Killa Kela : Elocution

Here it is, the awaited album from the man himself - Killa Kela. Elocution is the follow up to the successful Permanent Marker, and this album takes it to a whole new level! From the pre-release build up - all the hype, secret shows and teaser clips - you can see this album is going to be full of totally sick beats and lyrics from the UK's premier multivocalist.

Well, from the start, if you have never heard Kela before, a short clip gets the feel for the album with Kela giving some quotes, then it's straight into one minute of raw beatbox skills which will blow your ears off and that set the scene for the rest of the album.

This first track blends into the second track of the album called Rave of the Future that builds with distant vocals into strings and into a great melody with Kela’s beats and his awsome lyrics over the top. This track is a great start to the album and kicks it off nicely. Kela really uses this and all the tracks to show what you can really do with vocals when you get down to it. It is quite an achievement to blend the sounds together such that it sounds both raw and yet so well produced.

The following track to this is Supergrass that starts off with a raw beatbox version. While in this track Kela’s beats aren’t used, you still get little sound effects and noises fading in and out throughout the track and this gives it a great feel. Supergrass is another well produced track in it's use of vocals and percussion.

The next two tracks have a similar feel and are called Secrets and I Want It that fans may remember and recognise. These tracks really work well together where they using strings to accompany the beatbox nicely and calmly without taking it over too much. Check out the realistic and sick scratching - some of the best I've heard from a beatboxer in a long time - on I Want It.

A bit further into the album and we have an awesome track called Standing in the Rain that uses everything so well. The track introduces the strings very nicely with Kela’s short hi-hats being heard in the background along with vocals. Raw beatbox kicks in to accompany chords and things start to develop as the strings kick back and the beat develops into a slow yet funky beat with the addition of Rockwood’s vocals. This track is very mellow. The track finishes with a small raw beatbox skit from Kela from a live performance with MC Trip and a sick beat from Kela leading onto the 7th track called Jawbreaker which is a further developed version of the previous skit and is a very bassy beat which makes this tune great to listen to (especially with a nice large sub).

1. Overview
2. Rave Of The Future
3. Supergrass
4. Secrets
5. I Want It
6. Standing In The Rain
7. Jawbreaker
8. Submarines (feat Roots Manuva)
9. The Door
10. Feminine (feat Neneh Cherry)
11. AWOL
12. Killa Cello
13. Sleeping Patterns
14. Timeframe

Following this track is Submarines featuring Roots Manuva. This is a very hip-hop style tune compared to the other tracks on the album. This track can be compared to KRS One’s Sound of the Police, but Kela, with his beats, gives this track a very different feel. Once again we hear Kela’s lyrics throughout the track - and some sick lyrics they are too!

Track 9, The Door is a very raw track and completely different to the majority of tracks on the album. This track features a lot of Kela’s effects and sounds, and instead of lyrics from Kela we get a spoken word and a sort of story which is accompanied by his effects to help tell it. This track is very mellow and calm but still a good track to bounce to.

Onto Track 10, Feminine which is similar to The Door with spoken word and effects, but this track seems to have more emotion than the last and Kela really expresses himself in this track and shows who he is in a raw and emotional way. The chorus vocals really add to the song and fit the toned-down words of Kela. A raw beat and lyrics from Trip finishes off this track and seamlessly leads into the next track. The skit adds a bit of comedy to the album with Kela messing up the beat!

Track 11, Awol, gives a more of reggae type feel to the album with a toned down slower beat than some on the album. Once again the strings are used to great effect, aiding the lyrics and bass well. Also added into this track are Kela’s whispered down lyrics which gives it quite an emotional feel and this a contrast to the shouted chorus.

The cheesily nameed Killa Cello (pronounced Killa Chello) is more of a skit than a track with a raw beatbox from Kela imitating the Cello. The track starts of with Kela and the cello player working out how they rehearsed it and then they kick of with Kela copying the cello after it does it’s part. The track then develops into a drum and bass style to the end. This track is a very nice additon to the album and shows the pure talent of Kela himself and compliments the album as a whole.

The penultimate track to the album is Sleeping Patterns. In this track we hear a very spaced out kind of song (hence the title) and it creates a very sleepy feel in the way it is produced. It is somewhat like a dream with the combination of dereamy bass pattern, melody and Kela’s lyrics which are almost like sleep-talk mumbling. This is a great song to start winding down the album.

The final track on the album is called Timeframe. As with previous tracks, this starts with a short live skit of Kela. It’s just a short five-second beat which leads into almost an interview of Kela after a show, then the strings come in and Kela adds in lyrics which develop into a un-vocalised beat with an additional acoustic guitar. This track is a great track to finish on and is slow and gives a feel of being light headed and confused of what to do and where to go and also throws in some sick scratching skills from Kela himself.

Overall, this album is recommended to anyone from pure beatboxers to the general listener. I think the album has something for everyone from pure hip-hop songs to beatbox skits and mellow tunes to keep everyone happy. What can I say? This album is amazing from the truly sick beats to the awesome melodies. Buy it and enjoy a true masterpiece!

Sources/references/links

Kela's website