Sunday June 8th, 2003
New CD's this past week:
None to report this week
Music news stories this week:
Tony Rich 'Traveling Alone' On Comeback Trail
Singer-songwriter Tony Rich recently
released the first single,
"Traveling Alone," from his upcoming third release, Resurrected, due
out
on July 15th. "Traveling Alone" was one of the most added songs at
urban
AC radio this week according to Radio & Records.
Rich explained the song in a press release, "My music is about my life.
'Traveling Alone' is about searching for your purpose in life. We are
all alone in that search. People are there along the way to enhance your
journey and for you to draw from, but ultimately it is you and you alone
who can discover who you are."
Tony Rich's 1995 debut, Words, was certified platinum. He released a
follow-up, Birdseye, in 1998.
Tyrese Lands Next Big Role
2 Fast 2 Furious hasn't even hit theaters
yet and already the film's
star has landed a new film deal with 2 Fast's producer. Neal H. Moritz
has an urban thriller called Extortion in the works and found Tyrese to
be such, quote, "(an) incredibly talented star" that he approached the
actor to sign on to the second project.
According to a Universal Pictures press release, Extortion will focus on
Tyrese's character, a detective who goes undercover to solve the murder
of his foster brother. In order to make his cover believable, he must do
whatever it takes to fit into the criminal underworld--even if it means
becoming part of it.
2 Fast 2 Furious opens this Friday, June 6th.
Despite all of his success, Tyrese maintains a strong work ethic and
explains that, although he may have made it financially, he still feels
there is much more to achieve artistically: "I'm not showing off in no
sense, but I don't think my motivation has changed one bit. And,
honestly, I don't have to work for the next three years if I don't want
to right now. But, it's not about money, materials, and them-type things
that a lot of people usually settle for. I'm here. I could put my feet
up. I've made it. It's so much more to accomplish, so it's not about
that to me. You can't settle for money and awards and materials."
Luther Vandross Wakes Up From Coma
There's a positive medical development
about singer Luther Vandross.
A spokeswoman for his label, J Records, said Vandross recently came out
of the coma he's been in since suffering a stroke April 16 at his New
York home.
People magazine quoted family and friends saying Vandross can mouth
words and nod his head. He can't try to speak yet because he still has a
tracheotomy tube in his throat. They also said he has begun mild
physical therapy.
On the evening of June 2nd , Luther regained consciousness momentarily
and tried to communicate with his mother, Mrs. Mary Ida Vandross. Mrs.
Vandross reports the incident in the new edition of People magazine
where she says, quote: "I called to him I said, 'Your momma's here.'
And he turned and actually smiled. He opened his eyes and he looked at
me a long time ... and he tried to say, 'Momma.'"
Doctors are cautiously optimistic about Luther's chances for continued
recovery.
According to The Associated Press, the singer's mother, Mary Vandross
said this week, "Luther is going to be just fine. This is God's way of
saying, 'You're tired.'"
Vandross, 52, had been listed in critical but stable condition at Weill
Cornell Medical College of New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Two weeks later, Lois Najarian, a spokeswoman for Vandross' label J
Records, said the singer was "minimally responsive" since he had not
opened his eyes or spoken since suffering the stroke.
No other details were available about Vandross' current condition.
Najarian said in April that the an emergency tracheotomy that was
performed on Vandross to help him breathe, did not damage his vocal
chords.
One family member quoted by People says Vandross is on his way to
recovery. But another warned that until they know how much brain damage
he suffered, they need to be "cautiously optimistic."
The Grammy Award-winning soul singer is known for such ballads as "Here
and Now" and "A House is Not a Home."
His new album "Dance With My Father" -- a tribute to his late father
--
will be released Tuesday.
Kem Knows When "Love Calls"
Detroit-based singer-songwriter Kem is
heating up the charts with "Love
Calls," his first single from his latest release, Kemistry. It's
presently Number Seven on the Urban AC Radio & Records National Airplay
charts while the album is Number 157 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The set, which was originally released independently, was re-issued this
Spring on Motown Records.
For Kem, "Love Calls" was a challenge to write. He said, "'Love
Calls'
took a long time to write, man. I don't know if it's because you know
I'm getting older or you know... it took like probably two years. You
know when I was young I had time to...I could sit all day and just write
but now I have responsibilities that exceed the music."
Kem also explained that he released "Love Calls" as the lead single
because it was the most radio-friendly: "I choose 'Love Calls' to be the
single because I thought that it would be the most radio-friendly. If we
gonna convince radio on our own to play anything off of that record, I
thought it would be 'Love Calls.'"
Beyonce's Album To be Released Early
Columbia Records has pushed up the release
date of Beyonce's debut solo
album Dangerously In Love from July 8th to June 24th, due to
overwhelming demand and to thwart Internet piracy. The increased demand
for the album is being driven by the set's first single, "Crazy In
Love"
featuring Jay-Z. For the past two weeks, the track has been the Number
One most added record and Greatest Airplay Gainer on Urban, Crossover,
Rhythm, and Top 40 radio formats.
Beyonce wrote and produced most of the album's material, and she
collaborated with top notch artists and producers such as Missy Elliot,
Jay-Z, Sean Paul, Mark Batson, Mario Winans, D-Roy & Mr. B, OutKast's
Big Boi, Rich Harrison, Fanatic, Scott Storch, and Luther Vandross.
She's already planning a world tour in support of the album.
The singer will take on her next acting role in the movie The Fighting
Temptations, with Cuba Gooding Jr. The film opens in theaters nationwide
on September 19th.
Beyonce will be featured on an upcoming edition of Dateline NBC (airdate
TBA) where she will sit down for an interview about all her projects
with Katie Couric.