Kelela’s ‘Cut 4 Me’ finally is coming to CD, vinyl

One of Los Angeles’ best albums of recent years is finally getting a physical release.

The experimental R&B singer Kelela released her album “Cut 4 Me” as a digital-only mixtape (both as a free download and a paid release on iTunes) in 2013. The record gained immediate acclaim for its narcotic and atmospheric textures, one that artists like Tinashe and FKA Twigs would also deploy to great ends on subsequent LP’s.

The album announced one of L.A.’s most charismatic new voices, and cohered a loose-knit scene around the Fade To Mind label, where like-minded producers Kingdom, Nguzunguzu and Bok Bok were making sounds that would soon come to define pop and R&B alike. The Times described it as “A striking collection of sensual vocals and shape-shifting grooves.”

Now, a year and a half later, physical-album devotees can finally stock “Cut 4 Me” on their shelves. Fade To Mind has pressed the record on CD and vinyl, squared away for an April 7 release. The latest edition of the album comes with a big slate of additional remixes from her stable of production partners.

The release comes at an important moment for Kelela. Enough time has passed since “Cut 4 Me” that fans are restless for a follow-up, and though she played a well-received set at FYF Fest last year, she also canceled a high-profile Fonda date to, in her words, “devote all of my time to completing this album. I’m in a crucial time right now and want to be fully present to the magic that is happening with the new material. I can’t do that and continue to build the live show at the same time without compromising both of them.”

Hopefully this physical release will tide folks over until it’s done.

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