Return of Princess Pop: Tori by Tori Kelly

Well, it’s been a while since a singer-songwriter blessed us with epic sounds that we wish were always playing on all radio stations. This singer in particular needs no introduction. She just has that sound and that look that appeals to any genre she's in. This time, the musical stylings of Tori Kelly make a return for her fourth full-length album simply entitled, Tori. In this album, Tori channels more of a fun vibe, complete with all the nostalgic sounds of the 80’s and 90’s combined. Amidst the recent health scare, she managed to put together a compilation of feel-good melodies. 

The breakout single missin You , was just filled with that sitting at home, just getting over a breakup blues. But so catchy and fun that you just dance your heartbreak away. This song has a Mariah Carey feel all over it when you hear Tori sing, while also upping the ante with Ariana Grande feel to it as well when she flexes her range.

The second song that really stood out was Shelter, if not because of the in your face vocals about how in love she is with her partner, then it's definitely going to be that pivotal moment where she matches a guitar solo note by note! Clearly, ahead of her time.

Young Gun is the next song that perfectly matches who Tori is as an artist, one that is not afraid to step outside of the box with the genre she’s singing. With the help of the great Jon Bellion as a feature, together they manage to create a song that is truly reminiscent of Owl City’s Fireflies with the futuristic melody. It also manages to give Tori here a change in her range with her sound almost mimicking Rihanna’s raspiness (think Get Over It in comparison) that compliments a story about a romance ending and a jilted lover pondering if the person comes to their remembrance.

There are a few tracks, notable ones in fact that could have been considered singles but did not have that appeal to make the cut. Such as the song Unbelievable that features Arya Starr. A mild song at best, even though it’s empowering with female “don’t need a man” lyrics, but starts to become a cliche quickly with the musical trope of an american artist mimicking an african or jamaican accent throughout a song over a afro centric beat and features a non american artist to show diversity in their skillset. But still an enjoyable song.

The song Cut is clearly the more phenomenal track from the full length project here. As it is jam packed with nostalgia from the 90’s r&b. The beat sounds like it was produced by Timberland, and gives Tori here vocals that are reminiscent of Aaliyah (perhaps Try Again is a good comparison to this). It’s a lighthearted song, and is about a person in love and how they feel. This song makes Tori shine greatly with vocals and allows her to be a feature similar to Brandy with the harmonizing vocals but also as a feature as you hear Timberland in it as well.

Alive If I Die is simply beautiful while still making you visualize a love story of just bliss. The live version of this makes the cut because of how raw Tori is with her vocals and how she doesn’t need to lip sync to prove herself, something that has always been a hit or miss with artists.

This album was delightful to experience and while there are tracks that are a hit or miss, Tori Kelly manages to shut up the haters and leaves fans literally wanting more(there are only 7 tracks!).