January 12, 2000

Kelis : Caught out there

Men, men, men; we're untrustworthy, lying scoundrels at heart

"I hate you so much right now", screams Kelis.

Men, men, men; we're untrustworthy, lying scoundrels at heart, and as this Harlem-based hip-hop soulster rightly points out, we're always at our worst shortly after we've gone through the old 'I love you' routine. Kelis knows the score, though, because on Valentine's Day last year, some
no-good, scum-sucking wretch did the dirty on her. Still, he did her a favour in the end, because 'Caught Out There', with its unforgettable primal-scream refrain, looks set to be massive very soon.

Stretched out over a spartan backbeat, it would be a cynical swine who would dismiss this titanic slab of breakbeat pop as Jimmy Nail's 'Ain't No Doubt'
but, y'know, for girls.

Jim Wirth