Kehlani

It Was Good Until It Wasn't

Kehlani’s latest project offers us a vision of inevitable heartbreak, set against the backdrop of light, summery ‘90s R&B and hazy contemporary hip-hop soul.

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t is an album so concise and focused that songs regularly clock in just a shade over two minutes, and which offers a succession of 21st-century reboots of the old-fashioned R&B slow jam.

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t is the latest work demonstrating the 25-year-old’s profound emotional intelligence.

Kehalni’s lubricious vocals and tender slow jams are not for the faint-hearted, but there is a real core of emotional truth burning through these X-rated grooves.

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t expands that poise into an ace R&B showcase. Less explicitly autobiographical and triumphant than her previous music, the album’s emphasis is on immersion.

After dipping her toes into the world of fast-paced pop, Kehlani takes a step forward with It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, an album of sophisticated and clever R&B.

The dark and sexy new songs shine their brightest when coated with a layer of her previous sparkle; which makes the artist’s second album a fine but frustrating release.

Overall Kehlani sounds assured and impressive here, offering sensuality and intimacy in her candour.

As the last plucked notes ring out into the ether, we are left with a record that doesn’t always astound but has a fair few enjoyable moments, and some very effective vocal performances.

Kehlani has a sublime skill in conveying her hardships and heartache, but fails to bring these tales to the forefront in a train of thought worth following as a cohesive project.

It feels slapdash and disorganized in the way a lot of Kehlani’s material has, but this is even worse than usual.