March was a hot month for R&B - new releases by major artists like Musiq Soulchild, Joss Stone and Lloyd burned up the charts. April doesn't look to be as strong of a month, but the second album by Ne-Yo looks destined to chart high, plus the new albums by veteran artists Joe and Anthony Hamilton look pretty good. March's most intriguing release however, just might be the deluxe edition of Beyonce's B'Day. Not only does it include four new songs on the main disc, there's also a bonus disc of new material as well.
1. "Because of You," Ne-Yo
This album, Ne-Yo's second, was formerly titled Know Me, before it was renamed after the first single. It's due out on Island/Def Jam on April 24. UPDATE: the album's U.S. release date has been pushed back to May 1.
3. "Southern Comfort," Anthony Hamilton
Due out April 3 on the indie Merovingian label, this is actually a collection of older, previously unreleased Anthony Hamilton tracks that were recorded between 2000 and 2002. Read the About R&B review of the album HERE.4. "B'Day (Deluxe Edition)," Beyonce
The deluxe edition has a second disc of seven Spanish songs, plus the first disc also contains material not on the album's original release, including "Listen," from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. The deluxe edition of B'Day will be released April 3 in the U.S.5. "This Is Ryan Shaw," Ryan Shaw
Ryan Shaw is a former Amateur Night at the Apollo winner; you can check out some of his performances from the show on YouTube. His debut album comes out April 17 on Red Ink/Columbia Records; you can read the About R&B review of it HERE and stream the first single, "Nobody," right HERE.6. "We'll Never Turn Back," Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples revisits songs associated with the civil rights movement on her new album. the 12-track set was produced by Ry Cooder and is due out April 24.7. "Love, Niecy Style," Deniece Williams
The new album from 1980s and '90s star Deniece, aka Niecy, is due out April 24 on the Shanachie label. You can read the About.com review of the album HERE, and listen to a couple of streaming songs from the album HERE.8. "Perfect Song," PJ Morton Band
PJ Morton is a songwriter-producer who's worked with India.Arie, Jermaine Dupri and Jagged Edge, among others. His rockin' soul band's new album is due in stores April 10 on Brash Music Records.9. "T.C. Finally," Terry Cummings
If the name sounds's familiar to you, it's for a reason; Terry Cummings is a former NBA player who's also a self-taught musician. On his debut album, he tries to emulate such singers as Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Gerald Levert. Due out April 10 on RNLG/Koch.10. "Unexpected," Lumidee
The second album by the Latina honey best known for the song "Never Leave You" (aka 'The Uh Oh Song') comes out April 17 on TVT Records. Unexpected is a mixture of R&B, reggaeton, hip-hop and pop.