(LaFace/Sony BMG)

Sure, Kelis is here. Too bad The Neptunes aren't. After three collaborations that spawned hits like the scream-fuelled introduction Caught Out There and the bouncing breakthrough hit Milkshake, tempestuous vocalist Kelis has parted ways with Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams for this fourth disc.

And while their absence from Kelis Was Here is not disastrous, it does lead to disappointment. Replacement producers like the ubiquitous Scott Storch, will.i.am, Cee-Lo, Max Martin and others do their best to supply the rubber-ball beats and freaky originality that suit Kelis -- and come close on standouts like the brassy Bossy, Aww S*** and the Gary Glittery I Don't Think So.

Trouble is, there aren't enough standouts on this front-loaded and overly long 77-minute set, which quickly gets bogged down in a swamp of half-baked club cuts and limp ballads that don't even seem to interest Kelis much, never mind us. "There is nothing special about me," she admits at one point.

If she wants to fix that, she might want to think about luring Chad and Pharrell back to her yard.

Track Listing:

1. Intro
2. Bossy - Kelis, , Too Short
3. What's That Right There
4. Till the Wheels Fall Off
5. Living Proof
6. Blindfold Me
7. Goodbyes
8. Trilogy
9. Circus
10. Weekend - Kelis, will.i.am,
11. Like You
12. Aww S***! - Kelis,
13. Lil Star
14. I Don't Think So
15. Handful
16. Appreciate Me