Small
• Glen Marchese – recording, mixing Template:Small
• Geoffrey Rice – mixing assistance Template:Small
• Kelis – executive production
• Chris Athens – mastering

Artwork

• Joe Mama-Nitzberg – creative direction
• Jeffrey Schulz – art, layout
• Markus Klinko – photography
• Indrani – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chartTemplate:Album chart

Weekly chart performance for Tasty

Chart (2003–2004)	Peak position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>	5
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	63
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	15
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	42

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Tasty

Chart (2004)	Position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	55
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	53
US Billboard 200<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	161
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	40

Release history

Release history for Tasty

Region	Date	Label	Template:Abbr
Germany	December 5, 2003	EMI	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
United Kingdom	December 8, 2003	Virgin	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
United States	December 9, 2003	Template:Hlist	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Netherlands		EMI	<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Italy	January 9, 2004		<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Japan	January 16, 2004		<ref name="japanbonus">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Australia	February 2, 2004		<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Sweden	February 11, 2004		<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Canada	February 17, 2004		<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}