<strong>Kelly Rowland<br/></strong>Talk a Good Game<br/>(Republic)<br/><span class="s3">***</span> <span class="s1">As the album title suggests, Kelly Rowland had us believing she was in a good place.</span> <span class="s1">Her last album <em>Here I Am</em>, with production by David Guetta and RedOne, did the business; a handful of singles topped the European dance charts.</span> <span class="s1">But it seemed Rowland’s musical success did not extend to her personal life.</span> <span class="s1"><em>Talk a Good Game</em> essays her emotional dramas ranging from being trapped in an abusive relationship to experiencing jealousy at Beyoncé’s continuous success.</span> <span class="s1">Such heavy issues can’t always be discussed over clattering beats, hence Rowland ditched the dance elements of <em>Here I Am</em> to return to her previous blend of up-tempo R&B and soul.</span> <span class="s1">Fortunately, with the collaborators The Dream, T-Minus and Boi-1da, the sound here remains edgy and evocative. Rowland doesn’t go for the emotional jugular straightaway – she eases us into her drama by opening the album with the up-tempo <em>Freaks</em> and <em>Kisses Down Low</em>, tracks already making waves in the clubs.</span> <span class="s1">Rowland then teams up with Wiz Khalifa for <em>Gone</em>. Similar to the much better <em>Got ‘Til it’s Gon</em>e by Janet Jackson, the song is built around a sample loop of Joni Mitchell’s <em>Big Yellow Taxi </em>as Rowland details another failed romance.</span> <span class="s1">The album then leads to its emotional centre, the powerful<em> Dirty Laundry</em>.</span> <span class="s1">While the media tend to focus on Rowland’s lyrics regarding her relationship with Beyoncé (“Bird in the cage, you would never know what I was dealing with. We went our separate ways, but I was happy she was killing it”), <em>Dirty Laundry</em> is in fact a heart-wrenching dissection of an abusive relationship.</span> <span class="s1">Over a slow groove by The Dream, Rowland unsentimentally details how her partner manipulated her first before resorting to violence.</span> <span class="s1">Perhaps to quash rumours that her relationship with Beyoncé is permanently on ice, Rowland quickly follows up <em>Dirty Laundry</em> with the Destiny’s Child reunion track <em>You Changed</em>.</span> <span class="s1">The track’s up-tempo funk and sisterhood message recalls the glory days of the trio and is superior to their recently released comeback single <em>Nuclear</em>.</span> <span class="s1">The album is rounded off with a poised suite of R&B jams, a highlight being the soulful Pharrell Williams-produced closer <em>Stand in Front of Me</em>.</span> <span class="s1">While <em>Talk a Good Game</em> lags at certain parts, it is by far Rowland’s most raw work. </span> <span class="s1">The pop thrills may be more tempered, but her latest collection cements Rowland’s reputation as an artist in her own light.</span> <span class="s2"><strong><a href="mailto:sasaeed@thenational.ae">sasaeed@thenational.ae</a></strong></span> Follow us Follow us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/thenationalArtsandLife">Facebook</a> for discussions, entertainment, reviews, wellness and news.