Sunday May 11th, 2003
New CD's this past week:
- Isley Brother - Body kiss
Music news stories this week:
Luther Vandross is still in a coma
Luther Vandross remained in critical
condition and still needs assistance
to breathe, his publicist said Thursday. The Grammy-winning singer,
hospitalized at Weill-Cornell Medical College since his April 16 stroke,
has not regained consciousness, publicist Lois Najarian said. "There's been
no radical change is his condition," she told the Associated Press. Earlier
Thursday, Najarian said Vandross' mother had told her that Vandross was now
breathing on his own. However, Najarian later said that information was
incorrect. After his stroke, Vandross underwent a tracheotomy and had a
tube inserted in his throat to assist his breathing, in part because he had
contracted pneumonia. Najarian said doctors remain hopeful the 52-year-old
singer, whose hits include "Here and Now" and "Superstar,"
will regain
consciousness.
Beyonce Gets 'dangerous' With Jay-z, Luther Vandross, Missy Elliot
Beyonce will release her debut solo album,
Dangerously In Love, on July
8th.
The founding member of Destiny's Child collaborated with an impressive
array of musical stars on the set including Jay-Z, Luther Vandross,
Missy Elliot, Sean Paul, Mario Winans, Mark Batson, D-Roy & Mr. B,
Outkast's Big Boi, Rich Harrison, Fanatic, and Scott Storch.
The album's first single "Crazy In Love" features Jay-Z, and the track
"Closer I Get To You," is a sizzling duet with Vandross.
With this album comes a busy calendar. Beyonce's upcoming television
appearances include a performance of "Crazy In Love" on NBC's Saturday
Night Live on May 17th, The Late Show With David Letterman on June 14th,
the Today show outdoor concert series on June 27th, and the CBS Early
Show on July 8th, and The View on July 9th.
On June 14th Beyonce will premiere many of the songs from Dangerously In
Love in her first-ever, pay-per-view special, Ford Presents Beyonce
Knowles Friends & Family, Live from Ford's 100th Anniversary Celebration
in Dearborn, Michigan.
In addition to the release of Dangerously In Love, a world tour is
planned. That's not all -- Beyonce's next feature film, The Fighting
Temptations, co-starring Cuba Gooding Jr., will be released on September
19th.
Wyclef Wings It To J Records
Hip-hop jack-of-all-trades Wyclef Jean has
signed with J Records as a
recording artist and is working on a new studio album. Jean, who was
formerly signed to Columbia, had inked an imprint deal with J in 2000
for his Clef Records label.
Clive Davis, chairman of J parent company RCA Music Group, said in a
statement, "Wyclef is one of those rare cutting edge artists who define
an era. He's a young triple threat who has just written some of the best
contemporary songs I've heard in years." Jean, in turn, commented:
"Clive Davis, man! He's the godfather of music. I hooked up with him so
I could be a quadruple threat."
Jean rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the Fugees, and has
since carved out an eclectic and successful solo career. His last album
with Columbia, "Masquerade," debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 in
June 2002 and has sold 357,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen
SoundScan.
Jean is among the artists confirmed to appear at the Miami edition of
the Red Stripe Reggae Sumfest, set for May 25 at Miami's Bicentennial
Park.