Some of the more interesting news and rumors from the past week:

• Usher's wife says she was surprised when the entertainer filed for divorce earlier this month and claims the two were intimate less than a week before he moved to end the marriage.
• An R. Kelly representative is denying a National Enquirer report that Kelly's home had been searched by Chicago-area police as part of their hunt for a missing 17-year-old girl.
• Quincy Jones vowed to buy back Vibe magazine a day after bosses declared the publication was closing.
• Ginuwine's sixth studio album, A Man's Thoughts, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's R&B album chart.
• What are the best R&B songs of 2009 so far?
• And what about the best R&B albums?

As this is being written, 2009 is now halfway over, so it's time to look back at some of the best album covers of the year so far. Although other music genres have been known to rely on abstract images and photographs as cover art, R&B and Soul music have always been known for their warm, intimate portraits of artists as covers. And so far in 2009, there were over half a dozen covers that stood out as being above the rest. So this gallery - which has a brief comment on each page about the respective cover - is dedicated to them.

• Best R&B/Soul Album Covers of 2009
• Best Covers of 2008
• Best Covers of 2007
• Best Covers of 2006

As this is being written, 2009 is now halfway over, so it's time to look back at some of the best albums of the year so far. This year's list includes two highly successful veterans, Prince and India.Arie, plus a mixture of other veterans (Teena Marie, Al B. Sure!) and up-and-comers like The-Dream, Chrisette Michele and J. Holiday, all of whom released their second albums in '09. But the biggest surprise on the list might be the self-titled debut by Ryan Leslie. It's not the best album on the list, but it does a lot to dispel the thought that producers can't/don't make good featured performers. The album's tight. For more, check out the full article on the best R&B/Soul albums of 2009 (so far).

• Best R&B/Soul Albums of 2009
• Best Albums of 2008
• Best Albums of 2007

The year two-double-oh-nine is now halfway over as this is being written, so it's time to look back at the best R&B/Soul songs of the first half of the year. So far there have been a handful of truly phenomenal songs, like Maxwell's "Pretty Wings" and India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild's "Chocolate High," plus some addictive tracks that are a snapshot of a moment in time, like Jamie Foxx & T-Pain's "Blame It" and Keri Hilson & Lil Wayne's "Turnin' Me On." The biggest surprise here though, is probably the debut single by formerly unknown singer Jeremih (it's pronounced jere-my). His "Birthday Sex" simply oozes with sensuality. For more, check out the full article on the best R&B/Soul songs of 2009 (so far).

• Best R&B/Soul Songs of 2009
• Best Songs of 2008
• Best Songs of 2007