Artist
Kelis Feat. Cee-Lo
Why we feature this artist A little doubt sung with a generous amount of warmth Lil Star gives Kelis a softer, more openly vulnerable setting than some of her most assertive singles. The recording appears on 2006's Kelis Was Here, with Cee-Lo Green producing a…
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- United States
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- pop, R&B, soul
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The story of Kelis Feat. Cee-Lo
Why we feature this artist
A little doubt sung with a generous amount of warmth
Lil Star gives Kelis a softer, more openly vulnerable setting than some of her most assertive singles. The recording appears on 2006's Kelis Was Here, with Cee-Lo Green producing and joining the vocal performance. Its 2007 single life brought a song about uncertainty and perspective into a particularly welcoming soul-pop frame.
The voice keeps a little roughness
Kelis does not polish every edge out of the melody. The tone retains a grain that makes the more uncertain lines sound lived-in, while the rhythm gives the performance enough ease to avoid becoming a formal ballad. The song can admit doubt without sounding defeated by it.
Cee-Lo's presence changes the emotional temperature. His sung contribution has a fuller, more rounded character, creating a sense of reassurance around the lead rather than taking over its point of view. As producer, he also gives the recording a warm musical setting in which the voices can remain close.
The smaller gesture is the important one
The original credits join Kelis and Cee-Lo in the writing, with Ben H. Allen recording and Serban Ghenea mixing. The arrangement leaves the song's main melodic idea clear, allowing tone and phrasing to provide much of the detail. Nothing has to become especially grand for the feeling to register.
The single entered the UK chart in January 2007 and reached the top three. Its appeal is still in that modest emotional scale: a singer considering her place in the world, another voice offering some light and a groove patient enough to let the exchange sound natural.
Essential releases
Lil Star
The Kelis Was Here recording and later single combine Kelis’s grainier lead with Cee-Lo’s production and reassuring vocal presence.