Here is the official track list to R&B crooner Bobby Valentino's upcoming sophomore album "Special Occasion", which is due May 8^th via Def Jam Records. The new set sports collaborations with producers/songwriters Tim "Timbaland" Mosley (Ginuwine, Aaliyah), Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (Toni Braxton, Brandy), Tim & Bob (Brian McKnight, Chante Moore), Bryan Michael Cox (Faith Evans, Mariah Carey), Kendrick "Wyldcard" Dean (Chris Brown, Claudette Ortiz), Dre & Vidal (Amerie, Usher), Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds (Whitney Houston, Chrisette Michele),  as well as The Clutch team: Candice Nelson (Jennifer Lopez, Kiley Dean), J. Que (Fantasia, Ciara) and Balewa Muhammed (Kelly Rowland, Christina Aguilera).

"Special Occasion" Track List + Credits:

1. Intro.
2. Anonymous [featuring Timbaland]: produced by Tim "Timbaland" Mosley / Co-written by The Clutch: Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammed & J.Que.
3. Checkin' For Me: co-written by Candice Nelson.
4. Special Occasion (Interlude).
5. Rearview (Ridin') [featuring Ludacris]: produced by Tim "Timbaland" Mosley / Co-written by The Clutch: Candice Nelson, Balewa Muhammed & J.Que.
6. If I Had My Way: produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins.
7. How 'Bout It: produced by Bryan Michael Cox / co-written by Kendrick "Wyldcard" Dean.
8. Turn The Page: produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins.
9. Home Is Where You Belong.
10. Let Him Go [featuring Fabolous]: produced by Dre & Vidal.
11. Only Human: produced by Tim & Bob.
12. Can't Wait 'Til Later: produced by Tim & Bob.
13. I Was Wrong: produced by Tim & Bob.
14. Soon As I Get Home: written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
15. Over & Over.
16. Right There (Thank You).

Barbados beauty Rihanna released her sophomore album "A Girl Like Me" less than a year after her debut "Music Of The Sun", and many listeners thought that it was a rushed-job, but I don't agree with them whole-heartedly.

The album opens up with "S.O.S.", and even though the track became her first #01 in the US, I still don't like it at all. "Kisses Don't Lie" is original in its concept and the reggae-rock sound meshes very well with her voice. The Ne-Yo penned "Unfaithful" is unforgettable, and I'm still not tired of hearing it despite being played out in thousands of radio stations all over the world (Do you guys know that it was originally offered to Rihanna's label-mate Megan Rochell?). "We Ride" is another highlight and I still don't understand why it underperformed on the charts! Producer Mike City (Sunshine Anderson's "Heard It All Before", Brandy's "Full Moon") lends his production skills on "Dem Haters", and it's about two-faced people who pretend to be your friends, but all the time they're tryna take your place (the storyline is very similar to TLC's "Case Of The Fake People"). "Final Goodbye" takes the award for being the best song on the album as you can hear the passion and sadness in Rihanna's voice. It also introduced me to production team The Conglomerate, and I'm definitely looking forward to more of their work in the future.

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "A Million Mile Away" are fillers, whereas "Break It Off" featuring Sean Paul is completely atrocious! "Selfish Girl" samples Althea and Donna's 80s reggae smash "Uptown Top Ranking", and the title track "A Girl Like Me" reminds me melody-wise of Alicia Keys' "Goodbye". The acoustic "P.S. (I'm Still Not Over You)" is the only good song on the 2^nd half of the album, and I find myself in a sentimental state of mind whenever I hear it cuz I identify with the situation very much, lol! I also feel that there was no need to include the remixes of "Pon De Replay" and "If It's Lovin' That You Want" cuz they only ruined the originals instead of giving them a new breathe of life.

All in all, "A Girl Like Me" is a good album but it's not better than "Music Of The Sun", which I thought was a wonderful debut. I'm still looking forward to her next effort, "Good Girl Gone Bad", and something tells me that Rihanna will outdo herself this time around :)

Monica's Rating = = Good

British R&B songstress Shola Ama posted a bulletin yesterday (26^th April 2007) to all her MySpace friends, and here's what she had to say:

I have been facing some hard times tryin' to get back out there and get Labels interested and just keeping my own self interested in this game. I will always have a passion for music, but when u see how this world turns, it is hard to stay motivated. And just having this space has helped in ways I can't even explain.

All the support and messages and comments and whatever else, doesn't just boost me for a day (that's what MySpace is to a degree), but it reminds me that people out there have appreciated my music and want s'more........... So if it wasn't for u, I would have given up a long time ago. Not cos I'm a quitter......far from it..... I just find it real hard on my soul to live in a world that is so shallow and all that crap ..... So anyway, thanks again.

Sho.xxx

It's really sad that someone as talented as Ama finds it hard to get a record deal … I've listened to her album "In Return" few weeks back, and it's such a wonderful piece of work …. I just hope that things will turn out for the better regarding this situation, and I wish her all the best! On the other hand, Shola's younger sister Sadie (pictured below) is currently recording her forthcoming debut album, and judging by the lead single "Fallen", I bet it's gonna be dope as hell!

I've uploaded "Queen For A Day" to give you a taste of Shola's music (if you haven't heard it yet) … This song is one of my favorites on her sophomore album "In Return" (WEA Records), and it's produced by Stargate, who are also known for their work with Ne-Yo ("Because Of You"), Beyonce ("Irreplaceable"), Joe ("If I Was Your Man") and Jessica Simpson ("I Don't Wanna Care").

[Listen] Shola Ama - Queen For A Day (produced by Stargate)

[Visit] Shola Ama @ MySpace

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According to MTV News, the release date for Latin pop duo Nina Sky’s upcoming sophomore album “The Musical” is July 17^th via Universal Records. The new set will be preceded by lead single “Clothes Off”, whereas Schaffer “Ne-Yo” Smith (Heather Headley, Marques Houston), Stargate (Claudette Ortiz, Shola Ama), Salaam Remi (Ms. Dynamite, Amy Winehouse), Karen Poole (Mutya Buena, Leona Lewis), Cool & Dre (Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige), Scott Storch (Janet Jackson, Toni Braxton) and Ryan Leslie (Britney Spears, Megan Rochell) are among the songwriters/producers lending their contributions on the album.

Here is the cover for Deborah Cox’s upcoming album “Destination Moon”, which is due June 19^th via Decca Records. The new set will include covers of jazz classics such as “All Of Me”, “I Don’t Hurt Anymore”, “Misery”, “What A Diff’rence A Day Made” and “This Bitter Earth”. I can’t say that I’m looking forward to “Destination Moon” as much as her forthcoming R&B album which is rumored to be released later this year, but all in all, I wish the Canadian songstress all the best :)

British recording artist Remi Nicole is currently putting the final touches on her yet-untitled debut album which will come out later this year via Island/Universal Records. Tracks that are tipped for inclusion on the new set include "Rock N Roll", "New Old Days", "Go With The Flow" and lead single "Fed Up". Producers Johnny Douglas (Amerie, Jennifer Lopez) and Future Cut (Lily Allen, Nicole Scherzinger) are among the album's collaborators.

[Visit] Remi Nicole @ MySpace

R&B songstress Jazzy wrote a new message on her official MySpace profile announcing that she recently signed a major deal with actor/singer Jamie Foxx's new publishing company Foxx King Entertainment. The "In Love" singer is also working on the follow up to her debut album "Oh Jazzy", which was released independently late last year. I'm expecting some hot collabos this time around, so stay tuned!

[Visit] Jazzy on MySpace

[Read] My Interview with Jazzy

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Pussycat Dolls’ lead singer Nicole Scherzinger & R&B songstress Mary J. Blige have been confirmed as guest artists on rapper 50 Cent’s upcoming 3^rd album “Curtis” due June 26^th via Interscope Records. Scherzinger is also putting the final touches on her forthcoming debut album “Her Name Is Nicole”, which will be released later this year via A&M records and expected to sport collaborations with Bryan Michael Cox (Brandy, Toni Braxton), Kara Dioguardi (Kylie Minogue, Natalie Imbruglia), Jamal “Polow Da Don” Jones (Kelly Rowland, Fergie), Will “Will-I-Am” Adams (Justin Timberlake, Macy Gray), Kanye West (Lilly Allen, Janet Jackson), Akon (Mario Barrett, Brick & Lace), Tim “Timbaland” Mosley (Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez) and Sean Garrett (Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani).

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Hip Hop producer Dame Grease revealed in an interview with MTV that he’s working with R&B vocalist Kelis on new material, and he’s pushing for one of the joints to be a single. I guess this means that our beloved songstress is back in the studio, and I honestly couldn’t be any happier, especially since the sales figures of her last album “Kelis Was Here” weren’t very encouraging! It’s also important to not that this is not the first time Grease collaborates with the “Bossy” singer, as their initial placement was on the track “Stick Up”, taken from her 3^rd album “Tasty”. Other producers expected to lend their contributions on the new set include Raphael Saadiq (Joss Stone, John Legend), Shondrae “Bangladesh” Crawford (Ciara, Missy Elliot) and Jamal “Polow Da Don” Jones (Keyshia Cole, Christina Aguilera).

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