Carlton's new record, "Heroes & Thieves," will be released tomorrow (10/9) on Irv Gotti's hip-hop label, The Inc. Records, formerly known as Murder Inc. Carlton became Gotti's first new signing after he joined forces with Universal Motown Records last year.

The singer had become a free agent after parting ways with A&M Records and was working out a deal with Universal when Gotti--who's had a string of urban successes with artists including Ashanti, Ja Rule, DMX and Jay Z--happened upon the meeting.

"She started playing and her voice, it completely took me over," the hip-hop producer said in a statement. "I start rambling, running my mouth basically, and just going crazy."

Carlton was thrilled with Gotti's reaction, despite the fact that the two come from completely different musical backgrounds.

"He was so positive and spontaneous," Carlton said in her bio. "I began to realize we were alike in a lot of ways. Along with his rare passion and vision, he has a finely tuned ear which made me believe he could guide any type of musical project."

The fruit of their efforts, "Heroes & Thieves," is "the best batch of songs I've ever written," the Grammy-nominated performer said. The set was co-produced by Gotti, Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins and Linda Perry, and features Carlton's mentor, Stevie Nicks, as a background vocalist. The video for the lead single, "Nolita Fairytale," is streaming at Carlton's website.