Kelly Rowland

Even though I think "Like this" was not strong enough to be the first single, I bought the CD because I'm a loyal fan of DC and of course, of Kelly. This album is AWESOME!!! My favorite songs are "Work", "Flashback" and "Still in love with my ex". Excellent job Kelly, I don't really know why other parts of the world appreciated more this outstanding album than people in America.

Kelly Rowland returns (from her 5-year break from making a solo cd) with the sexy and fresh Ms. Kelly album. It is the follow up to her debut, Simply Deep, which was more contemporary rock ballads than anything. I particularly enjoyed that album, but when I heard the song Flashback (as an extra audio track) on Destiny's Child's Live In Atlanta DVD, I was really excited. Then I heard all the rumors about My Story, to be released in 2006. The release dates kept getting pushed back, and eventually just stopped. But in March of 2007, Like This came out as the first single. It was just an all-around fun track, and to this day I still love it! When the album came out in July 2007, I bought it that day. I was surprised by how much it completely captured me! The album will take any listener on an unforgettable journey of ups and downs of relationships. My favorites are Like This, The Show, Flashback, Love, Every Thought Is You, and Comeback. Great job Kelly!

I must say when I heard "Like This".. I just knew the cd was gonna be HOT!!. I freak n loved the song. So I couldn't wait till the CD came out. The excitement went away after listening to the cd. Now I will say "The Show" was a hot song not sure why it wasn't released as a single but it was way better than "Ghetto" however I do like "Ghetto", the only other song that stuck out at me was "LOVE" was feelin the beat and everything but the hook was so ugly but I still like the song.

Well, after having this CD for a year I can now appreciate Kelly's sophomore album for what it's worth. The quality and the craftsmanship are there however; it just lacks the proper promotion which is fine in my book. Everyone is not meant for mainstream status and I have learned that some of the best albums are not billboard chart toppers. I have followed Kelly's career very closely for the last 10 years and watch her go from Beyonce backup to her own woman. While Kelly's debut solo album Simple deep was not deep enough, Miss Kelly is a much better attempt.
Stand out tracks include

Like this ft Eve
Ghetto ft Snoop
Flashback
Every thought is you
The show ft Tank
Still in love with my ex
Love (by far one of her best tracks written by Solange)
Better without you (another excellent track well crafted)

Overall I give the CD a B-

This album was okay, not what I had hoped. The songs are ones I'd find on any other R&B singer's album, such as Brandy's, Monica's & Amerie's. I appreciated Kelly most at the time when she released "Stole", which was something no R&B singer had released at the time, and it made her stand out, also with a positive message.

not great but good. of course i am a lil biased considering i praise myself as the biggest dc3 fan in the world lol

I was looking for a Christmas album that was a little more upbeat than the norm. I thought Destiny's Child did a pretty good job of it. Their songs are fast-paced and fun! I'm not normally a fan of Destiny's Child but enjoyed this CD rather than the slower-paced Christmas CDs we are used to.

They're young, hot, and dominating the charts. But they just don't have what it takes to make a good holiday album.

Destiny's Child attempts to take traditional Christmas carols and make a modern, fan-geared holiday album. And, sorry to say, but it just doesn't work here.

The album opens with the title track, which I'll admit is a catchy spin off of the original "12 Days of Christmas." But the lyrics are ridiculous. Example: "On the eighth day of Christmas my baby gave to me/A pair of Chloe shades and a diamond belly ring."

The next track, "Winter Paradise" is the best of the original tracks on the disc. It's a more moderate R&B number that talks about Christmas memories. It's pretty good. But, "Spread a little love on Christmas" is about on the same level as the title track, but it focuses on all the other holidays going on at Christmas.

The girls DO get a few things right. The ridiculously-titled "Opera of the Bells" (featured on the Victoria's Secret holiday commercial) is a slowed-down version of "Carol of the Bells," complete with nice harmonies that are actually quite enjoyable. "This Christmas" is also complete with tight harmonies that give it an enjoyable spin and make it almost unrecognizable. "A DC Christmas Medley" is a fun assortment of kid's Christmas carols, such as "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Frosty," and "Holly, Jolly Christmas." And the best track on the disc, "Do You Hear what I Hear," is a wonderfully original take on the classic that doesn't wander too far from the original sound of it.

However, the album also takes a turn for the worst in a few places. "Platinum Bells" is a ludicrous cover of "Siver Bells" that talks about the group's success (platinum albums). And the cover of "The Little Drummer Boy" is absolutely laughable. The girls don't even get the story right! ("And then he smiled at me/the little drummer boy smiled at me" -- correction... baby Jesus smiled at you, and YOU ARE the little drummer boy!)

Download the few good tunes off this album from I-tunes and save yourself the money of every single song on here. Trust me, buying the whole CD is not worth it.

Best Song: "Do You Hear What I Hear" (great original take, true to classic song)

The good:
"Winter Paradise" (enjoyable, laid-back original with good harmonies)
"This Christmas" (a different take, very original)
"A DC Christmas Medley" (it's fun)
"Opera of the Bells" (nice harmonies)

The OK:
"Silent Night" (pretty good, but Beyonce oversings it)
"8 Days of Christmas" (catchy, but with stupid lyrics)
"Spread a Little Love on Christmas" (ditto)

The bad:
"The Little Drummer Boy" (at least get the story right)
"White Christmas" (I don't like their version of this)
"Platinum Bells" (too stupid to even laugh at... worst track on the album)
"O Holy Night" (I'm very critical of covers of this song because it's my favorite Christmas tune and Michelle's voice just doesn't fit it)

I love this album! It rocks. It's up beat and fun. Instead of singing the same old songs the same old ways each song has a new flavor and style that brings new life and joy to Christmas. I enjoy listening to it every year. This is my all time favorite Christmas album.

That Eight Days of Christmas track really says it all about this shallow,tacky, soul-less drivel. Also, I admire her, but Beyonce needs to stop working on blue jeans and become a better musician. You can always tell a song she's written because her melodies and choruses are limited to the same four repetetive notes. See if the 8 days doesn't sound just like Independent Woman. Seriously. Why is she afraid to use the whole scale?

I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially when it involves wholesome people who have a good optimistic personality, spirit, and try hard. With that said I was dissapointed utterly with the release of this album. Destiny's Child, with their various group members and changes over the years have always provided fans, radio, and clubs with nothing but hits and club-bangers. I like the trio incarnation of Destiny's Child best. Now Kelly is trying to step out of the shadow of Beyonce and of being a backup (Who wouldn't?).

Whose to say if this album was possibly rushed? I don't know, I wasn't there during the production of it but it certainly feels that way to me. The total track time comes in at a weak 42 and a half minutes, with a large sum of the tracks lacking true quality of any kind. It is so typical and repetitve sounding just like most of the contemporary pop and r&b of today. I look at the cover of the album and it has a retro feel to it. The cover looks like the female version of Michael Jackson's "Bad". But I respect the pop artist of generations past such as the untouchable MJ and his producer Quincy Jones more.

Running through the tracks on this album, they all have a couple of different producers who provide us with the same old, tired, and uninnovative music you were probably expecting to hear beforehand. Scott Storch's stuff is mediocre along with the other producers. Believe it or not, for those of you who may like or dislike Tank, he produced the two best songs on the album; The only two songs that I happen to give high marks to. These tracks include "Ghetto" featuring Snoop Dogg and "The Show" featuring Tank. Ghetto has a lot of flare to it with a rollin' beat, while The Show is soulful and showcases some great vocals by Kelly and Tank.

A majority of the rest of the songs on the album are disastrous. The other really listenable songs include "Comeback", "Every Thought Is You", and "This Is Love". I'm sorry, but honestly I can not recommend this to anyone who aren't die hard Destiny's Child or Kelly Rowland fans. Kelly Rowland's voice lacks a little bit of strength and is young. I am sure however young people are who this album will appeal to the most and I am certain they will buy it regardless of what I, or anyone else has to say. More power to you Kelly!

*Sony is also throwing at us a special premium edition version of Ms. Kelly as well as the standard, but all the listening material stays the same. The studio throws in a few small bonuses with a different label to try to market it for a higher price and cash in. Is it worth it? Not really.

For your cellphone you get a ringtone and mobile wallpaper, one free download "Like This Remix featuring Sean Paul", and an extended booklet with more photos and lyrics. If you ask me personally that's a very dirty thing to try to get somebody to pay for the lyrics and more photos inside the CD booklet. In my Michael Jackson albums from decades ago I can open up the booklet and find the lyrics right there in the standard edition, because it seems as though it is something that should come standard anyway with the album.

In Japan we have an international edition of this CD with one bonus song "Gotsta Go, Pt. 1 with Da Brat". For almost all r&b and hip-hop releases, Japan always includes 1 or sometimes 2 bonus tracks at the end of the album so that the distribution company can raise the retail price up $3-5 more. I think it's just ridiculous.

When I was in the states we never had the luxury of getting bonus tracks on every new CD that came out. However, it's really just a gimmick though anyways. The people who I am with in Japan (meaning the Japanese listening audience), are willing to pay the extra money for those single tracks. I think the reason they don't do it in the United States is because the labels know that it won't fly and no one is going to hand over that kind of money for something so petty. Most of the time the bonus songs are not that great anyways, so please don't think that you are missing out on anything. If you look at the retail price on the Japanese import version I think you will agree with me 100%.

*The following text refers to the special premiunm edition and the Japanese import version of this album.

Kelly Rowland has made a great sophmore album but I find this premium edition a bit disappointing. In my opinion, a better song for the digital download would have been nice. the bonus download is just "Like This" DJ Speedy Remix with Eve and YoungBloodZ's Sean Paul. I was hoping for "Gotsta Go" Featuring Da Brat, which appears on International editions of the album. Anyways, unless you want the lyrics, extra photos, cell phone ringtone and wall-paper and the "like this" remix download, I find this premium edition a waste of money. But this is still a great album in general.

I got the album last week, and i have given it a week so that i could write an effective review, becuase i belive you have to give the album time in order to really know if you like it or not. Well i gave it time and this album is great. kelly really shows how great of a singer she is and how she can be an individual and not "beyonce's friend". She has great songs on this album like comeback which is like a nice club song, and work which is the song you hear and its like how did she manage that? It's a fast paced song and she did it so well. The good slow songs are The Show- feat. Tank, and im in love with my ex. She really show all her vocals in these two and they are brilliant. My only negative comment about this album, is that there are way more slow songs than club songs. This premium package also comes with a free ringtone, wallpaper, and download.Also the cd booklet is packed with all the lyrics, and lots of beautiful pictures of Kelly, that should have been plastered all over the world. This premium package is well worth your money.

*This "Special Premium Edition" has quite a few added treats that are not on the regular edition. First, the picture of Kelly on the front cover is more close up. I like it better. The booklet is 20 pages, as apposed to only 6 pages for the normal edition. It also has several additional photos and lyrics. The CD comes with a card with a code to redeem the bonus content, which is a ringtone, digital download and cell phone wallpaper. I'm not completely sure, but I think the content may be different for each store. (You have to verify which store you purchased it at.) I bought it at Wal Mart and it brought me to a page that said the store at the top. So, anyways... I can't speak for other stores, but what I got was an "Every Thought Is You" ringtone, a cell phone wallpaper of Kelly and a digital MP3 download for a remix of "Like This," which I already had from the maxi-single.

I like the extensive booklet, but I would've preferred to have a DVD or extra songs rather than ringtones, etc. I'm not a big cell phone user. As a fan, this edition was worthy of my extra few bucks, but if you're a casual listener... just buy the regular edition.*

As many know, I love Destiny's Child and love each member equally, of course. Kelly has always gotten my respect; her voice is a deep, sultry alto and her clarity is unmatched. Unfortunately, I believe she was falsely made out to be the oddball or "alternative" member of the group, sporting short, color-highlighted hair. This cut-out personality carried out into her solo debut, `Simply Deep,' which was a so-so effort full of sappy pop/rock ballads, a few half-baked fast tracks and enough lyrical similes and metaphors to make your head spin! (By no means was it terrible, but I expected better.) Even Kelly herself has admitted in recent interviews that the album was "rushed" and she was "not ready." Well... now she is! Rowland has shed that image to reveal a sexy, distinguished and confident young woman; hence, the title, `Ms. Kelly.'

This album is a result of over two years of hard work. After the recording of the final Destiny's Child album, Kelly returned to the studio with a vision. About this time last year, she and Columbia Records invited some critics to come and listen to the result, tentatively titled, `My Story.' Sadly, they didn't have much good to say about the project. Determined to create a perfect and balanced album, she returned once again to the booth, agreeing that it was "too full of ballads." (She really has a thing for those love ballads, even still on the final product.) Time and time again, it was pushed back, from late 2006, to February 2007 to June 26. Thankfully (and finally), all the effort has paid off and the product is an excellent album.

The first single, "Like This," was a perfect choice to introduce the world to the new Kelly Rowland. She graces the Polow Da Don track with effortless swagger and confidence. Eve's verse adds a nice touch, too. (It's nice to see her back.) "Comeback" is a fierce, powerful and boisterous anthem. A club banger, for sure, Ms. Kelly brags and teases about her "hubba bubba" that will make you "run back and tell your motha." Hahahaha! "Ghetto" is the cool, laid-back cousin of DC's "Soldier." Snoop Dogg makes a great appearance, also. "Work (Put It In)" is another Scott Storch-produced club banger in which Kelly sings at lightning speed. Amazingly, she keeps her composure with perfect diction over the percolating beat, making every lyric understood and heard. It is definitely one of the album's highlights.

From this point on, the album slows down a bit. "Flashback" has been readily available on the net for quite a while now, but is it definitely worthy of inclusion. Kelly mutters out thoughts, regretting a past breakup. It is truly entrancing with layer upon of smooth vocals. On "Every Thought Is You (Addicted)," she reflects on her infatuation with that special someone. Very nice and sweet. "The Show" is a sleek and sexy track featuring Tank. It's very similar to Fantasia's "I Nominate U" in content. It is alright, but definitely not my favorite. It's kind of been-there-done-that material. During the "Interlude," Kelly delivers the first few lines of the following track, with only piano and vocals. It is emotionally moving and it shows off her vocal skill.

Immediately following is "Still In Love With My Ex," which is, in my opinion, the best track of the album. The version included is different from the synth-heavy, hip hop inspired version that leaked this February. The vocals are the same, but the production is now a syncopated guitar riff. The song flows, the lyrics are relatable and Kelly is at her best vocally. This would be the perfect choice for a second single and it has extreme crossover potential. "Love" is also an amazing song with lyrics that may just be autobiographical, looking at her serious relationship with that football player, Roy. She sings the bittersweet "you had me, lost me, now you want me back" lyrics with true artistry and emotion. Amazingly, the Solange Knowles-penned verses avoid those annoying clichés. Love it! "Better Without You" also put me in a trance. It's a great track where Rowland overcomes sorrow and moves on from a painful split. The final track, "This Is Love," is my least favorite of the bunch. It's a bit sappy at times. The lyrics are very `Simply Deep'-esque. Her voice is great, though. (Of course.) It's still a nice song, just not my cup of tea

Although `Ms. Kelly' has a few flaws, is in need of a few more up-tempos and the songs wouldn't suffer from a new sequencing... the album is still a great breakthrough album that truly distinguishes Kelly Rowland as a solo artist. I wish you all the luck in the world, Kelly!

This disk is a good selection of sound and mixes. All the time you can hear combination in R&B and HipHop-Rap.

If you are looking for something to listed while you work or to listed when you drive, this is a great title to listen.

The Kelly voice is very good apreciated in the songs and the chorus with the arrangements have a good balance with out unnecesary noises.

If you are making the cuantic travel to discover new sensual sound and rythms, then this CD is the perfect place to start.

Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland had an uphill battle to look forward to prior to the release of her debut solo album, "Simply Deep" in 2002. Commonly considered to be the second banana of her superstar girl group (after cousin, lead singer & multi-media darling Beyonce' Knowles), this was probably considered a vanity project at best, and at worst, a throwaway courtesy by her record label. DC's third lady, Michelle Williams, had already released a gospel CD, which was not expected to cross over. On the other hand, Kelly's was a pop effort--could she really anchor an album by herself? And with Beyonce's debut album on the way--did it even matter?
The answer is yes. Here, Ms. Rowland displays considerable skill, and the material suits her stylistically. There are few diva-wailing indulgences (ala Mariah Carey, and, well, Beyonce')--that's clearly not her thing, and her producers were wise to keep it to a minimum. "Dilemma" was a grammy-winning crossover hit with the popular rapper Nelly, sampling an older Patti LaBelle tune. The title cut is a duet with Kelly's other singing cousin, Solange' Knowles. Most of the rest of the album owes as much to alternative-pop/rock as contemporary R&B, which may be why Urban radio seemed to not embrace it beyond "Dilemma". Despite that, perhaps Ms. Rowland has found her niche'- more of a rock-&-soul-diva in the Tina Turner mold than Beyonce's channeling of Diana Ross. "Simply Deep" is a recommended album.

1. Stole
2. Dilemma (w/ Nelly)
3. Haven't Told You
4. Can't Nobody
5. Love/Hate
6. Simply Deep (feat. Solange Knowles)
7. (Love Lives In) Strange Places
8. Obsession
9. Heaven
10. Past 12
11. Everytime You Walk Out That Door
12. Train On A Track
13. Beyond Imagination
14. Make U Wanna Stay (feat. Joe Budden)

Kelly's CD is pretty awesome. I really like her style on this one---kind of alternative/rock/r&b all wrapped into one. She turns out a beautiful array of tunes. Though in some of the lyrics, she seems a little confused about love...but at that age who wouldn't be? All in all I thought the album was great. It has a unique feel---a quality I can definitely appreciate, and good for one who's definitely trying to distinuish themself from Beyonce'.

Kelly shows what singing is all about. Her voice is heaven, her songs are great, a lot more pop-ish than the other Destiny's Child member's solo CDs. "Beyong Imagination" is among the highlights, as well as "Dilemma", "Can't Nobody" and "Train on a Track", just flawless.

I went out and purchased Kelly's album because I bought LeToya album and wanted to compare them. Toya's debut album was very should I say HOT and Kelly's debut album was very should I say not. I was not dissappointed in LeToya nor was I surprised. I was though dissapointed in Kelly and quite surprised. LeToya's album is fasinating, fun and funky from the beginning to the end. Kelly's album is just funk or should I say junk. Kelly doesn't have many party songs just alot of balleds. LeToya has plenty of both. I see know why I didn't buy the album when it came out. I also see why no one I know knows any of her songs but dilemma. Her album was just that a dilemma. Hopefully her next album is fire because forget coming after Beyonce she is coming after LeToya. And right now LeToya is on top of her game. The people who gave her 5 stars must really be diehard Kelly fans because I dont see 5 stars not even close. Kelly really didn't live up to her expectations. Beyonce and LeToya did. I'm just being honest, I'm not a hater I love Kelly but she is better off in the group Beyonce and them aka Destiny Child.

This is the best solo single Kelly has ever released! The Freemasons do a killer job of remixing what was originally a boring album track. No wonder this went to #1 all across the world!

This is the Australian cd single for the huge number one track "Dilemna" and it features 2 mixes of different quality. The album mix(4:49) is still the best mix here but the G4Ce Full Vocal Mix(5:57) comes close. This mix is drum and bass and suit the song better than the Jason Nevins mix. This mix pumps up the energy and puts the chemistry between Nelly and Kelly Rowland to great effect. The Jason Nevins mix(4:30) took me a while to get used to.It is house but the start of the mix doesn't really suit Nelly's rap until the music slows down a bit. The cd also features an unreleased track "Put Your Hands Up" that is quite good too but has a lot of explicit lyrics.

I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially when it involves wholesome people who have a good optimistic personality, spirit, and try hard. With that said I was dissapointed utterly with the release of this album. Destiny's Child, with their various group members and changes over the years have always provided fans, radio, and clubs with nothing but hits and club-bangers. I like the trio incarnation of Destiny's Child best. Now Kelly is trying to step out of the shadow of Beyonce and of being a backup (Who wouldn't?).

Whose to say if this album was possibly rushed? I don't know, I wasn't there during the production of it but it certainly feels that way to me. The total track time comes in at a weak 42 and a half minutes, with a large sum of the tracks lacking true quality of any kind. It is so typical and repetitve sounding just like most of the contemporary pop and r&b of today. I look at the cover of the album and it has a retro feel to it. The cover looks like the female version of Michael Jackson's "Bad". But I respect the pop artist of generations past such as the untouchable MJ and his producer Quincy Jones more.

Running through the tracks on this album, they all have a couple of different producers who provide us with the same old, tired, and uninnovative music you were probably expecting to hear beforehand. Scott Storch's stuff is mediocre along with the other producers. Believe it or not, for those of you who may like or dislike Tank, he produced the two best songs on the album; The only two songs that I happen to give high marks to. These tracks include "Ghetto" featuring Snoop Dogg and "The Show" featuring Tank. Ghetto has a lot of flare to it with a rollin' beat, while The Show is soulful and showcases some great vocals by Kelly and Tank.

A majority of the rest of the songs on the album are disastrous. The other really listenable songs include "Comeback", "Every Thought Is You", and "This Is Love". I'm sorry, but honestly I can not recommend this to anyone who aren't die hard Destiny's Child or Kelly Rowland fans. Kelly Rowland's voice lacks a little bit of strength and is young. I am sure however young people are who this album will appeal to the most and I am certain they will buy it regardless of what I, or anyone else has to say. More power to you Kelly!

*Sony is also throwing at us a special premium edition version of Ms. Kelly as well as the standard, but all the listening material stays the same. The studio throws in a few small bonuses with a different label to try to market it for a higher price and cash in. Is it worth it? Not really.

For your cellphone you get a ringtone and mobile wallpaper, one free download "Like This Remix featuring Sean Paul", and an extended booklet with more photos and lyrics. If you ask me personally that's a very dirty thing to try to get somebody to pay for the lyrics and more photos inside the CD booklet. In my Michael Jackson albums from decades ago I can open up the booklet and find the lyrics right there in the standard edition, because it seems as though it is something that should come standard anyway with the album.

In Japan we have an international edition of this CD with one bonus song "Gotsta Go, Pt. 1 with Da Brat". For almost all r&b and hip-hop releases, Japan always includes 1 or sometimes 2 bonus tracks at the end of the album so that the distribution company can raise the retail price up $3-5 more. I think it's just ridiculous.

When I was in the states we never had the luxury of getting bonus tracks on every new CD that came out. However, it's really just a gimmick though anyways. The people who I am with in Japan (meaning the Japanese listening audience), are willing to pay the extra money for those single tracks. I think the reason they don't do it in the United States is because the labels know that it won't fly and no one is going to hand over that kind of money for something so petty. Most of the time the bonus songs are not that great anyways, so please don't think that you are missing out on anything. If you look at the retail price on the Japanese import version I think you will agree with me 100%.

*The following text refers to the special premiunm edition and the Japanese import version of this album.

Kelly Rowland has made a great sophmore album but I find this premium edition a bit disappointing. In my opinion, a better song for the digital download would have been nice. the bonus download is just "Like This" DJ Speedy Remix with Eve and YoungBloodZ's Sean Paul. I was hoping for "Gotsta Go" Featuring Da Brat, which appears on International editions of the album. Anyways, unless you want the lyrics, extra photos, cell phone ringtone and wall-paper and the "like this" remix download, I find this premium edition a waste of money. But this is still a great album in general.

I got the album last week, and i have given it a week so that i could write an effective review, becuase i belive you have to give the album time in order to really know if you like it or not. Well i gave it time and this album is great. kelly really shows how great of a singer she is and how she can be an individual and not "beyonce's friend". She has great songs on this album like comeback which is like a nice club song, and work which is the song you hear and its like how did she manage that? It's a fast paced song and she did it so well. The good slow songs are The Show- feat. Tank, and im in love with my ex. She really show all her vocals in these two and they are brilliant. My only negative comment about this album, is that there are way more slow songs than club songs. This premium package also comes with a free ringtone, wallpaper, and download.Also the cd booklet is packed with all the lyrics, and lots of beautiful pictures of Kelly, that should have been plastered all over the world. This premium package is well worth your money.

*This "Special Premium Edition" has quite a few added treats that are not on the regular edition. First, the picture of Kelly on the front cover is more close up. I like it better. The booklet is 20 pages, as apposed to only 6 pages for the normal edition. It also has several additional photos and lyrics. The CD comes with a card with a code to redeem the bonus content, which is a ringtone, digital download and cell phone wallpaper. I'm not completely sure, but I think the content may be different for each store. (You have to verify which store you purchased it at.) I bought it at Wal Mart and it brought me to a page that said the store at the top. So, anyways... I can't speak for other stores, but what I got was an "Every Thought Is You" ringtone, a cell phone wallpaper of Kelly and a digital MP3 download for a remix of "Like This," which I already had from the maxi-single.

I like the extensive booklet, but I would've preferred to have a DVD or extra songs rather than ringtones, etc. I'm not a big cell phone user. As a fan, this edition was worthy of my extra few bucks, but if you're a casual listener... just buy the regular edition.*

As many know, I love Destiny's Child and love each member equally, of course. Kelly has always gotten my respect; her voice is a deep, sultry alto and her clarity is unmatched. Unfortunately, I believe she was falsely made out to be the oddball or "alternative" member of the group, sporting short, color-highlighted hair. This cut-out personality carried out into her solo debut, `Simply Deep,' which was a so-so effort full of sappy pop/rock ballads, a few half-baked fast tracks and enough lyrical similes and metaphors to make your head spin! (By no means was it terrible, but I expected better.) Even Kelly herself has admitted in recent interviews that the album was "rushed" and she was "not ready." Well... now she is! Rowland has shed that image to reveal a sexy, distinguished and confident young woman; hence, the title, `Ms. Kelly.'

This album is a result of over two years of hard work. After the recording of the final Destiny's Child album, Kelly returned to the studio with a vision. About this time last year, she and Columbia Records invited some critics to come and listen to the result, tentatively titled, `My Story.' Sadly, they didn't have much good to say about the project. Determined to create a perfect and balanced album, she returned once again to the booth, agreeing that it was "too full of ballads." (She really has a thing for those love ballads, even still on the final product.) Time and time again, it was pushed back, from late 2006, to February 2007 to June 26. Thankfully (and finally), all the effort has paid off and the product is an excellent album.

The first single, "Like This," was a perfect choice to introduce the world to the new Kelly Rowland. She graces the Polow Da Don track with effortless swagger and confidence. Eve's verse adds a nice touch, too. (It's nice to see her back.) "Comeback" is a fierce, powerful and boisterous anthem. A club banger, for sure, Ms. Kelly brags and teases about her "hubba bubba" that will make you "run back and tell your motha." Hahahaha! "Ghetto" is the cool, laid-back cousin of DC's "Soldier." Snoop Dogg makes a great appearance, also. "Work (Put It In)" is another Scott Storch-produced club banger in which Kelly sings at lightning speed. Amazingly, she keeps her composure with perfect diction over the percolating beat, making every lyric understood and heard. It is definitely one of the album's highlights.

From this point on, the album slows down a bit. "Flashback" has been readily available on the net for quite a while now, but is it definitely worthy of inclusion. Kelly mutters out thoughts, regretting a past breakup. It is truly entrancing with layer upon of smooth vocals. On "Every Thought Is You (Addicted)," she reflects on her infatuation with that special someone. Very nice and sweet. "The Show" is a sleek and sexy track featuring Tank. It's very similar to Fantasia's "I Nominate U" in content. It is alright, but definitely not my favorite. It's kind of been-there-done-that material. During the "Interlude," Kelly delivers the first few lines of the following track, with only piano and vocals. It is emotionally moving and it shows off her vocal skill.

Immediately following is "Still In Love With My Ex," which is, in my opinion, the best track of the album. The version included is different from the synth-heavy, hip hop inspired version that leaked this February. The vocals are the same, but the production is now a syncopated guitar riff. The song flows, the lyrics are relatable and Kelly is at her best vocally. This would be the perfect choice for a second single and it has extreme crossover potential. "Love" is also an amazing song with lyrics that may just be autobiographical, looking at her serious relationship with that football player, Roy. She sings the bittersweet "you had me, lost me, now you want me back" lyrics with true artistry and emotion. Amazingly, the Solange Knowles-penned verses avoid those annoying clichés. Love it! "Better Without You" also put me in a trance. It's a great track where Rowland overcomes sorrow and moves on from a painful split. The final track, "This Is Love," is my least favorite of the bunch. It's a bit sappy at times. The lyrics are very `Simply Deep'-esque. Her voice is great, though. (Of course.) It's still a nice song, just not my cup of tea

Although `Ms. Kelly' has a few flaws, is in need of a few more up-tempos and the songs wouldn't suffer from a new sequencing... the album is still a great breakthrough album that truly distinguishes Kelly Rowland as a solo artist. I wish you all the luck in the world, Kelly!