Kelly Rowland, one third of Destiny’s Child and the queen of the sexy feature, has been known more for her appearances on rap songs lately than her solo career. But she’s been working on new material all the while and after releasing several singles, this past week we finally got Talk a Good Game, her first album since 2011’s Here I Am. It took me a bit to get around to this album with all Yeezus seemingly sucking up all the airspace, but after listening to Talk a Good Game, I definitely think it deserves a breakdown.

Production Value
Having never listened to a Kelly Rowland album, I truly didn’t know what to expect production wise. Here features have long been heavy on her smooth voice and sex appeal, and that doesn’t change on Talk a Good Game. The producers and Rowland never let the beats or guest stars over shadow her, although Beyonce and Michelle come close on You Changed. However sonically, this album is all over the place, with the opening song being more of a club banger, before the album settles into R&B rythmns and sex music. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is a bit jarring upon each listen. Street Life comes directly after a song called This Is Love and you can really feel the juxtaposition in a way I don’t know if she intended you to.

Lyrical Content
Many are going to point to Dirty Laundry when it comes to analyzing the lyrical content of this album, but that song is such an outlier on this album it doesn’t even feel right to analyze it. Much of the songs don’t inspire much lyrical dissection, but everything is so damn catchy, that you remember the words even when you don’t think you do. They are also DRIPPING with sex from the obvious “You need a main girl to fuck you like a side chick” to the more subdued. But I was really surprised with this album that they never felt overbearing while listening, which is a hard thing to do when you’ve got explicit content.

Overall Impressions
I was very unsure that Kelly Rowland would be able to channel the same energy and verve she had on the many hooks she’s done over the years. Luckily, she manages to capture much of the same sound that’s brought her success. Talk a Good Game is not a perfect album by any stretch of imagination, the song order and selection are a bit off, but if you’re looking for a solid R&B listen, you should def check this out.

Best Track: Put Your Name On It
Grade: B-