Sunday April 20th, 2003
New CD's this past week:
- Full Flava - Colour of my soul: another classy release from Dome Records (UK release)
Short news stories this week:
Luther Vandross Suffers Stroke
Veteran R&B superstar Luther Vandross
suffered a stroke on Wednesday
(April 16). While his current location and condition has not been
revealed, his business manager, Carmen Romano, issued a statement that
said he is "under medical care and his family and friends are hopeful
for a speedy recovery." The five-time Grammy winner turns 52-years-old
this Sunday (April 20).
Vandross' fifteenth album, Dance With My Father, was planned to be
released on June 10 from J. Records. The set includes a duet with
Destiny Child's Beyonce Knowles, "The Closer I Get To You," and the
track "Lovely Day," featuring rapper Busta Rhymes. Also appearing on
the
record are Queen Latifah, Foxy Brown, and Stevie Wonder.
Whitney Houston To Sing On 'boston Public' Season Finale
Whitney Houston will guest star and perform
on the season finale of
Fox-TV's Boston Public on May 12th from 8 to 9 p.m. ET. Houston, who
portrays herself in the episode, wrapped up filming her role on
Wednesday (April 16th).
The story line of the episode surrounds a student who writes a ten-page
letter to Houston asking the singer to attend the prom with him. The
faculty and students are amazed when she accepts his offer.
When Houston arrives, Aisha (portrayed by former American Idol finalist
Tamyra Gray) gets stage fright about singing in front of her. To inspire
Aisha, Houston gives a surprise performance of "Try It On My Own," her
current single from her album, Just Whitney.
Brian Mcknight Surprised By His Career Longevity
The success of Brian McKnight's U Turn
album comes as a surprise to the
artist himself. The R&B sensation, who began his recording career at age
19, always thought his popularity would be brief.
"With the advent of hip-hop, it's been a little more difficult to make
it as a singer. I didn't think I would be here this long," says
McKnight, whose career has nearly spanned ten years. "As a singer who is
a songwriter, I believe the key to longevity is great songs. Start with
a great song first, and you'll never fail."
McKnight's "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" sits at Number 27 this week on
Radio & Records' Smooth Jazz chart, and at Number 28 on the trade
magazine's Adult Contemporary chart.
Tyrese Recovering After Being Attacked By Female Fans
R&B singer Tyrese was briefly
hospitalized last week, after several
female fans pulled him off the stage at the House Of Blues in Hollywood.
Tyrese was rescued by his bodyguards but collapsed in his dressing room.
The singer was treated at Cedars Sinai Hospital for a pinched nerve and
breathing difficulties, and was released the next morning, according to
his publicist.
Tyrese's latest hit "How You Gonna Act Like That" is Number Eight on
the
urban Radio & Records National Airplay chart.
Monica Revises Leaked Album With Help From Missy Elliott
Monica has learned a valuable lesson - keep
track of your tracks.
The singer admits to not always having the closest eye on her music, and
she was bit by the bootlegging bug last year when her album, now called
All Eyez on Me, was supposed to drop.
Sitting back to reassess her situation, Monica, who now has a release
date of June 10 for her third album, went back in the lab with Missy
Elliot, among others, and made a few new tracks. It's a good thing, too,
because she found a hot new first single in "So Gone."
" 'So Gone' takes you back to when people first heard me," Monica said
recently while in Manhattan. In the song she sings about almost losing
her mind over an unfaithful man.
"It's got that feeling like no holds barred, not trying to cater to any
one audience. It was done in probably three or four hours. Missy and I
did two songs a night sometimes. The song comes from us going in [the
studio] for a week in Miami. We shot the video two weeks ago in Miami
with Chris Robinson and Derek Luke from 'Antwone Fisher.' It just went
really good.
"The video is like [Luke] and I are in a relationship," Monica said.
"In
my mind I think he's cheating. As you see in the video, my mind's
playing tricks on me. I've destroyed his home and all this stuff for no
reason. I get arrested as you would in real life."
All Eyez on Me's title track, which dropped in 2002, wasn't Monica's
most arresting single. The song samples Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." and
won't be on the album because it didn't flow with the rest of the album,
Monica said.
"I felt that the first single was a great song, but it didn't reflect
the rest of the album," she explained. "It was misleading."
Besides working with producers Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri, Soulshock
& Karlin, Dallas Austin and Elliott, Monica also had her best friend Mia
X, DMX and Tyrese in the studio.
"The song with [DM]X and I, men will probably gravitate towards," she
said. "It's about a guy who's married but he's in love with somebody
else. The girl is coercing him by telling him he 'doesn't have to go
home tonight.' That's the name of the song. It's one of these records
that at first I was mad when I heard it, but then I was like, 'OK, this
has a good feel. There are some people who think like this.' I thought
it was real good twist to have. People will be shocked to hear me
singing that. The song with Tyrese is called 'Don't Go to Bed Mad,'
which I firmly believe in."
Jeffrey Osborne releases his new album on June 10
Jeffrey Osborne has just wrapped up
production on a brand new album
entitled Music Is Life, which is slated for release on June 10, 2003.
Not only does Music Is Life have the distinction of being the
christening release of Jay Oz Records, the Number One independent record
company in America, the collection, co-produced and co-written by
Osborne, also marks the artist's 30th year since the release of his very
first album as the drummer for the R&B group L.T.D. in 1973.
It is fitting, therefore, that Music Is Life is perhaps Osborne's most
compelling album to date. It is a collection of music that artfully
explores a modern urban vitality without neglecting the classic R&B
sensibilities that for three decades have made Osborne a premiere voice
in popular music.
The first single, "The Rest Of Our Lives," is already being called an
instant classic by radio programmers across the country. Destined to be
a wedding standard, the track recalls the best of what fans have come to
expect from this quintessential R&B artist. Other tracks, like the
hip-hop flavored "Kisses" and the lush expansive "Pretty
Thing," find
Osborne forging terrain new to his trademark voice.
"This record will surprise people," says Osborne. "It's the
record I've
wanted to make for awhile now. I wanted to do something that was more
youthful musically while maintaining my lyrical integrity, and I wanted
to do it on my own label for a change - take a chance on myself."
A spring/summer U.S. tour is in the works to support the album.