iPhone Music Chatter 08.27.10

Even if Fantasia Barrino hadn't tried to commit suicide two weeks before her latest album was released, Back to Me would have been an album worth hearing. But in the wake of her suicide attempt, many people will be listening to the album on a deeper level as they look for clues in her lyrics as to why she'd want to try ending it all. But with or without the subtext of what's gone down in her personal life in recent weeks, Back to Me, which was released in the U.S. on Aug. 24, 2010, is a good, solid album that manages to properly harness Fantasia's formerly wild and raw voice. For more, click the link for the full review of Fantasia's Back to Me....For whatever reason, Cleveland-area R&B songstress Conya Doss has never become a household name in the music world, despite being a very strong vocalist. Usually when an indie artist fails to hit it big, it because they simply aren't talented enough, or good looking enough or charismatic enough. But that's definitely not the case with this lovely woman, who has consistently put out great, mostly self-released, music since her debut album, A Poem About Ms. Doss, dropped in 2002. And her latest single, "All in You," a lovely testimony about finding the love of your life is evidence of that. If she was on a major label and worked with veteran producers and song arrangers, there's no doubt that she'd be a bigger star. But since that isn't the case, your R&B Guide is spreading the word about Conya and her mellow, soothing brand of R&B. "All in You," which will be on her upcoming album, Blu Transition, can be streamed by clicking the link below....Read Full Post

It's official: R&B superstar Usher Raymond IV has regained his mojo. After struggling with lower than expected sales and fan disappointment with his more mature 2008 album, Here I Stand, Usher made a strong comeback with his March 2010 album, Raymond v. Raymond. But even though that album spawned five hit singles, Usher didn't rest on his laurels. And on Aug. 24, 2010 - just five months after Raymond v. Raymond hit record stores - Usher has dropped a nine-song EP of mostly-new music called Versus. And fortunately, Versus isn't just a collection of remixes, outdated material or mediocre songs that weren't hot enough for Raymond v. Raymond. For more, click the link to read the full review of Usher's Versus....Read Full Post