Record Review: Kele

Kele - The Boxer 1.5/5

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Stepping out into the spotlight alone is a tricky move for any artist, few succeed and even fewer manage to sustain that success over the long-run. For Kele Okereke of indie-rock darlings, Bloc Party, his well documented interest in exploring modern R&B and dance music, is the reason for taking time out with his band, to release his solo debut, The Boxer.

Unlike a Justin Timberlake or Gwen Stefani, Kele (as he now goes by) fails to distance himself from his Bloc Party past and embrace new sounds. Instead, from the album's opener, the marching chant of "Walk Tall," to the guitar-riffs of "The Other Side," it reads like Bloc Party b-sides, there is a feeling of indecision and lack of direction. "Tenderoni," the synth driven dance track is about as good as it gets. "Rise" finds its footing in twinkling synth and an explosion of chaos, but both are crushed under the weight of their surrounding tracks, melodramatic lyrics and lack of energy.

The Boxer is a record that's never fully realized, and with the dropping of his last name, Kele, and the album feel more like an exercise in ego, than an expression of the sounds that help shape Kele as an artist. Okereke may have been better off, releasing a single or two and taking his time to channel and shape his body of work, and not just his biceps.