Review: KVLI Is A Certified Baddie
Baddie
Noun
A woman who can hold her own and take care of herself.
Kvli’s soft-spoken and gentle demeanour should not fool you. Her outspokenness is demonstrated in her debut album and latest project, “ Confessions of A Baddie”. The R&B/Soul singer-songwriter harnessed her voice into a project that can be described as candied vocals coupled with premium production. Featuring rising rappers: Silverstone, LoudPackBludy, Daniel Elia, Xtatic and Groovy Jo, the album is a union of catchy bars and hard 808s. In “Confessions Of a Baddie” Kvli is imploring her femme fanbase to stay true to their bad-bitchery.
This exhibits great improvement from her previous project, Different Definitions of love parts 1 & 2. Here, she interrupts her comfort zone by experimenting with her melodic choices. With each track, she continuously proves that R&B is her forte ready to give out an eccentric catalogue. In 9 songs, Kvli takes us through the daily struggle of young love. In an age where romantic encounters are a string of casual connections, Kvli challenges situationships and their potentially detrimental effect on one’s self-awareness.
This is mirrored in the soulful intro “Shots”. Introducing the album, the bouncy tune gives a peek into “Confessions of A Baddie”. She majestically floats over the rich, mellow assembly of beats. In “Love Triangle”, Kvli is torn between infatuation and love, and laments over her indecision between being interested in two people at the same time.
“Give It Up” brings new energy to the album courtesy of the feature from fast-rising rapper, Silverstone Barz. In “Down For Me”, the chemistry between Kvli and LoudPackBludy is explosive. A definite bad bitch anthem, the track restores Kvli’s affirmation as a self-proclaimed baddie. LoudPackBludy comes through with his verse. His euphonious hook leaves an unforgettable mark on the song as he offers a promising counterpart to Kvli’s bars.
Kvli employs rapper Daniel Elia on “Way Up”. Perhaps the most experimental song in the tape, Kvli mischievously plays around with the bouncy rhythms as Daniel leaves an ice-cold flow. “Falling Out Of Love” sees Kvli’s hypnotic voice blending into the mior piano chords as she describes the slow death of a romantic encounter.
The last two songs of the album, “Crew” and “Step Aside” bring new themes into the album. In “Crew” she appreciates her gang and captures the triumph of platonic love. Xtatic verse backs up the whole concept of song shouting out to her day ones. “Step Aside” featuring Groovy Jo, is a personal favourite. The bouncy 808s is the perfect song to listen to when prepping for a night out, nostalgically reminding us of the early aughts, of R&B and rap collaborations.
Without a doubt, “Confessions Of A Baddie” reveals the weight of emerging talent the Kenyan music industry plays host to.
“Confession Of A Baddie” is out now on all platforms.
