Kelly Rowland's second solo album Ms. Kelly was released in June 2007. Not as successful as its predecessor Simply Deep (2002), the album produced the hit singles "Like This" and "Work".[1] Originally entitled My Story, the album's first version was actually scheduled for a June 2006 release, but the singer, her management and Columbia Records decided to shelve the album at the last minute to re-work a version with a different vibe as the singer considered the final track listing "too full of midtempos and ballads."[2][3] Rowland eventually consulted additional producers to collaborate on the album, renamed Ms. Kelly, including Billy Mann, Scott Storch, and Atlanta-based Polow da Don who contributed to "Like This", a collaboration with rapper Eve.[4] A moderate success around the globe, the song reached the top-ten in Ireland and the UK, and the top-twenty in Australia and New Zealand.[5][6] Upon its release, Ms. Kelly debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with moderately successful first week sales of 86,000 copies.[7] Outside the US, the album widely failed to reprise the success of Simply Deep, barely reaching the top-forty on the majority of all charts it appeared on, except for the UK, where it opened at number 37.[5]
Here I Am received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 64, based on sixteen reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[120] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman gave Here I Am four out of five stars and complimented its appeal to "hip-hop and R&B" radio, adding that "Although very eclectic taste is required to appreciate in full, this is clearly Rowland's brightest, most confident album yet."[1] Entertainment Weekly's Adam Markovitz gave Here I Am a B rating and called it "a solid if unambitious set of medium-hot finger snappers."[123] Simon Gage from the Daily Express called Here I Am a "jumping" collection of up-tempo songs comparable to Donna Summer, but "broadly much tougher and maybe just a tad over-processed." Gage added that Rowland could include Here I Am amongst her other career highlights such as her singles "Work" (2008) and "When Love Takes Over" (2009 collaboration with David Guetta), as well as her judging role on series 8 of The X Factor (UK).[130] The A.V. Club's Evan Rytlewski called Here I Am a declaration of Rowland's liberation. Rytlewski attributed the album's appeal to the producers, who he felt "drove forward the sound" and prevented Rowland from taking "songs too seriously" as done on Simply Deep. He concluded his review by also praising Rowland's choice to include elements of dance music.[121] Elyssa Garnder from USA Today gave the album a mixed review, stating that "Rowland traverses the gamut of predictable romantic scenarios prettily enough... alas, Here I Am proves a lot more cautious than that dare suggests."[128] Jon Caramanica from The New York Times called the album both smart and surprising. "Here I Am is something much more confident and more surprising [than expected]. It's a chewy and moody R&B album on which Ms. Rowland sounds assured and vital. Or, at minimum, is made to sound that way... Her vocals are stacked thick and placed loud in the mix, but while they're noticeable, they're not particularly notable apart from their arrangements."[125]
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