::Joint of the day:: Kelis "4th Of July (Fireworks)"::

Yes. Kelis is weird. We know. But, hell, she's been that way since she made her debut 11 years ago. And you can't front on the fact that her special brand of Black girl weird adds to her appeal and makes her unique (Black girls ROCK, btw). I personally champion it. Can't say I'm a fan of her entire catalog. But her self expression as an artist never ceases to intrigue me. Her fifth album Flesh Tone is due out early next month on Will.i.Am's Interscope-distributed label. The lead single "Acapella" reached the top spot on Billboard's dance chart and her latest fashion and creative visual concepts have made an, um, "impression" on blogs all over the net:


Artwork from the Flesh Tone CD booklet.


And apparently, she doesn't give a good goddamn:

Kelis - MTV Shows

(Props to Parlour.)


Yet while "Acapella" did little in the way of whetting my appetite for the new record, the second single "4th Of July (Fireworks)" was definitely a pleasant surprise. It's a dope little Euro-dance romp retrofitted with a funky French house strut. Kinda dope, actually. Take a listen. You make the call.