Bay area native Kehlani has went through a lot of hardships in her 21 year life: from growing up in poverty to being tangled in a viral cheating scandal, Kehlani has hit some serious lows. Flash forward to the present day, and she has rebuilt herself and her brand. Her debut album SweetSexySavage is her third major work (other than two previous mixtapes, which got her a Grammy nod) and she has already proved to the world that she is a legitimate presence in the world of pop and R&B.

SweetSexySavage is a healthy balance between late 90s R&B and early 2000s TRL pop with some experimental sounds and trap sprinkled on top. Her voice makes the music even better: Kehlani has a hypnotic, seductive voice. She has a powerful voice, but exercises varying levels of control over it. Her range of vocals and emotions are displayed on tracks such as “Personal” or “Distraction”, in which Kehlani transforms from being vulnerable to a fierce individual.

The album title, SweetSexySavage, represents Kehlani’s personality– three words stuck together like TLC’s CrazySexyCool.
When Kehlani is savage you’ll hear her sing-talk confidently over bombastic beats on the defiant “CRZY” or the warning-to-all-lovers track “Do U Dirty” takes a chapter out of the book of Rihanna lyricism. The Sweet and Sexy part is more blended than separate Kehlani shows her sweet side towards the end at the end of album on guitar-driven-with-moody numbers like “Hold Me by the Heart” and “Escape”. And finally you have Sexy. If there was award for best sexy-R&B tha will you get you in your feelings on a Friday night by a female, Kehlani would win. After hearing this about album a good four times, I can imagine if she was around in the 90s, she’s be giving Brandy, Monica and Aaliyah a run for their money and hip-hop soul princess crown.