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In a recent interview with MTV, Mariah Carey revealed that “Lil’ L.O.V.E.” is the name of the track she recorded with rap group Bone Thugs N Harmony for their upcoming album entitled “Strength and Loyalty”, due April 17. Here’s what she had to say about the song:

"It's a favorite of mine. It's a nice song, and I think it really kind of gives you the back-in-the-day Bone vibe but also a very new take on who they are as artists."

Carey is also working on her next cinematic venture simply called “Tennessee”, which was originally offered to Janet Jackson. She plays a waitress who’s aspiring to become a successful singer/songwriter, and for that special occasion, she hooked up with veteran performer Willie Nelson for a track that will appear on the film’s soundtrack. The name of the joint hasn’t been revealed yet, but I predict it will be something along the lines of Jessica Simpson’s  duet with Nelson on “These Boots Are Made for the Walkin’”, which was produced by Carey’s long time collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Her next album is due this fall, and as it was previously reported, Jermaine Dupri (Deborah Cox, Tamia) and Swizz Beatz (Angie Stone, Mya Harrison) are among the album's several producers.

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R&B songstress Monica will soon start shooting the video for her latest single "Sideline Ho", which was produced by The Underdogs (Ruben Studdard, Fantasia) and co-written by Durrell Babbs aka Tank (Aaliyah, Kelly Rowland). In a recent interview with SOHH, Monica revealed that she regrets allowing her record label to influence her singles-released choices, and instead should have listened to her fans! Do you think "Sideline Ho" will bring Monica back to the spotlight? 

Monica's latest album, "The Makings of Me",  was released in October 2006 via J Records and included joints like "Everytime Tha Beat Drop" and "A Dozen Roses", as well as collaborations with producers/songwriters Jermaine Dupri (Jessica Simpson, Nodesha), Bryan Michael Cox (Mariah Carey, Claudette Ortiz), Missy Elliot (Jazmine Sullivan, Tamia), Swizz Beatz (Jennifer Lopez, Mashonda), Johnta Austin (Janet Jackson, Chris Brown), Sean Garrett (Megan Rochell, Emily King) and Harold Lilly (Toni Braxton, Craig David).

R&B songstress Christina Milian posted a new message on her official MySpace profile and stated that she’ll soon hit the studio with producers Johnathan Rotem (Paris Hilton, LeToya Luckett), The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Ashley Parker Angel), Cool & Dre (Kelis, Mary J. Blige) and Nathan Hills (Nelly Furtado, Katharine McPhee). She also described the sound of the upcoming album as an infusion of Pop/R&B just like her previous records, and will be working with Latino songwriters as well. Sounds pretty exciting as I’m one of Milian’s biggest fans and can’t wait for her next album to drop!

Former Sugababes member Mutya Buena recorded a new song with British dance group Groove Armada and it's called "Out of Control (A Song For Mutya)". Here's what Pop Justice magazine had to say about the new dance track:

• It sounds like Richard X AND Xenomania AND Goldfrapp on the same song.
• It sounds VERY 1980s.
• It sounds VERY 2010s.
• It sounds like a Number One.
• If you were to place Mutya's George Michael duet at Land's End and this track at John O'Groats they still would not be far enough apart to denote just how amazing this song is compared with how terrible the George Michael one was.
• It is a bit like a really stompy electro version of what the Sugababes' 'Easy' was probably supposed to be.
• You are going to LOVE it.

There's still no word on whether this joint will appear on Mutya's upcoming debut album, but hopefully it will! Buena's new set will feature productions from Johnny Douglas (Kylie Minogue, Amerie) and Greg Kurstin (Natasha Bedingfield, Lily Allen), whereas the Sugababes are rumored to be working with producers Dallas Austin (Deborah Cox, Janet Jackson) and William Orbit (Madonna, Gwen Stefani) for their next album, so that should be HAWT!!!

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Congratulations to singer/songwriter Robin Thicke for being the first white artist since George Michael to earn the # 01 spot on Billboard’s R&B singles chart with his latest smash single “Lost Without U”. The track is taken from his latest album “The Evolution of Robin Thicke”, which was executively produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, and features additional collaborations with vocalist Faith Evans and rapper Lil Wayne. Thicke is also penning hits on the next albums by R&B crooner Usher and newcomer Tynisha Keli, so watch this space bitch!!!

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Mega producer Raphael Saadiq will hit the studio very soon to start working on his next album, which he predicts to be finished in 3 to 4 months time and will be released via Sony BMG. He described the new venture as a simple record that makes you wanna clap your hands! In the meantime, fans of Saadiq’s productions should look out for his work on Joss Stone’s “Introducing Joss Stone” (Virgin Records), Emily King’s “East Side Story” (J Records) and Teedra Moses’ “The Young Lioness” (TVT Records).

“N.B.” is officially the title of Natasha Bedingfield’s upcoming sophomore album which is due 30^th April via Sony Music. The new set will be preceded by the lead single “I Wanna Have Your (Babies)”, and includes collaborations with producers Nathan Hills aka Danja (Nelly Furtado, Keri Hilson), Steve Kipner (Victoria Beckham, Kelly Rowland), Greg Kurstin (Jessica Simpson, Lily Allen) and Adam Levine of Maroon 5, who are also releasing their second album around May.

Prince’s latest protégé Tamar Davis was about to release her debut album “Beautiful, Loved and Blessed” last year, but unfortunately it got shelved due to lack of radio support. She mentioned in a recent interview with Billboard magazine that even though she has much respect for Prince, she knows she’s not going anywhere as long as she’s under his wing! Davis is currently looking for another record label and working on her 2^nd album which she described as more R&B/hip-hop/funky with a Tina Turner vibe, but still very melodic. I wish Tamar all the best, and I’m definitely looking forward to her next album!

Here is the official tracklisting of Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming debut Spanish album “Como Ama Una Mujer” due March 27^th via Sony Music. The new set will be preceded by the lead single “Que Hiciste”, which recently became the first Spanish video to hit the # 01 spot on the history of MTV’s TRL.

“Como Ama Una Mujer” – Official Track List:

1. Que Hiciste
2. Me Haces Falta
3. Como Ama Una Mujer
4. Te Voy A Querer
5. Por Que Te Marchas
6. Por Arriesgarnos
7. Tu
8. Amarte Es Todo
9. Apresurate
10. Sola
11. Adios

Look out also for her next English album which is due at the end of this year, and features collaborations with songwriter Sean Garrett (Beyonce, Kelis), as well as producers Swizz Beatz (Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears) and Johnathan Rotem (Paris Hilton, Rihanna).

Canadian songstress Deborah Cox is having a live chat with her fans on 23^rd February via her official website to discuss her next album entitled "Destination Moon", which is rumored to be released in May.

Cox released her last studio album "The Morning After" in 2002 via J Records, and the set boasted hits like "Up & Down" featuring rapper Jadakiss, which was produced by the legendary team of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Chante Moore), and an excellent cover of Phil Collins' "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven". Other collaborators on "The Morning After" include Jermaine Dupri (Mariah Carey, Monica), Johnta Austin (Jessica Simpson, Enrique Iglesias), Harold Lilly (Toni Braxton, Ruben Studdard), Shep Crawford (Tamia, Blu Cantrell), Rodney Jerkins (Brandy, Whitney Houston), Warryn Campbell (Christina Milian, Mario Barrett) and Bryan Michael Cox (Claudette Ortiz, Kelly Rowland).