Kelis
"Till The Wheels Fall Off"
Kelis Was Here

Kelis keeps the wheel of reinvention in high motion for herself with this funked-out rock cut from her upcoming album, Kelis Was Here. She's always been praised for being left of center, even if that meant being a bit too left for the mainstream, and with this will.i.am creation, she's shouting loud and clear that she'll never apologize for it. From the rocking bassline to Kelis raspy alto vocals, newcomer fans may be a bit thrown by such ballsy, genre-bending material but long-time Kelis lovers will be appreciate it for its unique ability to highlight Kelis' creativity and ensure that she has no plans on changing her game plan anytime soon.

Cassie
"Long Way To Go"
Cassie

Cassie may be just the most disposable pop tart to crack the top-10 this year but a good song can never be denied no matter how useless the artist delivering it may be. A step up from her droning debut single, Ryan Leslie turns up his synths, finger snaps and pulsating drumpad on high and cushions Cassie's paper-thin vocals and dense yet catchy rhymes well while paying a slight homage to the club banger of the summer, "Promiscuous" . This may be another throwaway pop nugget for most music listeners who enjoy a bit more depth to their music. But coming from Cassie, it's damn near rocket science and will propel her unnecessary star further up the charts; proving that as long as you make sure your producer does their job, no matter how non-existent your talent, your journey to the top won't be as long.

Monica
"Sideline Ho"
The Makings Of Me

With each of her albums, Monica seems to get a little bit deeper, a little more open, and a little more real. And on this smooth cut from her upcoming album, she works up the nerve to say what numerous female artists have alluded to in the past. Co-produced by R&B genius Tank, Mo, over Tank's sophisticated backdrop, exposes the view from the sideline to be nothing but a waste of women's time. Her sultry soprano drops some much needed words of wisdom while affirming her status as a front-and-center woman within the song's context and a front-and-center female artist in the current R&B game. 11 years and 4 albums later, come Sept. 26th, we'll finally get to see what Monica is made of.

Sunshine Anderson
"Something I Wanna Give You"
Sunshine At Midnight

4 years ago, Sunshine Anderson came into our life, worked off some steam, Mary J. style, over Mike City's rhythmic percussion and filled us in on how tired she was of her man's repetitive lies, and then disappeared quick as she came. But now with a new label (Music World Management) and album on her side, she has returned and comes bearing a gift in the form of her lead single. What she has to give us is another slice of summertime soul, replete with Mike City's signature percussion backended by a pulsating horn section. What she has to give her trifling beau, on the other hand, isn't as pleasant as she kicks him to the curb in the most soulful fashion possible. 4 years has proven to be worth the wait and come this fall, hopefully Sunshine will officially return and bless us with even more heat to keep us grooving through the end of the year.

Lil' Wayne ft. Robin Thicke
"Shooter"
Tha Carter II

Robin Thicke's lazy, funk-meets-rock recollection of his unwilling participation as a hostage in a bank robbery was one of the highlights on his debut album. Leave it to one of the few genuinely talented emcees left in the game, Weezy F Baby, to unearth the record, resurrect it and rebirth it as a funk-meets-rock-meets-hip-hop affair of how his lyrical prowess is akin to the power of a bullet fresh out the chamber. Lace it with Robin's original vocals, both lazy and distorted, re-sung and strategically placed throughout and you have the hottest R&B/Hip-Hop collabo of the year which will be just creative and inventive enough to get slept on by the mainstream. Damn shame considering they get their hands up for everything else.

JoJo
"Too Little, Too Late"
The High Road

At first listen, the entire formula for this record may seem to be a blatant rip-off and re-tooling of JoJo's smash debut single, "Get Out". But after a few spins, it's apparent that JoJo's sound has definitely matured in the past 2 years and that she's taking her sophomore step seriously. While mostly everyone else who decided to make a comeback in the summer of '06 did so with a club-ready, radio-friendly, dancefloor filler, JoJo took the "high road" so to speak and released something more indicative of her core sound and genuine artistry. It just has a catchy melody, intense hook and memorably powerful vocal from JoJo as bonuses. This will earn her some definite airplay and her new album some definite attention but above all else, it might just earn her a little more respect.

Anna Nalick
"Wreck Of The Day '06"
Wreck Of The Day

In its original form, "Wreck of the Day" was a gorgeous record in its own right. With its subtle country lean, Anna effortlessly made the song her own as she mended her broken heart. But after exposure in Grey's Anatomy led to a renewed interest in her album, her label re-tooled the title track and re-released the album with its as its new single. Steve Lillywhite (the genius behind Jason Mraz' last LP) sped up the melody just a tad, lessened the intensity of the arrangement just a bit and made Anna's vocal more passionate and sincere. And it's still one gorgeous ballad any female singer/songwriter would give her right arm and guitar for.

Danity Kane
"One Shot"
Danity Kane

It'd be easy to write off Diddy's latest creation via MTV's Making the Band series, Danity Kane, as nothing but a third-tier, unoriginal girl group in the vein of a less-talented Pussycat Dolls. And that would be an accurate statement were it not for the fact all 5 women have actual, credible vocal talent and strength evidenced on this Middle-Eastern flavored concoction courtesy of Bryan-Michael Cox. The record has a sort of wistful, intimate club vibe going for itself and also boasts an unforgettable hook only accented by the girl's layered harmonies. Aubrey, Aundrea, Dawnn, D. Woods, and Shannon all get a moment at the microphone on this sexy 3:46 affair and prove their worth as an essential element in the group's chemistry. The next TLC? Not hardly. Next Destiny's Child? Highly unlikely. The next big thing to happen for girl groups? I'd bank on it