BURBANK, Calif., Feb 12, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- BURBANK, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/- Hollywood Records' artist Jesse McCartney recently finished recording Departure, his third and most personal solo record. The first single "Leavin'," is already a runaway hit at myspace.com and facebook.com, with Top 40 stations in Houston and Phoenix already spinning the record though the official add date is weeks away.

For Departure, McCartney sought out many of today's biggest hitmaking producers. "Leavin'" was produced by Tricky and The-Dream (Rihanna's "Umbrella"), while other producers rounding out the album include Sean Garrett (Chris Brown, Usher), J.R. Rotem (Sean Kingston, Rihanna), The Clutch (Ciara, Mary J. Blige), and Eric Hudson (Kanye West), who Jesse describes as a young Quincy Jones. The chemistry between Jesse and Sean Garrett inspired the anthemic "Rock You," which features Sean Garrett's vocals on the track. Indeed, the sonically new and edgier pop/R&B sound is the perfect soundtrack to Jesse's growth as a songwriter and young man. The songs on Departure explore several facets of growing pains and interpersonal relationships. The UK and the US recently experienced a taste of McCartney's poignant songwriting with "Bleeding Love," a song he co-wrote with One Republic's Ryan Tedder for Brit Award nominee and X-Factor winner Leona Lewis. "Bleeding Love" became the top selling single in the UK in 2007.