MUSIC NEWS: MARIAH’S ALBUM TITLED THAT CHICK / CHERI DENNIS TO DROP FEBRUARY / CHART NEWS

Thursday, January 17, 2008

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Apparently, Mariah had a listening session for the new album, and they revealed that the title of her 11th studio album is That Chick. Really, Mariah? I don’t know, I’m a little disappointed about the titled, but still very intrigued about what the new material will sound like.

At the listening session, 10 new tracks were played, including “Migrate,” featuring T-Pain, “Lovin’ You Long Time,” which the writer compared to “It’s Like That” (the first single from Mimi), “Bye Bye,” and “Touch My Body.” Island Def Jam chairman, LA Reid claims that they plan to take That Chick six singles deep, which means it must have some pretty impressive material.

Although it was rumored that Mariah and Janet’s Discipline were to drop on the same day, Mariah’s album has been pushed back for April release, with a single (not sure which yet) dropping sometime this month. We’ll see.

Cheri Dennis, who has been signed to Bad Boy for years now, dropped her album In & Out of Love via iTunes, but Diddy is gearing up for Cheri to hit stores February 26th.

The follow-up single to last year’s “I Love You,” (which I absolutely adored) titled “Portrait of Love,” is currently #57 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

“Last year, I loved ‘I Love You,’ but the album itself, I wasn’t confident in yet,” says the 28-year-old Cleveland native about the revamped album.

“It was hard to endorse it and support it and push it during that time. But now I can say with confidence, this is a good way to come in. The best meals are slow cooked. I’m just excited now because the timing is so perfect.”

The physical copy will have bonus tracks to sway those who purchased the iTunes release again. Contributions on the album include Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland and Mario Winans, with minimal guest appearances by Gorilla Zoe, Yung Joc and Diddy. You know what, I’m going go out and support Cheri along with Janet on the 26th, because I actually kind of like the album and I think she deserves a shot.

Chris, Alicia & Timbaland still topping the charts

It’s time for some more chart news! R&B and hip hop artists are still leading the charts, with Flo Rida’s “Low,” sitting at the #1 spot on the BillBoard Hot 100, after being on the charts for 11 weeks. Behind the Florida native is Alicia Keys with “No One,” holding steady at #2 (she also has the #1 album in the country with her third studio effort, As I Am). She’s followed by Timbaland and OneRepublic with their crossover hit “Apologize,” and Chris Brown and T-Pain with the dance hit “Kiss Kiss.” Don’t ask how, but Soulja Boy has made the transition from ‘07 to ‘08, holding the #10 spot on the charts.

Rihanna and hitmaker Ne-Yo sit at #11 on the charts, while Chris Brown is slowly creeping up with this acoustic midtempo, “With You,” produced by Stargate. Other artists are scattered across the charts, some with a couple of different songs.

I’ve gotten a few e-mails about Janet’s positioning on the chart with “Feedback.” Well, it only officially impacted radio on the 7th of January, and has been on the charts for just a week. The single is currently at #66 on the charts, but will probably be one of the greatest gainers for radio next week, and should have a big jump soon.