Kehlani has, for the longest time, been stuck just outside the realm of R&B stardom: despite the numerous hits she’s had over the years (backed by her remarkable vocal talents), the singer has never quite managed to break into the out-and-out mainstream she’s always seemed destined for. Now, it feels like 2026 is finally her year after ‘Folded’ has grown to be her defining single. Her new self-titled album isn’t perfect, but it carries with it all the smooth R&B magic needed to propel her into the spotlight.

‘Kehlani’ is a record bathing in the syrupy production choices and confident vocal stunts that defined R&B in the 2000s, and it’s a style that suits her well— it’s certainly very easy to listen to, dominated by sultry chord changes and gentle sound choices as it is. Anyone who’s enjoyed ‘Folded’ will find a lot to love here, as that song does an excellent job establishing the core ingredients Parrish goes on to develop and toy with across these seventeen tracks. Those cheery guitar licks and crisp drum loops settle in behind our leading woman, who feels entirely at home riffing on the song’s harmonious melodies: that, right there, is the appeal that runs throughout all of ‘Kehlani.’ On her self-titled project, the singer clearly has no interest in pushing too far outside her comfort zone as a songwriter (or even as a vocalist, despite how intricate and expressive many of her performances can be). The record indulges in R&B revivalism, right down to the wonderful chemistry Parrish shares with USHER on ‘Shoulda Never’— if you like your music on the warmer side, this should be right up your alley.

So then, ‘Kehlani’ is an album executing on a tried-and-true, winning formula: it’s an unsurprising truth, then, that the project brings its fair share of highlights to the table. ‘Anotha Luva’ is the perfect note to open the record on, sauntering its way through a series of pitch-corrected refrains and shockingly coherent Lil Wayne additions with a gradual but essential momentum that raises the bar for what’s to come after— where many classic R&B numbers can suffer for their own lethargic pacing, here’s a cut that’ll keep you hooked unto the last. Parrish has stuffed a number of guest features into these tracks, and they tend to be winners: Brandy and Leon Thomas settle in on ‘I Need You’ and ‘Sweet Nuthins’ respectively without much difficulty, and the excitement that rap features Missy Elliot and Clipse inject into the album goes a long way to spruce up the full-listen experience. Even left to its own devices though, ‘Kehlani’ is well-equip to go the distance, as the confident modulations of ‘You Got It’ and the effortless bliss of ‘Cruise Control’ go a long way towards demonstrating.

Or perhaps not, as Parrish’s work is unfortunately uneven for how rock solid its foundation should be: seventeen tracks is a lot of material to write, and ‘Kehlani’ isn’t always on top of its game. It’s clear that the record is often in need of some new, inventive twist to keep its revivalist style alive— whenever the album plays things too straight, as it does on ‘Out The Window’ and ‘Still,’ we slip straight into the middle of the road. At least Parrish herself knows this, which might explain how so many guest features ended up making the final cut: why that list had to include Lil Jon, Cardi B and Big Sean, we may never know. Like we said before, ‘Kehlani’ is a project built from an ironclad foundation, which just makes its missteps all the more confusing. The awkward vocal stuttering on ‘Oooh’ proves that not every Parrish-backed cut is necessarily a winner, and the forced call-and-response of closer ‘Unlearn’ is much the same. This hour long album is not without its head-scratching moments, it seems.

It’s always interesting to see where an artist’s heart lies on their self-titled project, and for Kehlani, it’s in the mellow crooning of twenty years ago: honestly, we can’t blame her for that. The singer’s fifth studio record is a smooth affair, accented by a strong central performance and silky production you can barely dissect— Parrish isn’t necessarily pulling these ideas of flawlessly, but you can’t deny that she’s damn good at what she does.