| Wanderland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 17, 2001 (2001-10-17) | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 62:54 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | The Neptunes | |||
| Kelis chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Wanderland | ||||
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Wanderland is the second studio album by American singerKelis, released on October 17, 2001, byVirgin Records. The album's only single, "Young, Fresh n' New", peaked at number 32 on theUK Singles Chart. As of October 2004,Wanderland had sold 17,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[2]
According to Kelis, Virgin Records did not understandWanderland. 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 underRCA Records.[7]
The song "Flash Back" (retitled "Flashback") was included on Kelis' subsequent albumTasty, while a new version of "Popular Thug", which replacedPusha T ofClipse withNas, appears onthe Neptunes' 2003 compilation albumClones.[8][9]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [10] |
| Blender | [11] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[1] |
| entertainment.ie | [12] |
| The Guardian | [13] |
| NME | 6/10[14] |
| Rolling Stone | [15] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [16] |
| Slant Magazine | [17] |
Wanderland received generally positive reviews from music critics.The Guardian criticAlexis Petridis described the music as "clever, exhilarating and original" and praised the album as The Neptunes' "most adventurous work to date".[13] Mark Bautz ofEntertainment Weekly commented that "Kelis' brash blend ofCurtis Mayfieldsoul,techno-Zeppelinfunk,Jobim-litebossa nova, and ultrasmoothR&B shows a more coherent artistry than many recent boundary-busting experiments."[1] Rupert Howe ofBlender found that "[t]he best thing aboutWanderland is that [Kelis] seems finally to have begun celebrating her eccentricities", adding, "Aside from the idiosyncratic lyrics [...] she switchbacks from parodying '70s mack-stylin' (theFunkadelic 'Daddy') to an '80s soul croon ('Scared Money')."[11] Atentertainment.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 ofAllMusic 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'sdebut [...] After that solid beginning, the album continually loses steam and gains it back."[10] Stephen Dalton ofNME viewed the album as "a solid sophomore effort", but felt that "there is way too muchfiller here for a hotly hyped alterna-soul princess with her eyes on the big prize."[14] Sal Cinquemani ofSlant Magazine opined that the album is "far from rote, but the Neptunes's rehashed retro beats and synths are beginning to sound derivative ofBritney Spears's 'I'm a Slave 4 U.' Much of the disc's hooks are unchallenging and repetitive at best."[17] InThe New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), Ernest Hardy and Arion Berger were critical of the album, writing that "[t]he beats that broughtKaleidoscope to life are gone, and only Kelis' hippieish and overly self-aware songwriting remains."[16]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 1:11 | |
| 2. | "Young, Fresh n' New" |
| 4:37 |
| 3. | "Flash Back" |
| 3:26 |
| 4. | "Popular Thug" (featuringPusha T ofClipse) |
| 4:13 |
| 5. | "Daddy" (featuringMalice of Clipse) |
| 3:50 |
| 6. | "Scared Money" |
| 4:00 |
| 7. | "Shooting Stars" |
| 6:17 |
| 8. | "Digital World" (featuring Roscoe) |
| 4:25 |
| 9. | "Perfect Day" |
| 3:56 |
| 10. | "Easy Come, Easy Go" |
| 3:31 |
| 11. | "Junkie" |
| 2:56 |
| 12. | "Get Even" |
| 4:12 |
| 13. | "Mr. U.F.O. Man" (featuring John Ostby) |
| 4:27 |
| 14. | "Little Suzie" "Star Wars" "I Don't Care Anymore" |
| 11:48 |
| Total length: | 62:54 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (live – edited version) | 4:38 | |
| Total length: | 67:32 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (live – edited version) |
| 4:36 |
| 16. | "Star Wars" |
| 3:06 |
| 17. | "I Don't Care Anymore" | Phil Collins | 3:48 |
| Total length: | 74:24 | ||
Notes
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofWanderland.[20]
| 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 |
| 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] |
OnWanderland, 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.
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