After Exploring The Good & The Bad Of "Kelly Rowland's" Second Solo Effort, I Think It's Ready For A Review.
Kelly Rowland - Ms. Kelly
Track List
- Like This ft. Eve
- Come Back
- Ghetto ft. Snoop Dogg
- Put It In
- Flashback
- Every Thought Is You
- Show ft. Tank
- Interlude
- Still In Love With My Ex
- Love
- Better Without You
- This Is Love
- Gotsta Go (Part I) ft. Da Brat
Released
June 25 (UK)
July 3 (US)
Label
Columbia
Producers
Billy Mann, CKB, Loren Dawson, Mysto & Pizzi,
Polow Da Don, Rockwilder, Scott Storch,
Soulshock & Karlin, Tank
"Ms. Kelly" brings a welcome return to former "Destiny's Child" star Kelly Rowland, it is her second album since the band split in 2004 & is an obvious competitor to former band mate "Beyonce Knowles". After constant delays & a name change, some did wonder if the record would ever see the light of day, but after a long wait here it is, with some strong songwriters & hot producers, it promises to be a highlights of the R&B year.
The album itself is everything that you would expect from a modern R&B artist, with a mix of hot beats & slow melodies, it becomes apparent from the first full listen that there is far more of the latter. Highlights from the record include the current single "Like This" featuring female rapper "Eve", club banger "Come Back" & the sexy, up-tempo, unfortunately titled "Put It In".
When Kelly changed the name of this record, she was quoted as saying the album was: "too full of mid-tempos and ballads", I'm certainly glad she didn't release the original, as this release still suffers from the mentioned problem. The track positioning is some of the worst I have ever heard, with the first 4 tracks being relative fast paced, it is then proceeded with "Mid-tempos & ballads" from tracks 5 - 12, it is only saved with the "Da Brat" pickup "Gotsta Go". This unfortunate step makes it very hard to listen to all the way through & makes you want to skip so many tracks.
However, when you do reach the slower tracks this is where Ms. Kelly really shines & shows us where here talent lies, each one is well performed with solid vocals & a confident sound to Kelly's voice, this is a real improvement from her past ballad tracks on "Simply Deep". Stand out tracks here are the OTT love song "Show" featuring R&B star "Tank" & the emotionally soulful "Love", which I was pleasantly surprised by, Kelly's vocal talent is strong here, even with lower instrumentals she remains confident with her voice.
The most developed & memorable track for me is "Flashback", produced by "Charlie and Kenny Bereal", this track has a "Kelis" production feel to it. With it's rather random arrangement of beats from the offset, & it's perfectly timed vocals & soulful storytelling from Kelly, this one is hot.
Overall, Kelly Rowland provides us with a very enjoyable finished product, with slick production values from some of the hottest in the game, she does not disappoint with her vocal ability or her ability to get you to move your feet. The obvious comparisons have to be made to Beyonce's "B-Day", which to be fair beats kelly's efforts on most levels, apart from the ability to perform emotionally. B's album has a colder, faster paced feel to it, while Kelly remains confident whatever style she incorporates. Kelly has obviously become more confident as an artist, she demands respect & attention rather than wanting validation, which I have felt from her in the past, now she feels like she is hear to stay.
I fully encourage you, especially the ladies, to grab a copy of Ms. Kelly when it drops worldwide in in the coming couple of weeks. It has enough to leave you feeling fulfilled, I would have loved to hear something more adventurous & diverse from Kelly, but she does not disappoint, you get what you expect, modern R&B.
*** 3 1/2 Stars
The album itself is everything that you would expect from a modern R&B artist, with a mix of hot beats & slow melodies, it becomes apparent from the first full listen that there is far more of the latter. Highlights from the record include the current single "Like This" featuring female rapper "Eve", club banger "Come Back" & the sexy, up-tempo, unfortunately titled "Put It In".
When Kelly changed the name of this record, she was quoted as saying the album was: "too full of mid-tempos and ballads", I'm certainly glad she didn't release the original, as this release still suffers from the mentioned problem. The track positioning is some of the worst I have ever heard, with the first 4 tracks being relative fast paced, it is then proceeded with "Mid-tempos & ballads" from tracks 5 - 12, it is only saved with the "Da Brat" pickup "Gotsta Go". This unfortunate step makes it very hard to listen to all the way through & makes you want to skip so many tracks.
However, when you do reach the slower tracks this is where Ms. Kelly really shines & shows us where here talent lies, each one is well performed with solid vocals & a confident sound to Kelly's voice, this is a real improvement from her past ballad tracks on "Simply Deep". Stand out tracks here are the OTT love song "Show" featuring R&B star "Tank" & the emotionally soulful "Love", which I was pleasantly surprised by, Kelly's vocal talent is strong here, even with lower instrumentals she remains confident with her voice.
The most developed & memorable track for me is "Flashback", produced by "Charlie and Kenny Bereal", this track has a "Kelis" production feel to it. With it's rather random arrangement of beats from the offset, & it's perfectly timed vocals & soulful storytelling from Kelly, this one is hot.
Overall, Kelly Rowland provides us with a very enjoyable finished product, with slick production values from some of the hottest in the game, she does not disappoint with her vocal ability or her ability to get you to move your feet. The obvious comparisons have to be made to Beyonce's "B-Day", which to be fair beats kelly's efforts on most levels, apart from the ability to perform emotionally. B's album has a colder, faster paced feel to it, while Kelly remains confident whatever style she incorporates. Kelly has obviously become more confident as an artist, she demands respect & attention rather than wanting validation, which I have felt from her in the past, now she feels like she is hear to stay.
I fully encourage you, especially the ladies, to grab a copy of Ms. Kelly when it drops worldwide in in the coming couple of weeks. It has enough to leave you feeling fulfilled, I would have loved to hear something more adventurous & diverse from Kelly, but she does not disappoint, you get what you expect, modern R&B.
*** 3 1/2 Stars