On The Shelf: Tomorrow’s New Releases Revealed Today

noah | December 4, 2006 4:14 am
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Welcome to On The Shelf, Idolator’s weekly look at the new releases hitting stores on Tuesday morning. Gwen Stefani’s first post-baby album comes out tomorrow, as does the Eminem-led compilation The Re-Up; after the jump, we look at new albums from Ciara and Brian McKnight, as well as the soundtracks for Dreamgirls and The OC.

Ciara, Ciara: The Evolution The artist: Dance-music darling who Lil’ Jon christened “the first lady of crunk n’ B.” The sound: Club-floor burners, with the occasional slow jam sprinkled in between Chamillionaire and 50 Cent cameos. The first in line: Aerobicizers looking for a new workout soundtrack.

Brian McKnight, 10 The artist: Soul stalwart celebrating his 15th year in the business. The sound: Late-night lover’s rock–capped by a soldier’s-story song that enlists country powerhouse Rascal Flatts. The first in line: Ladies whose torch for McKnight has only grown brighter with age.

Various artists, Dreamgirls The artists: A couple of R & B’s marquee names (Beyonce, Jamie Foxx)–and the much-buzzed-about Idol cast-off Jennifer Hudson. The sound: Motown gets the Broadway treatment. The first in line: Idol completists, Beyonce fans, musical theater nerds.

Various artists, The OC Mix 6: Covering Our Tracks The artists : Buzz bands of weeks past, including Pinback, Mates of State, and Rogue Wave. The sound: Faithful updates to indie-kid classics like “Debaser” and “Pretty Vacant.” The first in line: Faithful indie-yuppies who haven’t already cherry-picked their favorite covers from the filesharing wilds.

On The CD Front [Pause & Play]