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}} ''Here I Am'' is the third studio album by American recording artist Kelly Rowland, released through Universal Motown (Universal Music) on July 22, 2011. The album is Rowland's first release since parting ways with her long-time manager Matthew Knowles and record label Columbia Records. ''Here I Am'' is predominately a pop, R&B and dance album. It follows Rowland's assertion that "no one puts her in a box" with common themes around womanhood, sexual intimacy and love. Originally scheduled for release in 2010, the album was pushed back after the first round of singles were released to mixed reception, both with critics and commercially. "Commander" (2010) produced by and featuring David Guetta topped the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart and became a top-ten hit in the UK and some of Europe. Three other singles: "Forever and a Day", "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Grown Woman", all had limited commercial success and are subsequently included on selected editions of the album or excluded altogether. The international version of the album features seventeen songs including ones excluded from the US editions and some remixes. ''Here I Am'' features guest performances from Lil Wayne, Nelly, Rico Love, Lil Playy, The WAV.s and Big Sean, who features on the single "Lay It on Me". Production of the album was handled by the likes of Rodney Jerkins, Guetta, Jim Jonsin, Hit-Boy, RedOne and The Runners. Love wrote half of the songs on the album, while Rowland received writing credits for three of the songs. After re-recording the majority of the album, a new single featuring Lil Wayne titled "Motivation", preceded the album in the US. It was greeted with a positive reception from critics and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as well as peaking in the top-twenty of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Rowland's second most successful single as a lead artist in the US. ''Here I Am'' was received well by critics, many of whom praised the strong productions and vocal performances but questioned some of the guests and a lack of the up-tempo dance sound Rowland had spoken of. ''Here I Am'' debuted at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, selling 77,000 copies. To date, it is Rowland's highest debuting album in the US. == Background and new label == During her 2008 performances at T4 on the Beach in Weston-Super-Mare, United Kingdom, Rowland was exposed to British bands and live festival music. It inspired her to pursue a new sound for her then untitled third album.〔 She then travelled the South of France for vacation in Summer 2008 where she was exposed to dance music. It was here that she met French disc jockey (DJ) David Guetta and heard the foundations of "When Love Takes Over", a song that would leave a lasting impression on the singer. After falling in love with the song, Rowland would take it back to London to write and record the vocals with Australian songwriters, The Nervo Twins. However Columbia Records were not impressed with the new sound and the record was left unfinished until it was rediscovered by Guetta, when compiling his ''One Love'' album. In March 2009, it was revealed that the singer was parting ways with Columbia Records. Speaking of her decision to leave, Rowland said, "as a solo artist, I felt the need to explore new directions, new challenges, and new freedoms outside my comfort zone and my friends and family at Columbia have been incredibly understanding about my evolution. I want to thank everyone at Columbia for the love and support they've shown and I will never forget how many good times we've had over the years." It was also announced in March that Guetta was releasing "When Love Takes Over", his collaboration with Rowland. The song went on to be a worldwide success for the duo. Jason Lipshutz of ''Billboard'' said "the success comes at an intriguing time in Rowland's career", having noted that she had landed a hosting job on Bravo's ''The Fashion Show'' and was in between labels. In October 2009 it was suggested that the success of the single had made Rowland consider signing a new record deal with EMI Music. Despite earlier claims, Rowland told ''Entertainment Weekly'' in 2010 that she didn't leave Columbia Records of her own accord. She was dropped because her previous album, ''Ms. Kelly'' (2007), was not commercially successful. Then in May 2010, speculation of Rowland's new record ended when an official press release revealed that she had signed to Universal Motown Records. It was whilst recording within the studios with Guetta that Rowland caught the attention of the head of Universal Motown, Sylvia Rhone, which led to the new deal. On the decision to go with Rhone's label, Rowland said "they have really embraced me and have set me up to succeed. I decided, after careful thought, to sign with Universal Motown not only because of their track record of success, but also because they truly put their artists first".〔 ''Here I Am'' has a distinctly different sound to Rowland's previous albums. ''Simply Deep'' (2002) followed a rock–dance sound, while ''Ms. Kelly'' featured an urban sound. However, on her third album, there are a lot of up-tempo tracks. The album is tailored specifically towards individual markets, with the US version of the album featuring more traditional R&B and pop records, while the international version of the album features more of an "up-tempo dancey" sound. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Here I Am (Kelly Rowland album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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