Released: March 18, 2011 (Ireland, France); March 21, 2011 (UK); March 25, 2011 (Switzerland); March 28, 2011 (Germany); May 16, 2011 (Denmark); May 20, 2011 (Netherlands); June 3, 2011 (Australia); August 16, 2011 (USA) Genre: Pop, R&B Label: A&M, Interscope Producer: BeatGeek, Boi-1da, Maven Boys, The-Dream, Carl Falk, Trina Harmon, Jimmy Joker, Jim Jonsin, Steve Josefsson, Rami, RedOne, StarGate, Tricky Stewart, Julian Swirsky, Mark Taylor, Sandy Vee; Harvey Mason, Jr., Ne-Yo, R. Kelly
Tracklist: 01 Poison 02 Killer Love 03 Don't Hold Your Breath 04 Right There 05 You Will Be Loved 06 Wet 07 Say Yes 08 Club Banger Nation 09 Power's Out (featuring Sting) 10 Desperate 11 Everybody 12 Heartbeat (Rudi Wells' Open Heart Remix) (Enrique Iglesias featuring Nicole Scherzinger) 13 Casualty 14 AmenJena
Killer Love is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Nicole Scherzinger, former lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. It was released from March 18, 2011 by Interscope Records. Scherzinger began recording the album in 2005, under the title Her Name Is Nicole, and was originally due for release in 2007. However unsuccessful singles and poor timing led the project being pushed back numerous times into 2008 and 2009. Scherzinger would then go on to shelve the album, citing bad timing and creative issues as the reasons for its cancellation.
Scherzinger initially began work on her debut studio album back in 2005. The project, titled Her Name is Nicole, saw the singer recording 75–100 songs, with some of the songs later ending up with the Pussycat Dolls. However following four unsuccessful singles, Scherzinger admitted she was going to restart her album. In an interview with Billboard magazine in April 2009, she said "the current incarnation of [my album] is just in talks and in the writing process. I haven't started recording yet".
Critical response
The Observer's Michael Cragg noted the album as being consistent with most other modern R&B albums, stating "Killer Love is two thirds deliriously catchy pop stompers and one third balladry." Cragg also noted that Scherzinger's "not so inconsiderable voice" takes a backseat allowing the record producers to inject their own influences into her music. Alex Macpherson from BBC Online commented that "Scherzinger is one of the few pop performers with the requisite power to dominate [her] beats rather than vice versa. Killer Love is far from the album you sense Scherzinger could still deliver: at times, her personality is all that – barely – carries substandard, unmemorable songs."
However, Hugh Montgomery from The Independent gave it a negative review for a perceived lack of originality and musical identity, calling it "a debut that bludgeons the listener with faux-raunchy Euro-dance before flatlining with the obligatory earnest balladry and a Sting duet. At 14 tracks, it's at least 12 too long, much of it imaginably pilfered off Rihanna's reject pile."
US edition
The US version of Killer Love will feature an alternate track listing. Scherzinger confirmed, during an interview with MTV, that the US album would contain contributions from RedOne, Ne-Yo, Jim Jonsin, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. In addition to this, 50 Cent will be featured on the album's US lead single, a new version of the Jonsin-produced, "Right There". American hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg appears on one of the four to five new songs recorded for the US album. He appears on a song titled "Peep Show", written and produced by Harvey Mason, Jr. and R. Kelly.[55] Furthermore, in an interview with Rap-Up, Scherzinger said that "Power's Out" (featuring Sting) is likely to appear on the album. The US version of the album will sees its release on August 16, 2011. |