After nearly a year of delays, Oakland songstress Goapele is finally ready to release her third studio album Milk & Honey.
In 2009, the album was supposed to end the four year break since her 2005 sophomore LP Change It All. A video went out for the first single in July, but issues securing a release date stalled the project for the rest of the year. Rather than sit on the completed album and risk a leak, Goapele decided to record all-new material to keep the sound fresh.
“We shot a video [for the “Milk & Honey” single] and everything. But then there were delays and we started recording more and more music,” she explained at a recent Atlanta tour stop. “After awhile I decided I wanted to give the fans something fresh. So now Milk & Honey should be out in the fall of this year.”
The Oakland siren threw fans a curve ball this time by collaborating with Atlanta’s Drumma Boy for the new single “Right Here.” While Goapele has previously worked with rappers and Hip-Hop artists, many fans will be surprised to hear her over the radio-friendly, synth heavy R&B arrangements that have been the staple of artists like Ciara and Rihanna.
It’s a risk that Goapele credits to motherhood. She says the 2007 birth of her daughter stripped away any previous conversatism or apprehension in her approach to music.
“You know what? Honestly it’s made me bolder than ever with my songwriting. Just more daring with my music,” she states.
Milk & Honey will feature production from Kanye West, Bedrock, Jeff Bhasker and Bobby Ozuna. It will be released sometime in fall 2010.
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