It all seemed so obvious (not that thereвЂ™s any indication of what this milkshake actually pays reference to вЂ“ it didnвЂ™t matter!). Like вЂњCaught Out There,вЂќ every sonic burst of the tune, from the gyrating funk synth to the finger cymbal that вЂњtingsвЂќ like a cartoon wink every couple of seconds, added up to this effortless in-joke of pop provocation. Sparkling and juicy, the song was right, we did want it. She wore slinky futurist red vinyl clothing and opened for Britney Spears.

ItвЂ™s there in Mean Girls, at the mall, lurking behind you on one of those ceiling speakers they pipe in at the DMV, with adverts, cross-promotional campaigns hell, I used the song for a 6-month stretch as my answering machine greeting (which brought Kelis to a new level of recognition and shiny commercial viability, ha). While вЂњCaught Out ThereвЂќ was quite successful on R&B radio and circulated on cassette singles or mixtapes like mine, no one was prepared for the domination of вЂњMilkshake.вЂќ You couldnвЂ™t escape it. вЂњMilkshakeвЂќ reached a level of ubiquity that вЂњCaught Out ThereвЂќ never did. She told me it was this hot new starlet, Kel-is. вЂњWhat on earth is this!?вЂќ I gasped, wide-eyed at my friend. A too-catchy chorus spun by an eager, incredulous voice leapt through the speakers and grabbed me by the collar (do you know that sensation?) She sang me a lyric that was so obviously not about the milkshake from which the song took its title. A similarly dirty, repetitive beat erupted on her radio. I wouldnвЂ™t encounter Kelis again until a friend picked me up from the airport and drove me back to my Los Angeles apartment, many years later. She cocks a gun in the song (вЂњI got somethinвЂ™ for yвЂ™allвЂќ) but by then we know sheвЂ™ll be using her hands. It was the sound of someone coming apart at the seams but maintaining control. That scream conveyed what waited in the wings of countless вЂmy manвЂ™s been stepping outвЂ™ songs: bald rage. Incapable of finding the words to express her feelings (or disinterested?), вЂњCaught Out ThereвЂќ was carried by just screaming. The song was pure swagger вЂ“ it seemed to transcend the effort that goes into most careers (вЂњuh-uhвЂ¦bitchвЂ¦ yeah, you been caughtвЂ¦вЂќ). Sound and image congealed for this message of insouciant self invention, like the songstress just traipsed into a room, got this shit off her chest in time to catch the newest summer blockbuster, afterwards. Her production crew, The Neptunes, would soon bring this intentionally cheap sound to the loftier ranks of Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Snoop Dogg, but for Kelis, the computerized rhythm seemed to epitomize her homespun attitude. вЂњCaught Out ThereвЂќ has a spoken backing track so non-musical, inarticulate and matter-of-fact against these canned-sounding beats (вЂњYou know what IвЂ™m sayin, yoвЂ¦this is how it goes yoвЂ¦ pfshвЂ¦ damn'). At the time, she rocked this huge left-field mane of curly hair died like one of those rainbow-flavored snow cones. And sheвЂ™s always relied on her image to do most of that work. In an era of The Cranberries and the bratty tantrums of Fiona Apple, KelisвЂ™ sneering scream tore through the tepid Lilith fair garbage. YouвЂ™ve probably heard the song itвЂ™s clunky production sound and rather average opening verse are brilliantly interrupted when the is-this-for-real chorus hurls a threatening megaphone chant вЂњI HATE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOWвЂќ and the singer releases a baleful вЂњAAAAHHH!вЂќ I went back to then-boyfriend and marveled, WHAT IS THIS SONG? WHO IS THIS KELIS (and, for the longest time, like most, I mispronounced it kel-is instead of the correct Kah-leece). вЂњ Caught Out ThereвЂќ was a fascinating and delightful shock. I donвЂ™t recall much of what was on it, but one tune made a startling impression. I was dating someone with self-admittedly bad taste in music (Aerosmith) who compiled a mixtape of pop provocations and opera. But the music, itself, has always been just the cherry on KelisвЂ™ milkshake. Her new album, Flesh Tone, is a slight change in direction, a taut collection of dancefloor fodder. Kelis is back to music after several years in the celebrity spotlight for all the wrong reasons (an unfortunate marriage, a reality show, some culinary training, a baby, a divorce, a massive alimony, and a bitter spat with PETA).

Kelis food snippet