And I think GHan did get edgier - just at a different time. We got Afrodisiac because of anger she had from a previous relationship (and the joys of a newer one). It ended up being her most critically acclaimed mess.
Let's not forget about "I Tried", "Focus", etc. She definitely gave the gorls a bit of fever when she got pissed off - she threw away the predictable pop/R&B themes and dug all the way down into the DIRT with Timbo.