Gig review: Kelis, ABC, Glasgow

KELIS Rogers has a one-track mind. It has previously been established that her “milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.”
US singer Kelis performs on the Pyramid main stage at Glastonbury music festival. Picture: APUS singer Kelis performs on the Pyramid main stage at Glastonbury music festival. Picture: AP
US singer Kelis performs on the Pyramid main stage at Glastonbury music festival. Picture: AP

Kelis

ABC, Glasgow

Star rating: * * * *

Now she’s speculating of a new suitor that “maybe we’ll make it to breakfast.” Girl always thinks with her stomach – why doesn’t she just train as a chef instead? Turns out she already has – Rogers is a qualified Cordon Bleu saucier.

As a teenager, she hooked up with Pharrell Williams to make hipster R&B but these days her tastes tend to the classic, and she cooked up a heap of musical soul food for this scrumptious set, bookended with the declaration that she was Feeling Good.

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With an intuitively funky band sinking their teeth into meaty material such as the afrobeat-infused Jerk Ribs, Kelis didn’t have to try too hard to sell her wares, sitting down for much of the set, letting her easy star quality and husky tones suffuse the performance. Occasionally, she would break out an unexpected sweet treat, hitting some stratospheric high notes on Cobbler, which belied her otherwise unadorned alto delivery.

Older hits were generously seasoned to bring out their organic soul flavour. Milkshake was plumped up with a fuller arrangement, club track Acapella given a rich disco reworking and the springy ska hop of Trick Me garnished with some tasty trumpet. By the time she served up sultry southern soul encore Friday Fish Fry, her sated fans were hollering their compliments to the chef.

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