Ms. Kelly
Encyclopedia
- Miss Kelly is the title of a 1955 juvenile fantasy novel by Elizabeth Sanxay HoldingElizabeth Sanxay HoldingElisabeth Sanxay Holding was an American novelist and short story writer who primarily wrote detective novels in the hardboiled school of detective fiction.-Life:...
Ms. Kelly is the second solo studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
. It was released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in collaboration with Music World Entertainment and Sony Music during the third quarter of 2007, beginning with most European
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
territories on June 22. This will be the Kelly Rowland last album to be recorded with Music World Entertainment.
Rowland's first regular solo release in four years, the album was renamed and delayed numerous times prior to its official release. Originally branded My Story and expected for a mid-2006 release, the project 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 fast-recorded 2002 album Simply Deep
Simply Deep
Simply Deep is the debut solo album by American singer Kelly Rowland, first released by Columbia Records on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories...
, Rowland contributed nine tracks to the re-worked version, Ms. Kelly, which took her solo work further into urban music markets, involving production by Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
, Polow da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
, Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin
Soulshock & Karlin is a duo of Danish record producers and songwriters, Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin. They have produced a large number of successful songs, including Monica's "Before You Walk out of My Life", Whitney Houston's "Heartbreak Hotel", JoJo's "Leave ", and Fantasia's "Truth Is"...
and singer Tank
Tank (American singer)
Tank is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer.-Career:Tank was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family as a child to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crossland High School and was offered the opportunity to play college...
among others.
The album achieved reasonable commercial success, debuting within the top ten of the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 86,746 copies in its first week sales serve as Rowlands' highest sales start with a studio album to date. As a consequence, Columbia released two Deluxe reissue
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
s of the album the following year, containing previously unreleased songs and remixes.
Exclusively at Walmart, the original Ms. Kelly was packaged with a bonus DVD titled, BET Presents Kelly Rowland
BET Presents Kelly Rowland
BET Presents Kelly Rowland is a DVD released by the American R&B singer-songwriter 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 features BET highlights, performance highlights, and music videos from Rowland's solo career.
Production
Rowland had been working on the conception of her second solo album on and off since 2004, with some of her early recordings — such as the Bryan Michael CoxBryan Michael Cox
Bryan-Michael Cox is a GRAMMY award winning American songwriter and record producer.-History:Bryan-Michael Cox was born in Miami and grew up in Houston, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While in the eleventh grade he met and was mentored by Greg Curtis...
-produced "Bad Habit" — even being used on the Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
's albums Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled is the fourth and final studio album by American R&B trio Destiny's Child, first released in North America on November 16, 2004. It marked the return of Destiny's Child after it went into hiatus, which allowed each member to release solo albums...
(2004) and Destiny's Child: Live in Atlanta (2006). The album's first draft, entitled My Story, saw her actually writing and recording with a wider range of well-known contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
producers and artists as she wanted to go "in the urban, more R&B route [in general]" with the album, involving Big Tank, Patrick "J. Que" Smith
Patrick J. Que Smith
Patrick "j.Que" Smith is an American Grammy nominated record producer and Songwriter. He has contributed to songs from Usher, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce, Fantasia, Ciara, Avant, Chris Brown, The Gospellers, and Omarion....
, Rich Harrison
Rich Harrison
Rich Harrison is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C.. He is primarily an R&B/Hip-Hop producer...
, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, and Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
. Female rappers Remy Ma
Remy Ma
Reminisce Smith , better known by her stage name Remy Ma, formerly known as Remy Martin, is a Grammy nominated American rapper and former member of Fat Joe's rap crew, Terror Squad...
and Shawnna
Shawnna
Rashawnna Guy , better known by her stage name Shawnna is an American rapper. She was the first female artist signed to Def Jam through Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace Records...
also lent their voices to guest parts. Anxious to avoid hasty productions as on previous album Simply Deep
Simply Deep
Simply Deep is the debut solo album by American singer Kelly Rowland, first released by Columbia Records on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories...
(2002), Rowland took a wider role in the production of the album: she 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 [to my fans]," she said of the album. "It's more R&B [...] and it definitely has a feel-good vibe to it as well."
A few months before the scheduled release of My Story however, Rowland felt the album was not going into the direction she had previously envisioned, and thus, she asked to revamp the album. "It was basically a list of songs that I put together about the past three years of my life, with love and relationships," she said of the original track listing. "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, [I] lose people.' And the record was too full of midtempos and ballads, so I wanted to bring it up a little bit." Rowland eventually consulted new producers to collaborate on the album, including Mysto & Pizzi, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
, who contributed the single "Like This
Like This (Kelly Rowland song)
"Like This" is a R&B song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It features guest vocals by rapper Eve and was written by Sean Garrett, Rowland, Eve, Jamal Jones, Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams, and Jason Perry and co-produced by Polow da Don, S-Dot, Garrett, Perry, and Williams for Rowland's second studio...
," a duet with rapper Eve
Eve (rapper)
Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the...
, to the album.
In addition, the singer decided to rename the album. "I really put my heart and soul into this record," she said, "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." Rowland cited former bandmate Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, and singers Brandy
Brandy (entertainer)
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
and Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
as major inspirations while recording her album.
Composition
Opening song and lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
"Like This
Like This (Kelly Rowland song)
"Like This" is a R&B song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It features guest vocals by rapper Eve and was written by Sean Garrett, Rowland, Eve, Jamal Jones, Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams, and Jason Perry and co-produced by Polow da Don, S-Dot, Garrett, Perry, and Williams for Rowland's second studio...
", which features rap from Eve, was one of the last songs recorded for Ms. Kelly. Noted for the use of a cow bell
Cow bell
A cowbell or cow bell is a bell worn by freely roaming livestock, so that they do not run away or wander off without being heard. While bells were used on various types of animals, they are typically referred to as "cowbells" due to their extensive use with cattle.A trychel is a large cow bell...
in its melody, the single was first released in March 2007 to mixed reviews and became Rowland's highest-charting solo success since 2002's "Stole
Stole (song)
"Stole" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written and co-produced by Dane Deviller, Sean Hosein and Steve Kipner and recorded for Rowland's solo album Simply Deep...
". Second track "Comeback" is one out of two tracks Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
contributed to the album. Planned to be released as the album's second single at times, Rowland shot a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the track with director Philip Andelman in July 2007. When a single release failed to materialize, the clip premiered on Rowland's official YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
account in early 2008. "Ghetto" is set as the third track and features rapper Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
. Originally recorded for the shelved My Story, the crunk music-influenced track was released as the album's second single in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in August 2007, where it achieved minor success, reaching number nine on the U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles only.
The album's fourth track, "Work
Work (Kelly Rowland song)
"Work" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland. It was written by Rowland, Scott Storch and "Work" is a song recorded by [[United States|American]] singer-songwriter [[Kelly Rowland]]. It was written by Rowland, [[Scott Storch]] and "Work" is a song recorded by [[United...
", was written after returning from a night out in Miami and rushed in "like twenty minutes." An up-tempo composition featuring funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
production and go-go elements, it was released as the album's second international single during the first quarter of 2008 and enjoyed major commercial success, emerging as the highest-charting single off the album. Synthesized "Flashback" is the fifth track of the album and had previously appeared on Destiny's Child's 2005 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
album Live in Atlanta (2006). Released to generally lukewarm reviews, the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
called it "positively lackluster." "Every Thought is You", a ballad produced by Rockwilder
Rockwilder
Rockwilder is an American hip hop and R&B record producer, rapper, and R&B Singer. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast Hip Hop artists in the mid 1990s. In 1999 Rockwilder produced Method Man & Redman's hit single "Da Rockwilder"...
, garanered positive critics, with About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
noting it "a classy, well-sung mid-tempo track about healthy infatuation."
Release and promotion
Originally expected for a March 2006 release, the album had two title changes and three unofficial releases until its dropping the following year. Although manager Matthew Knowles initially insisted 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 first draft, and thus, asked to rework with a stable of new producers on the project. Her decision led to the cancellation of the album's original leading single "Gotsta Go", a collaboration with rapper Da BratDa Brat
Shawntae Harris , better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.-Early life:...
that she premiered on the MTV Asia Awards
MTV Asia Awards
The biannual MTV Asia Awards is the Asian equivalent of the Europe MTV EMA. Established in 2002, the show gives recognition and awards to Asian and international icons in achievement, cinema, fashion, humanitarian, and music. Just like the EMA, most of the awards are voted for by the viewers from...
Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
on in May 2006.
Recorded late into the production of the album, Rowland and her management chose "Like This
Like This (Kelly Rowland song)
"Like This" is a R&B song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It features guest vocals by rapper Eve and was written by Sean Garrett, Rowland, Eve, Jamal Jones, Elvis "BlacElvis" Williams, and Jason Perry and co-produced by Polow da Don, S-Dot, Garrett, Perry, and Williams for Rowland's second studio...
" as the new lead single off Ms. Kelly. Moderately successful on the charts, the song reached the top ten in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and the United Kingdom, and dominated the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Dance Club Play
Hot Dance Club Play
The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs...
chart. While "Ghetto" followed with minor to no commercial success stateside, second international single "Work
Work (Kelly Rowland song)
"Work" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kelly Rowland. It was written by Rowland, Scott Storch and "Work" is a song recorded by [[United States|American]] singer-songwriter [[Kelly Rowland]]. It was written by Rowland, [[Scott Storch]] and "Work" is a song recorded by [[United...
" received greater success than "Like This." Pushed by a newly-produced Freemasons
Freemasons (band)
Freemasons are an English dance band from Brighton, East Sussex, England. The act consists of producers Russell Small and James Wiltshire .-2005-2007: Early Career:Their name is taken from the Brighton pub, Freemasons Tavern, Hove, which they frequently...
remix, the single surpassed the leading single's chart performance, reaching the top ten on the majority of all European and Oceanic music charts. The album released previously unreleased "Daylight" as fourth and final single; it became a top twenty success in the UK and helped introducing the Diva reissues. 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".
Following the original album's lukewarm sales and reception, Rowland re-entered recording studios to collect new songs for a reissue
Reissue
A reissue is the repeated issue of a published work. In common usage, it refers to an album which has been released at least once before and is released again, sometimes with alterations or additions....
of Ms. Kelly, including production by Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
, 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
J. R. Rotem
- Early life :Rotem was born in South Africa to Israeli immigrant Jewish parents. He moved to Toronto at the age of two and finally to Moraga, California when he was twelve.Rotem's entry point into music was in receiving classical piano tuition at a young age...
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 tracklist for too many midtempos and ballads. "I didn't realize it while I was recording it. After it was released [back in June] many fans said the songs would rock if they were more upbeat." Branded with the name Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe, the U.S. re-release received a digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
release only on March 25, 2008, containing seven tracks — five new songs and two remixes of tunes found on the original album. The international version of the Ms. Kelly re-release was released physically and digitally in May 2008, re-titled as Ms. Kelly Deluxe. It removed eight tracks from the original release and replaced them with six of the seven Diva Deluxe tracks, as Rowland "wanted to have another view on the record and close the Ms. Kelly chapter" with the re-release." Previously unreleased record "Daylight", a Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
and collaboration with Travie McCoy
Travie McCoy
Travie Lazarus McCoy is an American singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010....
of Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes
Gym Class Heroes is an American hip hop rock band from Geneva, New York. They have collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump on numerous occasions, notably for providing backing vocals on the song "Cupid's Chokehold." Stump also produced the majority of their album The Quilt.The group formed...
, served as the reissue's new lead single. As Kelly told noted UK R&B writer Pete Lewis of the award-winning Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....
: "Because I love the fact that Gym Class Heroes' music and sound is something different and eclectic, I figured me and Travis together would be an unusual typea duet. And I'm really happy I trusted my instincts."
Ms. Kelly World Tour
The tour was to be Rowland's first worldwide tour. Rowland had previously headlined an exclusive EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an tour, Simply Deeper Tour
Simply Deeper Tour
The Simply Deeper Tour was a 2003 European concert tour by American pop/R&B singer Kelly Rowland, to help promote her debut solo album Simply Deep.It is estimated the tour grossed over $16 million based on 17 concerts reported to Billboard....
, for her debut solo album, Simply Deep
Simply Deep
Simply Deep is the debut solo album by American singer Kelly Rowland, first released by Columbia Records on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories...
. The tour was to hit 16 city tour between October 2007 and November 2007, with a two-night stint in Las Vegas. R&B crooner Mario was scheduled as the tour's opening act for all dates.
The tour experience's bad and good tickets sales in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the tickets hitting good in African countries while in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
the tour extend because of the opening ticket success at the G-A-Y
G-A-Y
G-A-Y is a gay nightclub in London. It operated from the London Astoria music venue for 15 years until July 2008. The Boston Globe described it as "London's largest gay-themed club night", NME reported that it "attracts 6,000 clubbers each week", and The Independent described it as "the one London...
Center Arena sold-out with 6,008 in attendance.
It is estimated the tour grossed over $6 million based on four concerts reported to Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
.
Critical response
Ms. Kelly received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, averaging a 71 out of a 100 among averaged reviews on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Alex Macpherson of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
complimented the album as "poised, dignified and completely lacking in the hysteria normally associated with R&B divas giving vent to their feelings. But the emotions simmering beneath her glassy, controlled tones are as raw as any Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
classic," giving it four and a half stars out of five. Ben Williams of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
referred the album as a "mostly upbeat record that soulfully delves into contemporary funk," while Andy Kellman wrote for Allmusic: "All-around, the album does provide a stronger set of songs than 2002's Simply Deep
Simply Deep
Simply Deep is the debut solo album by American singer Kelly Rowland, first released by Columbia Records on October 28, 2002 in North America, and by February 3, 2003 throughout most international territories...
. 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 noted that "the lyrics [...] are direct and specific, going beyond basic breakup material." In his review for About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, 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. And although she may feel comfortable in the role, Kelly can't carry the full weight — just like Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen
Scottie Maurice Pippen is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association . He is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, with whom he was instrumental in six NBA Championships and their record 1995–96 season of 72 wins...
never could with the [Chicago] Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
." Dotmusic
Dotmusic
Dotmusic was a music website that existed as a standalone website from 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 website for music fans.In addition to music news, reviews,...
`s Jaime Gill called Ms. Kelly "old-fashioned", adding that "Rowland's big problem is that she has the lungs but not the voice [...] She can holler like Beyoncé, growl like Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
or swoon like Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
, but has little to no natural style of her own." Ken Capobianco's review for The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
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 33 weeks in 9 different charts. It made its first appearance in the Irish Top 75Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
albums chart, Dutch Top 100
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...
albums chart and Swiss Top 100
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...
albums chart. Its highest peak position worldwide was number 6 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 11 weeks inside the Billboard 200 chart and sold 222,000 copies in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as of July 2011.
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
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it debuted at thirty-seven on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, and also sold 24,000 copies in its opening week. In Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, the album opened at thirty-seven; it also peaked at number 10 on the Japanese International Albums Chart. The album struggled to appear in the top 50 on the ARIA Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
in Australia, peaking at number forty-four after several weeks on the chart, and selling 12,000 copies in its first week. However, the album reached the top ten on the Australian Urban Chart, peaking at number 8.
Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe charted for 3 weeks on the Top 75 UK Albums Chart, entering the chart at number 23, moving just under 1,000 downloads in its first two weeks of release. It charted significantly higher internationally, peaking two weeks later on the European Hot 100 albums chart at number 80. Collectively, including the sales of its multiple editions, Ms. Kelly has sold more than one million copies worldwide, making the album, in retrospect, unexpectedly successful.
Standard edition
Ms. Kelly Deluxe
Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe
Ms. Kelly: Digital EP
Credits and personnel
- David Angell — violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Craig BrockmanCraig BrockmanCraig Brockman is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Nisan Stewart.-Production:...
— pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Christopher Farrell — violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Anthony LaMarchina — celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Carl Marsh — conductor
- Pamela Sixfin — violin
- Mary Kathryn Vanosdale — violin
- Kristin Wilkinson — viola
Production
- Executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
s: Mathew KnowlesMathew KnowlesMathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
, Kelly Rowland - Vocal producers: J. "Lonny" Bereal, Jason Boyd, Montina Cooper, Huy Nguyen, K. Rowland
- Vocal assistance: J. "Lonny" Bereal, Montina Cooper
- EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s: Wayne Allison, Chris Jackson, Colin Miller, Brian Sumner, Rommel Nino Villanueva - Assistant engineers: Vadim Chislov, Gelly Kusuma, Kobla Tetey
- MixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
: Jason Goldstein, Jean Marie Horvat, Tony Maserati, Dexter Simmons, Phil Tan, Andy Zulla, Mike FraserMike FraserMike Fraser is a Canadian record producer, engineer, and mixer. Mike is best known for his work with AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith and Joe Satriani... - Mixing assistance: Christian Baker
- Mastering: Tom Coyne, Chris Gehringer
- Art Direction: Fusako Chubachi, Erwin Gorostiza
Chart positions
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts 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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
44 |
| Australian Urban Chart ARIA Charts 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 singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
8 |
| Belgian Albums Chart | 61 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
64 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 61 |
| French Albums Chart | 88 |
| German Albums Chart | 80 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
46 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 47 |
| Japanese Foreign Charts Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
10 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 38 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
23 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
6 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
June 20, 2007 | Columbia Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company... , Music World |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
June 22, 2007 | |
| Denmark Denmark Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... |
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| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
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| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
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| Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
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| Poland Poland Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north... |
June 25, 2007 | |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
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| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
July 3, 2007 | |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
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| Israel Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
July 5, 2007 | |
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
July 7, 2007 |
External links
- Ms. Kelly at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...