Dawn Richard of Danity Kane talked up her forthcoming projects at MTV’s “Making The Band” Live Finale last night. Aside from collaborating with Diddy‘s new group Dirty Money for Last Train To Paris, Dawn says she would love to collaborate with new school R&B legend Brandy.

“I know I am not worthy yet,” says Dawn of a collaboration with Brandy. “I know I’m not worthy. She is the truth. She’s another one people sleep on. You know dark skin… deep voice. They sleep.”

Although nothing’s written in stone, Dawn furthered her bid for Brandy collabo with this accapella of “Angel In Disguise.”

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In preparation for the release of their sophomore CD, Forever In A Day, on April 14th, Day 26 debuts “Imma Put It On Her,” the lead single featuring Diddy and Yung Joc.

Check out the video below:

[Check it out here]:

So whatchu think? Was it worth the bullet?

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It’s been five years since Usher released Confessions, so TheUrbanDaily asked the R&B heart-throb what his thoughts are about the benchmark album in hindsight.

“Confessions stands today to be one of my greatest pieces of work ever,” says Usher in retrospect. “It was a product of my environment and one of the most conflicted times in my life.”

The top-selling album of 2004 sold slightly less than 8 million CDs in its debut year which also made it the best-selling CD of the previous three years.

That’s pretty major.

To put that into perspective for you further, Confessions tops the 2003 champ, 50 Cent‘s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ which sold 6.5 million copies and 2002′s top-selling The Eminem Show which moved 7.6 million units.

“I think Confessions connected on a massive level because of the music. People of all nationalities were open to hear, and could relate to the stories that I told on that album. At the time, the lines between Urban and Pop music started to really blur and my album made an impact in multiple genres of music. I’m grateful that the Confessions album is apart of the landscape that represents that movement.”

Confessions went on to sell over 10 million copies in the United States, and has been certified diamond in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has  also gone platinum and gold in over twenty other countries, and has sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide.

What is your favorite song from Confessions?

Ours is “Bad Girl.” Peep this classic performance featuring Beyonce cast as the ‘bad girl’–Go figure!

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Since the creation of music videos there has always been a fascination with the women featured in these videos and next month E! will give its viewers a chance to get an inside look at the world of video modeling with their new reality show Candy Girls.

As part of the show, E! Entertainment will take a look at the extremely competitive and sometimes misunderstood field of video modeling. Candy Girls will focus on the lives of about five women and the ups and downs they face as video models.

“This series introduces E!’s entertainment-obsessed viewers to an aspect of the industry that has not previously been revealed,” Lisa Berger, Executive Vice President, Original Programming and Series Development of E! Entertainment Television said in a statement. “While these women may be recognized for their sexy personas, viewers will find there is much more to them than meets the eye. With cut-throat attitudes, strong opinions and an unapologetic passion for luxury goods, these music industry divas are sure to create an exciting and dramatic series.”

Danielle, one of the women the show will focus on, is actually the owner of Bella, one of the more exclusive music video casting agencies. Candy Girls will revolve around the women of Bella including a handful of their video models Olivia, Bianca, Brooke, and Terricka.

Consisting of several seasoned video models, some of Bella’s models have been featured in videos by Keyshia Cole, Jay-Z, Will Smith, Nick Cannon, 50 Cent and more.

Candy Girls will premiere on Sunday, March 8th at 10:30pm ET/PT and is executive produced by Jason Carbone, Leah Landon and Troy Carte.

SOURCE: HipHopDX

Rick Ross is next at bat with the release of his forthcoming CD, Deeper Than Rap slated to debut March 24th via Def Jam.

Rick recently shot a video for the single, “Magnificent,” featuring R&B singer John Legend.

Peep some of the behind-the-scene video footage courtesty of John’s Kyte page.

Cop that track right here.

Meanwhile, John Legend is knee deep in the North American leg of his tour featuring recent Grammy winner, Estelle.

Look out for that show hitting your town.

Estelle/John Legend Tour Dates:

FEBRUARY

21        Swarthmore, PA                    Swarthmore College

22        Baltimore, MD                       Rams Head

23        Hempstead, NY                     Hofstra University

25        Chicago, IL                            House of Blues

26        Kansas City, MO                   Harrah’s – Voodoo Lounge

27        Minneapolis, MN                   First Avenue

MARCH

2          Seattle, WA                            Showbox

3          Vancouver, BC                       Vogue Theatre

5          San Francisco, CA                  Mezzanine

6          Anaheim, CA                         House of Blues

9          Dallas, TX                              House of Blues

10        Houston, TX                           House of Blues

11        New Orleans, LA                   House of Blues

12        Atlanta, GA                            Centerstage

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It’s been a long time coming for Ryan Leslie.

If you are like me, you’ve probably got at least one previously leaked version of what was suppose to be Ryan Leslie’s first CD on your iPod.  The one I got–a label copy–was a myriad of hen pecked songs with good intent. Lucky for us, RLes’ official effort, released today, trumps all expectations I had of him.

The lead single “Diamond Girl” was released way back in 2007. Despite its synthy, bass heavy bounce and Ryan’s rapsinging. It didn’t quite catch on. I latched on to the production but could give a damn about the vocals. [View video here.]

Album delayed.

Fast forward to 2008 and the project’s second single, “Addicted” featuring Cassie and rapper Fabolous, caught fire on urban radio because although Ryan scored on the addictive track, Cassie made it sexy and Fab gave it street cred. [Peep that video here.]

Album delayed again.

So now that we’ve got the official project in our hands, what are we to make of Ryan Leslie? After one listen I was sold. When I’d heard “How It Was Suppose To Be” on the radio, I thought it was Bilal. But to later have it revealed that the subtle falsetto with a touch of funk achieved in this soulful little ditty was this dude. I figured it couldn’t be all bad, so I put it on repeat for a few days.

Skill wise, Ryan’s vocal skills are above average (“Quicksand”, “I.R.I.N.A.”). His rap skills are passable as long as they aren’t too frequent (“You’re Fly”). But mix them together along with his ability to produce songs with the perfect blend of R&B smoothness and layers of pop-like synth and it instantly becomes interesting enough to listen to.

Seemingly, Ryan’s degree in economics from Harvard served him well with on his self titled debut because he took inventory of his strengths and dispersed them at the appropriate places and times, never singing in ranges beyond his reach and never drowning you in electronica.

After running Ryan Leslie on repeat for a few days, I gotta say it’s the most interesting music I’ve heard since T-Pain… production wise.

Cop that.

Tracklisting:
1) Diamond Girl
2) Addiction feat Cassie & Fabolous
3) You’re Fly
4) Quicksand
5) Valentine
6) Just Right
7) How It Was Supposed To Be

How It Was Supposed To Be (Military Version) from Ryan Leslie on Vimeo
8) I-R-I-N-A
9) Out Of The Blue
10) Shouldn’t Have To Wait
11) Wanna Be Good
12) Gibberish

*All Tracks Written & Produced By Ryan Leslie

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It’s no secret that Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy event brings out that biggest names in entertainment. This year’s event was no different as Quincy Jones, Kanye West,  Rihanna, Chris Brown, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Jamie Foxx and others were on hand to watch as R&B legend, Whitney Houston, reclaimed the stage.

Peep an excerpt from a review by Nekesa Moody of Associated Press:

A stunning-looking and strong-sounding Whitney Houston made a triumphant return to the stage at a pre-Grammy party honoring her mentor, music mogul Clive Davis.

“I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” Houston, looking glamorous in a skintight leopard dress, sang early Sunday morning as she belted a line from one of her classic hits, “I’m Every Woman.” But more than a lyric, it summarized to the crowd of A-list superstars and top industry execs that the superstar — whose drug use and erratic behavior had caused a shocking fall from grace just a few years ago — was back in top form.

[read full review here]

And if that don’t convince you. Peep the video footage courtesy of YouTube:

VIDEO 1 |  VIDEO 2 |  VIDEO 3
Looking good Nippy, looking good!

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In an effort to extend her shelf life, Ciara pushed her third studio CD, Fantasy Ride, out a few months and went back in to the lab to re-up. While fans await those goodies, CiCi released the official Fantasy Ride Mixtape on Christmas Day.

For this effort it seems that Ciara has taken a page out of Beyonce’s playbook– not like Bey don’t do that all the time– by remixing her current single “Diva” from I Am…Sasha Fierce; which ultimately is nothing but a remix of Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.”

Ciara – “Diva” Remix, Fantasy Ride Mixtape

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD CIARA's VERSION OF DIVA]

Also included on the mixtape is “Slow Down” featuring 50 Cent.

In related news, Ciara announced on the mixtape that her new single “Never Ever” will be released on January 5, 2009.

Beyonce and her fan preferred alter ego, Sasha Fierce, released two new videos for follow up singles “Halo” and “Diva” from her third studio CD, I Am… Sasha Fierce.

The videos were to debut today on iTunes, but we figured we’d save you the trouble and let you preview them here.

Enjoy!

“Halo”

“Diva”

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I know I am not the only person around here nostalgic about 90′s music. You remember, the Bad Boy era (take that, take that), Mary J. Blige in her hey day and of course the young divas like Brandy and Monica.

Back in 1998, Brandy and Monica released the chart topping hit “The Boy Is Mine” produced by Rodney Jerkins. Fans lost their minds, ultimately securing the single consecutive weeks at Billboard’s top spot.

Recently the two were reunited at a V103 radio promotion in Atlanta, GA. This is probably the first time they were in a room together in years, so of course they had to perform their number one hit.

Peep the video of that performance.

Damn. Is that it? Is that all we get? I mean come on.

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The nominations for the 66th annual Golden Globe awards were announced this morning. Among the nominations were singer turnt actress Beyonce Knowles.

Beyonce wrote “Once In A Liftime” for the film Cadillac Dreams–which is up for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture—along with like 5 other people (Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street).

Contenders in the same category include songs from Bruce Springsteen, Janie Cullum, Peter Gabriel and, Miley Cyrus. Don’t sleep on Hannah Montana.

No mention of Bey and her acting.

Peep a complete list of the nominations here.

Toni Braxton‘s absence at the “Dancing With The Stars” finale wasn’t because she was being a spoiled sport. According to Us Weekly, Toni was having a tumor removed from her breast.

“I was worried about what they would find,” she tells Us. “But it was benign.”

Doctors discovered the lump during a routine checkup in August but weren’t alarmed. In fact, they told the mother of two — sons are Denim, 7, and Diezel, 5 (by musician-husband Keri Lewis) — she could continue filming “Dancing With The Stars”.

“Getting the boot on the show was actually a blessing in disguise for me,” Braxton tells Us. “We have family history. My grandmother on my dad’s side died of breast cancer, and I have aunts on both sides that have breast cancer.”

In related news, after a three year recording hiatus, Toni recently traded in her nightly Las Vegas show for a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Under the new record deal the singer joins T.I., Jaheim, Musiq and Estelle who are all signed to the label.

To date, Toni Braxton has release five studio albums since her self titled debut in 1993, has sold well over 40 million copies and has released three #1 R&B singles.

Human, Brandy’s fifth studio album, serves as a reunion of sorts. Partly for Brandy and her rabid, cult like fans– of which I am one– but mostly for her and long time collaborator, Rodney Jerkins who was the wizard to the oz known as Never Say Never and Full Moon.

“I just didn’t want to do another album without him,” Brandy tells The Urban Daily exclusively. Brandy swore off working with Jerkins after the release of Full Moon before going on to form the ill-fated union with producer Timbaland for 2004′s Afrodisiac.

“It was something that just needed to happen; something we needed to get off our chest. And that’s what we did. We got it off our chests and I fee like we made an album that was honest and from the heart.”

“Righ Here (Departed),” the album’s lead single, with its introspective lyrics, motivational tempo is the perfect preface for the entire album which is filled with songs that speak metaphorically to the one characteristic shared by every person on earth: being human.  Human is more pop than R&B and seeks out an audience with lyrics about the foundations of love and life. Re: no club bangers, rappers or autotune. And trust us, that’s not a complaint.

“This album is about me, listen to it and you’ll get to know me. But you’ll also get to know yourself. This is about you as much as it is me, because we’re all human,” shares Brandy. “We love. We lose, but we continue to try to do our best at life.”

As usual, Brandy keeps the collaborations to a minimum on Human. Aside from the usual suspects involved in a Dark Child production, Toby Gadd co-wrote the album’s title track and Natasha Beddingfield shows up on “Fall” — a song Brandy says reminds us  “not to be afraid to fall in love after having your heart broken.”

Despite our probes into her personal life, Brandy insists that there isn’t much to tell. Although, some would beg to differ. In a matter of years she went from being the first African American girl to portray Cinderella to having her personal life become the makings of tabloid fodder.

“I think I’ve pretty much set the record straight on who I am. With this album, I’ve come to terms with who I am and I let people see a different side of me,” admits Brandy. “You’ll see, I’m only human; just a girl singing songs. I’m like everybody else.”

Human is in stores now.

OLD boy got with BBC News to explain the new direction in his sound.

“It all starts with the artist that actually travels,” Akon tells BBC News.

“Me, Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Rihanna – we all spend a lot of time in places like the UK, France, Italy and Germany. Places where they actually play this type of music. And we see the effect that it gives to people in the club.

“So naturally, you want your fans to be able to experience that… we wanted to refurbish and do a whole make-over,” he says. “From the sound of it, all the way down to how people perceived it.”[Read more here.]

Didn’t we just say that? Check our review of his CD!

Anyways, Akon performed live on Monday night at the China Club in NYC with labelmate Shontelle and cohorts DJ Khaled and Kardinal Offishall . It was a kinder, gentler Akon. No under-aged girls were humped. No one was thrown from the stage.

I guess that lawsuit–you know the one pending a trial in Fishkill, NY– taught him a lesson.

If you pay attention closely enough, you can almost pinpoint the moment that R&B stars realize that Europeans are often said to revere R&B, the way Americans revere rock & roll. Something shifts in their sound. Rather than retreating deeper into the tenants of the genre and repurpose it for the better, they forfeit the sensibility that got them where they were in the first place in exchange for a brighter spotlight to be shown during their fifteen minutes of fame. Sometimes it works (Beyonce) and sometimes it doesn’t. As is the case with Akon’s latest coaster CD, Freedom.

To say Freedom sucks would be an injustice because it doesn’t. Akon has managed to assemble a collection of songs that are– in hindsight– perfectly placed in what is sure to be a healthy discography. From Trouble to Konvicted the next logical step is Freedom. Gone are the mysogynystic lyrics about pole dancers and instead there are songs about the fear of love and life without love (“Over The Edge,” “Keep You Much Longer”).

If I didn’t know any better, old boy is growing up (“Be With You”). It’s not until fellow heavyweights Jeezy and Lil Wayne show up on “I’m So Paid,” the you get a whiff of Akon’s more urban flare.

When Akon, released his sophomore CD, Vibe magazine hailed him as the last hitmaker. Let’s hope for his sake and the sake of his eight wives, those weren’t the last of his hits. Although…. it is quite possible that damn autotune might have soured us on Akon’s naturally high pitch– sometimes electronic sounding–tone. And now that he’s gone all synth/80s pop on us, there may be no turning back.

But don’t fret my pet, Akon is still guap’n majorly off T-Pain –who also just released his third studio CD, Thr33 Ringz-- a much better pick for your playlist.

All in all, there isn’t too much to get amp’d about here. After running it on repeat for a couple hours, I can’t name one standout track. Not one.

Freedom hits shelves today!

Now that the dust has settled from Bobby Valentino being dropped from Def Jam, the self described “shawty from the ‘A’” has since moved on– teaming up with Lil Wayne, signed a new major label deal with Capital and has a new song seeking heat on the charts.

In this exclusive interview, we caught up with the former DTP crooner just moments before all hell broke loose at the Radio One Dirty Awards, to talk about the overcrowding at Def Jam, his relationship with rapper Ludacris and what he hopes the future holds.

“Don’t get me wrong, Def Jam is a great label. But I wanted to be somewhere that I could get my just due– where I can shine,” admits Bobby in hindsight. “There was a lot of competition over there. You got Ne-Yo, Rihanna. You got Jeezy, you got Luda, you got Jay-Z. I couldn’t compete with that. If you on a power house team, it’s hard to get your shine on.”

“To make a long story short, I sat down with Luda and Chaka and we had a real conversation. I told them I wanted to step out on faith and they understood that.”

Since being dropped from Def Jam, which led to him asking to be released from DTP, Bobby is prepping his first release on his own label, Blue Kolla Dreams, at Capital.

“I am on Capital now. That’s a label where I can grind at. They are on the come up too and I feel I can be safe at Capital and get more attention put on my project,” says Bobby.

Bobby insists that things are still all gravy between he and Ludacris, however don’t expect the two to collaborate on Bobby’s new CD, The Rebirth, which is due out on Valentine’s Day.

“I don’t need Luda to make me hot,” defends Bobby when asked about naysayers who believe he is just hip-hop arm candy. “Even when I was at Def Jam, a lot of the things y’all seen happen, I really did them myself. Although Luda helped me out with some good looks like “Pimpin’ All Over The World” and other records, I A&R’d my own projects, I picked my own producers. But sometimes that all gets overshadowed when you are working underneath someone else.

When asked about the seemingly unlikely pairing of him and Lil Wayne on the radio hit “Mrs. Officer,” Bobby was quick to correct me by reminding me just how far back the pair goes.

“A lot of people don’t remember, but Wayne was on my first album, and it was around the time when he wasn’t getting as much mainstream love as he is now. I think ‘Tell Me’ might have been one of the first R&B songs he got on,” says Bobby. “He kinda was returning the favor.”

With his new single “Beep” featuring Yung Joc [view video here], Bobby hopes to continue to realize what he calls his “blue collar dreams.”

The Rebirth featuring production from Raphael Saadiq, L.O.S., and Tim & Bob hits shelves at the top of the year.

If the rumors are true, the lead single is “Chocolate High” featuring fellow dirty backpacker, Musiq Soulchild

As with most India.Arie singles, “Chocolate High” is no doubt a love song, but it also has those thematic under tones of how much she loves being a black woman in love with a black man– ala “Brown Skin.”

[CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO "CHOCOLATE HIGH"]

Since the release of Testimony Vol. 1 in ’06, India has appeared on Broadway in the Whoopi Goldberg produced revival of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.”

She’s also signed long time collaborator Anthony David as the first artist on her new label Soulbird Music.

So what do you think? Anybody out there feeling her new joint “Chocolate High?”

However, if you ask us, we’d accredit such a lofty comparison to the R&B crooners that normally ride bitch on one of his chart topping hits.

For real, for real… Have you ever been to a Plies concert? They really go up for his music, but like all hip hop performances, the party doesn’t ever get crunk til the chorus comes about.

“Baby please excuse my hands, I apologize they have a one track mind , To squeeze on your behind, Baby just excuse my hands (whoaa whoaa)”

The marraige between hip hop and R&B is a long standing one, yet the crooners that assist rappers in earning these hood fab titles– such as “The G.O.A.T”. or “The Best Rapper Alive” or even as Vibe calls Plies, “The Future of Rap”– can never get enough glory.

So we at The Urban Daily wanna give a shout out to Ne-Yo (“Bust It Baby”), Tank (“You”), Jamie Foxx, The Dream (“Please Excuse My Hands”) and Akon (“Hypnotized”).

And let us not forget Keyshia Cole, J. Holiday and of course, everybody’s favorite b*tch– Trey Songz all of whom are featured on “#1 Fan.”

And speak of number one fans… peep this!

“112 is always forever. You know what I mean?,” says Slim who might want to consider a name change; one more appropriate for the grown man weight he’s picked up since the last 112 album in 2005. “There is no ill will between me and the guys, although I haven’t spoken to Mike in a while.”

Slim probably hasn’t spoken to founding member Michael Keith,  because according to several published reports, Keith is declaring that the group disbanded after one of the less famous members stole a publishing check from he and Slim. On this matter Slim started to mince words.

“As far as the brand 112, no one person can control that brand. Only all four members can disband the group. So since all four members aren’t disbanding the group, 112 will always stand.”

Slim, who says he never wanted to put out a solo album, did just that with the release of Love’s Crazy –via Asylym– a set independent of his band mates and the famous Bad Boy stable where he once released four platinum albums as a member of 112.

“On this new album, you won’t hear a bunch of I’m sorries, take me back, I messed up kinda of lyrics. You’re gonna hear more solutions than anything. That’s just not my take on love period. I’m more optimistic than that,” says Slim.

Although Slim does admit that listeners might get a few “flashes” of 112 on his new solo set, this new joint is all him.

In the few years since the last 112 CD, Slim says that he has been keeping busy building his company M3 Productions, performing and believe it or not watching “Making The Band.”

“I’ve watched the show. And you know, with us, we had a more family oriented relationship with Puff. There was 112, Biggie, Faith, The Lox, Total. We were like family. Puff didn’t have to babysit us,” Slim defends.

And on the subject of Day26 Slim admits, “I’ve met them,  they are a great bunch of guys, but are no comparison.”

Ouch!

Love’s Crazy which features appearances by Faith Evans, Ryan Leslie and Big Boi is in stores now.

With this effort Bey plays up what we are to believe are the vast differences from her true self (disc one) and Sasha Fierce (disc two)– who is preferred most by the urban fan base that has been around since the days of Destiny’s Child and Destiny’s Child Redux.

I Am, is filled with the type of ballads normally heard from One Republic or Leona Lewis (“Halo,” “Broken-Hearted Girl” and “If I Were A Boy”). Each moody and moving and light years beyond the clumsy, verbose supposedly self penned ballads found on Dangerously In Love. (Obviously she didn’t write these and if the liner notes say differently, rest assured some ghostwriter out there got paid lovely.)

It almost pisses me off that Sasha is seen as some sort of obscure, schizophrenic sidekick that Bey pulls out as some sort of couture accessory, because she embodies more of the key aspects that gave Bey differentiation in the first place. Sasha is brazen and bold (“Diva”), takes risks (“Radio,” “Videophone”), and still the hottest chick in the game (“Single Ladies– Put A Ring On It”).

Overall it seems as though the idea to exploit the once unspoken virtue of Sasha was the making of a marketing plan rather than some organic, artistic duality. Re: great concept, but the jury is still out on the execution. If we are to believe the hype around this alter ego nonsense, the eleven song set would have probably been better served had it been called the Evolution of Beyonce because claiming both is like having her cake and eating it too.

But while you were were lining up for a Beyonce CD signing in hopes that Sasha Fierce will show up, we were wondering… Where the hell is Hova and his requisite placement on Bey’s first release?

“I’ve kinda taken a bit of time away from the limelight. Time away to have some family time. Time to have a family. I have two children now. Some relatives have passed on and I felt like I was on this wheel, just going, going, going but I never had the chance to enjoy the success. So I took a little time off, I didn’t go anywhere per se. I haven’t been completely M.I.A.,” reminds Deborah referring to her eight month stint on Broadway as the lead in the Disney musical, Aida, her jazz album Destination Moon and a smattering of independent films she’s appeared in since dominating the R&B charts as one J Records’ deep throated divas.

Although Deborah returns to the scene with a greater sense of stability and what she sees as more confidence, she admits that the paradigm shift wouldn’t be noticed sonically, but rather professionally.

“I don’t think you will hear a difference from what I did before. It’s just that it’s a different time now. Vocally I have matured a lot,” say Deborah. “I had a much better sense of what I needed to do going into record than I had in the past. This time I was much more involved.”

Prior to completing her latest project, The Promise, Deborah belonged to the highly favored stable built by Clive Davis which also included Fantasia, Angie Stone, Alicia Keys, Monica  and of course Whitney Houston. However according to Deborah, when it came time to record, all that glittered wasn’t gold and going independent and forming her own record label has proven to be more fruitful and fulfilling.

“In the beginning, when I was at Arista, there was a lot of pressure. I was so young and so naive,” admits Deborah. “I was still coming into my own. I still didn’t even know who Deborah was or where this whole thing was gonna lead so it seemed like a bit of a set up.”

The set up Deborah is referring to is the constant comparisons to then label mate Whitney Houston. Deborah insists that the comparisons were thought to be about their vocal abilities but was more about her matching Whitney’s record sales.

“Over time we’ve developed a great mutual respect for each other’s talent. And once we worked together it was like she was a big sister,” says Deborah. “She is so supportive of all of us artists that are coming up under her and how we been influenced by her. She understands her position in all of our lives.”

Along with her husband, Deborah has released her fourth studio CD, “The Promise”, a ten track set– which features production from Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis as well as John Legend– of musings that stand as a testament of who Deborah sees herself as today.

“The challenges now are that it’s not 24/7 but it’s 28/7. Every waking moment has been about this album. One of the rewards is, you don’t have to put out as much as you did in the past to get as much back.”

Working smarter, not harder. We respect that.

The Promise is in stores now!