Janet Jackson
In the past few years, since her
last CD release in 2008, Janet Jackson has done a lot. For starters, she
brushed off her acting chops and breezed into thespian duties as lead in a
string of Tyler Perry movies. Add that to her new role as published
author—releasing a New York Times
bestseller, True You-- an intimate
look sharing her personal journey toward loving herself-- and you have one
successful sense of momentum already. But, the youngest Jackson hasn’t just
stopped there. At the end of 2011, there she was-- the new spokesperson for the
weigh t loss company Nutrisystem while still in the midst of her national tour
performing her number one hits. With this flurry of activity, are we at all
surprised that she has planned a new untitled-yet album drop rumored to be released
sometime this summer? We’re not. Here’s hoping that Janet brings us something
fresh yet reminiscent of what we’ve always loved about her—sweet, touching
ballads and upbeat dance grooves. But, seriously, if she flips it on us and
brings us something totally different, it’s her right. At 46, Janet is still
wowing us with her talent and has already proven herself to be an iconic
entertainer, blazing the trails for numerous artists who have unmistakably been
influenced by her style.
Brandy
Brandy has had a some
hits and misses in recent years and, for a while, it looked like her career may
have come to an early end. However, overcoming numerous challenges—from
baby-daddy drama and a fatal car accident to ensuing legal issues and reality
show doldrums, Brandy seems to have regained her mojo and surrounded herself
with those able to push her towards what we love to see her do—music. It is
exciting to learn that after signing with RCA in 2011, Brandy is slated to drop
her sixth album this Spring. Her last CD, Human,
was released in 2008, to low fanfare, so here’s hoping her new project marks
the come-back for this multi-talented artist who has already re-ignited her
acting career simultaneously, recently becoming part of the cast of the BET
series “The Game”.
Madonna
Recently losing to Rihanna her top title of fastest solo
act to earn twenty top ten hits while having Lady Gaga almost instantaneously cop her image and target audience,
Madonna has been left with a lot of work to do to stay relevant in today’s
digital world. Far from the 80’s music industry she started in, singing
blue-eyed soul tunes like “Borderline” and “Holiday”, or the 90’s that marked
the heyday of her pop career, Madonna will drop new music this year where album
sales are unforgiving to artists who aren’t everywhere every second. But, really,
is anyone worried? Madonna is the Queen of Reinvention and there is no surprise
that it has been rumored that her new CD will be an eclectic mix of hip-hop,
soul, dance and rock, compared by some to the singer Kelis' last drop Acapella.
Madonna’s single “Gimme All Your Love” off of the unreleased upcoming album was
leaked last year to the chagrin of the Madonna camp, but fans of 80’s pop are
giving it thumbs-up with its pumping electronic beats and almost-girly vocals.
With the buzz indicating that the record will be next level, you can’t help but
be curious to see what’s in store. Her CD is slated for a February 2012 drop.
D’Angelo
When an 8 year-old demo of D’Angelo’s cover of
the Soundgarden song “Black Hole Sun” circulated this past month, fans of the
neo-soul innovator went wild attempting to snag a download of the muffled demo.
The rumor is that he will be dropping new music this year, an album tentatively
called James River. But, the rumor
mill said the same thing in 2010 and in 2011. Will this be the year our dreams
will come true and we will get new music from this elusive talent who hasn’t
dropped anything new in the last twelve years since his classic album Voodoo. We’ll see. Battling more than a
decade of challenges—from arrests to legal issues, we are glad to see some
concrete evidence that D’Angelo, at long last, will be coming back to the
forefront.
Janelle Monae
What were you doing when you
found out about Janelle Monae? Chances are, her appearance and subsequent
performance blew your mind. Her image defies convention. Her 2010 release ArchAndroid was epic. Putting a new spin
on the idea of a concept album, Janelle Monae brought flavor and flair to the
music scene that hadn’t been rejuvenated by anyone so innovative since Michael
Jackson gave us his moonwalk and Thriller
in the 80’s. Janelle Monae and her signature pompadour, signed by Sean
“P.Diddy” Combs, was everywhere in 2010—making late night talk show rounds and
touring tirelessly to promote her full-length masterpiece. And then, in 2011,
the momentum seemed to slacken a bit and before mid-year, we were scratching
our heads wondering, “Where is Janelle?” It is very obvious when this
pint-sized tuxedo-garbed powerhouse is missing from the scene, even when her
popular song “Tightrope” was snagged by Target to promote their wares. But, no
worries. She’s been touring relentlessly, even pausing to perform for the
President this past Fall. So, how has she found time to pause and record music
for her follow-up? Who knows, but let’s keep fingers crossed that it’s the real
deal. We can’t get enough of this new star.
