Kelly Rowland out of Destiny’s Child

Being part of a hugely-successful group might be nice but there lurks in every artist’s heart the desire to do things on his own and to be recognized by his own name. This is the reason why very few music groups including brother acts have stayed together during the entire length of their careers. The Bee Gees remained together but it only took a few years at the top for Michael to decide to deprive the Jacksons of its star attraction. There are some, though, who choose to have the best of both worlds like Phil Collins who alternated his solo ventures with stints as drummer and lead singer of Genesis.

Losing a member also puts the market status of a group in jeopardy. The Supremes is the greatest female group of all time, but it cannot be denied that the departure of Diana Ross hastened the death of the trio. Of course, Diana went on to become one of the most successful entertainers in pop music history. Such was not so with Geri Halliwell. She left while the Spice Girls was at the top of the hit charts all over the world. It was the beginning of the end for the group. Nothing though, has also been heard about Geri since the much-ballyhooed release of her over-rated solo album.

There is no official word if Destiny’s Child has already disintegrated but one cannot help but think of that possibility now that Kelly Rowland has released her first solo album and the other girls are also working on solo projects. And what Kelly presents in Simply Deep is something totally unlike anything identified with Destiny’s Child. She is taking a big risk venturing so far away from the fold but as I said before, artists highly prize their individuality and would much rather be known for themselves than part of something already tried and found vastly appealing.

Kelly does soulful pop ballads, light rock and not to forget, R&B. The latter is the area where the opening cut and first single release Stole belongs. It is the same thing with Dilemma, Kelly’s irresistible duet with the famous hip hop star Nelly. She does a take on Patti LaBelle’s Love, Need and Want You, while Nelly raps. This is the song that literally leapt out of the album to become the first big hit in many parts of the world. Because of the song’s strong showing, Kelly’s solo venture is now officially considered a success. But as anybody in the music business is inclined to say in cases such as this, "Let us wait for the next album." That is the one which will show if Kelly Rowland is fated to be a solo star.

Meanwhile, let us all enjoy the varied moods she serves up in Simply Deep where she does R&B. The other songs included are Haven’t Told You, Can’t Nobody, Love/Hate, Love Lives in Strange Places, Obsession, Heaven, Past 12, Everytime You Walk Out That Door, Train on a Track, Beyond Imagination and Make U Wanna Stay featuring Joe Budden. The title track Simply Deep was written for Kelly by Solange Knowles, the younger sister of Beyonce of Destiny’s Child. Solange also performs with Kelly in this cut in the album.

Billboard’s Hot 100 tunes

50 Cent, the new group recording for Eminem’s Shady label, continues to hold the top berth in Billboard Magazine’s list of the Hot 100 tunes. Here are those in the top 10: In The Club by 50 Cent; All I Have by Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J; Mesmerize by Ja Rule featuring Ashanti; Miss You by Aaliyah; Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake; Ignition the new single by the controversial R. Kelly; Landslide by the Dixie Chicks; Gossip Folks by "Missy Misdemeanor" Elliott featuring Ludacris; I’m with You by Avril Lavigne; and Picture by Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow or Allison Moorer.

Her Grammy landslide is the obvious reason why Come Away with Me by Norah Jones is once again the number one selling album in the US of A. Here is the top 10 out of the Billboard 200: Come Away with Me by Norah Jones; Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent; Chocolate Factory by R. Kelly; Home by the Dixie Chicks; Philadelphia Freeway by Freeway; Grammy Nominees 2003 by Various Artists; Cocky by Kid Rock; Room for Squares by John Mayer; Let Go by Avril Lavigne; and Cradle 2 the Grave the soundtrack of the motion picture of the same title.