Marsha Ambrosius promises that her new album, ‘Friends & Lovers,’ will inspire her listeners to engage in some naughty behavior.

“‘Late Nights & Early Mornings’ was the introduction to this one,” she tells The Boombox at the Essence Music Festival, referring to her 2011 solo debut. “I got to meet some friends and lovers that I speak about on this album.”

“It’s very sexy,” she added with a mischievous smirk. “So I employ you not to play it for anyone that you’re not trying to ‘do it’ to. Don’t blame me later when you’re on some ‘I love you’ stuff.”

The project will arrive July 15 and the ‘Far Away’ creator managed to get with some notables during its production. The Interns are co-executive producers on the album and Ambrosius reveals that the legendary Charlie Wilson ('Spend All My Time') and music mogul Dr. Dre ('Stronger') appear as well. “Dre is on a song that I produced,” she says proudly. “Like, how many people can say that they have a billionaire on their album?”

Since her 2002 debut as one-half of the group Floetry, the singer-songwriter has focused on singing songs of seduction -- while repping Philadelphia as well as her native Liverpool across the pond. “I landed [in the States] in 2000,” she recalls. “This was when Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild and Bilal were doing their first albums, so I get to the studio and every musician, every producer there, they were all on that high.”

“Dre and Vidal had just done [Jill Scott’s] ‘The Way,’” she continues. “‘Gettin’ In the Way’ and ‘A Long Walk,’ and I’m like, ‘Hey! I just did this: ‘Say Yes,’ ‘Getting Late,’ ‘Sunshine,’ ‘If I Was a Bird’ and ‘Butterflies’ back-to-back in a week, that was Philly for me then. But when I went on tour, even just now at the Festival, I’m hearing people sing songs I wrote 17 years ago.”

Ambrosius acknowledges that she arrived in Philly during the golden years of modern soul at the turn of the millennium. "This is my hobby that I’ve made a career," the 36-year-old chanteuse states, almost in awe of what's transpired since then.

Now, even with the awards and accolades, she’ll never turn her back on the city. “I’m a Philly jawn,” she says with a laugh.

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