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Album reviews Music

Kelly Rowland – Talk A Good Game

Rating: NNN


Upon hearing the first words of Kelly Rowland’s fourth solo album – “Mirrors on the ceiling, cameras on the corners of my bed” – it’s clear that Rowland’s exposing herself. That opening track, Freak (a Jamie Foxx cover), piques interest but serves mostly as a tease. Rowland takes us closer with Kisses Down Low, instructing how to give her exactly what she wants.

Rooted in R&B with pop and dance elements, the album is a who’s who of producer contributions: Pharrell, Boi-1da and T-Minus. But Talk A Good Game shines brightest when Rowland and The-Dream conspire: In Dirty Laundry, which he co-wrote and -produced, she shares complicated pangs of Beyoncé jealousy as well as the pain of leaving an abusive relationship. Emotionally raw, it’s far more intimate than her sexier songs, proving that her best recipe for success is baring her soul rather than her bedroom secrets.

Top track: Dirty Laundry

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