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Michelle Williams - Unexpected
| Billboard |
| The surprise alluded to in the title of Michelle Williams' third solo album is that "Unexpected" finds the former Destiny's Child member moving from gospel to pop. Considering that she can no longer depend on the occasional DC set to keep her name in mainstream circulation, though, it's not hard to believe Williams would choose to make such a transition. Nor is the radio-ready sound of "Unexpected" —with its Stargate and Jim Jonsin productions and a guest appearance by Flo Rida—much of a shock; Williams and her handlers have clearly been listening to recent hits by Rihanna and Ciara. That said, "Unexpected" does boast a handful of shiny electro-R&B gems ("Hello Heartbreak," "We Break the Dawn") that make Williams' journey from church to club as enjoyable as it was inevitable.—...full text |
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| Vibe |
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Rising from a load of hit records and out of the shadows of former Destiny’s Child mates Kelly Rowland and Beyoncé Knowles, Michelle Williams returns with her third solo release, Unexpected (Columbia). Like the phoenix tattooed on her back, Williams’ album is fresh and new, veering of the gospel path she’s known to travel. Straying from the spiritual solace, heard in her previous albums Heart to Yours (Columbia) and Do You Know (Columbia), and into secularity serves her well. “Lucky Girl” swings into ecstasy with the aid of the 2008’s choice studio device, the vocoder along with the writing skills of friend Solange Knowles. And the sugary "We Break the Dawn, Part 2" features southern rap new jack Flo Rida with production by DJ Montay, (known for Unk's dance crazed "Walk It Out"). On "Stop This Car” Williams blends subtle, yet potent honesty with symphonic Stargate soundscapes. Other than falling short on "Hungover," where Williams sounds disorientated and disconnected from her own vibe, the majority of the set’s cuts compliment each other....full text |
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| Slantmagazine |
| It's no secret that in music, as in life, success and failure are largely dependent on timing, and so with that in mind it's hard not to feel just a little bad for Michelle Williams, the Johnny-come-lately third member of Destiny's Child, who has always had a hard time establishing herself inside the group, let alone outside it, and who now finds herself releasing a new record at a time when her efforts will likely be eclipsed by her former group members. And so, after a series of delays, Williams's third solo album, Unexpected, arrives on shelves just as people have begun to buzz about Beyoncé's upcoming album, and when honorary DC sister Solange has made an unexpected critical impact with the oddball surrealism of her recent sophomore effort, Sol-Angel and the Hadley Street Dreams. Considering Unexpected is a fairly decent album and by far the least pretentious, unashamedly pop record to be made by a DC member so far, it's all a bit unfortunate. Anyone who has heard the first single, "We Break the Dawn," already knows that Williams, whose solo work to date has been gospel-oriented, has on this occasion stepped outside of the confines of the church and into the dark of the clubs, embracing au courant euro-pop sounds, and it's a move that works well for her. "We Break the Dawn," which boasts a chorus wrapped up in some awesome swirling synth-pop majestics, has done relatively well on the dance charts but deserved to cross over. Meanwhile, ignoring some atrocious lyrical hiccups, "Til' the End of the World" is a moody, frostbitten electro lament, and in the lush balladry of "The Greatest," Williams could find the hit she needs....full text |
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