Can Kelly Rowland Take "Command" Over Her American Singles? Please?

Kelly Rowland's two new singles, and neither of them are "Commander"

When Kelly Rowland released the David Guetta-produced "Commander" a few months ago, I became very excited for her upcoming album. I was expecting a lot, believing that she was taking notes from the worldwide success of "When Love Takes Over" and moving to a more dance-oriented sound.

Then, she announced that "Commander" wasn't going to be the first US single.

At first, it was rumored that the leaked track "Shake Them Haters Off" was going to be the lead single. It wasn't a bad choice, actually; I really liked the song, even though "Commander" was vastly superior. Then it turned out that she wasn't releasing that. Instead, Kelly is pulling an unfortunate page out of Beyoncé's Sasha Fierce book and releasing two simultaneous singles. "Grown Woman" will be sent to Urban radio, while "Rose Colored Glasses" is headed for Top 40 radio.

Huh?

"Commander" is one of the best pop songs of the year, and if she had released and properly promoted it, it would've been a massive hit. It's already hit the Top 20 of the UK charts two weeks before the official single release. She could have finally gotten the success that would've brought her out of the Destiny's Child shadow and into the mainstream where she belongs.

Instead, she decides to release two songs to two different formats. The problem with that is, neither of the songs are that good anyway, and she's simply splitting and confusing her audience. Considering her former bandmate Beyoncé made the same mistake with her 2008 album I Am... Sasha Fierce, it's surprising Kelly didn't take notes. 

As for the singles, neither of them have the impact that "Commander" had when it was first released. The better of the two is "Rose Colored Glasses", a midtempo ballad about a relationship that looks good on the outside when it's really bad. I will admit the song is growing on me, but it is pretty standard pop fare. It might end up being a sleeper pop hit, kind of like Shontelle's "Impossible". "Grown Woman" is quite ironic, since it is about being too "grown" to come after a woman trying to get her man. It's ironic because Kelly sounds absolutely juvenile singing these absolutely juvenile lyrics. If she was going to sing like this, she (and the writer Ne-Yo) should've come harder. Honestly, it reminded me of Whitney Houston's infamous Wendy Williams interview on the radio while she was still on drugs. Except in song form. Both were terribly unconvincing.

I might end up being wrong (hopefully) but I think she is making a big mistake with these two. I have seen way too many artists suffer from failed first single choices (Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera) to watch another. It's not too late to save this album era (her self-titled record comes out September 14th). With the video for "Commander" out now, she needs to drop these singles (or push them back) and promote the true smash. 

Unless of course she wants to follow in Christina's footsteps.

Below is "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Grown Woman"