For many, Kelly Rowland‘s career has been a frustrating one to observe.
Undeniably one of today’s stronger vocalists, a supposed lack of creative direction and all the logistical problems sharing a manager with Beyonce might bring are often cited as two reasons the gifted star was often overlooked at the beginning of her solo journey.
Now, she seeks to carve a new lane for herself via the show ‘Chasing Destiny‘, teaming up with her longtime friend and creative director Frank Gatson to build a group they’ll lead to Destiny’s Child-flavoured glory.
So, to honour of the journey Rowland will pull from to mentor her members, TGJ celebrates her criminally overlooked ‘Simply Deep.’
I wanna be
The everything you need
The every sight you see
The closest thing to epidemic
Slightly your disease
A love without a cure
No uncertainties for sure
The closest thing to alcohol
That calls you back for more
Perhaps the younger Urban Pop and Top 40 aware sister of releases spawned by Nelly Furtado and India Arie at the time, ‘Deep’ stands as Rowland’s highest-selling set thanks to the two million units it has sold since its release.
Surprising? Not at all.
For, while the albums that followed saw Kelly do little to push herself creatively, ‘Simply’ offered her fans a soulful body of work that strayed far from the “in your face” sounds fronted by Destiny’s Child, and settled in a cool, calm and romantic placed carried by lyrics, melodies and production which acknowledged her Pop, Rock, R&B and Jazz influences.
A house is not a home when I’m alone here
Summer turns to winter when you’re gone
And all I see are clouds outside my window
Everytime you walk out the door
In fact, though ‘Dilemma’ would become the LP’s breakout hit, it was the likes of ‘Obsession‘, the Dane Deviller-produced ‘Stole’ and ‘Haven’t Told You‘ that would push its sales over the 2 million units sold worldwide mark even after critics wrote it off as a commercial bomb when it opened with a modest 77,000 units in the November of 2002.
Real love isn’t digital, isn’t physical
It’s the one that can reach inside
And you don’t know why, but it makes you wholeSo if you want the one who reaches deep
Let him see the you that’s underneath
As Rowland prepares to steer the careers of a new generation of Pop hopefuls we hope her own career will deliver another album that flaunts her depth in the way ‘Deep’ did now fourteen years ago.
Love the album as much we do?