Kehlani - Album review

Kehlani’s latest release, Kehlani (out Friday 24th April), feels less like a standard album drop and more like a cultural reset for R&B.

From the very first listen, it’s clear she’s tapped into something nostalgic yet refreshing a “woken back up R&B project” that brings back the emotional depth many listeners have been craving since the late ’80s through the early 2000s. It’s smooth, intentional, and rooted in feeling, the kind of music that doesn’t just play in the background but actually stays with you.

The 19-track project is stacked with heavyweight collaborations, seamlessly blending legends and contemporary talent. With features from Brandy, Missy Elliott, Usher, Lil Wayne, T-Pain, and Lil Jon, alongside modern-day creatives like Leon Thomas and Cardi B, Kehlani bridges generations without losing her own voice. Each feature feels purposeful, adding to the album’s layered identity rather than overshadowing it.

One of the most standout elements of the project is Kehlani’s creative direction. Sampling her own work across different tracks adds a reflective, almost self-referential layer to the album. It’s a move that highlights her artistic growth while reinforcing her signature sound past and present existing in conversation with each other.

At its core, Kehlani is centred around joy. Not just in the obvious sense, but in the joy of collaboration, musical freedom, and reconnecting with the influences that shaped her. It’s a confident, fully realised body of work that doesn’t just celebrate R&B, it reminds listeners why they fell in love with it to begin with.

This isn’t just an album for the moment. It’s one that lingers.