If you've been anxiously awaiting an upcoming R&B release only to find that it keeps getting delayed and pushed back, your Guide to R&B feels your pain. And in order to keep track of album delays, record deal cancellations, etc., every quarter we hit you with a list of the top upcoming albums that have been delayed, pushed back or rescheduled. So if you're wondering about the long-delayed albums by Usher, Mya, Maxwell and others, read the Winter 2007/2008 list of delayed albums.
1. "The Truth," Usher
Usher was originally planning on recording and releasing his fifth album in the final quarter of 2007, but in an October 2007 interview he said that he was putting The Truth on the back burner to focus on his new wife and their infant child. The album has unofficially been pushed back to later in 2008, although in a recent interview with Billboard magazine, producer Jermaine Dupri said Usher was really anxious to put out a new album.
2. "The Declaration," Ashanti
Single cover © The Inc. Records.
The fourth studio album by Ashanti was originally due out in September 2007, then was pushed back to October, then December due in part to the weak performances of the first two singles. The latest word now is that The Declaration won't be out until around February 2008 or later.
3. "Black Summer's Night," Maxwell
On his MySpace page in 2006, Maxwell promised that his latest album, Black Summer's Night, would be released on Feb. 13, 2007 - the day before Valentine's Day. Well, we all know that that date came and went without an album, or even a song from him. Maxwell himself has been mum for months, but the conventional wisdom is that this album's definitely not coming out in 2007 and we'd be lucky if it was in stores anytime in 2008.
4. "Liberation," Mya
The fourth album from Mya was supposed to be released in January 2007, but Liberation was then pushed back to April, then June after the first two singles, "Ayo," featuring DJ Kool, and "Lock U Down, feat. Lil' Wayne, didn't do so well. A single called "Ridin'" was released to radio in July and the album's 'official' release date of Sept. 18, 2007 came and went. In October of '07 the album was released in Japan as a digital-only download, and as of now, the album is scheduled to be released in the U.S. on Jan. 29, 2008.
5. "Popular," Van Hunt
Cover © Blue Note Records.
Van Hunt's signing to Jazz label Blue Note Records didn't last long. In August 2007 Blue Note released a four-song, digital EP by alternative R&B artist Van Hunt called The Popular Machine that was supposed to be a preview of Van's new full-length album, Popular, which was due out in January, 2008. But in December, Van was released from Blue Note and now Popular is limbo.
6. "Because I Love It," Amerie
In the fall of 2006, Amerie released a mixtape, with the promise of another mixtape to follow in early 2007, followed by a full album in the spring. Well, the album was released in Europe in May 2007, but the U.S. released hasn't happened yet and there's no word on if/when it will.
7. "Ghetto Rose," Keke Wyatt
The new album by KeKe Wyatt was originally due in early 2006 when she was signed to hip-hop label Cash Money Records. But then she left Cash Money and signed with TVT Records in August 2006. Her Cash Money album, Emotional Rollercoaster was shelved indefinitely, but Keke has a new album of material called Ghetto Rose that was at one point expected out in October 2007, but according to her label, it's been pushed back to the first quarter of 2008.
8. "The Young Lioness," Teedra Moses
Image © TVT Records.
According to a posting on her MySpace page, Teedra Moses' long-awaited sophomore album, The Young Lioness, will be out in "early" 2008, but no firm date has been set. The album, which she wrote and executive produced, was originally due to be released by TVT Records in the fall of 2007.
9. "In & Out of Love," Cheri Dennis
Cheri Dennis is on Sean "Diddy" Combs's Bad Boy label, although you'd hardly know it because she receives barely a fraction of the publicity and attention that other artists on the label get. Her debut album was originally expected out in June 2006, but was actually first released as a digital-only download in November 2007. An official release date of Feb. 26, 2008 for the physical CD has been confirmed.
10. "Soundtrack of My Life," Deemi
The original release date promised for this singer's debut album was June 5, 2007. Then her label, Atlantic Records, said the album would be out in "Summer 2007." But summer came and went. So when will the album be out? There's no word from her label, but expect it in stores in the spring or summer of 2008. Maybe.
