Multi-media star Queen Latifah is set to appear on The Today Show today (September 25th) to celebrate the release of her new CD Trav'lin' Light. The album features the singer, rapper, and actress' musical salutes to her favorite pop and jazz artists, including Peggy Lee, Etta James, Sarah Vaughn, Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, Carmen McRae, the Pointer Sisters, and Phoebe Snow.

The set is a further showcase of the one-time hip-hop artist's considerable jazz and pop vocal skills, which she demonstrated on her 2004 release The Dana Owens Album.

Latifah says that she has grown vocally from that album to Trav'lin' Light, but it's been a matter of relaxing into the role of being a singer. The star of the current screen musical Hairspray adds that coming from the world of hip-hop, where confidence is everything, helped her move into so many new arenas.

She explained: "It's weird when you're not trained vocally, when you're not trained as an actor, you know (laughs). you just have these gifts and you just sort of explore them and you learn a lot in the process. I learned a lot in the process. So coming from rap and then really moving more into singing, you know I was able to take that same kind of confidence out on stage."

Latifah is also launching a national concert tour to promote the CD. The tour begins September 29th at the Majestic Theater in Dallas.


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