Chris Brown is no stranger to the headlines, usually appearing for his antics and legal trouble rather than his music. Chris most recently popped up for throwing a temper tantrum on a valet in Los Angeles, and being subjected to the ongoing lawsuits from the W.i.P. nightclub brawl. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Chris is a highly successful musician, rather than just a TMZ news story. However, Brown has reminded us once again that his concentration is still his music, with the announcement of his new album.

Chris revealed that the title of the new effort will be X, which he explained the significance of. “The song and the album title X has a couple different meanings. It can refer to an ex-girlfriend, in terms of you always look forward to moving forward from. It’s also about being a reject in a sense. In me being myself, being able to grow up, me not always hanging around the right crowd or doing the right thing all the time — it’s me saying, ‘I’m over it. I’m past the bullshit now.’

Brown indicated that the album would see him returning to his R&B roots, in which he will showcase his vocal ability, including a newly developed falsetto. The single, "Fine China" is produced by Diplo, and the video for the track has already been shot.

“For the first single, I wanted to go more nostalgic, bring Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Sam Cooke to it, but also bring a new sound to what my audience and fans are listening to,” he said. “For this album, I wanted to have the same mentality as I did with the first album — me being green, me not thinking I know what’s hot and what’s next, me just being Chris Brown. I think this will show my vocal ability a lot more. I’ve developed a falsetto, I can sing at a higher register, and I can elaborate more on my skill.”

While the R&B singer kept the majority of the features under wraps, he did reveal that Kendrick Lamar would contribute to the song "Autumn Leaves", which he described the feel of. “If you’re in your car just riding, it’s perfect. It just feels like a weather record — an emotional record, I feel a certain way when I hear it.”

There is no official release date for X at this time, but for now check out Chris' latest collaboration with Tyga, "Fuck For The Road"

[via]