Kelly Rowland - Work: The Best of Kelly Rowland (2010)

Inevitably overshadowed by the world-dominating superstar status of her former bandmate Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland has still managed to clock in an impressive if sporadic number of hits over her seven-year solo career. Not that you'd know it from this hastily assembled collection of songs, which not only misses out her two biggest-selling tracks -- her collaborations with Nelly ("Dilemma") and David Guetta ("When Love Takes Over ), but also omits singles "Like This," "Daylight," and "Commander." However, its four more familiar inclusions are perhaps Rowland's best. "Stole" is a poignant guitar-led tale of three high school students' lives prematurely cut short, which in the wave of Beyoncé's under-performing Austin Powers tie-in debut, "Work It Out," briefly suggested Rowland could become the surprise solo success of Destiny's Child. The skittering percussion and funky basslines of "Can't Nobody" recall the sassy New Jack Swing of En Vogue, while "Train on a Track" is a gorgeous, acoustic midtempo which showcases Rowland's strikingly soulful vocals. Unfortunately, her best single, "Work," is featured here in its pedestrian R&B form, rather than the glorious bhangra-infused Freemasons remix which elevated it into club anthem territory. The remaining 12 tracks are plucked from her two studio albums, 2003's Simply Deep, and 2007's Miss Kelly, the highlights of which are the futuristic funk of the Brandy co-penned "Love/Hate," the slick seductive vibes of the jazz-soul-inspired "Past 12," and the melodic soft rock ballad "Unity." But with no new material, there's nothing here to tempt Rowland fans who already own her previous work, while casual fans are likely to be deterred by its incomplete track list. If Rowland's third album matches the same standard as her recent dance-heavy singles, there's a potentially strong Greatest Hits to come, but Work: The Best Of isn't it.