Album- Talk a Good
Game
Artist- Kelly Rowland
Originally beginning her musical career as one part of the
amazing girl group that was Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland as enjoyed mixed
success as a solo artist in comparison to her girl group days. Yet that is not
to say she hasn’t had a good solo career, and if nothing else she has proved
that she is a credible artist in her own right. This album is her fourth studio
album and finds the singer returning to her RnB roots and also providing the
listener with some more personal, emotional material. As she seems really
focused on this record and aims to be a strong music artist, and with her high
profile role on the upcoming third season of X Factor USA, could this be the
album to really elevate the singer to great commercial success?
Track 1- Freak
Opening track Freak was originally recorded by RnB singer
Jamie Fox, and is an electro RnB song that features references to Michael
Jacksons Thriller. The song has a sexual edge to the lyrics and focuses on the
singer telling us that everyone is somebody else’s freak, and she asks if she
can be this guy (or our?) freak. The song features some vibrant vocals from the
singer and a nice sensual tone, with the word spoken bridge adding further sex
appeal to the track. The song is also strong vocally in the way that it employs
vocal similarities with the Michael Jackson song Thriller, showing that the
singer does indeed mean business with this record. The frenzied electro groove
of the track gives the song this nice vitality, whilst the song features this
heavy bass that commands your attention, and so this is a nice song to begin
the album with.
3.5/5
Track 2- Kisses Down
Low
The records lead single, Kisses Down Low is a sensual RnB
track that was produced by Mike Will Made It. The song lyrically focuses on
Rowland telling her man of his sexual prowess and how she likes her kisses down
low, with the song having this tongue in cheek quality that is quite appealing.
The vocal performance is smooth and sensual, with some nice vocal layering in
the chorus giving the song this light quality that gives us this contrast of a
flirtatiously sweet Rowland and these very sexualised lyrics. The clattering
electro rhythms of the track add to the juxtaposing sweetness of the song,
whilst the heavy bass just makes the song have this forceful energy that is
attention grabbing. The distorted male vocals are annoying but otherwise this
is a nice RnB song that does work well in showing the singer going back to her
musical roots.
3.5/5
Track 3- Gone
(featuring Wiz Khalifa)
Featuring a prominent sampling of the song ‘Big Yellow Taxi’
by Joni Mitchell, gone is another RnB tinged track but with more of an adult
contemporary sound and a snappy production. Rowland here is a feisty girl as
she tells this guy that it is firmly over for them and he should have tried
harder, with the chorus focusing on the idea of how the guy won’t know that he
is missing a good thing until Kelly is gone. The feistiness of the lyrical
message is offset nicely by the light tone of the track with the soft piano
melodies, but the song also adds to the song feistiness in terms of the heavy
bass and snappy beats. The singer gives us a smooth vocal performance that once
again shows her as this sweet girl and makes the vengeance element of the track
a little bit more interesting and undercutting. The only problem I have with
this track is that Wiz Khalifa to me doesn’t add anything to the track and
feels like a rapper put on the track just to give the song some more urban
credentials.
3.5/5
Track 4- Talk a Good
Game (featuring Kevin Cossum)
The records title track is a RnB tune that features a snaky
but sweet sound within the production and finds the singer taking a bit of an
emotional journey. The song finds the singer speaking of how she is unsure of
this relationship and feels like this guy is just talk and she can’t really
trust him. The song nicely focuses on that mind set of mistrust in a
relationship, but also intermixes this true sense of vulnerability that makes
the song more powerful. The singer’s vocal performance is quite deep and gives
a smooth tone to the heartbreak qualities of the track, although at times the
way the vocals are produced makes it feel like the emotion isn’t quite true.
The juxtaposing quality of the production elevates the songs musical ideology
and creates a sound that is also quite snappy and attention grabbing. However
this track is better in terms of the previous track in the Kevin Rossum rap
feature actually feels like it is their to add something to the track, with the
rap giving the song a more urban flavour but also offering a tough male
perspective to the lyrics that gives us this two fold edge to the narrative.
3.5/5
Track 5- Down on Love
A mid tempo RnB song, this track finds the singer in another
state of emotional turmoil. The song finds the singer wishing for something
more as she is in this down trodden relationship situation and can’t take it
anymore. The song finds the singer in a state that is a bit too weary, with the
chorus lacking the appeal of previous tracks as the lyrical content is too
repetitive. The singer’s smooth vocal delivery is nice but lacks this true emotional
quality and feels like she is trying too much to be this RnB diva. Furthermore,
whilst the production of the track is cool with steady drum beats and almost
soulful, ice cool electro melody, the sound feels a bit too familiar in the
record now and so loses some its appeal here, although the way the singer
unleashes some aggressive vocal power in the final chorus is a nice change
3/5
Track 6- Dirty
Laundry
Here we find the singer in one of her most vulnerable
states. This track was the second single from the album and finds the singer
lyrically addressing personal issues such her initial jealousy of her former
Destiny’s Child band mate Beyoncé as she enjoyed great solo success after the
groups disbandment. The track then addresses a volatile relationship the singer
was in where she suffered abuse from her partner. The singer’s addressing of
such personal issues feel really powerful, and her singing has this fragile
quality that makes this an emotionally loaded song. But the smoothness of the
track and the repeated motif of dirty laundry highlights the therapeutic and
slightly inspirational message of the track. With the production of the ballad
just feature RnB jam spools and a simple piano melody the words become even
more potent, and so whilst the track may not be the best sounding song Rowland
has produced, the track really shows both artistic integrity and vulnerability,
with the power of the track really building in the way the sound of the track
progresses.
3.5/5
Track 7- You Changed
(featuring Beyoncé and Michelle Williams)
Featuring both of her ex Destiny’s Child band mates Beyoncé
and Michelle Williams, why this track was just classed as a Destiny’s Child
tune is something you understand when you hear the song. This is because
Rowland firmly takes centre stage vocally. But the song is a classic RnB number
from the girls that once again finds the trio blending together beautifully.
Lyrically the song simply talks about a relationship that has gone awry because
the guy doesn’t realised that he has changed from what he used to be, whilst the
girl has also changed and so it’s about time the relationship was changed. The
songs vocals are really powerful, with the harmonisation giving the song a
smooth tone, whilst each member brings some feisty vocal power to the tune.
Harmony Samuels gives the song a smooth RnB tone in the production with the
heavy bass and simple drumbeats, and simply allows the words and vocals to
really do their work.
3.5/5
Track 8- I Remember
I Remember is prominently a ballad from the singer, but the
rhythm of the track touches onto more dance driven musical genres that makes
the song feel like the dance driven Rowland that emerged from her David Guetta
collaboration ‘When Love Takes Over’. The song finds the singer reminiscent
about when this guy loved her, giving us a sweet vocal performance that feels
euphoric and light and really brings out the simple emotional intensity of the
song’s lyrics. The production nicely blends some propulsive dance beats with cool
techno rhythms and twinkling piano to elevate the singers charismatic and
soulful vocals, and so overall this is a light track with a touch of a tribal
feel and just a simple energy that works in kind of captivating you.
3.5/5
Track 9- Red Wine
Rowland experiments with 80’s funk pop on this track where
she sings about how she has found love with this person and just asks them him
to really let go and make the relationship really solid. The track has this
romantic essence and features a silky smooth vocal performance that is a little
bit sensual and which features some nice ad libs from the singer. The dreamy
synths and soring style of the chorus is really great, giving the track a bit
of a vintage throwback sound that is still really appealing, with the way the
song simple ends on the singer singing a lot of ‘da’s’ and ‘do’s being a cool and lovely way to end the track.
3.5/5
Track 10- This Is
Love
Romantic Rowland continues with this track where we find the
singer in a really happy frame of mind as this guy gets her feeling so strongly
to the point where she can’t get enough of him and is floating on cloud 9. The
romantic essence of the track creates a simple lyrical style within the song
that feels sincere, whilst the singer gives us a vocal performance that sounds
sweet and light, and also feels very emotionally invested in. The bouncy
electro beats and RnB bass of the track give the track a nice blend in sound
that makes for a good RnB and pop crossover song, and so it wouldn’t be
surprising if this is a single release at some point.
3.5/5
Track 11- Street Life
(featuring Pusha T)
The first of two tracks on the record that were produced by
Pharrell, Street Life finds the singer taking a no BS attitude. The lyrics of
the song focus on the singer current problems facing society and how society
has kind of broken down. The song nicely
has this honesty about the lyrics that is appealing and creates an anthem for
the hard working people of the real world, whilst the singer gives us a cool
vocal performance that is smooth and has light tone that shows she is throwing
away the troubles even though they are there. The pop music production is nice
with the layers of hand drums and horn stabs, and Pusha T provides a simple but
cool rap section for the middle 8 that finds him rapping about Obama and
complimenting Rowland’s vocals nicely.
3.5/5
Track 12- Stand in
Front of Me
Final track stand in front of me is a 50’s doo wop inspired
song that acts as a ode to love. Here we find Rowland singing about how to keep
your man and what her man will say about her. The lyrics have a cute quality
that is appealing, and the singers light vocals have a rich texture that is a
pleasure to listen to and makes you feel a bit in love when you listen. The
shimmering production value of the track is really great, with the swaying
drumbeat, glittering piano melody and cool strings giving the song an old
school flavour that is very powerful and makes for a great final song to end
the record with.
3.5/5
Final Review
Bringing herself back to her RnB musical roots but also
still touching on other musical genres, Talk a Good Game is an assured effort
from the singer where every song is nicely structured and doesn’t feel like
filler music. The song’s lyrics are catchy and the singer gives us vocal
performances that are tonally rich and powerful. And in each case the
production is greatly executed. It may lack a huge big hit, but Talk a Good
Game does feel like the singers most relaxed and self-assured record to date,
and feels like a record that should surely be her most commercially successful.
8/10
Best Track- I
Remember
Worst Track- Down on
Love
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