| Talk a Good Game | ||||
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| Released | June 18, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
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| Length | 49:17 | |||
| Label | Republic | |||
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| Singles from Talk a Good Game | ||||
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Talk a Good Game is the fourth studio album by the American singer Kelly Rowland. Formerly titled Year of the Woman, the album was released on June 18, 2013, by Universal Republic and its affiliated record labels. Incorporating a base core of R&B and pop music, Talk a Good Game was influenced by the likes of Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder among Rowland's other idols. She wanted the album to be a celebration of womanhood and referred to the record as her most personal album to date. On the album, she co-wrote all but one song, "Freak", a cover version of the 2010 song by the entertainer Jamie Foxx from his fourth studio album Best Night of My Life. A deluxe edition, and a Target-exclusive edition of the album with bonus tracks, were released simultaneously with the twelve-track standard edition.
Talk a Good Game was promoted with live versions of the album's songs during the Lights Out Tour, a co-headline concert tour between Rowland and The-Dream. The album was also preceded by the release of the lead single, a Mike Will Made It and Marz production called "Kisses Down Low", which peaked in the top-thirty of the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A second single, The-Dream-produced "Dirty Laundry", was released a month before the album. The song talks about the domestic abuse that Rowland suffered during a previous relationship.[citation needed]
On its release, music critics commended the album's cohesive sound and themes throughout, often noting Rowland's most personal and vulnerable lyrics as well as the strength of her vocals. Talk a Good Game entered the US Billboard 200 at number four, selling 68,000 copies in its opening week, and was Rowland's third top ten album. The album also entered the US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart at number four. In 2014, Rowland left her label, wanting a new start elsewhere and signalling the end of the Talk a Good Game era. The album was her only release under Republic Records.