Tuesday, August 25, 2009 |
LeToya Luckett is back, more confident, and much more fun with her second album “Lady Love.” After dropping her self-titled debut in 2006, this time around Miss Luckett not only flexes her vocal muscles but does a good job of it—which is more than we can say for a lot of singers these days.
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The biggest difference between this album and her last kicks off with the self-assured lead single “Not Anymore.” Unlike the indecisive “Torn” (from her first album) this song makes up its mind from the gate even including an ode to women empowerment and “knowing ones worth.” Penned by none other than Ne-yo (who we all know is pretty much a master at flipping a sappy break-up song and making it sassy. I mean honestly Beyonce’s Irreplaceable” and Rihanna’s “Take A Bow,” are the stuff that dreams are made of) is perfect when you’re teetering on the edge of keeping your man in your life, or kicking him to the curb where he belongs.
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009 |
After nearly a decade since his last album was released, Maxwell is back w/ BLACKsummers’night, the darker opening installment of a trilogy. blackSUMMERS’night (which has a gospel feel) & blacksummers’NIGHT (slow jam records) are slated for release in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
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In a recent interview with Billboard, Maxwell explained that “the time away gave me a better appreciation of things, so I took the time I needed to live to make this album something of substance.” And that, it certainly is. Working again with long-time collaborator Hod David, who serves as co-producer and co-writer of the album, Maxwell delivers a smooth, sensual, soulful album that is well worth the wait set behind a blues background (which includes a 10-piece band) and dealing with love lost.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009 |
R&B crooner Ginuwine returns with his first album in nearly four years, A Man’s Thoughts, which hits stores today.
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It’s been 13 years since Ginuwine stepped on the scene with “Pony”, the Static Major/Timbaland collaboration that catapulted him to stardom. The then 20-something bachelor was blatant with his sexual come-on, but now the 30-something husband and father is “a different kind of man”, as he mentions in the lead single for his sixth studio album, “Last Chance“.
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009 |
They’re no Spice Girls or Pussycat Dolls, but the fearsome foursome known as Electrik Red is ready to stake their claim on the debut album, How to Be A Lady: Volume 1. And the girls aren’t leaving any stones unturned.
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Electrik Red was Shakir Stewart’s last baby over at Def Jam before his untimely death, but the girls have been together since Usher’s Confessions era, when Binkie Reevey, Sarah Rosete, Naomi Allen and Lesley Lewis met up as dancers on his 2004 tour. Binkie and Lesley asked Sarah if she wanted to be a part of their girl group. She agreed to join, and requested that they meet with her best friend, Naomi, who they “fell in love with.” Thus, Electrik Red was born.
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Tuesday, May 5, 2009 |
R&B chanteuse Chrisette Michele returns with her second album, Epiphany, hitting stores today.
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It wasn’t long after the release of her great debut, I Am, in mid-2007, that she hit the studio to work on her follow-up. Although I Am garnered a couple of Grammy nominations, it was not a commercial success; none of its singles reached the Top 20 of the R&B/Hip-Hop chart, and the album itself barely hit the Top 30 of the Billboard 200. Continue Reading »
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 |
After a couple of failed singles, it took a little while for Ciara to really get the ball rolling on her third studio album, Fantasy Ride. But she’s past all the push backs the album is finally in stores this week.
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When Ciara first started to talk about the new album, Fantasy Ride was set to be a 3-disc set, conceptualized around three very different cities: “Crunktown,” “Groove City” and “Kingdom of Dance.” The three discs would contain 5-6 songs, with each city reflecting a different facet of Ciara’s music. Continue Reading »
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Tuesday, March 24, 2009 |
After a lot of set backs, push backs and mishaps, Keri Hilson finally releases her debut album, In A Perfect World…, today, March 24th.
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ConcreteLoop has had a close relationship with Keri since she began the first stages of her debut album, In A Perfect World… We were one of the first sites to feature her in an exclusive interview, and we even were the first blog to debut her break-out single, “Energy,” back in May last year. It’s been a long time coming, but after all the drama with leaks and label politics, Keri delivers a solid debut effort that was well worth the wait.
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