Having conquered the R&B, pop and dance charts as another of ace record executive Clive Davis' discoveries and starred on Broadway in Elton John's and Tim Rice's "Aida," the Toronto-born singer/actress now returns to the world of R&B, where it all started for her, with her new album THE PROMISE. “The R&B fans were the first to embrace me and help me get to where I am today,” says Deborah. “I have been fortunate enough to be able to explore other genres of music, but I really missed doing R&B and thought it was time to return to it.” Showcasing the platinum-selling Grammy nominee’s amazing powerhouse vocals, the album features production by an all-star team of collaborators, including John Legend (Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill), Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson), Big Jim Wright (Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin), Shep Crawford (Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross), Devo Springsteen (Kanye West, Estelle) and the Avila Brothers (Toni Braxton, Gwen Stefani). The album is set for released on November 11, 2008 through the Deco Recording Group and distributed through Image Entertainment & KOCH Entertainment. THE PROMISE is a very personal and relatable album that touches on the life stories that everyone goes through on a daily basis. “What is so great about this album is that it was a complete collaborative effort, so everyone brought something to the table. Everyday life and people, friends talking to me about their life and relationships, the good and the bad all helped inspire some of these songs. At the end of the day, is is just an honest collection of songs that everyone can find meaning in.” With the endorsement from the self-proclaimed “Queen of All Media,” Perez Hilton recently raved on his highly read blog about the first single off the album, “Beautiful U R.” Perez exclaims Cox has a, “hit on her hand” and that “’Beautiful U R’ is an exquisite mid-tempo jam, musically exciting and lyrically uplifting.” “Did You Ever Love Me,” another single from the album, produced by Flyte Tyme (Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Big Jim Wright), is a poignant, soulful slow-burning R&B song. “’Did You Ever Love Me’ is a song that is meant to feel like a conversation about a relationship that has just ended,” says Deborah. “That moment after a relationship is over and you wonder what the relationship meant to the other person.” Cox also explores a side of love she has never has before with the very sexy track “All Over Me.” “I think it will surprise people because it explores a level of sensuality that I’ve never expressed in a song before,” Cox says. Working with Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter John Legend on the title track, “The Promise,” Cox’s rich voice floats over a beautiful, simple ballad describing where Deborah is today in her life. “The song is all about commitment. The commitment I have made to myself, my family, my friends and to those who have been supportive of me all of these years. Some of my favorite songs are with just voice and piano and this song is really just one of those great moments.” Deborah, who produces her own vocal arrangements, also co-wrote half of the album. “I am a perfectionist but actually most of the vocals on the final album were kept from the original sessions. After living with each song, I tried to go back in the studio and capture the original vibe of the song, but it just never was as good as the first take. So we just kept the original vocals.” And in the spirit of the legendary Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox duet, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," Deborah Cox is releasing this album independently on her own label, Deco Recording Group. “Doing this album on my own terms, working with all these amazing producers and having the opportunity to put this album out on my own label has been really an outstanding moment in my career.” Deborah knew that she wanted to be a performer from the age of 6 or 7, to do what she saw people doing on television. Growing up in the 1970s and `80s, she absorbed many of the popular styles of her day - Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, the Police, the Eurythmics, Bob Marley and the reggae scene. She attended the Claude Watson Schools for the Performing Arts in Toronto, where she was exposed to even more music, always singing in a vocal quartet or a jazz choir. She remembers seeing her first live jazz concert in the late `80s - with Miles Davis, no less. "I almost didn't go!," she recalls. "That concert was kind of a turning point because it opened me up to the real depths of what music was about." By the age of 12, Deborah was already performing professionally. Having won a local TV talent contest, she started singing jingles for commercials, then hooked up with local live bands. With her high school friend Lascelles Stephens, she began writing songs and making demos, and eventually landed a position as a backup singer to Celine Dion. Then Clive Davis spotted her for his Arista label, and her education shifted into a higher gear. Her first album, DEBORAH COX was released in 1995, and achieved platinum status, yielding R&B/pop hits like "Who Do U Love?," "Sentimental" and "Where Do We Go From Here," and in 1997 she scored her first big dance hit with "Things Just Ain't the Same" from the "Money Talks" soundtrack. That first dance hit has lead Deborah to becoming one of the most popular dance artists in the world and she has scored an impressive nine #1 hits on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. Her second Arista release, ONE WISH (1998) also achieved platinum sales, garnering the two smash hits, “We Can’t Be Friends” and "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here," which holds the record for being the longest running #1 R& B single for 14 consecutive weeks. 2002 saw the release of THE MORNING AFTER for Davis's J Records label and later an album compiling all of her best dance remixes entitled DEBORAH COX: REMIXED. As an actress, Deborah played the role of a singer in the film "Love Come Down," and was later featured in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” starring Golden Brooks (Girlfriends) and Darrin Dewitt Henson(Soul Food) as well as an episode of the popular television program “Nash Bridges. Deborah is also no stranger to live theater after touring with David Talbert’s “Love on Layaway” she made her Broadway debut in Elton John and Tim Rice’s "Aida" in 2004, earning rave reviews. Behind the scenes, Deborah has recorded singles for several film soundtracks including “Akeelah and the Bee”, “Hotel Rwanda”, and most recently Tyler Perry’s “Meet the Browns.” In 2007, she paid effusive tribute to a childhood idol of hers, the beloved Dinah Washington, with her Decca album, Destination Moon, that catapulted her into the ranks of the leading jazz singers of our time. Writing another chapter in her already diverse career, the album garnered Deborah a Grammy Award nomination in 2008. And so now, six years and two children after her last studio album of new material, another new chapter in Deborah Cox's career beckons – the return to where it all began – the world of R&B music. "This is a complete labor of love,” Deborah says of the album. “I am so excited to share my music with everyone that has been on this journey with me through the years and hopefully all of the new people who will discover THE PROMISE.” http://www.deborahcox.com/ http://www.myspace.com/deborahcox http://ilike.com/artist/Deborah%20Cox