Wednesday, 24 July 2013

Kelly Rowland- Talk a Good Game Album Review


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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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