Sunday June 1rst, 2003
New CD's this past week:
None to report this week
Music news stories this week:
Mya Gets Like ... Wo On New Album
Mya's sexy new song "My Love Is Like
... Wo" is far from your average
choice for a first single. She needed some time to sit with it - a whole
year. But after 365 days and a little coaxing from her camp, the singer
felt more comfortable releasing a tune where she declares, "My ass is
like wo."
The first offering from her third LP, Moodring, doesn't spell the end of
Mya's shows of sensuality, however.
"You keep it tight, hit me off how I like, every day, every night,"
she
sings on the piano-powered "No Sleep," where she makes a 3 a.m. booty
call to her man. "They say I'm shy, but you know that's a lie," she
goes
on to sing before further testifying about how good the love is with her
mate.
Mya's words on "Anatomy One-on-One" might make you pat yourself on the
forehead with a handkerchief, as she sings even steamier lyrics, vividly
detailing a session of passion with her Mr. Do Right. "You found a
position that turns me on," she gushes. "Temperature's hotter than
fire/
And the heat has got me burning up/ Let's stop, drop and roll together."
Unfortunately her flames are doused with a dose of reality that is as
sobering as a cold shower on "Step." Here you can imagine the petite
crooner getting set to put up her dukes as she complains about a girl
who's trying to take her man. And you wouldn't believe it by Mya's
usually dainty behavior, but she can get down and dirty in a slugfest.
She threatens to take off her heels and tells the jezebel that wants to
break up her happy home, "I ain't got no time for the bullshhhh/ You
should have a little respect 'cause if a girl is f---ing your man, you
wouldn't like that."
Mya is "cold-blooded" after all, as she sings on the disco throwback
"Sophisticated Lady," where she promises to make any man holla because
she is the flyest of the fly. The playfully unabashed "Whatever Bitch"
also steps outside the usual R&B soundscapes. That cut finds Mya using
house music to dismiss jealous girls who roll their eyes at her and want
to spoil her partying.
"They calling me a ho 'cause I'm trying to get my freak on," she
scoffs.
"But bitch, we're in a club, what the hell do you expect bitch?/ I
worked too freaking hard to let a hata bring me down."
But Mya's biggest foe on Moodring may not be a woman - it could very
well be the object of her affection. "Why You Gotta Look So Good?"
tells
the story of the songbird struggling to leave a bad relationship. G-Unit
member Lloyd Banks guest stars on the track, rapping from the male
perspective about the same woeful situation.
"We both know if you put on some extra pounds I would have left a long
time ago ..." Banks says. "I can't find good enough reason to try to
hit
the road .../ It's a shame how your female anatomy keeps grabbing me."
Besides recording Moodring, which is due July 22, Mya also just finished
filming a part in "Havana Nights: Dirty Dancing 2." Unlike her part in
"Chicago," where she appeared as an inmate, she plays a role closer to
herself in this flick: a singer.
Monica's 'After The Storm' Due Out In June
Monica's frequently-delayed third release
has been re-titled After The
Storm, and will be released on June 17. The set is executive produced by
Missy Elliott, who produced and wrote the lead single, "So Gone." The
song is currently Number Three on the urban Radio & Records National
airplay chart.
After The Storm will feature guest appearances by DMX and Tyrese, and
the production of Jazzy Pha, Rodney Jerkins, Jermaine Dupri, Dallas
Austin, Soulshock & Karlin, and Bam & Ryan.
Monica's two previous releases, 1995's Miss Thang and 1998's The Boy Is
Mine, were each certified triple-platinum for sales of three million
copies.
Fabolous And Tamia Hook Up For New Single
Sometimes you just can't get enough of a
good thing. And that may be the
case for rapper Fabolous who recently released the new single, "Into
You," with Tamia. The original version of the song that appears on
Fabolous' Street Dreams features Ashanti.
Meanwhile, the first single from Street Dreams, "Can't Let You Go"
featuring Lil' Mo and Mike Shorey, is currently Number Two on the urban
Radio & Records National Airplay chart.
Street Dreams has sold more 665,000 copies since its release in March.
In related news, Fabolous will be opening for 50 Cent and Jay-Z on
several dates during the Roc The Mic tour this summer.
Tamia is also enjoying success with her single "Officially Missing
You"
which is Number 19 on the urban AC Radio & Records National Airplay
chart. The song was produced by former Murder Inc. Records in-house
producer 7 Aurelius.
The pair soon got to work and Tamia ended up recording a song that was
very dear to Aurelius. "The record that I did with him, 'Officially
Missing You,' he's had it for a long time," Tamia said. "And he told
me
he was waiting to give it to the right person. He wrote it when he was
homeless in Los Angeles. So it's like a very personal record to him. It
was kinda like handing over his baby."
Tamia will release her new album, Still, on July 15. The set was
produced by Mario Winans, Babyface, 7 Aurelius, Jermaine Dupri, R.
Kelly, Linda Perry, and Shep Crawford
Janet Jackson Recording 'Hard-Hitting Dance Music' For New Album
If you're wondering when Janet Jackson will
hit the music scene again,
look toward sometime in 2004. One of her longtime producers, Jimmy Jam,
says that's probably the most logical timetable for Miss Jackson to drop
her latest LP.
"The record is really in its infancy, which means that we've done
probably six or seven songs," Jam said of the album last week. "There
is
no distinct musical style yet. It's all over the place, from songs that
I would call classic Janet songs, meaning that they could've been on any
of her [earlier] albums. Some of the songs have a definite sort of
ambient quality to them. We've been listening to a lot of everything
from Zero 7 to Télépopmusik, [so] there's a little bit of that. There's
some house stuff, which there always is [on her albums]. There is going
to be some more guitar-flavored things.
"It's kind of the way [her] albums always start," he added.
"There's not
a clear direction yet. We see what sticks. We're doing a bunch of songs
and seeing what we like. We've already thrown some [songs] out. It's
sort of still the discovery process. We're not going to [put the album
out] till next year most likely anyway. We've been working in New York
the past couple of weeks, we're going to work in L.A., in Miami, we're
probably going to work in Minneapolis. So I think the music will take on
different elements as we take on different environments and work with
different people."
Jam said that since they do not expect to put the album out until next
year, they can work at a leisurely pace and really focus on penning good
lyrics.
"The approach we're taking is that we're trying to write really good
songs and worry about the production later," Jam said, "because
production is one of those things you want to be up-to-date [on],
cutting edge. The way we produce a record now isn't necessarily how
we'll produce a record six months from now. That's how fast things
change. But the song, if [the lyrics are] great, is gonna be timeless
and work."
So just what is Janet going to be singing about when we hear the
project? Whatever comes to mind.
"Her albums are always what she's thinking at the moment," Jam said.
"Her thoughts may change six months from now. Her biggest thing is to be
honest with her fans. Whatever stuff she wants to talk about, it's
coming from her heart. I anticipate that we'll be working on the record
for the next three to four months. Then we'll have a direction and
finish it off. The record will be done by the end of the year and [will]
probably come out next year. If we felt we had something strong enough
as a single, I would guess we could have a single out before the end of
the year and the album at the beginning of next year."
Jam said it's too early to discuss Janet's collaborations with people
other than him and partner Terry Lewis. Producer 7 Aurelius has said
that his handiwork may pop up on the album as well.
"Expect the unexpected, man," said 7. "Really, she's totally an
amazing
artist, and I love the fresh, envelope-pushing vibe she brings to the
table. She's just really on some cutting edge, hard-hitting dance music,
and I think you are going to be really surprised. You should be excited.
It's going to be crazy."
Besides Janet, Jam and Lewis are also working on music for "The Fighting
Temptations" movie soundtrack as well as upcoming albums for Mya and
Patti LaBelle.
Whitney And Bobby Get Into It…Again
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown reportedly
got into a huge fight the
night before Whitney performed on the VH1 Divas concert in Las Vegas.
The trouble supposedly started around 6:00 pm last Wednesday when an
unidentified high roller supposedly approached Bobby in the Bellagio
casino and invited him to come gambling. The big-spender allegedly gave
Bobby $5,000 to use at the casino tables, but Bobby allegedly took the
money and walked away! The high roller told hotel security who searched
the massive Bellagio resort until they found Bobby, eating by himself at
one of the restaurants. Bobby was then escorted back to the villa where
he and Whitney were staying. Gossip is that Whitney "hit the roof"
when
she heard about the incident. That's when the argument between Whitney
and Bobby supposedly jumped off.
And according to the Las Vegas Sun, employees at the Picasso restaurant
say that Houston looked "completely trashed" during her visit and
created a "public spectacle." Foxnews.com further reported that
Houston
showed up at Las Vegas' AAA Ear, Nose And Throat Group with a bloody
nose, though it was not clear what had caused the condition.
Whitney Houston's publicist told New York's Daily News that Houston
created no problems while in Vegas -- and in fact turned in early.
'American Idol' Winner Ruben Studdard Signs With J Records
American Idol winner Ruben Studdard has
teamed with Clive Davis to sign
a recording contract with J Records through Simon Fuller's 19
Recording's Limited. Davis will also be the executive producer of
Studdard's full-length studio debut album in consultation with Fuller.
The album is due in September.
Ruben's winning song, a cover of Westlife's "Flying Without Wings"
will
be released by J Records as a single on June 3rd. The single will also
feature his take on the Carpenter's "Superstar."
Meanwhile, runner-up Clay Aiken's solo debut single, "This Is The
Night," the original song he performed on Tuesday night's show, will be
released June 17th by RCA. That single will also feature the Jeffrey
Osbourne hit "On The Wings Of Love."
About 33.7 million people watched Wednesday night's two-hour season
finale of American Idol, according to early figures from Nielson Media
Research. The results helped Fox-TV earn its second highest-rated night
of entertainment programming in the history of the network.
Mariah Carey Adding Some New Charms To Her Bracelet
It looks like there's still some more charm
to be squeezed out of Mariah
Carey's Charmbracelet.
Her latest album, which dropped in December, will be reissued this
summer with four new tracks. The popular duet with Busta Rhymes "I Know
What You Want," which originally appeared on Rhymes' It Ain't Safe No
More, will be among the bonus cuts.
Carey also recorded a remix of "The One" with Jermaine Dupri and Bone
Crusher, which might be included. And, according to her label, two more
new songs will be added, though they haven't been confirmed yet.
Coinciding with the re-release of the album, Carey will kick off a tour
that will include picks from fans - or "lambs," as she calls them -
who
can vote for their favorite 20 songs on her Web site.
The new Charmbracelet, with revised cover art, is tentatively due July
29.