McKnight turns "10" with Warner Bros

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Veteran vocalist

Brian McKnight has inked a new deal with Warner Bros., after previous stops at Mercury and Motown. His tenth album, appropriately dubbed "10," will be released this fall.

McKnight previewed three tunes from the set at an intimate luncheon Wednesday in Los Angeles, describing "10" as "full of theme songs," inspired by his post-divorce life. The project includes a collaboration with

Jill Scott on "More Than Just a Thang."

McKnight says he's optimistic about his move to WB. "I've seen what they can do -- they think outside the box," he told Billboard. "When I was a teen, all the acts I loved were on Warner Bros., including my brother Claude of Take 6. It's kind of surreal, but it feels like this is where I should be."

"10" is the follow-up to 2005's "Gemini," which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. The new album is not alone on McKnight's plate. In late July, he'll shoot a TV pilot for a weekly talk/music show. He also is "toying" with the notion of signing his two sons to a label.

"Nikko is like a Jimi Hendrix on guitar, and BJ is a carbon copy of me," the proud dad says. "I tell them to just relax. But they see other kids making records, and they're anxious to do the same thing."

Reuters/Billboard