The proverbial middle child of Destiny, Kelly Rowland, is in an interesting position at the moment. After a shaky start to this era, the Grammy Award winner could possibly be at the brink of a crossover. With the biggest solo hit of her career ruling at urban outlets, and set to impact pop audiences soon, Kelly finally gained enough momentum behind her third studio album for Universal Motown to move forward with it’s release.
That momentum came in the form of ‘Motivation’, the Lil’ Wayne-assisted chart-topper, which was preceded by almost a year’s worth of “buzz singles” – ‘Commander’, ‘Rose Colored Glasses’, ‘Forever and A Day’, ‘Grown Woman‘ – and label/management kink ironing. The slinky, Jim Jonsin-laced bedroom cheer anthem, has topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven weeks, and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100, so far. Despite delay, the certified hit cemented a previously elusive release date for Kelly’s held-up LP. ‘Here I Am’ will finally hit U.S. retailers Tuesday July 26.
Before it’s debut, we here at That Grape Juice want to take a look back at five albums that suffered from similarly delayed gratification. Five albums plagued by bombing singles, label issues, and leaks, until finally, stone cold redemption – a validated hit – saved the long delayed albums from release date purgatory, a la Teaira Mari.
Check them out below…
1. Keri Hilson – ‘In A Perfect World…’
The debut effort from songwriter Keri Hilson (Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige) was quietly anticipated by R&B fans after her contribution to Timbaland’s top three hit ‘The Way I Are’. In fact, the hit-maker’s protege appeared all over 2007’s platinum selling ‘Timbaland Presents… Shock Value’. In essence, Hilson filled the void of hip-hop’s go-to hook girl, during Ashanti’s absence. The singer’s debut, ‘In A Perfect World…’, was originally set for a 2007 release, to capitalize off of initial buzz. Yet, due to label issues and single failures, the album wasn’t released until March 2009.
The Singles: While first single, ‘Energy’, peaked at a modest No. 78 on Billboard Hot 100 and 21 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, The Timbaland-crafted ‘Return The Favor’ failed to chart in the U.S. all together.
The Hit: The project’s redemption came in the form of ‘Turnin Me On’, the Polow Da Don-produced track featuring go-to rapper Lil Wayne. Serviced as the third single before the album’s release, the song peaked at No. 15 on the Hot 100 and No. 2 on the R&B chart; becoming Hilson’s first pop hit as a lead artist
Aftermath: Thanks to ‘Turnin Me On’, promotion for the project was set in full swing, ‘In A Perfect World…’ debuted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 94,000 copies in it’s first week according to Nielsen Sound Scan. The album was eventually certified gold by the RIAA and garnered Hilson two Grammy nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
2. Monica – ‘After The Storm’
Four years removed from the classic 90’s hit, ‘The Boy Is Mine’, singer Monica began preparing her official return to music. After 2002’s ‘All Eyez On Me’ LP, plagued by leaks and failed singles, was abandoned, Monica’s third studio album ‘After The Storm’ was eventually born from it’s ashes.
The Singles: The set’s original singles were the Michael Jackson sampling tune ‘All Eyez On Me’ (#69 on Hot 100, #32 on R&B), and ‘Too Hood’ a Jermaine Dupri produced track that failed to make any noise on the charts.
The Hit: After, Clive Davis ordered a reconstruction of the ‘Eyez’ album, Missy Elliott was brought in to craft a more fitting sound for “Ms. Thang”. Monica & Elliott’s time in the studio produced the album’s quintessential hit ‘So Gone’ (#10 Hot 100, #1 R&B). The song became the crossover the label was aiming for to reintroduce Monica to music audiences on this side of the 1990’s.
Aftermath: Though, the first two singles were omitted from the final album, ‘After The Storm’ debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 upon it’s release, selling 186,000 in it’s first week. The set went on to sell 1,023,000 copies, becoming Monica’s last platinum album.
3. Ciara – ‘Fantasy Ride’
The third studio album by R&B artist Ciara, saw the one time Crunk Queen branch out into more pop oriented territory, and explore more visually adventurous themes (see “Super C”, the artist’s alter ego, depicted on the album cover). Her urban fan base didn’t take too well to the change, as ‘Fantasy Ride’ is often cited as the beginning of a downward spiral for the ‘Goodies’ artist.
The Singles: Intended as the album’s first single, ‘Go Girl’ featured hitmaker T-Pain. The song reached the 78th position on Billboard Hot 100 and No. 26 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Song charts (Ultimately being left off the album entirely). Ciara also released the Young Jeezy-assisted ‘Never Ever’ (#66 Hot 100, #9 R&B).
The Hit: After two failed singles, Jive Records brought in label mate Justin Timberlake to craft a hit for the struggling star. The resulting ‘Love Sex Magic’ became a pop smash (#10 Hot 100), even earning the duo a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.
The Aftermath: On The strength of ‘Love Sex Magic’, Ciara released ‘Fantasy Ride’ on May 3, 2009. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 83,00 copies. Promotion, and sales stalled after bad reception of subsequent singles and label issues.
4. Jennifer Lopez – ‘Love?’
Bouncing back from the commercial flop that was 2007’s ‘Brave’, J. Lo began recording ‘Love?’ in 2009. After two flopped singles, Lopez and Epic Records parted ways. The American Idol judge took the project over to Island Def Jam, where it was restructured with fresh material and released in 2011.
The Single: Released as the first single, ‘Louboutins‘ was a disappointment, failing to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It was preceded by “buzz single” ‘Fresh Out The Oven’ featuring rapper Pitbull, which fared no better.
The Hit: Leading off the newly revamped version of ‘Love?’, was the RedOne produced single ‘On The Floor’, which found J. Lo joining forces with rapper Pitbull once again. The single peaked at No. 3 on Billboard Hot 100, becoming Lopez’s first top ten hit since 2003’s ‘All I Have’ featuring hip hop heavyweight LL Cool J.
Aftermath: ‘Love?’ was released during Lopez’s stint as American Idol judge (Kelly currently sits on the panel of UK vocal competition, X Factor). The album debuted at No. 5, selling 83,000 copies. As of June 29, 2011 the album has sold 203,000 copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen Sound Scan. Single releases are still being planned for the project.
5. Ashanti – ‘The Declaration’
Although, still signed to longtime record label, The Inc., during it’s inception, Ashanti’s fourth album ‘The Declaration’ was created on the singer’s terms with no input from executive producer/label head Irv Gotti, due to ongoing conflict.
The Single: ‘The Declaration’ was preceded by “buzz singles” ‘Switch’ featuring longtime boyfriend Nelly and ‘Hey Babay (After The Club)’ featuring Mario Winans, both went nowhere.
The Hit: Released in January of 2008, as the official “first single”, ‘The Way That I Love You’ quickly rose to the No. 2 spot on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked within the Top 40 of the Hot 100.
Aftermath: Due to poor reception, the first two singles were left off the standard US version of the album. ‘The Declaration’ debuted at No. 6, selling 86,000 copies in it’s first week, going on to become Ashanti’s lowest selling studio album to date.
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In light of Beyonce’s recent return to chart dominance with new album ‘4’, It’s evident, the lack of a hit single is inconsequential to a bona fide superstar. Yet, for the ladies on the brink, their crossover is only one hit away. All five of these women experienced shaky starts to their respective projects, eventually caught a hit, and released their albums to varied results. Come July 26th, will Ms. Kelly fall somewhere in between? Let us know what you think. Is ‘Motivation’ the beginning of Kelly’s mainstream breakthrough, or a cruel stroke of luck?
