Kelela - In The Blue Light
All the way down, on a one way to you, all the way down, no matter what you're going through.
As 2025 music releases begin to pick up speed, alternative R&B singer-songwriter Kelela delivers her first live album, In The Blue Light. The gorgeous hour-long unplugged set, consisting of recordings from two concerts at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City is one of the year’s early big surprises.
The record kicks off with soft crowd noise, followed by an announcement that phone sound is to be switched off, flash is to be turned off, and conversation is to be kept to whispers during the performance. Keeping in this disclaimer almost feels like a metaphor for asking to focus on the music you’re about to listen to.
The tracks that follow, which are largely unplugged versions of songs from throughout Kelela’s discography, plus a few covers, are gentle, pensive and mellow. The unplugged setup gives the album a wispy, airy sound, and a uniquely free atmosphere; it also brings an entirely new life to the tracks. The combination of R&B with electronic, ambient and breakbeat elements that is a signature characteristic of Kelela’s regular output isn't present here; instead, the tracks take on a much more tender, string-based sound, with beautiful backing vocals and a patient, hypnotizing pace.
Because this is a live album, it comes with some moments between tracks where Kelela speaks to the audience. These serve two very important purposes. The first is that they give you a moment to catch your breath and to resituate yourself. That said, they don’t break up the transcendent, captivating atmosphere of the music - you still very much remain within the album’s magical world. The second is that they serve to humanize her as a narrator and to ground her in our reality, despite how otherworldly the music sounds a lot of the time; they also provide her the opportunity to, in a couple of cases, bring up some important social topics, such as the reparations still owed to Black Americans and the genocide in Gaza at the end of her cover of “30 Years” by Joni Mitchell.
The crowd interaction, though, is the only thing that lets you know that the album is live, because the production is absolutely top-notch. Every instrument’s tone is just right, fitting perfectly with the others into a cohesive, beautiful set of textures. Kelela’s vocals fit in just as effortlessly, with her warm, honeyed voice flowing just as smoothly as the instrumentals backing her up. The songwriting isn’t new, but the lyricism is presented in a totally different light with the new instrumentals, making it feel much more sensitive and emotionally resonant.
Overall, In The Blue Light is structured really well, is beautiful sonically, and shows plenty of personality through Kelela’s fantastic vocal performances and engagement with her audience. It is an ethereal, enthralling project, showing off Kelela’s versatility as an artist, as well as her high level as a live performer.
9.3/10