2013: Music to Look Forward To pt. 2

We are only 33 days into 2013, and the anticipation of new music continues to escalate.

In part one, I highlighted a few fine female R&B stars to keep your eyes on. This time, we want to show their male counterparts a little love!

Here are the male R&B/soul/pop (they do it all) artists to watch in 2013:



John Legend
He has it all- smoldering looks, smooth vocals, and soulful music. John Legend's music and undeniable skills on the ivory keys have shown us that he is indeed legendary. Soul aficionados have loved Legend's music since his 2004 smash debut album Get Lifted. But, like legends of the past, John is more than an artist. He is a philanthropist and global citizen (now that's sexy!). His 4th album, Love in the Future, is slated for an early 2013 release.



Justin Timberlake
You know Justin. He successfully "brought sexy back" in 2006 and made a transition from the cute guy in a pop boy band to a smokin' hot singer with an eclectic taste in music. But, as soon as his career skyrocketed, he stopped releasing solo material to focus on acting and was a feature artists on a few songs. But, Justin is looking to reclaim his spot on March 19th with The 20/20 Experience, his first album since 2006. He has already gained buzz from the lead single "Suit & Tie" featuring Jay-Z. (listen to it here)



Maxwell
One of the founder's in the 1990s "neo-soul movement", Maxwell has been melting hearts for over 15 years with his tantalizing tenor voice and emotive lyrics. His new album, supposedly named "Summers", will be a follow up to the 2009 smash BLACKsummers'Night. So far, an official release date has not been confirmed  nor a lead single released, but it doesn't matter. We will all buy it and love it anyway!



Avant
Avant was one of the biggest R&B stars of the early 2000s with a string of hits ("Separated" "Read Your Mind"). Although he has released music on a relatively consistent basis since 2000, his past couple of albums have not performed as strongly as they should have. There can be many things to blame, but his talent is not one of them. Avant is ready to bring another collection of great music in 2013 with Face the Music, which comes out THIS COMING TUESDAY 02/05 (throws confetti)! The first single, "Best Friend" was featured previously on my blog (Check it out here). We say we want authentic music, so let's support our man Avant and get his album in stores and on iTunes.



Sammie
Yep, you heard right. Some of you remember him from back in 1999 with his infectious single "I Like It". Now, Sammie is all grown up and making incredible music. Many of his then teen fans reconnected with him via social media and downloaded his mixtape Insomnia, which is one of the best R&B mixtapes of 2012. Now, Sammie is gearing up for his new album entitled Coming of Age. While we wait on a release tape, let's continue (or begin) to luxuriate in Insomnia.

-T. Amour