Sunday April 27th, 2003
New CD's this past week:
None to report
Music news stories this week:
Terence Trent D'Arby Back With New Name And New CD
Singer and songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby
is back with a new name and a
new album. Now calling himself Sananda Maitreya (My-ah-TRAY-ah), the
artist is set to bow his new CD, titled Wildcard!-The Joker's Edition,
on June 3rd.
The first single from the new album, titled "Designated Fool," will be
released to radio later this month.
Wildcard! is being released on D'Arby's own Sananda label, with
distribution through Compendia Music Group. This is the first studio
album from D'Arby in six years.
The new 19-track CD was produced by D'Arby with assistance on some
tracks from R&B/pop producer Dallas Austin. Austin is known for his work
with TLC, Boyz II Men, and Madonna, among others.
D'Arby first burst onto the American music scene in 1988, when his debut
album The Hardline According To Terence Trent D'Arby was released. That
set spawned the Number Three pop hit "Wishing Well" and the Number
Four
pop hit "Sign Your Name."
The Temptations Welcome G.C. Cameron
Veteran soul group The Temptations are
welcoming a new member, according
to a bulletin from Detroit's Motown Alumni Association. Vocalist G.C.
Cameron will take over vocal duties for departing member Barrington
Henderson.
Cameron joins a Temptations lineup that currently includes Terry Weeks,
Ron Tyson, Harry McGilberry, Jr., and original member Otis Williams.
Cameron was the lead singer for Detroit soul group The Spinners from
1968 to 1972. He sang the energetic lead on the group's Stevie
Wonder-penned hit "It's A Shame" in 1970.
Cameron also attempted a solo career at Motown, releasing a number of
low-charting singles throughout the 1970s. His biggest hit was 1977's
"You're What's Missing In My Life," which reached Number 24 on
Billboard's R&B chart.
Cameron may be best known for his single "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To
Yesterday," which was included in the1975 film Cooley High. The song
later served as inspiration to Philadelphia's hip-hop-doo-wop group Boyz
II Men, whose a cappella arrangement of "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To
Yesterday" became their signature tune from their 1991 debut CD,
Cooleyhighharmony.
In 2000, Cameron re-joined The Spinners and made several tour and
television appearances with the group.
Luther Vandross Showing Signs Of Recovery From Stroke
A week after suffering a stroke, singer
Luther Vandross is showing signs
of recovery and is in critical but stable condition. Doctors believe
that the Grammy-winning artist has not suffered damage to the portion of
the brain that controls speech, according to spokesperson Lois Najarian.
"The family and friends of Luther
Vandross appreciate the national
prayer vigil that was held [Wednesday] across the country," Najarian
said in a statement released Wednesday. "The prayers must be working!
Luther Vandross has shown the first positive signs that his recovery is
underway."
Vandross suffered the stroke on April 16, just a few days before his
52nd birthday, and a spokesperson for the Weill Cornell Medical Center
of New York-Presbyterian Hospital said he is still in the intensive care
unit.
Najarian said that Vandross would be conscious if he were not so heavily
sedated in order to keep him comfortable. He is expected to regain some
consciousness over the next few days, she said.
The singer was scheduled to be the guest judge on "American Idol" on
May
6.
Though that gig has been canceled, Najarian said J Records still expects
to release the singer's new album, Dance With My Father, on June 10. The
album features contributions from Beyoncé Knowles, Busta Rhymes, Stevie
Wonder, Foxy Brown and Queen Latifah.
The title track from the album will be performed by former "American
Idol" contestant Tamyra Gray on a April 28 episode of "Boston
Public".
Najarian said that the show's creator, David E. Kelley, "fell in love
with the song and built an entire episode around it."
Patti LaBelle Signs With Def Jam Classics, Recording New Album
Patti LaBelle has signed a new record deal
with Def Jam Classics and is
already working on a new album. She joined the label a month ago and
said recording began before she even "signed on the dotted line."
LaBelle has completed two tracks with contemporary R & B artist/producer
Wyclef Jean and the team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, best-known for
their productions with Janet Jackson. Other famous names have been
courting the veteran singer, including Lenny Kravitz and Prince.
LaBelle said Prince doesn't want to just do a single track for an
upcoming release, he wants to be involved with an entire gospel music
project. "He wants to do, my whole gospel album, according to Prince,"
LaBelle said. "And you know, it's very deep so he and I are going to
have to talk you know, about different things."
LaBelle recently released her second cookbook, Patti LaBelle's Lite
Cuisine.
Earth, Wind & Fire 'Promise' New Album, Tour
R&B/soul veterans Earth, Wind &
Fire are returning with a new album,
"The Promise," due May 20 on Kalimba Records.
It's the first album of new studio material in six years for the band,
which still features four original members -- bandleader Maurice White,
bassist Verdine White, percussionist Ralph Johnson, and vocalist Philip
Bailey.
Earth, Wind & Fire is planning a shed-and-theater tour in support of the
new album this summer. The outing will kick off May 23 in Boca Raton,
Fla., and hit 24 dates in major U.S. markets through July 3.
The first single from "The Promise" is "All in the Way," and
other cuts
on the album include "Dirty," "Never," "She
Waits," "Why?," and "Hold
Me." Angie Stone guests on "Wonderland."
In a statement, Maurice White said, "throughout the years, music has
changed quite a bit. We've changed a bit too, but we've never sacrificed
our credibility. Everything we've done has always been positive. All we
want to do is uplift people through music."
"The Promise" is the group's first all-new album since 1997's "In
the
Name of Love" (Pyramid), which peaked at No. 50 on Billboard's Top
R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The group's highest-charting albums were the
Columbia sets "Gratitude" and "That's the Way of the World,"
each of
which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1975.
Here are Earth, Wind & Fire's tour dates:
May 23: Boca Raton, Fla. (Minzer Park
Amphitheater)
May 24: Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Bay PAC)
May 25: Orlando, Fla. (House of Blues)
May 26: Atlanta (Chastain Park Amphitheater)
May 29: Dallas (Next Stage in Grand Prarie)
May 30: Corpus Christi, Texas (Concrete Street Amphitheater)
June 1: Birmingham, Ala. (Botwell Auditorium)
June 3: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
June 5: Philadelphia (Tower Theater)
June 6: Boston (FleetBoston Pavilion)
June 7: Wallingford, Conn. (Oakdale Theater)
June 12: Columbus, Ohio (Franklin County Veterans Memorial)
June 13: Detroit (Ford Motor Co.)
June 14: Cleveland (Nautica Pavilion)
June 15: Pittsburgh (TBA)
June 18: Minneapolis (TBA)
June 20: Merrillville, Ind. (Star Plaza Theater)
June 21: St. Louis (Fox Theater)
June 22: Louisville, Ky. (Palace Theater)
June 26: Baltimore (TBA)
June 27: Hampton, Va. (Hampton Coliseum)
June 28: New York (Apollo Theater)
July 2: Los Angeles (Greek Theater)
July 3: Oakland, Calif. (Paramount Theater)