AMG Review of Ultraviolet

David Jeffries
All Music Guide

A highly anticipated debut that could have done without the hoopla, Kid Sister’s Ultraviolet isn’t the “ladies first” declaration that was hoped for, or the redefinition of party-rap that was hinted at, but it's still highly recommended for party people. First off, there’s the infectious single “Pro Nails” with Kanye West, plus its worthy follow-up “Get Fresh”. Both are filled with slang queen rhymes and a brassy enough delivery that could earn Kid Sister diva status, but the production crew hired by executive producer A-Trak tend to be overactive knob-twiddlers and often overshadow this little-rapper-that-could. Best example, “Big N Bad” which features a sample from Yaz’s “Don’t Go” and is produced by the cheap thriller Herve, with dancefloor prankster Sinden on the assist. Most rappers would find it impossible to overcome such a busy backing track and while Sister isn’t even responsible for the song’s awesome chorus (“We keep it big (Tom Hanks)/We keep it bad (MJ)”) it's to her credit that her quips are memorable, or in the case of “Let Me Bang 2009”’s “Famous in Hyundai!,” T-shirt worthy. Still, as electro meets screwed and chopped, as future disco meets Cee-Lo, its hard to resist such a smart, effervescent album even when there’s are chance you’ll forget the main artist’s name. All career-launching misfires should be this fun.