AceShowbiz -

Seemingly following the main trend in music industry lately, pop crooner Vanessa Carlton stepped up with R&B producer Irving "Gotti" Lorenzo for her next album. Gotti admits to play the role as "co-pilot" in Carlton's third album "Heroes and Thieves".

In late 2006, Carlton was signed by Gotti's recording house "The Inc." to do a record under the label. Those asked to come on board for this project are 7 Aurelius, Rick Rubin and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who also did his part in Carlton's second album "Harmonium".

"I think Irv is a fantastic A&R man, and he really can't contain his excitement," Carlton said upon the collaboration. "He has like, no filter, when it comes to expressing himself, and I thought that unbounded energy was so appealing. He's a fantastic music executive. They're hard to find. So, I took the step."

On personal level, Carlton describes this album as "the best patch of songs I've ever written". It will include some songs that she co-wrote with hitmaker Linda Perry. "It's a pretty uplifting album with a lot of layers going on in," Carlton says. "(There are) very complex arrangements but everything just makes me feel good and not in a simplistic way. It's the most honest album I ever made, and it's the only record I've made that I really look at as a body of work as opposed to a bunch of songs put together. I think that shows. It really does feel like a real album."

"Heroes and Thieves" will arrive in stores October 9 with first single "Nolita Fairytale" hitting U.S. radio on July 17. Her second single is hinted as "Home", a ballad to balance her first up-tempo single.

Confirmed tracks so far are:

• Nolita Fairytale
• Hands On Me
• Home
• Heroes And Thieves
• The One
• Fools Like Me
• Spring Street
• My Best