Fall’s kicked off in a major way thanks to three of Urban music’s most highly anticipated releases – Ledisi‘s ‘Let Love Rule,’ Fergie‘s ‘Double Dutchess,’ and Jhene‘s ‘Trip’ – all dropping on the same day (September 22).
For fans of soulstresses Ledisi and Jhene, who both released their last opuses in 2014, the wait was certainly nowhere near as long as that for fans of Fergie who waited over a decade since her 2006 since debut solo offering, ‘The Dutchess.’
Despite the differences in wait time, the fever for new music from the ladies respectively seemed to be on par:
‘Let Love Rule,’ the eighth studio album from powerhouse singer Ledisi, was preceded by singles ‘Us 4Ever’ (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid), ‘Add to Me,’ and the R&B hit, ‘High’ (which soared to the top 10 on the Adult R&B Songs chart, where it’s currently found as of time reported).
Featuring appearances famed therapist/life coach Iyanla Vanzant, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Grammy-winning hitmakers John Legend and Kirk Franklin, ‘Love’ comes as an excellent addition to Ledisi’s already delectable discography. Click here to stream the album in full.
Surprise! Just a day after delivering the loosely autobiographical short-film, ‘Trip,’ emo-trap songstress Jhene Aiko followed the drop with the unexpected release of her long-awaited sophomore album of the same name. The follow-up to 2014’s ‘Souled Out’ (which reached #2 on the Billboard 200), the time since that release has seen Aiko busy with mixtapes and Twenty88 projects (with boyfriend/rapper Big Sean), but ‘Trip’ comes as the satiation of fans’ thirst who’ve longed to hear what the singer could cook up by her lonesome.
They got their answer today. Click here to stream the project in full.
Despite a host of setbacks (see: label shift), pushbacks (serial delays), and personal hindrances (see: alleged drama with former group Black Eyed Peas, failed marriage), Fergie Ferg has persevered to finally see her long-awaited sophomore album, ‘Double Dutchess,’ hop to record shelves for purchase. A visual experience, most of the project’s content is accompanied by a music video – a unique component that makes the offering that much more palatable.
Noticeably dressed in a heavier hip hop cloak than its pop-filled predecessor, ‘Dutchess’ – preceded by cuts ‘LA Love’ (ft. YG), ‘MILF $,’ ‘Life Goes On,’ Hungry’ (featuring Rick Ross), and ‘You Already Know’ (featuring Nicki Minaj) – also houses another glaring difference from its forerunner: no top 10 singles. In fact, both ‘LA Love’ and ‘MILF $’ peaked outside of the top 20 while their follow-ups didn’t even come close.
Will the nonperformance of its singles signal less than desirable sales for the album’s first week? Time will tell, but until then click here to stream the project in full.
Your thoughts?