Simply Deep is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released on October 22, 2002, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. Initially expected to be released during the hiatus of her group Destiny's Child in 2003, recording of the album was accelerated after the success of the single "Dilemma", a collaboration with rapper Nelly. Largely produced within three weeks only, guest appearances on Simply Deep include Nelly, Solange Knowles and Joe Budden.
The album received generally mixed to lukewarm reviews from most music critics who called it a pleasant listen but found that it lacked ambition. While Simply Deep peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 600,000 copies in the United States,[2] it was regarded as a bigger commercial success abroad, where it topped the UK Albums Chart,[3] reached the top five in Australia, Denmark, and Ireland, and singles such as "Stole" and "Can't Nobody" were released to stronger commercial success.
In late 2003, nearly a year after the album's initial release, Rowland embarked on her debut solo Simply Deeper Tour to promote the album in Europe. While Simply Deep established Rowland as a viable solo artist and, with worldwide sales of more than 2 million units, remains the biggest-selling album within her solo catalogue,[4] the singer has expressed her dissatisfaction with the rushed and less thought out character of the album, though still being fond of the material that she had recorded for it.[5]
Background and development
Rowland launched her singing career with all-female R&B group Destiny's Child in the late 1990s. While recording their third studio album, Survivor, in late 2000, the band announced that members of the group would disband for a short period to produce solo albums in the coming years, which they hoped would boost interest in Destiny's Child.[6] The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager, Mathew Knowles.[7] With different types of music for each member to produce, the albums were not intended to compete on the charts as Destiny's Child's management strategically planned to stagger the release of each group member's album to maximize sales.[8]
Michelle Williams became the first to release a debut solo album, Heart to Yours, in April 2002.[8]Beyoncé Knowles debuted on the big screen, starring in the spy comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and started recording her solo debut Dangerously in Love (2003).[8] Meanwhile, Rowland collaborated with American rapper Nelly on the song "Dilemma" as a solo artist. The song originally appeared on his album Nellyville (2002), and while it was initially not expected to be released as a single,[9] it received a positive response from DJs and listeners and was eventually promoted to single status.[9] Issued to major success, "Dilemma" became a worldwide number-one hit that year, allowing Rowland's label Columbia Records to advance the release date of Simply Deep from 2003 to late 2002.[8]
Recording and production
In order to capitalize on the success of "Dilemma," the ordering of Knowles and Rowland's albums was switched, leading to the postponement of Knowles's solo album Dangerously in Love to mid-2003 and the recording of Simply Deep being accelerated to summer 2002.[10] Rowland who had previously signed on to star in Ronny Yu's slasher film Freddy vs. Jason and was expected to start filming in Vancouver in September 2002,[11] was forced to complete the album within a month.[3][12] The singer felt pressured by high expectations due to Destiny's Child and their huge success.[13] She later revealed: "It was a challenge and I did that creatively and vocally. I was very nervous, but I came through with flying colors because of my family and, of course, Destiny's Child. There were days in the studio where I would run out, like, 'I'm frustrated! I don't wanna do this!' And they would calm me and tell me that everything was gonna be okay. I got through it because of them." Rowland eventually overcame her fears during the process as her newfound independence offered her an opportunity to branch out and try new things.[14] In fact, she co-wrote three songs on the album and came up with the vocal arrangements for several tracks.[15]
Columbia Records arranged for Rowland to record with a large group of previous collaborators, several of which had worked with Destiny's Child on their 2001 studio album Survivor, including producers Anthony Dent, Rob Fusari, Falonte Moore, Mark J. Feist, Jovonn Alexander, and Damon Elliott.[16] In addition, she would work with Troy Johnson, Alonzo Jackson, Damon Sharpe, Billy Mann, Anders Barrén, and Jany Schella, and trio Steve Kipner, Dane Deviller, and Sean Hosein.[16] Songwriter-producer Rich Harrison contributed "Can't Nobody," the first of many songs which he would produce for either Destiny's Child or the band's solo projects.[16]Robert "Big Bert" Smith oversaw the production of "Love/Hate," a song co-written by his then-girlfriend, fellow singer Brandy.[17]Solange Knowles, Beyoncé's younger sister, wrote and co-produced three songs on Simply Deep.[18] Recording sessions for the album took place at several recording studios, including Studio 353, The Hit Factory and Sound-on-Sound Studio in New York City, Stankonia Recording Studio in Atlanta, Audio Vision Recording Studios in Miami Beach, and The Enterprise in Burbank, Henson Recording Studios and The Record Plant in Los Angeles, Heeba Jeeba Studios in Sherman Oaks and the Real FM Sound and Nature's Finest Studios in Hollywood.[18]
Music and lyrics
Musically, the album took Rowland's solo work into an alternative R&B sound, which she described as a "weird fusion [of] a little bit of Sade and a little bit of rock."[12][19] According to Rowland it was her manager Matthew Knowles idea for her to "craft her own brand of Rock & R&B".[20] In an Interview with Billboard, she stated, "He's always known how much I love rock music and alternative music; He brought the idea to me and I was so excited because I never thought that I could do something like that".[20]
Simply Deep was released through Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music on October 28, 2002, in both the United States and Canada. The album would not be released worldwide until February 3, 2003. The album yielded three singles; "Stole", a pop rock-influenced mid-tempo track about school bullying, was released as the album's lead single. The song entered the top 20 on the majority of the charts it appeared on, reaching the top five in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where it remains her highest-charting solo single to date. [21][22] The album's second single was an uptempo track titled "Can't Nobody".[23] The final single, "Train on a Track", was featured on the soundtrack of the romantic comedy film Maid in Manhattan (2003).[24]
Singles
Although "Dilemma" was not technically the lead single from the album, it was the first song on the album recorded and released before Rowland even began the process of recording the album. "Dilemma" was generally well received by critics. It was number one in ten countries, including the UK, the US and Australia, selling over 7.6 million copies worldwide also becoming Rowland's first number one single as a solo artist, her highest charting and most successful single to date and her biggest international hit.[25] "Stole" was released as the album's lead single in October 2002, following the worldwide success of "Dilemma", it entered the top twenty on the majority of the charts it appeared on but only a moderate hit compared to its predecessor. "Can't Nobody" was released as the album's second single (3rd overall) although it widely failed to match the success of "Dilemma" or "Stole". "Train on a Track", was the final track released from the album and only entered the top twenty on the UK Singles Chart, although it was featured on the soundtrack to the romantic comedy film The Seat Filler and Maid in Manhattan.
Upon its release, Simply Deep received generally mixed to lukewarm reviews from most music critics.[26] British morning newspaper The Independent gave the album a generally favorable review, writing that "on the whole the album sticks closely to the standard urban-diva formula, mixing garage twitchers with the usual billing and cooing on ballads such as "Haven't Told You". But it's all done with style and intelligence, whether she's luxuriating in the loneliness of "Everytime You Walk Out That Door" or evoking the momentum of the first flush of love in "Train on a Track"."[34] Lisa Verrico of The Times stated "on first listen, Simply Deep does everything but live up to its title. It sounds like a shallow stroll through the poppier end of urban music [...] But give it another listen and [it] does grow on you if you’re looking for an easy-on-the-ear album. It is a pleasant listen."[32] Joy Dunbar, writing for BBC Music, noted that while "the albums main weakness is that it tries to offer too much diversity and Kelly tries too hard to stand outside her former incarnation," it was a must-have for fans of R&B music, adding: "Simply Deep endeavours to demonstrate another side of Kelly Rowland, as a songwriter and an independent solo artist [...] The in frequent high points make this a must for your collection."[35]
In her review for Simply Deep, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian wrote, "Rowland is no longer a mere backing vocalist for Beyoncé Knowles. But while she undoubtedly has talent to burn, her first solo album is a mildly disappointing setting for it. A top-flight example of the American inclination toward lush but lightweight soul, it makes all the right R&B noises without engaging the emotions."[28] She gave it three out of five stars.[28] Sal Cinquemani of Slant dismissed the ballads on Simply Deep as "all gloppy-goo and no soul; but through it all Rowland manages to keep her cool. The album's best tracks, the light and breezy "Train on a Track" and "(Love Lives In) Strange Places," infuse the singer's lush harmonies with acoustic guitars and poetic wordplay."[31] He especially criticized Solange Knowles' contribution to the album, noting her "icky [and] laughable lyrics" as the worst on Simply Deep which he rated two and a half out of five stars.[31] Jon Caramanica of Entertainment Weekly commented that "Rowland, at times, seems like Destiny's adopted child, never receiving a full helping of Knowles-family adulation. Alas, her first solo project doesn't pull her out from Beyonce's shadow. She needs added star power: Her backup-singer instincts leave even the hottest songs here feeling somewhat chilly."[36]Craig Seymour of Vibe was generally disappointed with the album, writing: "Rowland's solo album marks an attempt to further establish herself as a singular talent, but the effort is as misguided as the Nelly hookup was savvy [...] An abundance of cheesy folk/R&B numbers make Rowland come off like Brandy fronting as India.Arie."[33]Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard found that the album's "tired character sketches and polite R&B hooks will make you long for the sass and spirit of her main outfit."[37]
Accolades
"Dilemma" was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Record of the Year at the 45th Grammy Awards (2003), winning the award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. During the 55th Anniversary of the Hot 100 issue of Billboard magazine, the song was ranked at number 75 on the all-time Hot 100 songs,[38] while at the end of 2009 was named the eleventh most successful song from 2000 to 2009, on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.[39] "Dilemma" was accredited internationally with sixteen certifications.
Released to even bigger success in international territories, in the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number-one on the UK Albums Chart on February 15, 2003, selling more than 100,000 copies in its first week.[45] It received both a silver and a gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) the following week, and on April 11, 2003, was certified platinum for sales of 300,000 units.[46]Simply Deep also reached number two on the Irish Albums Chart, elsewhere in Europe, the album managed to enter the top ten in Denmark and the top twenty in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Switzerland.[47] Across Oceania, it placed fifth and seventh on the Australian and the New Zealand Albums Chart, in the week of January 26, 2003,[47][48] and was certified gold by both the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).[48] Worldwide, the album has sold over 2.5 million copies, making it Rowland's best-selling solo album to date.[4]
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