Many of our beloved big female pop stars have new projects coming the second half of the year. Here's the current skinny on we can look forward to:
Christina Aguilera's planning a new album for September called Light & Darkness. After the throwback styles of 2006's Back to Basics, word is that her new album will be thoroughly modern and electronic, with collaborators like Goldfrapp, Ladytron, and Sia in tow (plus good ol' Linda Perry of course). "Keeps Gettin' Better," the single from her recent greatest hits set, certainly pointed in this direction. No word on the first single, but it's rumored to have a July release.
Mariah Carey's last album came out just over a year ago, but she's already got its follow-up ready. Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is due in September, with first single "Obsessed" due to hit radio on Tuesday. Behind-the-scenes work comes from the usual mix of producers, including The Dream, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, and Timbaland, as well the return of longtime collaborator Walter Anasieff, the man behind many of Carey's early hits, including "Love Takes Time," "Hero," and "One Sweet Day." Also rumored is a cover of Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is."
Whitney Houston hasn't released a popular album since 1998 (2002's Just Whitney was a flop). Having dealt with drugs, divorce, and reality TV since then, the singer has been reportedly working to rebuilding her career the last few years. And while rumors have surfaced periodically about her return, this time it looks like it will happen. The album is currently slated for release in September. Although no word on its title, the first single is said to be "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster--a powerhouse team for a pop ballad comeback.
Leona Lewis, who became the first star from a British reality show music contest to break into the US, is due to release her second album in November. Ryan Tedder will be returning to the mix, along with Timbaland, Ne-Yo, Xenomania, and Jay-Z. Lewis is reportedly interested in having Coldplay's Chris Martin contribute as well.
Madonna, wrapping up her 27-year relationship with Warner Brothers Records, will release a career-capping greatest hits collection this fall. No word on the format yet, but I'm hoping for something like we got from Celine Dion last year--multiple releases, depending on your interest, such as a one-disc version for casual fans, and a three-disc version with remixes and b-sides for the devoted. Paul Oakenfold worked with Madonna to record some new material for the release, which he told Attitude magazine are called "Broken," "I'm Sorry," and "Celebrate." We'll see if they make the cut.
Shania Twain is rumored to be releasing her new album this fall, her first since Up! in 2002. I can't find any details about it though, so among these potential new releases, this would seem to be the most tentative.
3 comments:
oh i'm excited for all of those. I have loved them quite a lot at some point in their musical careers. I'm less enthusiastic about christina and mariah at this current point in their career, but whitney remains one of my favourite singers of all time :)
I'm really hoping that Whitney can make a big comeback. She was so fantastic in her time. I thought Mariah's last album was good, so I'm hoping this will be too. I'm not too thrilled about Christina these days either.
You hear people call records failures when they sell amazing quantities, but for Whitney, simply Platinum definitely is a failure. Here's to a proper comeback.
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