Ruben Studdard's new R&B album due out

NEW YORK - Ruben Studdard returns to R&B with his third album, set for release Sept. 26. The album's title, "The Return," signifies his coming back to the mainstream after recording the 2004 gospel album, "I Need an Angel," Studdard said in a statement released Monday by J Records.


"I've had people ask me where I've been in the past few years so I thought calling it `The Return' made sense," said Studdard, who won Fox's "American Idol" talent competition in May 2003.

"The first track on the new record is `The Return of the Velvet Teddy Bear,' so I just shortened it and made it the title of my CD," the 27-year-old singer said. "With `The Return,' I'm letting all the people who've followed me from `American Idol' until now know that basically I'm back."

His debut album, "Soulful," was released in 2003.