New promos:

Michelle Williams attends Fashion Rocks 2014 presented by Three Lions Entertainment at the Barclays Center of Brooklyn on September 9, 2014 in New York City.

Michelle Williams attends MAC Cosmetics with Miles Aldridge to celebrate NYC Rizzoli book launch Miles Of MAC at Steven Kasher Gallery on September 9, 2014 in New York City.

Source: WGN Chicago

Destiny’s Child gave the world classic girl-group harmonies, lots of sequins and the term “bootylicious” (added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2004). Houston native Beyoncé is a worldwide pop powerhouse. Kelly Rowland has carved a successful niche as an R&B vamp.

Michelle Williams, however, might be the biggest risk-taker of them all.

Williams, who joined Destiny’s Child in 2000 and spent time living in Houston, made her first appearance in the “Say My Name” video. As a solo musician, she’s veered from contemporary gospel to high-energy dance anthems – and sometimes a mash-up of both. She starred in “Aida” and “Chicago” on Broadway and earned acclaim for national tours of “The Color Purple” and “Fela!” Williams popped up as judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and as a high-kicking contestant on “Strictly Come Dancing” (the original, British version of “Dancing With the Stars”).

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In an intimate setting with Michelle Williams, she shared some of her songs from her new album #JourneyToFreedom. The blueprint for this record was to work with producers and writers that come from the RnB / Pop world but are people who love Christ. Everyone who worked on the album understands “the balance”. Journey To Freedom is an album you can play along with anything that is on the radio and not sound light years behind. With messages such as being in your purpose and excepting and embracing the things that YOU are supposed be doing. Two years in the making…Michelle shares some stories behind some of her tracks and how they came to be.

” I remember my first gospel album I was told it has to sound gospel. All I know gospel to be now, that I’ve embraced, is the message. I wanted to be free from everything that was keeping me from being my best. Relationships whether emotional or spiritual whatever it is, I had to take an account for those things.”

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Michelle Williams has always walked the line between mainstream R&B (the genre she conquered with Destiny’s Child) and gospel (her calling) with both grace and a certain amount of caution. On her fourth LP, however, both worlds collide. Journey To Freedom is an ambitious attempt at extending the scope of faith-based music by conveying the diva’s inspirational message through non-traditional means.

The starting point for most listeners will be “Say Yes” — the wig-whipping internet phenomenon that reunited Michelle with Beyonce and Kelly Rowland. Based on a Nigerian hymn, the turbo-charged floorfiller is equally appropriate for church or the club. The content is distinctly religious but the furious beat and slick production make it accessible to all-comers. It’s a nifty trick that the 34-year-old pulls off with astounding consistency on her best album to date.

I didn’t think it would be possible to top the aforementioned collaboration but the social media star does just that with “Yes”. A pretty mid-tempo ballad that explodes into a demented EDM adventure, the audacious anthem is breathtakingly original and distinctly non-preachy. Your iPod needs this. “In The Morning” is similarly disarming with its unexpected pop/rock production and soaring chorus.

Other highlights include the pure-pop anthem “Just Like You” and pretty synth-ballad “Everything”, which could just as easily be about a lover or family member as a religious figure. Not that Michelle is somehow hiding her agenda. “Beautiful” is the most traditional gospel ballad on Journey To Freedom, while the Lecrae-featuring “Fall” is a slick dose of Christian hip-hop. The gorgeously-produced “Need Your Help” is equally direct with its message but those bouncy synths broaden its appeal.

As for soul? The thinking man’s Destiny’s Child diva delivers with singles “If We Had Your Eyes” and “Fire” as well as the smooth mid-tempo track “Free”. In many ways, Journey To Freedom is the perfect bridge between the singer’s gospel and secular output. By focusing on universal themes (love, hope and inner strength) and exploring new genres, Michelle has created something both inclusive and joyously experimental.

Possible Future Singles: “Yes” is the most exciting and commercial track on the album but “Everything” is undeniably touching.

Best Listened To: When you need a lift.

Idolator Score: 4/5

— Mike Wass

Source: Idolator

In matters with regards to her faith, Michelle Williams is not one to soft pedal around. For many a lesser artist, they would have gallop on the opportunity to sing with Williams’ former Destiny Child’s band mates Beyonce and Kelly Rowland by recording a tailored for radio ear candy with guaranteed crossover success. Rather, “Say Yes,” the much anticipated single that features the voices of Beyonce, Williams and Rowland together, is a straight ahead Gospel tune with a fiercely Jesus-centered lyrics. Never one to reference Jesus under the generic “he” and never one to pass a Christian song under the guise of a sanctified love song, Michelle Williams states her intentions up, close and personal when she sings on “Say Yes:” “I’m not worried about a thing. ‘Cause I know you’re guiding me. Where you lead me Lord, I’ll go.” Based on the testimony of just one song, Williams already commands integrity, respect and admiration.
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