Unexpected (Michelle Williams album)

Unexpected
Studio album by Michelle Williams
Released	August 12, 2008 (2008-08-12)
Recorded	2007–2008
Genre	Dance-pop electronica R&B
Length	43:27
Label	Columbia Music World
Producer	Raymond "Shonny B" Hilton Andrew Frampton Erron Williams Jackpot Royal XVI, Dwayne "Dtown" Nesmith Jazz Nixon DJ Montay Jack Kugell James Jones Jason Pennock REO EHOOD and E2 Jim Jonsin Rico Love Soulshock & Karlin Stargate Wayne Wilkins[1]
Michelle Williams chronology
Do You Know (2004) Unexpected (2008) Journey to Freedom (2014)
Singles from Unexpected
"We Break the Dawn" Released: April 15, 2008 (2008-04-15) "The Greatest" Released: September 9, 2008 (2008-09-09) "Hello Heartbreak" Released: December 2, 2008 (2008-12-02)

Unexpected is the third solo studio album by American singer Michelle Williams. It was released by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment on October 7, 2008 in North America.^[2] Her first solo project following the disbandment of her group Destiny's Child in 2006, it marked Williams' first full-length dance-influenced commercial pop album, moving away from the gospel style of her previous efforts Heart to Yours (2002) and Do You Know (2004). Unexpected fuses dance-pop, R&B and electronic music to form a wide selection of up-tempo, beat-driven, club-oriented songs which gradually calm into slower material more R&B in sound and style.

Recording sessions for the album originally began in 2005, with the songs being mostly mid-tempo contemporary R&B and soul songs, however, after playing the "first sketch" of the album to her mother, Williams says she was "challenged" to go back and record songs that "people could dance to" and so in 2007 Williams began working extensively with producer, songwriter and arranger Rico Love to create an entirely new album – which Williams would later sum up simply as "unexpected". In addition, producers such as Jim Jonsin, Soulshock & Karlin, and Stargate, and Wayne Wilkins contributed to the track listing.^[1]

Upon its release, the album earned positive reviews from critics, with many complimenting Williams's decision to breakaway from her earlier projects, the album's production and the overall direction of the album. Unexpected debuted and peaked at number forty-two and number eleven on the US Billboard 200 and US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively, selling 14,618 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The album spawned three singles – "We Break the Dawn", which preceded the release of the album, "The Greatest" and "Hello Heartbreak".^[1] Unexpected was Williams' last release through Columbia.