Human skin color

Human skin color ranges in variety from the darkest brown to the lightest hues. An individual's skin pigmentation is the result of genetics, being the product of both of the individual's biological parents' genetic makeup. In evolution, skin pigmentation in human beings evolved by a process of natural selection primarily to regulate the amount of ultraviolet radiation penetrating the skin, controlling its biochemical effects.

The actual skin color of different humans is affected by many substances, although the single most important substance is the pigment melanin. Melanin is produced within the skin in cells called melanocytes and it is the main determinant of the skin color of darker-skinned humans. The skin color of people with light skin is determined mainly by the bluish-white connective tissue under the dermis and by the hemoglobin circulating in the veins of the dermis. The red color underlying the skin becomes more visible, especially in the face, when, as consequence of physical exercise or the stimulation of the nervous system (anger, fear), arterioles dilate.

Flesh Tone

Flesh Tone is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kelis, released on May 14, 2010 by Interscope Records. Recorded while the singer was an unsigned artist and while pregnant with her first child, the record is an ode to motherhood and is a distinct departure from the R&B sound of her previous albums. The album features production from David Guetta, Boys Noize, Jean Baptiste, and Benny Benassi, amongst others.

Flesh Tone is an electronic dance album that incorporates elements of house, synthpop, and dancehall. The record serves as Kelis' debut with Interscope Records under the will.i.am Music Group. Contemporary music critics praised the album for being cohesive as well as refreshing and lean. Flesh Tone spawned four singles, including "Acapella" and "4th of July (Fireworks)", which became hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and the UK Dance Singles Chart.

Background

In October 2007, Kelis parted ways with Jive Records due to the lackluster commercial response of her album Kelis Was Here in the United States. Kelis was signed to Pharrell Williams' record label Star Trak, which was originally distributed by Virgin Records, but after it was bought by Arista Records, she was moved to Jive Records. Her manager Jeff Rhaban explained, "It was a case of being in the ever-shrinking world of the record industry and finding herself on a label she wasn't signed to and without a champion". Two years later, Kelis began working on a new album as an unsigned artist. She recorded much of the songs in the garage of her Los Angeles home, named Casa de Kelis, while finishing touches were added at Jeepney Studios. Soon after parting ways with Jive, it was reported that Kelis had been working on an indie dance album with Cee-Lo.