November 20, 2012

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Kelly Rowland is not just excited about Year of the Woman, her upcoming fourth studio solo album, she's can't-stop-smiling happy about it.

The R&B artist believes the new songs will show a different side of her to fans, more specifically ladies, her admitted target audience for the set.

"With the things that I'm talking about, I think that it's probably the most vulnerable I've been on a record," she told Billboard at the AMAs on Sunday. "And I wanted to just touch a woman's hand, talk to her, you know what I mean? Like, this is my sister and I think that's one of the things that I wanted to really pronounce on this album, is a celebration of a woman."

Rowland revealed she's currently in the studio with legendary duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have produced 16 No. 1s on the Hot 100 for everyone from Janet Jackson and Boyz II Men to Usher and Mariah Carey.

"Let me tell you something, they are a part of the foundation of who I am as well," she said. "Because their sound was one of the first things I remember about R&B. Being in the studio with them, I wanted to pinch myself."

The former Destiny's Child star has also been working with Kevin Cossom (Rick Ross, Mary J. Blige) and T-Minus (Drake, T.I.), as well as Noel "Detail" Fisher and Sean Garrett, who both produced the album's first single "Ice" featuring Lil. Wayne.

"This process has been so exciting in a way that it's really great to know exactly where you want to go," Rowland said. "It's great to have writers fall in place, and producers fall in place and some things be so unexpected."

She later beamed, "It's such beautiful work so far and I'm so excited."

Year of the Woman is expected to get a first quarter 2013 release. Rowland's last album, 2011's Here I Am, debuted atop the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Lil Wayne?

Well good for her. It will be interesting to see if they get a single released from her project.

Musicslave said: