Kelis Has Plans For The Boys After They Get To The Yard.

Kelis is all about being comfortable and confident, especially when explaining the motivation behind the title Tasty.

"To get people to swallow something it's got to taste good, and this album does," she boasted. "Hopefully people will like it and they will swallow it and make it part of their lives."

The album, which was released a week ago, marks Kelis' first Stateside album since her 1999 Neptunes-produced debut, Kaleidoscope. "It's been awhile since I have been out here," she said. "It took me a minute, but honestly, this whole album I am really proud of."

Harlem-bred vocalist Kelis left her parents' home at 16 and landed a deal with Virgin four years later. In mid-1999, Kelis was singing alongside rap troublemaker Ol' Dirty Bastard on his cut "Got Your Money," and her signature Technicolor spiraled Afro sparked critics' interests. Kelis captured feminist desires on her debut, Kaleidoscope, released in December 1999. Two years later, she teamed up with the Neptunes once again for Wanderland. The sophomore effort was only released in Europe -- due to political reworkings within the U.S. wing of Virgin -- which compelled Kelis to leave for Arista. 2003's Tasty followed and yielded the Top Ten hit "Milkshake," another Neptunes production. In 2006, her fourth album, Kelis Was Here, was released through Jive, led by the duly assertive "Bossy." MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide