■ 30 October 2009 | 10:59 AM

(old pic from C&D!)
Kelis has had some awesome albums, including "Kaleidoscope" -- which was one of The Neptunes very first albums-- a fun mix of funk, R&B, pop, rock and soul.
"Wanderland," never released here in the States, was even better (The Neptunes are more extreme and dirty, Clipse make an amazing guest star) and then of course came the groovy "Tasty" and the slightly scattered but still good "Kelis Was Here."
The thing about Kelis is that even when her stuff isn't 100% making sense, she remains an innovator: fresh, forward, rebellious and different. She's like the Bjork of R&B.
Of course, her childbirth and messy divorce have slowed down the music for a minute, but she seems to be creeping back into view. My bud, songwriter Jean Baptiste (who writes a lot for the Black Eyed Peas), regularly sends updates on Facebook about the progress of her new, still untitled album (which I think is finished). He promises that it'll be great; in the meantime, I just got sent a track by this guy Jack Spalsh.
*transition, change of subject*
The Splash track is called "In the Future" and we likey. We likey a lot. Kelis is on it, sounding all coo-y and smoky and "Bossy"; this track is futuristic funk dope. Jack Splash has a mixtape coming out in two weeks; he's the new producer with mad buzz. R Kelly, Missy Elliott, Mos Def and more are raving about him; Rolling Stone calls him "the next OutKast."
So, Jack Spalsh and Kelis: super funky. Yay.