''Ms. Kelly'' is the second solo
studio album by
American recording artist
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene Rowland (born February 11, 1981) is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the gr ...
. It was released on June 20, 2007, through
Columbia Records in collaboration with
Music World Entertainment
Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952)Knowles in is an American record executive, businessman and university lecturer. He is best known for being the manager of Destiny's Child. He also once managed the solo careers of his daughters Beyoncé an ...
. Originally titled ''My Story'' and expected for a mid-2006 release, the album marked Rowland's first solo studio album in four years. Retitled and delayed numerous times prior to its official release, the album's release date was eventually moved to 2007 in favor of a multi-tiered marketing strategy and additional recording sessions. Willed to produce a more personal effort after her debut studio album ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
'' (2002), Rowland contributed nine tracks to the reworked ''Ms. Kelly'', which took her solo work further into
urban music
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, Hip hop music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music ...
markets, involving production by
Scott Storch
Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots.
Early life
Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Ph ...
,
Polow da Don
Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper.
Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014 ...
,
Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced many successful songs, including Monica's " Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo ...
and singer
Tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
, among others.
Upon its release, ''Ms. Kelly'' received generally positive reviews from most
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
and achieved reasonable commercial success, debuting at number six on the US
''Billboard'' 200 and at number two on the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
, selling 86,000 copies in its first week, being Rowland's highest first-week sales with a studio album to date.
As a consequence, Columbia released three ''Deluxe''
reissues of the album the following year – an
extended play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. (EP) ''
Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe'', ''Ms. Kelly: Deluxe Edition'' and another extended play ''Ms. Kelly: Digital Deluxe'' – containing previously unreleased songs and remixes.
Exclusively at
Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
, ''Ms. Kelly'' was packaged with a bonus
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
titled ''
BET Presents Kelly Rowland'' (2007). The DVD features
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
and performance highlights, and
music videos
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
from Rowland's solo career.
Background
In 2002, Kelly Rowland teamed up with rapper
Nelly to record the chorus and vocals on the track "
Dilemma
A dilemma ( grc-gre, δίλημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but dist ...
" for his album ''
Nellyville
''Nellyville'' is the second studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 25, 2002, by Universal Records and Fo' Reel Entertainment. The album's production was handled by Waiel Yaghnam, the Neptunes, Jay E, Trackboy ...
''. Released as the album's second single, the song became one of the most successful singles of the year, topping various charts worldwide, including the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Originally scheduled to be released in early 2003, the success of the collaboration caused the label to extend the release date of Rowland's debut solo album ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
'', which Rowland rushed within three weeks to get done and was described as
alternative R&B.
Released in the United States in October 2002 and internationally in 2003, ''Simply Deep'' was certified
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),
and has sold 602,000 copies in the United States.
Released to an even bigger success in international territories, the album topped the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
and became a gold-seller in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, resulting in worldwide sales total of two and a half million copies. The album yielded three singles. "
Stole", a
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
-influenced mid-tempo track about loss, was released as the album's lead single and became an international top-ten hit single, peaking at number two in Australia and the United Kingdom.
In the United States, the song failed to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma", reaching the top-thirty only.
After a three-year hiatus that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Rowland rejoined
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
and
Michelle Williams for Destiny's Child's final studio album ''
Destiny Fulfilled
''Destiny Fulfilled'' is the fifth and final studio album by American R&B trio Destiny's Child. It was released on November 16, 2004, by Columbia Records and Sony Urban Music. A comeback release, it marked the return of Destiny's Child after th ...
'', released in November 2004.
Meanwhile, Rowland had started work on the conception of her second solo studio album.
She began collaborating with songwriter-producer
Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan-Michael Paul Cox (born December 1, 1977) is an American record producer and songwriter who is notable for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. Among his most notable productions are "Be Wit ...
, partner
WyldCard
Kendrick Jevon Dean (also known as Wyldcard) is an American record producer, songwriter and entrepreneur. He has produced or written for 7 GRAMMY Nominated albums to date. Some of his hits include Chris Brown's "Say Goodbye" (Billboard #1), Mar ...
, and production duo CKB. Some of their early recordings, including "Bad Habit" and "Flashback", were later included on Destiny's Child's final studio album as well as the group's live DVD ''
Live in Atlanta'' (2006), respectively.
As she was anxious to avoid hasty productions as on her previous album, which Rowland felt was less personal, she took a wider role in the production of the album; the singer co-wrote the majority of the songs and shared ideas in which one to produce.
"I wrote a lot on this record
..and it's especially from me
o my fans" she told
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
about the album. "It's a feelgood record; very intimate. It's a sneak peak into my mind and heart of the past three or four years."
Music and lyrics
After the
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
–
dance sound which dominated her previous album ''Simply Deep'', Rowland felt she was still struggling with finding her sound as solo artist, and instead of capitalizing off its international success, the singer and her management settled on "a more urban approach" with her second album.
Commenting on her decision, Rowland later told ''
MTV News'', "in general, I'm going in the urban, more R&B route. Of course, that's what I started with Destiny's Child,
ut onmy first solo album I did more of a pop-sounding record. So I wanted to go back to my roots and dibble and dabble with some beats."
Consequently, Columbia Records consulted a wider range of
contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhy ...
and
hip hop producers and artists such as Big Tank,
Patrick "J. Que" Smith,
Rockwilder
Dana Stinson (born February 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper.
A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artist ...
,
Rich Harrison
Richard Christopher Harrison (born 1979) is an American record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C., specializing in R&B and hip hop music.
The winner of a Grammy Award, Harrison is well known for producing songs such as " Get Right ...
,
Rodney Jerkins, and
Robin Thicke
Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 hit single " Blurred Lines", which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, h ...
to work with Rowland on the album.
Female rappers
Remy Ma
Reminisce Mackie ( Smith; born May 30, 1980), known professionally as Remy Ma, is an American rapper. Discovered by Big Pun, she came to prominence for her work as a member of Fat Joe's group, Terror Squad. In 2006, she released her debut stud ...
,
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
, and
Shawnna
Rashawnna Guy (born January 3, 1978), better known by her stage name Shawnna, is an American rapper. She was the first female artist signed to Def Jam South through Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace Records. She is a former member of the female Chi ...
also lent their voices to guest parts.
Lyrically, love, independence, and maturity became reoccurring themes throughout the album.
With songs such as "'I'm Still in Love with My Ex" and "Better Without You" inspired by Rowland's former relationship with American football player
Roy Williams,
most of the tracks Rowland recorded were relationship-driven, something she said she was not hesitant about discussing. "I just went in the studio and just did me, because I think that's when you get your best product. That's when it's just natural. It just flew out of my mouth and came out in lyrics
ndI had great writers involved."
While recording her vocals, Rowland was inspired by several singers, citing former bandmate
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, and singers
Brandy and
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
as major inspirations, "I listened to a lot of Whitney Houston for her vocals. I love her. I love Beyoncé's voice, and I love Brandy. Those are three vocalists who inspire me. I love how different they are. I love how they take themselves to the next level."
Songs
Opening song and
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
"
Like This", which features rap from
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
, was one of the last songs recorded for ''Ms. Kelly''.
Noted for the use of a
cowbell
A cowbell (or cow bell) is a bell worn around the neck of free-roaming livestock so herders can keep track of an animal via the sound of the bell when the animal is grazing out of view in hilly landscapes or vast plains. Although they are t ...
in its melody, the single was first released in March 2007 to mixed reviews and became Rowland's highest-charting solo single since "
Stole" (2002). The second track, titled "Comeback", is one of the two tracks
Scott Storch
Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots.
Early life
Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Ph ...
contributed to the album. Planned to be released as the album's second single, Rowland shot a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for the track with director
Philip Andelman
Philip Andelman is an American music video director and photographer. Andelman has directed music videos for many notable artists, see below. He has received nominations for his works from the MVPA, VMAs, and CMT awards including MVPA Director ...
in July 2007.
When a single release failed to materialize, the video premiered on Rowland's official
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
account in early 2008.
"
Ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
" is set as the third track and features rapper
Snoop Dogg. Originally recorded for the shelved ''My Story'', the
crunk
Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track fre ...
-influenced track was released as the album's second single in
North America in August 2007, where it achieved minor success, reaching number nine on the US ''
Billboard''
Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...
only. The album's fourth track, "
Work
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an animal t ...
", was written after returning from a night out in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
and rushed in "like twenty minutes." An
up-tempo
A variety of musical terms are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special mu ...
composition featuring
funk production and
go-go
Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response.
Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C. area during the mid-60s to late-70s. Go-go has l ...
elements, it was released as the album's second international single during the first quarter of 2008 and enjoyed major international commercial success, emerging as the highest-charting single off the album.
Synth
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
esized "Flashback" is the fifth track of the album and had previously appeared on Destiny's Child's
video album
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
''
Live in Atlanta'' (2006). Released to generally lukewarm reviews, the ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...
'' called it "positively lackluster". "Every Thought Is You", a ballad produced by
Rockwilder
Dana Stinson (born February 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Rockwilder, is an American hip hop record producer and rapper.
A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast hip hop artist ...
, garanered positive critics, with
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
noting it "a classy, well-sung mid-tempo track about healthy infatuation".
The seventh track "The Show" features a guest appearance by singer
Tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
, who produced the track. It's followed by a one-minute-long interlude. The ninth track "Still in Love with My Ex" was rumored to be about Rowland's ex-fiancée Roy Williams. The tenth track "Better Without You" speaks about a protagonist who feels better after ending a relationship. It's followed by the eleventh track "Love", and the album closes with a love song "This Is Love".
Release and promotion
Originally expected for a March 2006 release, the album had two title changes and three unofficial releases until its official release the following year.
Initially scheduled for a July 11, 2006 release, the album's original draft, entitled ''My Story'', was eventually shelved in favor of a revamped version with a different vibe. Although manager
Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952)Knowles in is an American record executive, businessman and university lecturer. He is best known for being the manager of Destiny's Child. He also once managed the solo careers of his daughters Beyonc ...
initially insisted that the decision to push the release date from July 2006 was because more time would be needed to properly set up the project, Rowland later admitted that she had been unsatisfied with the album's direction, and thus, she asked to rework with a stable of new
record producers
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
on the project.
Speaking of the delay and the original track listing, she told ''Billboard'': "it was basically a list of songs that I put together about the past three years of my life, with love and relationships", and added: "And I remember listening to the record, and I was just like, 'I don't want this to be too deep to where, you know,
lose people.' And the record was too full of midtempos and ballads, so I wanted to bring it up a little bit."
Her decision led to the cancellation of the album's original leading single "
Gotsta Go
''Ms. Kelly'' is the second solo studio album by United States, American recording artist Kelly Rowland. It was released on June 20, 2007, through Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Entertainment. Originally titled ''My Story'' a ...
", a collaboration with rapper
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album '' Fun ...
that she premiered on the
MTV Asia Awards 2006
The MTV Asia Awards 2006 was held at the Siam Paragon in Bangkok, Thailand.[Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...]
on May 6, 2006.
Rowland eventually consulted new producers to collaborate on the album, including
Mysto & Pizzi,
Sean Garrett
Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...
,
Scott Storch
Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots.
Early life
Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Ph ...
, and
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
-based
Polow da Don
Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper.
Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014 ...
, who contributed the single "
Like This," a duet with rapper
Eve
Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
, to the album.
In addition, the singer decided to retitle the album. She stated: "I really put my heart and soul into this record and not only am I excited that everyone's going to hear the music, I'm looking forward to people getting to hear the real me. That's the reason I called the album ''Ms. Kelly''. Because the title is all about respect, being an adult and that's how I feel about my life, and my music."
Other promotional efforts included a sophomore CD teaser in
Live in Atlanta features. "Flashback" was also included on an audio disc packaged with the DVD.
Singles
Recorded late into the production of the album, Rowland and her management chose "
Like This" as the lead single off ''Ms. Kelly''. Moderately successful on the charts, the song reached the top ten in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, and dominated the US
Dance Club Songs.
"Comeback" was sent to urban radio on July 30, 2007, as the album's second single in the United States,
while "
Work
Work may refer to:
* Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community
** Manual labour, physical work done by humans
** House work, housework, or homemaking
** Working animal, an animal t ...
" was released as the second international single and achieved greater success than "Like This". Pushed by a newly produced
Freemasons remix, it reached the top ten on the majority of all European and Oceanic music charts. "
Ghetto
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
", featuring
Snoop Dogg, followed with minor to no commercial success stateside. The album produced previously unreleased "
Daylight" as fourth and final single; it became a top twenty success in the United Kingdom and helped introducing the ''Diva Deluxe'' reissue. Although never released as a single, Rowland shot a music video for "Comeback" back-to-back with the video for "Work".
The track was originally planned to be released as the album's second single alongside ballad "Still in Love with My Ex". In a fan poll to determine the second single of the album, "Still in Love with My Ex" was chosen. This never materialized, however.
Tour
The
Ms. Kelly Tour was Rowland's first North American tour. She had previously headlined an exclusive European
Simply Deeper Tour
The Simply Deeper Tour was the debut concert tour by American R&B recording artist Kelly Rowland. It was launched in support of her debut solo album '' Simply Deep'' (2002). The Simply Deeper Tour only reached Europe.
History Touring Europe
Thi ...
(2003) for her debut solo album, ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
''. The Ms. Kelly Tour was originally scheduled to hit fifteen cities between October 2007 and December 2007, with a three-night finale in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
. However, three scheduled tour dates were cancelled with no ticket refunds. R&B singer
Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
was the tour's opening act.
Critical reception
''Ms. Kelly'' received generally positive reviews from
music critics. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a
weighted mean
The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...
rating out of hundred to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of seventy, based on ten reviews.
Alex Macpherson of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' gave the album four and a half stars out of five. He complimented ''Ms. Kelly'' as "poised, dignified and completely lacking in the hysteria normally associated with R&B divas giving vent to their feelings" but felt that "the emotions simmering beneath her glassy, controlled tones are as raw as any
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
classic."
Ben Williams of the ''
New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com.
It was established ...
'' referred the album as a "mostly upbeat record that soulfully delves into contemporary funk",
while ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' found that "after a blah solo debut with 2002's ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
'', Kelly Rowland — assisted by producers like Scott Storch and Polow Da Don — brings the noise and the funk to her vibrant follow-up.
''
Newsday'' writer Glenn Gamboa remarked that with ''Ms. Kelly'', Rowland "doesn't dabble in various genres. She doesn't try to push the envelope. Rowland does what she does best: She cranks out one potential pop hit after another. ''Ms. Kelly'' shows that Rowland knows her strengths and that she intends to keep playing to them."
Andy Kellman from
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
found that ''Ms. Kelly'' "sounds like an album where Rowland is mostly sorting through some deeply personal relationship issues with a couple relatively lighthearted songs thrown in for variety." He noted that "all-around, the album does provide a stronger set of songs than 2002's ''
Simply Deep
''Simply Deep'' is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released through Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 22, 2002, in North America, and on February 3, 2003, in other areas. Recorded ...
''. The material tends to be kind of insidious, rather than hitting you immediately or going through one ear and out the other."
Giving the album three stars out of five, he also remarked that "the lyrics
..are direct and specific, going beyond basic breakup material."
Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani stated that, "this time around, both the production and lyrics are stronger." He praised the "bona fide club jams" on the album.
''
Billboard'' wrote that while "Rowland may never upstage her superstar groupmate Beyonce, but she certainly has the vocal chops and charm to stand on her own stiletto-clad feet. Compared with her gospel-fueled 2002 solo debut, Rowland appears confident and dominant on foot-stompers
ndthough still short of career-defining, ''Ms. Kelly'' finds its author opening up more while welcoming the possibility that destiny may just find another star.
In a mixed review for
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
, Mark Edward Nero characterized the album as "basically one by someone with the persona of a backup player who's been thrust in a lead role." While he praised songs such as "Work" and "Like This," Nero felt that the album contained too many "weak songs" and that Rowland, "although she may feel comfortable in the role, can't carry the full weight — just like
Scottie Pippen
Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...
never could with the
hicago Bulls."
''
Dotmusic
''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...
''s Jaime Gill called ''Ms. Kelly'' "old-fashioned", writing that "Rowland's big problem is that she has the lungs but not the voice
..She can holler like
Beyoncé, growl like
Kelis
Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...
or swoon like
Aaliyah, but has little to no natural style of her own."
Ken Capobianco's review for ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' was more emphatic dubbing it "a solid if somewhat safe set of grooves, but the album never takes full flight to become something special."
Commercial performance
''Ms. Kelly'' was listed for thirty-three weeks on nine different charts. It made its first appearance on the
Irish Top 75,
Dutch Top 100 and
Swiss Top 100. Its highest peak position worldwide was number six on the US
''Billboard'' 200, selling 86,000 units in its first week and becoming Rowland's highest entry on the chart. The album spent eleven weeks inside the chart. As of July 2011, ''Ms. Kelly'' has sold 222,000 copies in the United States.
Outside the United States, the album failed to enter the top forty of the majority of the charts it appeared on, except in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number thirty-seven on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
.
The standard edition of the album sold 24,424 in the United Kingdom as of 2008.
HighBeam
/ref> In Brazil, the album opened at thirty-seven; it also peaked at number ten on the Japanese International Albums Chart. The album struggled to appear in the top-fifty of the ARIA Albums Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
in Australia, peaking at number forty-four after several weeks on the chart. However, the album reached the top ten on the Australian Urban Albums, peaking at number eight.
The reissue, titled ''Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe'', charted for three weeks on the top seventy-five UK Albums Chart, entering the chart at number twenty-three. It charted significantly higher internationally, peaking two weeks later on the European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart was the European adaptation of the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. It ran from March 1984 until December 2010. Also commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums, the chart showcased the sales of an act in 19 E ...
chart at number eighty.
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Ms. Kelly''.
;Notes
* signifies a co- producer
* signifies an additional producer
Re-releases
''Diva Deluxe''
Following the original album's lukewarm sales and reception, Rowland re-entered recording studios to collect new songs for a reissue of ''Ms. Kelly'', including production by Stargate, Jeff Dawson, CKB and Mark Feist. She was also expected to record with producer Danja, but deadline pressure prevented from happening; a new track by J. R. Rotem
Jonathan Reuven Rotem is a South African-born record producer, songwriter and music publisher.
Biography
Early life
Rotem was born in South Africa to Jewish Israeli people, Israeli immigrant parents. He moved to Canada at the age of two an ...
did not make the final cut. "The sales weren't as good as I wanted them to be and to be honest, I did feel sad about that for a little while", Rowland stated in 2008, still blaming the final track listing for too many midtempos and ballads. "I didn't realize it while I was recording it. After it was released ack in Junemany fans said the songs would rock if they were more upbeat." Branded with the title ''Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe'', the United States re-release received a digital download release only on March 25, 2008, containing seven tracks — five new songs and two remixes of songs found from the standard edition of the album. Previously unreleased song " Daylight", a Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...
cover
Cover or covers may refer to:
Packaging
* Another name for a lid
* Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package
* Album cover, the front of the packaging
* Book cover or magazine cover
** Book design
** Back cover copy, part of co ...
and collaboration with Travie McCoy
Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy (born August 5, 1981) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the co-founder and former lead vocalist of the rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, in addition to having a solo career. McCoy became involved w ...
of Gym Class Heroes, served as the reissue's new lead single. The international edition of the ''Ms. Kelly'' re-release was released physically and digitally in May 2008, retitled as ''Ms. Kelly: Deluxe Edition''. It removed seven tracks from the original release and replaced them with six of the seven ''Diva Deluxe'' tracks, an additional remix of "Daylight" by Joey Negro
David Russell Lee (born 18 June 1964) is an English DJ and house music producer, formerly known by the stage name Joey Negro, which he retired in July 2020 following the George Floyd protests. He has released music under a variety of pseud ...
and the internationally successful Freemasons remix of "Work", as Rowland "wanted to have another view on the record and close the ''Ms. Kelly'' chapter" with the re-release.
''Ms. Kelly Deluxe''
''BET Presents Kelly Rowland''
Background and release
On July 7, 2007, Columbia Records and BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
released a joint DVD+CD version of the album called ''BET Presents Kelly Rowland''. The DVD consists of a candid interview with Rowland as she talks about the production of ''Ms. Kelly'', her time as a member of Destiny's Child, and her perspective on her celebrity status and solo career. The DVD also features BET highlights, performance highlights, and music videos from throughout Rowland's career.
The DVD was originally packaged with Rowland's second album, ''Ms. Kelly'', exclusively at Walmart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
. However, it is now available for individual purchase at online shopping sites such as Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...
.
Track listing
BET Highlights
*Access Granted: The Making of Kelly Rowland
*Access Granted: " Stole"
*Black Carpet Interview with Toccara
Performance Highlights
*Hometown Church Performance
* Destiny's Child Performance "Say My Name
"Say My Name" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, LaTavia Roberson, Kelly Rowland, LaShawn Daniels, Fred Jerkins ...
" Live in Atlanta
*Glam-o-rama Minneapolis Performance
*Kelly Performs "Bad Habit" and "Dilemma
A dilemma ( grc-gre, δίλημμα "double proposition") is a problem offering two possibilities, neither of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The possibilities are termed the ''horns'' of the dilemma, a clichéd usage, but dist ...
" Live in Atlanta
*BET Awards 2005 Performance with Destiny's Child: "Cater 2 U
"Cater 2 U" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their fifth and final studio album '' Destiny Fulfilled'' (2004). The song was written by group members Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams along with Rodney "Dark ...
"
Music Videos
*"Stole"
*"Dilemma"
*"Bad Habit"
*"Like This"
*" Train on a Track" (previously unreleased in the US)
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Ms. Kelly''.
* Kelly Rowland — vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
, executive producer, vocal producer
* Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles (born January 9, 1952)Knowles in is an American record executive, businessman and university lecturer. He is best known for being the manager of Destiny's Child. He also once managed the solo careers of his daughters Beyonc ...
— executive producer
* David Angell — violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
* Pamela Sixfin — violin
* Mary Kathryn Vanosdale — violin
* Craig Brockman
Craig Xavier Brockman (born May 16, 1973) is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Terrace Martin, Warren G. He is also a member of The Soul Seekers.
Pro ...
— piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
* Christopher Farrell — viola
; german: Bratsche
, alt=Viola shown from the front and the side
, image=Bratsche.jpg
, caption=
, background=string
, hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
, range=
, related=
*Violin family ...
* Kristin Wilkinson — viola
* Anthony LaMarchina — cello
The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...
* Carl Marsh — conductor
* J. "Lonny" Bereal — vocal producer, vocal assistance
* Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd — vocal producer
* Montina Cooper — vocal producer, vocal assistance
* Huy Nguyen — vocal producer
* Wayne Allison — engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
* Chris Jackson — engineer
* Colin Miller — engineer
* Brian Sumner — engineer
* Rommel Nino Villanueva — engineer
* Vadim Chislov — assistant engineer
* Gelly Kusuma — assistant engineer
* Kobla Tetey — assistant engineer
* Jason Goldstein — mixing
* Jean Marie Horvat — mixing
* Tony Maserati — mixing
* Dexter Simmons — mixing
* Phil Tan — mixing
* Andy Zulla — mixing
* Mike Fraser — mixing
* Christian Baker — mixing assistance
* Tom Coyne — mastering
* Chris Gehringer — mastering
* Fusako Chubachi — art direction
* Erwin Gorostiza — art direction
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Release history
References
External links
*
Ms. Kelly
' at Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
{{Authority control
2007 albums
Albums produced by Polow da Don
Albums produced by Poo Bear
Albums produced by Rockwilder
Albums produced by S*A*M and Sluggo
Albums produced by Sean Garrett
Albums produced by Scott Storch
Albums produced by Soulshock and Karlin
Albums produced by Stargate
Columbia Records albums
Kelly Rowland albums