Hi ya’ll! Welcome to my new blog. We’re in the first week of 2008! Having gone through the highs and lows of 2007, this is what we can expect for the year 2008. As previously mentioned, there are some really high-profile R&B artists dropping this year, and you can check them all out after the cut. I will give you a rundown as to what’s going on with those artists as well as what we can expect from them. I’m not expecting you to read the whole post, just those that actually interest you. From clockwise, we have Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Cassie and Solange Knowles. They are ALL dropping albums in the first or second quarter of 2008:
Janet’s new single Feedback has been doing brilliantly on radio airplay and is now available to download legally on i-tunes. Her album Discipline has a release date of February 26th. Confirmed producers include Rodney Jerkins, Ne-Yo, Jazze Pha, Pharrell Williams, Syience, Polow Da Don, Scott Storch, and Johnta Austin. Janet may just possibly shift more albums than the amount of plastic surgeries the Jackson family has had altogether.
Mariah’s album is dropping this spring. All I can say right now is that Mariah has worked with some of the tightest producers in the game ranging from Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, LA Reid, T-Pain, DJ Toomp, Taurian “Adonis” Shropshire, Danja and Stargate amongst the high-profile set. Cox enthuses: “It’s fantastic! You guys are gonna be very, very pleased with it. Jermaine’s on it, I’m on it, Danja, you know. It’s phenomenal. She has great, great, great songs” whilst Hip-Hop super producer DJ Toomp admits: “I really haven’t heard none of the other songs on [Mariah’s] album but the one I brought is pretty hot,” also admitting that “It’s gonna be a club banger”.
Cassie’s debut album may have had some hot beats thanks to her beau Ryan Leslie, but not even hot production helped Cassie’s album to make any noise. It would have to do with the fact that she just doesn’t really have the talent to SELL a record. Diddy is still vouching for his girl though, which has caused wide speculation towards the status of their relationship. Think knees, mouth action and male genitalia. Many believe Cassie is indulging sexual endeavors with her mentor in order to hold on to her recording contract. I mean, how can anyone justify something like this? And then have nerve to tell us to kiss his mutha-effing ass like folks were truly hating? Her sophomore album is expected to drop in February, but for some reason I smell another pushback as there is no single out right now. Confirmed producers for the cut include Ryan Leslie, Danja, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.
Solange, as we know, is the little sister of superstar Beyonce. She’s coming out with a new album which will be released on Geffen records in the first quarter of 2008. Solange is reported to have collaborated with Bilal on the upcoming project and she describes the album’s direction as “old sixties and seventies soul mixed with electronica”. Other artists she has worked with on the new album include Marsha Ambrosius, Q-Tip, Cee-Lo and Lil Wayne. Her sophomore album was going to be called ‘Solange & The Hadley Street Dreams’ but MTV have confirmed that it has been changed to simply ‘Just What I Want’.
This category looks at the male releases. From clockwise, Usher, Maxwell, Sterling Simms and Donnie of Making The Band are all set to drop albums this year:
Usher has worked with a variety of producers on the new album. The possible new single is called Love In The Club, and recently confirmed producers and collaborations include T-Pain and Jermaine Dupri although a while back it was announced to MTV that he has worked with producers Robin Thicke, Dr Dre and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as well as there being an untitled collaboration with Jay-Z.
It feels like a lifetime away since Maxwell released an album. Since Jesus came out of nappies even. A couple of months ago, he posted this gorgeous song on his Myspace called Pretty Wings. Sadly, it was only a snippet. A song taken from his serially delayed album Black Summers’ Night. So in love with this song I started having withdrawal symptons because this was crack music at its finest and I wasn’t getting the full extent of it. Columbia Records are holding back on the album for reasons unknown. The album was supposed to be released as part of a trilogy with the first part scheduled to drop last year and parts 2 and 3 scheduled for a 2008 and 2009 release. I’d like to think we’ll get something this year though. I still have my fingers crossed.
Donnie failed to make the Making The Band line-up but unlucky for him, Diddy signed him anyway. I guess he’ll now be 2008’s ambassador to the blue-eyed soul and will be marketed as a second grade Justin Timberlake/Jon B. I’m not even sure how I feel about this or whether he has potential to hit it big. Robin Thicke is brilliant, yet so underrated that it doesn’t seem very fair right now. I am curious about what this guy has to offer to the mix. Or better yet, what Diddy has in store for him.
Sterling Simms is giving it another go with latest new single Stuck In Traffic. With the flopping of previous two singles The Jump Off and Nasty Girl, Sterling is hoping he’ll succeed and become third-time lucky. However, nothing stands out about the new song and he is channeling himself too much after Bobby Valentino. He really needs to adopt his own style. I will admit, I was hoping for bigger and better things from Sterling because he can actually sing. On the new album rumored to be called Worth Your While, confirmed producers include The Cornerboys, Steve-O and The Knightwritaz.
Back to the females category. From clockwise, Ashanti, Brandy, ex-Destiny’s Child singers Beyonce and Michelle Williams will all be competing this year:
As we all know, Ashanti’s upcoming album will be called The Declaration and it will drop in the 1st or 2nd quarter of 2008. Last year, Ashanti was trying to release Switch which featured rapper boyfriend Nelly but the single failed to pick up. According to Ashanti though, it was just a buzz single. Then ‘Hey Baby (After the Club)’ was leaked and we all thought that would be the single. And now she is set to release another single called ‘The Way I Love You’ which is produced by L.T. Hutton. Other confirmed producers for The Declaration include Babyface, Bryan Michael Cox, Dr Dre, Jermaine Dupri, and Pharrell Williams as well as a confirmed collaboration with Snoop Dog.
I am really psyched about the new Brandy album, and with the car crash charges lifted and Brandy now cleared of all fault, we may get an album much more sooner than expected. I always believed that Brandy’s legal woes is what was preventing Brandy from dropping. But she WILL be dropping this year and I can’t wait. Confirmed producers for Brandy’s fifth untitled studio album include Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, The Neptunes, Bryce Wilson, Tonéx, Tim & Bob, Wyldcard, and executive producer Bryan Michael Cox.
Beyonce’s upcoming album will drop in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2008. It appears Beyonce may even want to do more experimentation with the album’s musical direction more than the wigs she often likes to wear. Putting aside her traditional R&B, she wants to incorporate a different variety of sounds into her music such as dance floor-orientated pop (said to rival anything by Rihanna and Britney Spears). Reportedly, she has hired English dance/house/electronica production duo The Freemasons to work on several songs for the record. On a positive note, Scratch magazine did report that producer Timbaland was recently signed on to produce the majority of the album. In the interview, Timbaland gushed that the album will be “huger than life”.
Michelle Williams is putting aside her gospel roots to embark on an R&B direction with her upcoming album which is scheduled to drop May 2008. Confirmed producers for her R&B album include Mario Winans, Sean Garrett, The Avila Brothers, Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, and Bryan Michael Cox. Last month, snippet called “Stop This Car” leaked online. The song is not confirmed as the lead single but WILL be a cut on her upcoming album.
OK. This category is called the ‘J Records’ category. All four diva’s are under the influence of Clive Davis and are expected to make noise in the 08. With no 1 J Records artist Alicia Keys having phenomenal success with her latest album As I Am, will these diva’s be able to follow? From clockwise, check out Jennifer Hudson, Whitney Houston, Monica and Leona Lewis:
American Idol finalist, Golden Globe winner, Oscar winner, Vogue model, actress/singer Jennifer Hudson has been hard at work on the new Sex And The City movie. See how I’m proudly displaying all of this woman’s amazing accomplishments in so little time? There hasn’t been much info regarding her debut album and what producers she has worked with. All that’s been reported is that she’s under the wing of Clive Davis and is in the middle of recording.
Whitney Houston has decided to put the crack down (and deadbeat ex-hubby Bobby Brown) to embark on a comeback and is working on a new album to be released some time this year. Last month, she performed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where she performed a string of previous smash hits, to a crowd of 10,000 people. Whitney’s vocals are reportedly not as great as they were in her heyday due to her drug abuse but she is still recovering from it. As for the new comeback album, reported producers include Will.i.am, Ne-yo, R.Kelly and John Legend among others.
Another artist I’m really looking forwards to is Miss Thang. Monica recently confirmed last month that she has signed a new deal with J Records and that her new album will be out in the Spring/Summer of 2008. She confirmed that producers she has worked with on the new album include Missy and Bryan Michael Cox as well as Ne-yo.
X-Factor winner Leona Lewis, released her debut album Spirit in the UK last November. On the album, she has worked with producers Dallas Austin, Stargate, Walter Afanasieff, Ne-yo, Novel and Ryan ‘Alias’ Tedder (who produced her record-breaking smash hit Bleeding Love). Leona’s album Spirit is also the biggest selling album of all time in the UK. And now she’s all set to release the album in the United States in March 2008. She has also shot a US version of the Bleeding Love video for the US market and will release the album under J Records.
Clockwise, peep Amerie, Christina Milian, Letoya Luckett and Keri Hilson, all hoping to get their albums out very soon:
Amerie’s third album, Because I Love It was released everywhere outside of the United States and she worked with producers Bryan Michael-Cox, The Buchanans and DJ Premier to name a few. The album was scheduled to be released last year stateside but was barricaded with a set of pushbacks and is now expected to drop this year. It is now believed that some tracks will be taken off and new tracks will be added instead. Amerie is reportedly heading back into the studio with The Neptunes to finalise the US release. Her UK single will be ‘Crush’ and the video has been shot already and was directed by Scott Franklin.
Christina Milian has been very vocal about her new album lately which she says will be out this year. She has confirmed that she has worked with Danja, J. R. Rotem, The Matrix, The Runners, Lil Jon, Cool & Dre and Ryan Tedder with Frankie J serving as a guest collaborator. This will be Christina’s 4th studio album internationally and 3rd album in the United States. On her MySpace blog Christina claims that the new album will have a similar sound to her last album, ‘So Amazin’.
Letoya Luckett’s album is set to drop June 2008 and her buzz track Swagger leaked last month in the hope that it will generate hype for the upcoming project. On the new album (rumoured to be called Lady Love), Letoya has worked with Babyface, Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins, Pharrell Williams, J.R. Rotem, Bryan Michael Cox, Tricky Stewart and Dr Dre. Her debut was solid throughout. I still rock it. I am totally looking forwards to the new material.
In my honest opinion, Keri Hilson is a goldmine when it comes to sheer talent. She is part of writing/production team known as The Clutch. She has written for Chris Brown, Britney Spears, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Ciara, the Pussycat Dolls, Avant, Ruben Studdard, B5, Letoya Luckett, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Rowland and Nicole Scherzinger, just to name a few. Upcoming album which is entitled In a Perfect World was scheduled to be released last year but was pushed back to the first/second quarter of 2008. Confirmed producers for the new album include Danja, Polow Da Don and her common collaborator Timbaland, with Ludacris and Snoop Dog serving as guest collaborators.
This category is dedicated to the WHO-GIVES-A-FUCK category because my albums keep getting pushed back or I have been dropped and nobody is trying to hear me right now because I suck. Clockwise: Mya, Olivia, Nicole Scherzinger and Teairra Mari:
Mya’s Liberation sure was dragged through the mud last year that in the end it didn’t even see the light of day in the United States. It leaked via the Japanese i-Tunes store. Mya had been working on her album since 2004 when it was titled Control Freak. She signed a new contract with Motown and renamed the album Liberation having worked with producers Bryan Michael Cox, Tim & Bob, J. R. Rotem and Tricky Stewart. Her singles Lock U Down and Ridin’ failed to make noise and that was pretty much that. Mya is reportedly working on a brand new album rumoured to be called Smoke & Mirrors which is reported to drop this year, but I wouldn’t even hold my breath on that one.
Remember when I posted pictures of Olivia on the set of her new video back in July? It is believed that the video shoot was for new single ‘Cherry Pop’ from her album Behind Closed Doors. Many songs from that album ended up leaking. Well, what happened to the video? She was signed to G-Unit but was shortly dropped from the label and there was even rumours she was suing them for sexual harrassment. No word on whether this video will ever see the light of day and besides, who the hell cares?
Nobody really cares about Nicole Scherzinger’s album it seems. The Pussycat Doll lead singer is to release her first solo album Her Name Is Nicole in the first quarter of 2008. The album has production from Akon, Ne-yo, Pharrell Williams, Polow da Don, Sean Garrett, Timbaland, and Will.i.am amongst others. But if her people were smart they would have released the Bryan-Michael Cox-produced track ‘Steam’ which was brilliant because it was hot, it was different and it was fresh. Now ‘Puakenikeni’ will be the next official single to be taken from the album instead.
Teairra Mari was once ‘Princess of the Roc’ and she remained crunk with Jay-Z for that time, but when her debut album flopped, she got dropped! It’s a shame because Teairra had some nice production on her album but the content was too grown. Take her song Make Her Feel Good for example. But by the time she put out No Daddy, it was too late. The damage had been done. Having departed from Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records, she is now signed to Interscope Records under new management. On her sophomore album, she has worked with producers Timbaland, Danja, Bryan Michael Cox, Scott Storch, Polow Da Don, The Clutch, Tim & Bob, Kanye West, Solange and amongst others. The album is scheduled to drop Spring 2008.
This last category is dedicated to the GROUPS. Clockwise: The Pussycat Dolls, Cherish, Making The Band and Danity Kane:
The Pussycat Dolls are hard at work on the new album which is scheduled to drop sometime this year including new girl Asia Nitollano. It was reported she left the group to fly solo but she actually confirmed back in October that she did not leave the group and will very much be apart of the new PCD album and their tour.
Cherish recently premiered the video for their latest new single Killa and the sisters new album The Truth has a release date of March 28th, 2008. They can sing and their debut album was a solid effort so I’m interested to see what they bring this time around.
Making The Band winners are expected to drop in the first quarter of 2008. I hate that they have yet to give themselves an official name and that there are hardly any promo pictures to use. Talk about lack of preparation, this should have got started the very moment the winners were announced. Again, they are signed by Diddy on his Bad Boy label so go figure.
Lastly, Danity Kane who were the previous Making The Band winners are also expected to drop their first album in the first quarter. They are also gearing themselves up for a spin-off Making The Band reality show with the latest winners. I guess this will serve as good promotion for not just Danity Kane and the winners but for runner-up Donnie as well. I guess Diddy is trying, or it’s just another act of his pimping.
Honorable mention: Teedra Moses’s sophomore album The Young Lioness, is due out in early 2008, or at least we can hope:
I am sooo in love with her debut Complex Simplicity, and have been listening to her latest new mixtape just to tide me over, but this is like the Maxwell situation all over again, and it totally sucks.
So, who are you looking forwards to?
10000 Songs: Daily Music Downloads 