Simply Deep

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. The idea of individual releases emanated from the group's manager, Mathew Knowles. 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. Michelle Williams became the first to release a debut solo album, Heart to Yours, in April 2002. it received a positive response from DJs and listeners and was eventually promoted to single status. 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. ==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. 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, was forced to complete the album within a month. The singer felt pressured by high expectations due to Destiny's Child and their huge success. 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. In fact, she co-wrote three songs on the album and came up with the vocal arrangements for several tracks. 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. Solange Knowles, Beyoncé's younger sister, wrote and co-produced three songs on Simply Deep. ==Music and lyrics==

's sister Solange Knowles (pictured) co-wrote three tracks on Simply Deep. although she admitted that she felt the 'rock' label her record company used to promote it was somewhat inappropriate and misleading. According to her, the idea for her to "craft her own brand of Rock & R&B" came from her then-manager, Mathew Knowles, who recognized her interest in rock and alternative music. Rowland stated that she was enthusiastic about the idea, as she had not previously considered exploring such a combination of styles. In an Interview with Billboard, she commented: "He brought the idea to me and I was so excited because I never thought that I could do something like that." with Simply Deep containing stinging electric guitars and gentle acoustic six-strings, atmospheric synths and turntable scratches, resulting in a sound characterized by rock and roll elements, confessional singer-songwriter sensibilities, sultry R&B, and an edgy undercurrent. Rowland's adoption of this style was a conscious effort to distinguish her solo work from the group's sound: "We wanted our solo albums to be different from Destiny's Child so that people wouldn’t compare them to the group’s work. The albums are an opportunity for people to get to know our personalities. In my case, I'm sure that most of my fans didn't realize how much I have always loved rock. In fact, when I first went into the studio and told the producers I wanted a mixture of Sade with really edgy rock, they looked at me like I was crazy! And honestly, about halfway through the recording process, even I was wondering if you could mix those influences together. But it all worked out wonderfully." ==Release and promotion==

Simply Deep was released on October 28, 2002, in the United States and Canada through Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Entertainment. Following the global success of "Dilemma," "Stole" was released as the album's official lead single in September 2002. The song reached the top 20 in most countries and peaked within the top five in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, where it remains Rowland's highest-charting solo single. Despite this, it was considered only a moderate success compared to "Dilemma." Third and final single, "Train on a Track," achieved limited chart success, reaching the top 20 in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, but received additional exposure through its inclusion in the romantic comedy films Maid in Manhattan and The Seat Filler. ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, Simply Deep received generally mixed to lukewarm reviews from most music critics. 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"." 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." 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." 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." She gave it three out of five stars. 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. 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." ==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, 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. "Dilemma" was accredited internationally with sixteen certifications. ==Commercial performance==

Simply Deep debuted and peaked at number twelve on the Billboard 200, the official albums chart in the United States, on November 9, 2002, It was this week's fourth-highest-charting entry after Santana's Shaman, Foo Fighter's One by One and Rod Stewart's It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook. On December 5, 2002, Simply Deep was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments figures in excess of 500,000 copies. 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. 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. Across Oceania, it placed fifth and seventh on the Australian and the New Zealand Albums Chart, in the week of January 26, 2003, Worldwide, the album has sold over 2.5 million copies, making it Rowland's best-selling solo album to date. ==Track listing==

Notes • signifies a vocal producer • signifies a co-producer • signifies a remix producer Sample credits • "Dilemma" contains elements from "Love, Need and Want You" (1983) as written by Bunny Sigler and Kenneth Gamble. • "Can't Nobody" contains elements from "Let's Get Small" (1982) as written by Robert "Syke Dyke" Reed and Tony Fisher. ==Personnel==

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes. Managerial and imagery • A&R – Teresa LaBarbera Whites • Art direction – Fabiola Caceres, Ian Cuttler • Executive producers – Mathew Knowles, Kelly Rowland • Photography – Isabel Snyder Performance credits • Vocals – Kelly Rowland • Vocal assistance – Sherrie Ford, Jeanette Olsson Instruments • Acoustic guitar – Billy Mann • Cello – Kati Raitinen, Peter Tornblom • Electric guitar – Nick Moroch • Guitar – Romeo Antonio, Mats Berntoft, Svein H. Martinsen, Isaac Phillips, Sergio Ponzo, Stanka Simeonova • Viola – Tonstudio Bauer, Torbjorn Helander, Mikael Sjogren • Bass – Mark J. Feist • Drums – Mark J. Feist • Violin – Christian Bergqvist, Ulrika Frankmar, Jan Isaksson, Roger Johnsson, Stanka Simeonova, Stanka Simeonova, Monika Stankkoliska Technical and production • Engineering – Blake English, Paul Falcone, John Frye, Franny G, Jaime Sickora, Spider, Kevin Thomas • Engineering assistance – Jun Ishizeki, Flip Osman, Daniel Milazzo • Mastering: Tom Coyne • Mixing: Tony Maserati, Dave Pensado, Richard Travali • Production – Anders Barrén, Dane Deviller, Mark J. Feist, Sean Hosein, Heeba Jeeba, Steve Kipner, Faltone Moore, Jany Schella, Damon Sharpe • Vocal production – Teron Beal, Brandy Norwood, Kelly Rowland, Tiaa Wells ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==