Sunday September 28th, 2003
New CD's this past week:
- Anthony Hamilton - Comin' from where I'm
from
- Latif - Love in the first
- Silk - Silktime
Music news stories this week:
Aretha Franklin Hit With A $225 Fine
Soul super-star Aretha Franklin has been
given a $225 fine by town
officials for failing to clean up the debris since a fire in October of
2002 gutted her house, located in Bloomfield Township, near Detroit.
"The Queen Of Soul" received three prior citations from officials for
failing to promptly clean up the debris and remove a tennis court that
still remains on the property.
Thursday's (September 25) fine is the latest in Franklin's ongoing
battle with officials over her clean-up responsibilities for the 10,000
square foot mansion--which Franklin had been using mainly as a storage
facility. Township officials have been after her to clear up the mess so
that the lot looks like country land, "not a vacant lot," Tina Burton,
code ordinance enforcement officer, told the Detroit Free Press. She
described the lot in its current state as "a mud mess."
Meanwhile, Franklin issued a statement Thursday thanking Michigan
officials for not bringing charges against her son, 45-year-old Edward
Franklin, who had been considered a suspect in the fire.
Musiq To Release 'Soulstar' In December
Philadelphia-based neo-soul singer Musiq,
formerly Musiq Soulchild, will
release his third album, Soulstar, on December 2nd, according to
MTV.com. The first single from the set is "Forthenight."
Soulstar was produced and written by Musiq and his writing partners
Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias. Some of the songs included on the set
are "Romancipation," "Love Me," "Who Knows," and a
cover of the Rolling
Stones' "Miss You."
Musiq has released two albums: 2001's Aijuswanaseing, which was
certified platinum, and 2002's platinum Juslisen, which entered the
Billboard 200 albums chart at Number One in May of 2002.
Gerald Levert To Release 'Genius' CD
Pop and R&B singer and songwriter
Gerald Levert is set to deliver his
eighth solo album on October 28th. Titled A Stroke Of Genius, the set
includes the single "U Got That Love (Call It A Night)," which is
already in the top 10 on Radio & Records' Urban AC chart and stands at
is Number 66 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
A Stroke Of Genius isn't Levert's only 2003 release. He was also
featured on the album LSG2, released in July, along with singers Keith
Sweat and Johnny Gill. That project peaked at Number Six on Billboard's
Top 200 Albums chart.
The new project follows Levert's 2002 album, The G-Spot, which spawned
the hit "Funny." That song was about an old love calling from out of
the
blue, which is something that actually happened to the singer. In fact,
many of Levert's best songs have sprung from his thoughts and personal
experiences, and Levert said that he makes a habit of keeping notebooks
around his house so he can always jot down ideas, as he did for
"Funny":
"A lot of times I keep a notebook by my bed, I keep a notebook in my
bathroom, I keep a notebook downstairs in the kitchen, you know, all the
places that I'm at, I always keep a notebook. And wherever I was, I
wrote, 'Funny you should call..”
Levert is expected to launch a national tour later this year. He is also
slated to appear October 11th at the Bermuda Jazz Festival
112 Releases New Single
R&B quartet 112 recently released the
second single, "Hot & Wet"
featuring Ludacris, from their upcoming fourth album, Hot & Wet, which
will be released on October 21st. The song was produced by Sean "P.
Diddy" Combs and Stevie J. A follow-up to the lead single "Na Na Na
Na,"
the song features Super Cat.
112 also recently released a remix of "Na Na Na Na" which features
Spragga Benz, Lady Saw, Buccaneer, and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley. The
remix will be included on Red Star Sounds, Vol.3: Def Jamaica which will
be released on October 14th on Def Jam Records.
Hot & Wet was produced by group member Daron Jones, Sean "P.
Diddy"
Combs, and Stevie J., and features guest appearances by Joe Budden,
Ludacris, and Super Cat.
Usher Adds Tommy Mottola To His Management Team
Grammy Award-winning R&B singer Usher
has added industry veteran and
former Sony head honcho Tommy Motttola to his management team.
Usher released a statement explaining that Mottola would be working in
tandem with his present manager, Jonnetta Patton, "Contrary to earlier
reports and rumors, I am still managed by Jonnetta Patton of JPat
Management. JPat Management is my primary management team and has guided
my career for over 10 years since the very beginning. I am pleased to
announce that Tommy Mottola and his company, Champion Entertainment have
been brought in as an additional arm to JPat Management to co-manage my
career. I am excited to have Tommy Mottola work in tandem with Jonnetta
Patton, both of whom are amazing and brilliant executives."
Mottola has worked with a virtual who's who of music. The executive help
to launch the careers of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Hall
& Oates, Destiny's Child, and his wife, Thalia.
Usher is presently working on a new album, Confessions, which will be
released early next year. The set will feature the production of the
Neptunes, Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Vidal & Dre, and Rich
Harrison.