A soupçon of Brandy

She's been absent from the charts since leaving her label in 2004, and for reasons we won't go into here the last few years haven't been especially wonderful for Brandy. But we're glad to hear she's readying a comeback album, Human, for a November release. The cast list looks pretty impressive, with The Neptunes, Taio Cruz and new American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi all contributing, and there's even talk of a duet with Natasha Bedingfield.

The lead single, 'Right Here (Departed)', marks Brandy's reunion with producer Rodney Jerkins, who worked on most of her biggest hits, including 'What About Us?', 'Top Of The World' and 'The Boy Is Mine'. We've been listening to it on Brandy's MySpace page for a couple of days now and we're quietly impressed. The lyrics won't win any prizes for originality ("I will be your strength, your shelter..."), but it's a fresh, dramatic urban pop song with an almost celestial feel to it - especially when Brandy's vocals are overdubbed on the chorus. All in all, very promising indeed.

What do you think of 'Right Here (Departed)'? Are you excited about Brandy's new album? Use the space below to have your say.