Sunday February 3rd, 2002

 

Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and R&B Album Chart February 9

 

New CD's this week:

It finally looks like it's getting busier on the release front. This past week no less then
4 new albums. First the debut solo album from former En Vogue and Lucy Pearl singer
Dawn Robinson. From another all female group, this time Kut Close, comes Athena Cage
with her album "Art of a woman". Also delivering a debut album is Jaguar Wright who
is alreade moving up the charts with her duet with Bilal. And to make it an all female
quartetthere's the third album by Tina Moore.

 

Short news stories this week:

 

Avant to tour Mary J. Blige

AV, better known as Avant, will be accompanying the queen Mary J. Blige on her
"No More Drama" tour through The United States, Japan, and Europe beginning
in February, 2002.
Presented by MTV, the U.S. dates will be a short month-long tour beginning
February 5, and will be followed by a more extensive tour this summer. During
the U.S. tour, will be aproximatey 25 dates in Japan and across Europe beginning
in mid-March.

 

D-Influence attract women

D-Influence are fronting a new album featuring 11 female soul and dance singers.
The album 'D-Vas' includes contributions from Shola Ama, Ultra Nate, Dee C. Lee
(Style Council) and Romina Johnson (Artful Dodger).
The first release, the single 'Show Me Love' featuring D-Influence's lead vocalist
Sarah Anne Webb, will be released on March 11.


Exclusive: Brandy talks about her eating disorder

Singer, actress and all-round superstar Brandy has blamed herself for losing interest
in her health and well-being.
In an interview she explained: "With the whole eating disorder thing, honestly,
I wasn't taking care of myself and that's my fault. But I can talk about it freely
because now I'm healthy."
The 22 year-old also says she's now learnt to deal with the past: "It stings for a
little but you get over it. I can take full responsibility for people even hearing about
the fact that I was sick and had a nervous breakdown and that kind of stuff."
Brandy's new single 'What About Us' is released on February 11 and comes from
the forthcoming album 'Full Moon'.
To make the LP she got together with super-producer Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins,
who previously has added his midas touch to artists like Destiny's Child and
Britney Spears.

Mary J. Blige to wed...

Mary J.Blige has become engaged. Mary is refusing to reveal the identity of her
fiancé, but has been romantically linked to singers Case and K-Ci Hailey in the
past.
Mary recently announced her first UK tour in over three years. Her single, 'Dance
4 Me' featuring Common, was released on Monday (January 28).

Kelly Price On Changing Her Attitude About Food To Lose Weight

Soul siren Kelly Price credits changing her attitude about food with helping her
shed weight for her new svelte look. The singer, who is scheduled to release her
third album, Priceless, on June 4, said that her weight loss program consisted of
a mixture of everything she "heard, seen, or learned" about losing weight.
"I tried to weed out the good things from every diet that I had ever tried, and leave
the bad alone. It was a lot of retraining in my thinking, which I still have to practice.
I tell people every single day, because when you spend most of your life thinking
one way about food and exercise, it's hard to just change that." Though she said she
will occasionally have a slice of cheesecake or McDonald's French fries, she now
views food as fuel: "But it was more so about changing my attitude towards food,
and realizing that food is here to help me live. I shouldn't live for food. But food
should be something that enables me to live and sustains me."

Sisqo Suffering From Vitiligo?

R&B singer and former Dru Hill frontman Sisqo might be suffering from vitiligo,
the same skin disease that has plagued pop superstar Michael Jackson. Sisqo has
been wearing white protective gloves while making the promotional rounds for his
new movie Snow Dogs, which also stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Coburn.
Sisqo shared that he was initially diagnosed with eczema but doctors now believe
that he may have vitiligo, which causes a loss of color in the skin, mucous
membrane, hair, and retina of the eye. The singer told New York's Daily News, "I
had this kind of rash, so I'm taking antibiotics. From what I understand, it's from
the stress."
The stress that could have caused Sisqo's ailment might be linked to the commercial
failure of his last release, Return Of The Dragon. The album was the follow-up to
the singer's quadruple-platinum debut, Unleash The Dragon, which featured the
megahit, "Thong Song."
Sisqo's Def Soul/Def Jam Records label had no comment on the singer's health
issues when contacted.

Michael Jackson Single Release In Doubt

Michael Jackson will not release his single "Butterflies" on February 12, as
previously planned, and as of press time no new release date for the Invincible
track had been announced. This is the fourth such postponement of the single's
release.
"Butterflies" was originally scheduled to hit the streets on January 15, but then
got pushed back to January 29. By the middle of the month, the January 29 date
moved to February 12. No explanation of why the single has been indefinitely
postponed was given. "Butterflies" currently occupies the Number 14 spot on
the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Roots Protege Jaguar Hits Stores With 'Denials Delusions And Decisions'

Jaguar Wright, who debuted on the Roots' "What You Want?" from the Best Man
soundtrack, released her own album, Denials, Delusions, And Decisions, Tuesday
(January 29) on Motive/MCA Records. The album's first single, "I Can't Wait," is a
duet from fellow Philadelphia native Bilal.
The album from the matter of fact singer-songwriter, whose style is reminiscent of
Millie Jackson, Mary J. Blige, and Jill Scott, includes production from Roots
members Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson and Kamal Gray, as well as James Poyser
and Scott Storch. Roots lyricist Black Thought guests on two songs. Wright has
also recorded a remake of Patti LaBelle's "Love, Need And Want You."
Wright recently spoke to us about recording with Bilal, whom she describes as one
of her "dearest friends": "I wasn't sure whether or not he was going to want to do it
because I've always been like, 'He's so much bigger than me, just because of his
talent," Wright says about Bilal, who released his critically acclaimed debut, First
Born Second, in July. "He humbles me so much because he is so incredible. I called
him up, and he said, 'Okay, fine, I'll do it.' He came through, and he did his thang."
Additionally, Wright, the Roots, and famed choreographer Fatima will appear in a
Coca-Cola commercial airing in February.


News 2002

News 2001