Fam, Kelly Rowland Is Our New 'Commander'

...and she commands us to daaaannnnncccce.

Let it be known I was fully on board for the former Destiny's Child diva Kelly Rowland and French DJ/producer extraordinaire David Guetta to hook up for more hits from the minute I heard last year's epic "When Love Takes Over". I'm still gutted it wasn't the smash it should have been in America (especially since it was so well recieved quite literally everywhere else). Guetta's 2009 album One Love remains to be one of my faves from last year, and "When Love Takes Over" was #24 on my list of the Top 2(00)9 Songs of 2009. In fact, I stated:

"Who else is hoping Rowland and Guetta's chemistry translate to a dance-y third solo effort for Kelly?"

Apparently, a lot of people were, because here we are, five months later with Kelly's first single off her still untitled third solo record. Fingers crossed the record will contain more Rowland/Guetta collabs. The song is due for formal release this upcoming Tuesday to iTunes worldwide. I could not be more pleased.

"Commander" sees a true reinvention of Kelly that we only started to see with her contributions to One Love (all three of which were ace), forging her Destiny's Child-esque R&B for a more Euro-friendly, beat-heavy dance sound. It's about time she broke out of Beyonce's shadow, and "Commander" could be the perfect gateway. The pure fierceness of this tune combined with that heavy, synthy bass makes the song sound positively Donna Summer-ish for the new millennium.

However, her change of sound isn't the only difference -- she has also switched labels, forgoing her former partnership with SONY Columbia (the home of Destiny's Child and Beyonce) in favor of Universal Motown. It also sees the beginning of her post-relationship without Matthew Knowles (yes, Queen B's father) serving as her manager. Many attribute this shakeup in representation to bad blood, but Kelly, ever the polite businesswoman, refuses to confirm or deny and continues to state her love for Beyonce. While the line "Turn the lights off" in the bridge (a complete mimick of the same line in Beyonce's "Sweet Dreams") still sounds like a dig at Sasha Fierce to me, it's important to look at "Commander" for what it inherently, a cracklingly good dancefloor stomper, and currently my song of the summer.

From the minute the tune starts up to its epic opening line, Kelly immediately commands her own spotlight:

I feel like the DJ is my bodyguard
See the way he keeps me safe
With the treble and that bass?

Forget Katy Perry. If you want real summer heat, "Commander" is for you. 2010, you are really bringing it for me, aren't you? Seeing as the official video hasn't debuted yet, check out this live (read: mimed) performance of the song at the Winter Music Conference in Miami this past March.