It's the final month of 2007 and if you're still looking for gifts to give during the holiday season, there's a couple of great R&B albums coming out this month, the new Mary J. Blige release, Growing Pains, and the latest from Jaheim, The Making of a Man. Among the other notables releases in December are a DVD collection of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" videos, the Bow Wow/Omarion hip-hop/R&B collabo album Face Off, and at long last, Mario's third album, Go. Check below for the full list.
1. "Growing Pains," Mary J. Blige
If you've heard the first two singles off Mary's new album, you know that she's really starting to live up to her "no more drama" mantra. Growing Pains is due in stores Dec. 18.
2. "The Makings of a Man," Jaheim
The fourth release from this velvety-smooth crooner features the single "Never." The album will be in stores Dec. 18.
3. "Face Off," Bow Wow and Omarion
Bow Weezie and O do their lil' man imitation of Jay-Z and R. Kelly's Best of Both Worlds on this hip-hop/R&B collaboration. It'll be in stores Dec. 11.
4. "Go," Mario
After a 13-month delay, the third J Records album by singer-actor Mario Bennett finally will be in stores Dec. 11 in the U.S.
5. "Love/Hate," The-Dream
The-Dream, who's the singer responsible for the hit song "Shawty is a Ten," will release his Def Jam debut album on Dec. 11.
6. "Ocean Drive," Johnta Austin
Like Mario's third album, the debut release by singer-songwriter Johnta (it's pronounced Jawn-tay) has, over time, been pushed back a year from its original release date. As of now, it's scheduled release date is Dec. 26.
7. "Original Soundtrack: The Great Debaters," Various Artists
This soundtrack to the latest Denzel Washington film features lots of old-school type Soul and Blues music by folks like Sharon Jones (of Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings fame) and Alvin Youngblood Hart. It's due in stores Dec. 11.
8. "Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1-22," R. Kelly (DVD)
This DVD, which is a compilation of every song & video released so far in Kellz's "Trapped in the Closet" series of songs, will be released Dec. 11.
