New solo CD 'Unexpected' lives up to its name

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Outside of Destiny's Child, Michelle Williams is best known for gospel tunes, but the 28-year-old takes on a new sound with her third solo CD, "Unexpected."

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The Associated Press

This is the cover of her latest CD.

The singer topped the gospel charts with her solo debut, 2002's "Heart to Yours," and saw similar success with 2004's "Do You Know." But with "Unexpected," Williams successfully breaks out of her comfort zone, singing mainly European-pop flavoured, sweet sounding dance jams.

Producer Rico Love (Usher, Natasha Bedingfield) assists on the catchy "Lucky Girl," Solange Knowles co-writes the fun single "We Break the Dawn" and on "Till the End of the World," Williams yearns "Would you be my lover, forgetting all others/Even till the end of the world?" The disco-flavoured "Hello Heartbreak" starts off nicely, but when a voice chimes in with the corny phrase "it's time for the percolator" three minutes into the song, it's time to press the skip button. Williams also falls short on "Private Party" and the out-of-tune "Hungover."

But she brings back the momentum by slowing things down with mid-tempo jams like "Thank U" and "The Greatest," a beautiful love song.

Check out this track: The StarGate production team gives Williams a dramatic groove with "Stop This Car," a smooth song highlighted by the sound of violins.