Bow down to Ms. Kelly... (Ms. Kelly - Kelly Rowland)

Member Name: Jark

Product:	Ms. Kelly - Kelly Rowland
Date:	14/04/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Endless stunning ballads and midtempos, dance smash 'Work'

Disadvantages: Only the way the album was handled

Don't make the mistake of writing Kelly Rowland off as Beyonce's less interesting former bandmate; she is so much more of an artist than her more-famous adopted sibling, but she's not even nearly as successful. So what is it about Ms Kelly that impresses?

Lead single 'Like This' opens the set. Unusually, it was helmed by four producers including R&B heavyweights Polow Da Don and Sean Garrett, but the end result is not muddled by any means; it's a slick slice of urban jam, all hi-hats and subtle synths. A fairly fly start, and the cool continues on 'Comeback', a Scott Storch club banger which to many a fans' outrage evaded single status. The majority of Storch's output may suggest that he's past-it, but here he gives Rowland an instantly addictive number. The focus isn't on meaningful lyrics - 'I got that comeback / that hubba-bubba' - just on starting a party.

'Ghetto', which appropriately features one-time king of the G Snoop Dogg, is a little less successful, and although it still makes for pretty background fodder, Kelly's record label were misguided in thinking that it would do anything at radio, who generally require some sort of hook in the music they play. 'Work', the second and final Storch number, is another winner. It packs a minimal dance beat comprised of synths, drums and something which sounds suspiciously like a tambourine. Attempting to sing the right words to the frantic chorus is quite the challenge! Next is 'Flashback', whose laid-back groove and soothingly warm vocals are nothing if not pleasing. Though strictly an album track, the song is so genuine and understated that it gets under your skin.

'Every Thought Is You' takes things a step further, recalling the R&B jams of the '80s with a floaty-light vocal and minimal, clap beat-assisted production. It's exceptionally similar to parts of Destiny's Child's most recent album, 2004's wonderful Destiny Fulfilled, and in particular the likes of 'T-Shirt' and 'Game Over'. 'The Show', produced by and featuring R&B crooner Tank, is more of the same, if less interesting in terms of the hook. That said, the lyrics are amusingly saucy. The aptly-named 'Interlude' is interesting indeed, previewing the verse to follow-up 'Still In Love With My Ex' in a stripped-back, acoustic manner. When that song does begin, though, we're listening to the highlight of Kelly's, or K-Ro as we'll call her, entire career. Produced by the ever-brilliant Danish production duo Soulshock & Karlin, 'Ex' is a midtempo which laments K-Ro's mistake in moving on from a past lover so speedily. The lyrics are touching and unpretentious - 'All my family told me Kelly, he's the one for you / I know your family love me / and I love them too' - and her delivery is truly convincing. The song, a firm fan favourite, was somehow never picked as a single, which probably turned out to be the biggest mistake of K-Ro's much-mismanaged career.

'Love', a more traditional piano ballad, was co-written by K-Ro's close relation and good friend Solange Knowles, a biting warning to a flame from the past who has told themselves another love would be easy to find ('Same ex who was your back-up plan / Has moved on to better things'). Balladry is where Kelly gets the chance to shine; her vocals are simply a million times more restrained and believable than those of powerhouse Beyonce. Now for the first and only real dud of the main tracklist; 'Better Without You' is just a bore. Kelly's vocals feel like a mere hum phoned in from a deep slumber, and you'll need to try hard not to fall into one yourself. Thankfully the closer is altogether more charming; 'This Is Love', produced and written solely by the talented Billy Mann, may suffer the odd, horribly cliched lyric ('The poor will start to laugh / Even the rich will start to cry') but it's a true piece of beauty celebrating the great emotion; 'It's the way I lean my body towards you / Even when I'm a hundred miles away'. Like much of Ms Kelly, it's the minimalism of everything from the vocals to the backing track that really impress.

Two brand new songs also made it as bonus tracks; 'Gotsta Go Pt I' featuring femme-rapper Da Brat is a monotone hip-hop joint with effortless swagga, whilst 'H'Bibi I Love You', featuring French artist Armine, is another old-school ballad with a late-night vibe to it.

The album's poor chart performance led Rowland's label to re-issue it in 2008, giving us lucky listeners several more, previously-unheard songs to sink our teeth into. The UK edition was lead by the Freemasons' remix of 'Work', a glorious dance-pop-fest which became a huge smash hit on this side of the ocean, and deservingly so. 'Daylight', a Bobby Womac cover, features Travis McCoy and boasts a wonderfully-retro '70s soul vibe and an easy-breezy chorus. Stargate employed their basic ballad template for 'Broken', which is simplistic and pretty if not at all original or attention-grabbing. It's much the same story with both 'No Man No Cry' and 'Love Again', but 'Unity (Stay With Me)' is a fantastic downtempo which received much fan and critical acclaim (though it was wasted potential, being ignored, once again, by Rowland's useless then-label Columbia). It's probably best to buy the original edition of the album, which features superior artwork, and then download the 'Work' remix and 'Unity'.

Ms. Kelly is one of the finest examples of that only-too-common occurence; a fine work of art screwed over by a hopeless record label, and thus not heard by a large majority of its intended audience. But for almost any pop/R&B fan, Ms Kelly is a must-hear, and the best of the Destiny's Child solo albums.

Summary: Check it baby, get it baby, check it baby, get it.