Wanderland

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Not to be confused with Wonderland.
Wanderland
Studio album by
Kelis
ReleasedOctober 17, 2001 (2001-10-17)
Recorded2000–2001
Studio
Genre
Length62:54
LabelVirgin
ProducerThe Neptunes
Kelis chronology
Kaleidoscope
(1999) 		Wanderland
(2001) 		Tasty
(2003)
Singles from Wanderland
  1. "Young, Fresh n' New"
    Released: October 1, 2001

Wanderland is the second studio album by American singer Kelis, released on October 17, 2001, by Virgin Records. The album's only single, "Young, Fresh n' New", peaked at number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. As of October 2004, Wanderland had sold 17,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[2]

Background and release[edit]

According to Kelis, Virgin Records did not understand Wanderland. She subsequently left the label around the time of the album's European release, and as a result, the album was not released in the United States.[3][4] Wanderland was officially released in the US to digital retailers on May 31, 2019,[5][6] and to streaming services on June 5.[7]

The song "Flash Back" (retitled "Flashback") was included on Kelis' subsequent album Tasty, while a new version of "Popular Thug", which replaced Pusha T of Clipse with Nas, appears on The Neptunes' 2003 compilation album Clones.[8][9]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Blender[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[1]
entertainment.ie[12]
The Guardian[13]
NME6/10[14]
Rolling Stone[15]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[16]
Slant Magazine[17]

Wanderland received generally positive reviews from music critics. The Guardian critic Alexis Petridis described the music as "clever, exhilarating and original" and praised the album as The Neptunes' "most adventurous work to date".[13] Mark Bautz of Entertainment Weekly commented that "Kelis' brash blend of Curtis Mayfield soul, techno-Zeppelin funk, Jobim-lite bossa nova, and ultrasmooth R&B shows a more coherent artistry than many recent boundary-busting experiments."[1] Rupert Howe of Blender found that "[t]he best thing about Wanderland is that [Kelis] seems finally to have begun celebrating her eccentricities", adding, "Aside from the idiosyncratic lyrics [...] she switchbacks from parodying '70s mack-stylin' (the Funkadelic 'Daddy') to an '80s soul croon ('Scared Money')."[11] At entertainment.ie, Andrew Lynch commended Kelis' "aggressive vocal delivery and intriguing, if sometimes confusing lyrical imagery", while calling the album itself "[b]rilliantly produced" and "strikingly original".[12]

Rolling Stone's Barry Walters noted that, musically, Wanderland "doesn't venture far from its predecessor, Kaleidoscope: The Neptunes are still matching jaunty beats to techno sonics. But her pen is busier now, and the result is smarter, more nuanced but no less confrontational."[15] Andy Kellman of AllMusic stated that "the album's first three songs—'Young, Fresh n' New,' 'Flash Back,' and 'Popular Thug'—are on an even standing with the best of the singer's debut [...] After that solid beginning, the album continually loses steam and gains it back."[10] Stephen Dalton of NME viewed the album as "a solid sophomore effort", but felt that "there is way too much filler here for a hotly hyped alterna-soul princess with her eyes on the big prize."[14] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine opined that the album is "far from rote, but the Neptunes's rehashed retro beats and synths are beginning to sound derivative of Britney Spears's 'I'm a Slave 4 U.' Much of the disc's hooks are unchallenging and repetitive at best."[17] In The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Ernest Hardy and Arion Berger were critical of the album, writing that "[t]he beats that brought Kaleidoscope to life are gone, and only Kelis' hippieish and overly self-aware songwriting remains."[16]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"
1:11
2."Young, Fresh n' New"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
4:37
3."Flash Back"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
3:26
4."Popular Thug" (featuring Pusha T of Clipse)
4:13
5."Daddy" (featuring Malice of Clipse)
3:50
6."Scared Money"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
4:00
7."Shooting Stars"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
6:17
8."Digital World" (featuring Roscoe)
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Amir Porter
4:25
9."Perfect Day"
3:56
10."Easy Come, Easy Go"
3:31
11."Junkie"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
2:56
12."Get Even"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
4:12
13."Mr. U.F.O. Man" (featuring John Ostby)
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
4:27
14."Little Suzie"
"Star Wars"
"I Don't Care Anymore"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
11:48
Japanese edition / 2019 streaming bonus track[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Smells Like Teen Spirit" (live – edited version)
4:38
2020 digital edition (individual tracks)[19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Smells Like Teen Spirit" (live – edited version)
  • Cobain
  • Grohl
  • Novoselic
4:36
16."Star Wars"
  • Williams
  • Hugo
  • Rogers
3:06
17."I Don't Care Anymore"Phil Collins3:48

Notes

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Wanderland.[20]

Musicians[edit]

Technical[edit]

  • The Neptunes – production, executive production
  • Andrew Coleman – engineering (tracks 1–8, 11–14)
  • Brian Garten – engineering (tracks 9, 10)
  • Ken "Duro" Ifill – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–8, 10–14)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 3, 9)
  • Rob Walker – executive production

Artwork[edit]

  • Michelle Laurita – cover photography
  • Pauline St. Denis – inside photography

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for Wanderland
Chart (2001) Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP)[21] 133
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 79
UK Albums (OCC)[23] 78
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[24] 13

Release history[edit]

Release history for Wanderland
Region Date Label Ref.
Japan October 17, 2001 EMI [18]
Germany October 26, 2001 [25]
United Kingdom October 29, 2001 Virgin [26]
France November 1, 2001 EMI [27]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Except "Flash Back"
  2. ^ "Flash Back"

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Bautz, Mark (March 11, 2002). "Wanderland". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 20, 2019. On Wanderland, Kelis' brash blend of Curtis Mayfield soul, techno-Zeppelin funk, Jobim-lite bossa nova, and ultrasmooth R&B shows a more coherent artistry than many recent boundary-busting experiments.
  2. ^ Jones, Alan (October 25, 2004). "Robbie compilation beats sales record for entire year". Music Week. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Ostroff, Joshua (February 19, 2004). "Milk made". Eye Weekly. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved January 2, 2006.
  4. ^ Rolls, Chris (April 24, 2006). "Exclusive Interview with Kelis". MP3.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  5. ^ "Wanderland by Kelis". Amazon. United States. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "Wanderland (2001) | Kelis". 7digital. United States. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  7. ^ Saponara, Michael (June 5, 2019). "Kelis' 2001 Album 'Wanderland' Lands On Streaming Services". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Southall, Nick (December 12, 2003). "Kelis – Tasty". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  9. ^ Kellman, Andy. "The Neptunes Present... Clones – The Neptunes". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Wanderland – Kelis". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  11. ^ a b Howe, Rupert. "Kelis – Wanderland". Blender. Archived from the original on November 3, 2004. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  12. ^ a b Lynch, Andrew (October 25, 2001). "Kelis – Wanderland". entertainment.ie. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  13. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (October 19, 2001). "Strange trips". The Guardian. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  14. ^ a b Dalton, Stephen (October 23, 2001). "Kelis : Wanderland". NME. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Walters, Barry (April 25, 2002). "Kelis: Wanderland". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  16. ^ a b Hardy, Ernest; Berger, Arion (2004). "Kelis". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 448. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  17. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (February 22, 2002). "Review: Kelis, Wanderland". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  18. ^ a b ワンダーランド [Wanderland] (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  19. ^ "Wanderland by Kelis". 17 October 2001.
  20. ^ Wanderland (liner notes). Kelis. Virgin Records. 2001. 7243 8 11092 2 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Lescharts.com – Kelis – Wanderland". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  22. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kelis – Wanderland". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 11, 2008.
  23. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  24. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  25. ^ "Wanderland: Kelis". Amazon (in German). Germany. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  26. ^ "New Releases - For Week Starting October 29, 2001" (PDF). Music Week. October 27, 2001. p. 30. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  27. ^ "Wanderland: Kelis". Amazon (in French). France. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
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