“TORI.” - Tori Kelly Album Review

Tori Kelly found her fame by competing on American Idol. While she didn’t win, she did gain recognition for her talents, eventually releasing her first EP “Handmade Songs.”

Since then, the pop and soul singer has released several albums and won two Grammys. Her new album “Tori.” is her first album release since “A Tori Kelly Christmas” in 2020.

“Tori.” was very different from her previous albums. It has a noticeable shift in musical influences. It also has a more defined nubile ambient rather than her usual gospel themes.

As for Tori’s vocals, they’re spectacular. Two artists that she seems to mimic (vocally) are Cher Lloyd and Shakira. Neither is fully obvious throughout the album’s entirety; there are a select few tracks that showcase the similarities.

Her range is vast on this album. The genres, production and vocal techniques vary song to song. She even has a capella moments that specifically highlight her voice.

The only song that contains some sort of spiritual aspect is “high water.” Kelly, being a very religion-focused singer, made a surprising choice.

The production of every song is spectacular. There’s a healthy balance between instrumentation and electronic production. Nothing felt unnecessary (which is rare).

Plus, it’s refreshing to be able to pick out when a keyboard or acoustic guitar is being played rather than a button being pressed.

One thing that sparked curiosity was the background vocals. Credited background artists include Jon Bellion, Clyde Lawrence, Tenroc, Jordan Cohen, Jon Batiste and more. Not a single one is considered a feature (excluding Bellion’s actual feature).

Background vocals don’t warrant a featured listing, but for the songs that features are not listed (with background vocals), the singers have either a bridge or a pre-chorus type of style. Very odd.

On that note, there are three songs that do have features. They include “spruce” with Kim Chaewon of LE SSERAFIM, “unbelievable” with Ayra Starr and “young gun” with Jon Bellion.

Each of them has a unique set-up. Bellion and Kelly harmonize the entire time in contrast with Kim Chaewon of LE SSERAFIM and Kelly going back and forth. Even so, each single has its own appeal.

The lyrics are pretty solid. There are a few rhyme schemes that seem amateur, but for the most part, they’re wonderful. One of the best ones being “Broken-hearted tears, forever kind of rain” from “high water”.

However, there’s a specific lyric that takes away some of the majesty of the album and it’s as follows, “you got me charged like a Venmo” from “oceans.” It was just a mistake lyrically.

A stylistic lyric that needs an honorable mention is “it go it ‘da dum, da dum, da’” from “cut.” It has a rhythm that’s kind of experimental.

The themes of self-love and empowerment were very relatable. The whole album has a quality that makes the listener just want to get up and dance, but it is also thought-provoking.

Overall, the album was very well made. There were a few things that hindered its complete success, but nothing too extreme.

“Tori.” is now streaming anywhere you listen to music! Go give it a listen!

Rating: 7/10

Reviewer’s Favorite Songs: “thing u do,” “cut”

Reviewer’s Least Favorite Songs: “alive if i die,” “purple skies interlude”

Isabel Sweet is a second-year majoring in film production. To contact her, email ips5219@psu.edu.