Kiesza - Crave

The Guardian 60

(Zebra Spirit Tribe)
The singer’s first album since a near-fatal car crash is studded with highs

In 2014 the Canadian singer-songwriter Kiesa Ellestad, AKA Kiesza, topped the UK charts with 90s house behemoth Hideaway. Collaborations with Diplo and Missy Elliott followed, as did writing sessions for Rihanna. Then, in 2017, a horrific car accident resulted in a brain injury that left Kiesza confined to a darkened room for six months.

The nine-track Crave, released on her own label, represents pure emancipation. Diving further into the frenetic 1980s and 90s pop milieu of old, its pace rarely lets up, with the defiant opener Run Renegade (“I don’t got nothing to prove”) pulsating with unbridled joy. The sugary All of the Feelings and the elasticated funk of the title track, meanwhile, channel the carefree rush of peak Carly Rae Jepsen, anchoring an opening salvo that’s up there with the best pop of 2020.