NASHVILLE, Tenn. - s4story -- Award-winning author, recording artist and creative founder C.M. James is opening a different kind of album rollout for The C.M. Files: The Black Book, arriving September 4, 2026, through independent label C.M. Jaye Music.

Instead of revealing only a traditional track list, James is releasing individual track previews that let audiences hear and see moments from the album before release day. The previews are collected in one official YouTube playlist, giving each song its own searchable file while connecting the project to the official Black Book album page.

"Most artists release track lists. C.M. Jaye Music opens the files," James said. "Every preview introduces another sound, story, idea and piece of what was happening in my mind while I created the album."

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James's first story album, Don't Label Me: I Am a Label. What's a Genre?, is streaming on major platforms and established the narrative side of his recording work.

The Black Book goes further. Rather than only presenting the story, the album reveals what is happening inside James's mind while it is being told...his instincts, humor, reactions, warnings, memories and direction.

"Don't Label Me showed the author and the story side of me," James said. "The Black Book opens the mind behind the author. These songs show how I think, how I move, what I have lived and where I am going."

The album moves through hip-hop, rap, R&B, soul, rock-influenced music, country textures, bilingual storytelling, humor and personal reflection. Previewed songs include "Helen Keller," "Don't Wait," "Go Virgo Go," "CASH SMASH NASH," "Let the Dead Walk," "They Lied to You," "My Favorite Hobby," "Breaking News," "10-98" and "No Translation."

The project also carries the voice and legacy of late Nashville singer-songwriter Larysa Jaye, James's younger sister. She appears on "Don't Wait" and "CASH SMASH NASH," connecting the album to family, memory, encouragement and the musical legacy surrounding C.M. Jaye Music.

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The campaign also introduces audiences to The LiteraVerse, the digital entertainment platform founded by C.M. James. The LiteraVerse brings music, immersive audio stories, podcasts, visuals, artists, authors, writers, producers, creative professionals, readers, listeners and independent creators together inside one universe.

"The album is the release, but The LiteraVerse is the world around it," James said.

The LiteraVerse app serves both audiences seeking original stories, music and entertainment and creators building around sound, imagination and independent ownership.

The C.M. Files: The Black Book will be available on major streaming platforms and inside The LiteraVerse.