January of any year is always a slow month for new R&B and Soul music. There are a handful of reasons for this, but the main one is that November and December are heavy with new music due to the holiday season, where people tend to buy the majority of their music. And this January's no exception when it comes to quality new releases. So with that said, there's just two all-new albums coming out this month; one by Corinne Bailey Rae and another by old-school soulster Charles Bradley. The rest of the list is made up of new greatest hits and best-of collections by various artists.
1. The Love EP, Corinne Bailey Rae
Corinne's follow-up to her brilliant sophomore album The Sea is a collection of remakes of her favorite love songs. It comes out in the U.S. Jan. 25 via Capitol Records.
Tracklisting:
- I Wanna Be Your Lover (Prince cover)
- Low Red Moon (Belly cover)
- Is This Love? (Bob Marley cover)
- My Love (Paul McCartney & Wings cover)
- Que Sera Sera (live)
2. No Time for Dreaming, Charles Bradley
This is the sole album of all-new recordings coming out this month. Charles Bradley is part of the Daptone Records family, which means his style is classic, gritty, no frills Soul with a modern twist. No Time for Dreaming drops Jan. 25.
Tracklisting:
- The World (is Going Up in Flames)
- The Telephone Song
- Golden Rule
- I Believe in Your Love
- Trouble in the Land
- Lovin' You, Baby
- No Time for Dreaming
- How Long
- In You (I Found a Love)
- Why Is It So Hard
- Since Our Last Goodbye
- Heartaches and Pain
3. Icon, Brian McKnight
A collection of some of B. McKnight's finest ballads. Due out Jan. 4 via Universal Motown.
Tracklisting:
- Love of My Life
- Back at One
- Crazy Love
- Every Beat of My Heart
- One Last Cry
- After the Love
- Your Love is Ooh
- Anytime
- The Only One for Me
- Still in Love
- Every Time You Go Away
- Distant Lover
4. Icon, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
The best love duets by this classic duo. Due out Jan. 4 via Universal Motown.
Tracklisting:
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough
- If I Could Build My Whole World Around You
- If This World Were Mine
- Your Precious Love
- Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing
- Come On and See Me
- Keep On Lovin' Me Honey
- Memory Chest
- You're All I Need to Get By
- Love Woke Me Up This Morning
- What You Gave Me
- You Ain't Livin' Till You're Lovin'
5. Icon, El DeBarge
A collection of his best material from before El made his big comeback in 2010. In stores Jan. 4 via Motown.
Tracklisting:
- Who's Johnny [Theme of the Motion Picture Short Circuit]
- Rhythm of the Night
- Real Love
- I Like It
- All This Love
- Time Will Reveal
- Love Always
- Somebody Loves You
- Love Me In a Special Way
- Who's Holding Donna Now
- The Diane Warren
- You Wear It Well
6. The Best Of, Cherrelle
Remember the '80s disco-funk-pop hit "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On?" It was sung by Cherrelle before Robert Palmer came along and re-did it for the mature generation. The Best Of, which is a repackaged version of Cherrelle's 2005 greatests hits album, drops Jan. 4 via UMG Recordings.
Tracklisting:
- Fragile ... Handle With Care
- I Didn't Mean to Turn You On
- Stay With Me
- When You Look in My Eyes
- You Look Good to Me
- Artificial Heart
- Saturday Love
- Where Do I Run To
- Will You Satisfy?
- Everything I Miss At Home
- Keep It Inside
- Tears of Joy
7. Icon, Alexander O'Neal
An Alexander O'Neal greatest hits package was released in 2004; Icon is a re-mastering and re-release of it, and features all his big hits from the '80s. It'll be in stores Jan. 4 via Tabu Records.
Tracklisting:
- What's Missing
- If You Were Here Tonight
- Innocent
- (What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me
- Fake
- Criticize
- Never Knew Love Like This (feat. Cherrelle)
- Sunshine
- The Morning After
- All True Man
- What Is This Thing Called Love
- Love Makes No Sense
8. Best Of, The SOS Band
The latest greatest hits compilation from this classic '70s band is due out Jan. 4 via UMG Recordings.
Tracklisting:
- Take Your Time (Do It Right)
- Just Be Good to Me
- Tell Me If You Still Care
- No One' Gonna Love You
- The Finest
- High Hopes
- Just the Way You Like It
- Weekend Girl
- Groovin' (That's What We're Doin')
- Even When You Sleep
- Borrowed Love
- Sands of Time