Kehlani’s Self-Titled Album: All 17 Tracks Ranked

“Growth doesn’t always sound pretty at first,” Kehlani opens her fifth studio album. “Sometimes, it cracks; sometimes, it bends. But it always finds its way to the light. You’re about to hear a heart that’s been stretched, healed and reborn. A voice stepping into its truth with no fear, no filters and no apologies. I am Kehlani.”

Talk about setting the scene! Over delicate piano keys and strings, Kehlani narrates a cinematic note to open her album — one that previews the ebb and flow of emotions in store across its 16 upcoming tracks.

After reimagining “Buy U a Drank” as “I Like Dat” back in 2021, Kehlani and T-Pain have reunited for a new banger — and, this time, Lil Jon is along for the ride. The fingersnap-laden, crunk-informed production instantly transports the Oakland R&B singer-songwriter to the Dirty South, with T-Pain helping her head back outside despite her desperately waiting for a call back from her lover. From a beat that doesn’t really go anywhere to disjointed chemistry between the three artists, “Call Me Back” isn’t a top-tier Kehlani track, but it does expand the project’s sonic range.

Between his surprise appearance at Justin Bieber’s buzzing Weekend Two headlining Coachella set and the announcement of his upcoming verse of Durand Bernarr’s forthcoming album, Big Sean is active. On “Lights On,” Kehlani heads back to the bedroom, bringing Sean Don along for a verse that does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Nothing more, nothing less. “Lights On” is fine, but at this point in the album, anything that’s not a major swing starts to veer into filler territory.

Opening a song with whimsical strings, summery percussion and Lil Wayne nodding to C-Murder’s iconic “Down 4 My N’s” chorus can only mean one thing: Kehlani did not come to play on this album. A doe-eyed ode to that special person she simply can’t let go of, “Anotha Luva” finds Kehlani opening her LP in full lover girl mode. From the ebullient horns in the chorus to her playful enunciation of the titular phrase, “Anotha Luva” was engineered for the springtime.

“Why you so quiet?/ The silence hit like sirens/ If looks could kill, well then, tonight might get violent/ When the fit too fire, you always get too firin’,” croons Kehlani at the onset of “Back and Forth,” a song that tackles how jealousy and miscommunication can turn a night out into a night of arguments. Joining forces with fellow Grammy winner Missy Elliott over The Stereotypes’ slinky, midtempo production, Kehlani steps into a quiet power on this joint. She doesn’t need to belt her heart out to get her point across, and that cavalier approach gives “Back and Forth,” which, of course, nods to Aaliyah’s 1994 debut single of the same name, that much more bite.

Clipse also had a particularly resonant 2025, so it makes sense that Kehlani tapped the brother duo for an assist on “No Such Thing.” This joint, which seemingly flips The Pharcyde’s “Runnin’” — R&B lovers might recognize the groove by way of Mýa’s “Fallen” — keeps Kehlani in the lover girl lane. “No such thing as I love you too much/ Know I care too much/ I can’t want you too much/ No one in this world could make me feel like it’s too much,” she coos in the chorus, with Clipse’s verses adding the right amount of grit and guffness to balance her sweet tone. An undercurrent of anxiety courses through the song, with Kehlani’s vocal performance sounding equally enamored and paranoid. Considering the reconciliation-minded “Folded” is up next, it’s smart sequencing!

After lending the “Mutt” singer an assist on last year’s “Dirt on My Shoes,” Kehlani tapped Leon Thomas for “Sweet Nuthins,” a mutual dare between the duo to drop all pretense and give into their steamy tension. Anchored by some of the album’s tightest harmonies — Kehlani and Leon have strikingly complementary tones — and a Confessions-esque guitar part, “Sweet Nuthins” is certainly a sweet late-album cut.

What’s a stab at a classic R&B album without an Usher duet? That’s probably what Kehlani was thinking as she put together her fifth LP. For “Shoulda Never,” the two vocalists find common ground in their regret for trusting a lover who left them with nothing but wasted time. “To f—k me over when you know that I been f—king you good/ Why pull me in to push me out, just cause you know that you could,” they harmonize in the second verse, interrogating their respective exes’ ugly behavior. A Babyface-penned breakup anthem that also nods to Usher spelling out his name in “Nice & Slow,” “Shoulda Never” should land like catnip for R&B devotees.

It’s always fun when a song feels like its title, and “Crusie Control” sounds exactly like Kehlani flying down the freeway, flirting with the possibility of a long-term future with the partner she’s gone back and forth with across the album. “Things can get ugly if we speed this road/ You don’t wanna rush me/ Let’s just keep this on cruise control,” she sings softly in the chorus with a cadence reminiscent of mid-late ’00s R&B ballads. Though Kehlani starts to drag near its end, “Cruise Control” sets up one triumphant one-two punch of a finale. The Nissan Altima R&B legacy lives on!

A more intimate and less anthemic companion to “Out the Window,” “Still” finds Kehlani parsing through her conflicting feelings regarding her former lover. She still loves them, but she’s no longer broadcasting that information, making for a track that feels like Kehlani is singing to herself in an empty penthouse. Though DIXSON’s yearning background vocals add some nice dimension, something’s missing from “Still.” Perhaps a proper bridge, of which there are so may great ones across Kehlani.

Initially released as the follow-up to “Folded,” “Out the Window” packs every late ’90s/’00s R&B trope into one behemoth of a final plea to save a deconstructing relationship. “I know I fеll too short from what you needed/ And my apologies, you won’t rеceive it, no/ Ever since you left me, I ain’t been sleepin’/ ‘Cause I been in my feelings, oh,” she sings in the second verse, effortlessly handling the octave jumps that make Antonio Lamar Dixon & Kristopher Riddick-Tynes’ arrangement so captivating. Though “Window” managed a No. 63 peak on the Hot 100, it deserves so much more.

First “Ring,” then “Safe,” and now, “Pocket.” Ladies and gentlemen, Kehlani and Cardi B are officially three-for-three. Whether they’re going for an emotional breakup ballad or a come-hither bop, these two women truly just understand each other. Between Kehlani’s playful delivery, the sultry horns that beef up the hook, and Cardi’s “Folded”-referencing verse (“I feel like Kehlani, my body is feeling like laundry, I’m tryna get folded”), “Pocket” is a springtime smash — just give it a solid music video.

After flirting with giving in to her tumultuous lover on “Folded” and “I Need You,” Kehlani marches right into the master bedroom with “Oooh,” a standout solo cut from the album. Underscored by delciously dramatic strings and a staccato pre-chorus that gives way to a chorus comprised almost entirely of scintillating, wordless ad-libs, “Oooh” instantly claims its place alongside classic R&B sex ballads like Beyoncé’s “Speechless.” Just wait until that electric guitar kicks in during the final chorus.

Still a supremely crafted earworm, “Folded” is a welcome sight on the Kehlani tracklist. Although the song is quickly approaching its one-year anniversary, its lyrical universality and sing-along structure maintain all of the power that initially propelled it to the uppermost reaches of the Hot 100.

For every moment when you feel decisively over an old flame, there’s a fleeting urge to reconcile that flutters across your brain and heart. Enter: “You Got It.” On this track, Kehlani outlines the simple things her ex had to do to turn that reconciliation into something permanent. But it’s not merely the words, it’s the much-needed sense of security they’ll provide: “I don’t mean I need you to save me/ When I ask you for safety, when it all gets too crazy/ When all I really want is you to say/ ‘You got it, you got it always,’” she croons, opting for melodies that recall the sleekness of ’80s R&B. And then there’s the piercing, modulation-introducing belt that brings everything home. If there’s one takeaway from this album, it’s that Kehlani pushed herself to some of the most impressive and interesting vocal spaces of her career so far.

After blessing one of her clearest musical daughters with a “Folded” remix stacked to high heaven, Brandy has reunited with Kehlani for a new, original duet titled “I Need You.” Produced by the legendary Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, “I Need You” is a luscious, midtempo duet that finds both ladies reminiscing on a truly life-changing lover. When Brandy slips into a chestier delivery to sing, “Missing the love we had, it just can’t be replaced,” she ratchets up the song’s intensity just as the production begins to build to a gorgeous bridge and subsequent modulation. A Kehlani/Brandy duet could easily crumble under the weight of overwhelming vocal stacks and dizzying counterharmonies, but “I Need You” feels full, not busy — and that’s a testimony to the power of restraint.

Once upon a time, R&B albums used to end with a gospel song, a cover of a hymn, or some kind of dedication to the faith, family and friends that made the project possible. Leave it to Kehlani to bring back those recipes. “Unlearn” is the culmination of every emotional and narrative thread explored across Kehlani. As she spent the previous 16 tracks navigating a tumultuous relationship, Kehlani also garnered new lessons to bolster her own self-love, and, in turn, her ability to be a truly great partner. From the call-and-response breakdown in the chorus to the choral backing harmonies in the song’s back half, “Unlearn” is the kind of flat-footed, sanging ballad that R&B absolutely must return to. Gospel will always be a part of R&B, and when the secular meets the sacred, incredible music comes to life.