SweetSexySavage (Deluxe)- Kehlani

Five years ago, Oakland native Kehlani released her debut album…

SweetSexySavage was Kehlani’s introduction to the music world. It was a declaration that she has arrived and the future of R&B would be in good hands.

This incredible body of work reads like an autobiography. The longer you listen, the more you see who she is, who she was, and who she wants to be. Each song reads like a story. There’s themes about love, heartbreak, growth, independence, self appreciation, gratitude, and so much more.

With the title drawing inspiration directly from TLC’s CrazySexyCool, she takes the sounds of the 90’s and early 2000’s, puts her Bay Area roots into the mix, and creates an experience that feels both nostalgic and new.

SweetSexySavage feels like an audible diary. Her lyrics are honest, vulnerable, and relatable. Play it for the beats that keep you dancing, listen to the wordplay that fills the pockets, and stay for the story.

Listen from start to finish to dive into Kehlani’s world of falling in and out of love, embracing the good and horrible, and figuring it out as she goes.

My favorite song on the album is ‘Personal.’ I bump this with the windows rolled down, stereo turned all the way up, singing it with my chest.

It starts off with, “They’re sleepin on me but I don’t waste my time trying to prove that I’m something to see. The reals one, they know. The ones that do not, I don’t need.”

It’s self empowerment. It’s motivation. It gasses me up. It reminds me that I’m all that I am and that’s a whole lot to love.