Killer Love is the debut solo studio album by Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger which features special guest appearances from Sting, Enrique Iglesias & 50 Cent.
Completed in 2011 and titled Killer Love, Scherzinger's debut album features a combination of up-tempo pop and Eurodance songs, as well as mid-tempo ballads.
RedOne and his associates produced almost half of the album, while other contributions come from the likes of Jim Jonsin, Stargate, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Boi-1da.
In an attempt to launch the album worldwide, a new version of "Right There", featuring 50 Cent, was released, becoming one of Scherzinger's highest-charting solo singles.
It gave Scherzinger her fifth consecutive top-twenty hit in the United Kingdom and helped the album to receive a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
Some praised Scherzinger's strong vocals and conviction to convey emotion, while others criticized her choice of allowing RedOne to produce the majority of the album, stating that some of the songs sounded too similar to each other.
At times it was felt that Scherzinger lacked coherence across the record, often taking the sound that individual producers had created for her instead of showing originality.
Amidst worldwide success with The Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger initially began work on her debut studio album back in 2005.
When asked why he thought the album didn't previously come out RedOne said "Her last one never came out because it was collecting hamburgers, like fast food.
Whilst deciding whether or not to return to tenth series, Scherzinger unveiled that she had been working on her second studio album due for a global release in November 2013.
And I guess when the fans listen to the album, I want them to know that a lot of the music that I chose had to do with my past experiences and relationships, where I've lost myself many times.
[26] On the standard cover, Scherzinger strikes a comfy pose, cracking a half-smile with a tuft of gray fur draped over her left shoulder.
[26] Digital Spy asked Scherzinger to describe Killer Love's sound, during an interview she replied said "the album is largely produced by RedOne, I wanted something explosive that could be staged live in a full performance and I needed music to match the intensity.
"[27] David Renshaw from PopDash said the song borrowed elements and the sound from the Police, a band Sting was previously lead singer of, and in particular their 1983 hit single "Every Breath You Take".
The former is a "contemporary ballad-that's-not-a-ballad", while the latter is slower and more moving, as it is stripped of the album's synthesized and electronic production, to leace Scherzinger's voice with the piano-led melody.
"[29] When talking to MTV, in the United States, Scherzinger said [in context of the US version of her album] it was "a mixture of strong dance anthems, urban twists and uplifting songs.
[28] Killer Love also features a number of up-tempo songs including "Wet", described as a "party playlist essential" thanks to its throbbing base and electronic beats.
"[28] Another one of the up-tempo songs, "Club Banger Nation" features a 1990s Europop introduction, with "shimmering beats and belting vocals"[29][30] "Say Yes" was originally produced by The Cave (Jonas Saeed & Pontus Söderqvist), during early recording sessions.
Some praised Scherzinger's strong vocals and conviction to convey emotion, while others criticized her choice of allowing RedOne to produce the majority of the album, stating that some of the songs sounded too similar to each other.
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.
[1] 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.
"[39] A positive reaction came from "Entertainment Focus" who went to say that: "Killer Love is a competent and enjoyable record from one of the nicest women in pop.
"[37] Robert Copsey wrote favorably for Digital Spy that "Killer Love is a sturdy debut from the part-time X Factor judge that, in part, lives up to her promise of being "in your face and strong".
[40] 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.
[66] An editor from Rap-Up magazine agreed, saying that "The ex-Pussycat Doll heated up the stage in a show-stopping dress while performing [her] single.
[82] Second single, "Don't Hold Your Breath" was produced by Carl Falk, Steve Josefsson (of the Swedish House Mafia) and Rami Yacoub.
"Don't Hold Your Breath" was released as a digital download in the US in August 2011,[84] it serves as the second US single and impacted US radio on September 20, 2011.
[87] Meanwhile, for its release as the lead single for the US edition of Killer Love, the song was re-recorded to feature two new verses from American rapper 50 Cent.
[99][100] In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart on the issue dated November 12, 2011.