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Upon listening to J. Holiday’s debut album, Back of My Lac, I see that he has a little something for the ladies and the thugs. He’s the new blend of street and sweet. The Capitol Records signee says that he gathers his inspiration for his album from living the street life. But although he draws from his many experiences there, he takes a step back and says: “The streets are not anything to glamorize. I’m trying to let my people back home know that I’m with them. DC has a lot of talent and I’m just trying to show people that we are here.”

But it’s obvious that with the hit single “Bed,” produced by Los Da Mystro and written by theDream, J. Holiday also draws from his experiences with the ladies. The DC native is to release his debut album on October 2nd, so make sure you check it out. Aside from the obvious “Bed,” stand out tracks include The Clutch’s “Fatal,” and his follow-up single, “Suffocate.” The major disappointment for me was the fact that J. didn’t include a few songs from his mixtape that I’d really developed a liking for.

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Keyshia Cole – Truth (full) – listen
Here’s a track that’s unreleased from Keyshia’s Cole’s, Just Like You, released Tuesday. I actually kind of like the song, and I can see where it would fit in with the rest of the album, which is usually not the case with leftovers. I think that Keyshia’s voice sounds better than it ever has on Just Like You. I have a couple guesses as to who produced this track, but I’m not truth. Make sure you go out and cop the new album if you’re digging the new material from Miss Cole.

Jaheim – Never (full) – listen
I’ve never been a huge fan of Jaheim or his music for some reason. I think that since I’ve always been so attached to all of Tank’s album, including his latest one, Sex, Love & Pain, I just never got into Jaheim’s music, considering that I felt like his place was already taken. Also, after listening to this song, I have to admit that there’s no denying that Jaheim has a nice voice, but his material just sounds a little dated to me. I couldn’t see myself sitting around listening to this. But it looks like that means he has a new album in the works.

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Tuesday, September 25th, Will.I.Am released his solo album since the disbandment of the Black Eyed Peas, Songs About Girls. Surprisingly, the only guest appearance of note on his album is Snoop Dogg, which I thought was pretty interesting. Much like Fergie’s debut album, The Dutchess (which was highly praised and is still putting out singles), I thought that Will.I.Am’s album would be almost a carbon copy of a Black Eyed Peas album.

Interestingly enough, Will.I.Am didn’t even feature his former bandmate on the album. I do like the energy of the album, however, even though I don’t think it’s represented well in the first single, “I Got It From My Mama.” The album is fun and funky, just like I expected, but we’ll see if Will.I.Am should just stick to production instead of trying to be an artist.

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Usher – Touch (snippet) – listen
If this is what we’ve been waiting for, then I have to be honest, I’m very disappointed. “Touch” is not anything that we haven’t heard before. It’s been 3 years since Usher’s last great album, Confessions and I’m just hoping that everything is going to pan out, because I will be highly disappointed if this new material isn’t greater than or equal to what he gave us on that last album. Maybe this is just a tease. I’m hoping that’s the case.

Jay-Z feat. Pharrell Williams – Blue Magic (full) – listen
Just because I got hit up so much about not being able to cop their own copy of “Blue Magic,” this one is for you. I actually really, really like this song and can’t stop listening to it around the house. If you didn’t get a chance to read about Jigga’s new album, American Gangster, which is due out November 6, make sure you check out the post to learn more.

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