Sunday October 21st 2001

The past week has been very quiet, no new releases worth mentioning. But next week
will be better with the second Dennis Taylor album, a new set from Regina Belle and
a Christmas album from Toni Braxton, for those of you who would like to get into
the holiday spirit at this time.

Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and R&B Album Chart October 27

New CD's this week:

Short  news stories this week:

Alicia Keys Releases 'A Woman's Worth' And Explains Her Creative Process

Singer, composer, and arranger Alicia Keys recently released a second single,
"A Woman's Worth," from her triple-platinum debut album, "Songs In A Minor".
The singer shot a video for "A Woman's Worth" in Brooklyn, New York, with
director Chris Robinson. The new clip picks up where her video "Fallin'" ends, and
it will show up on video outlets in the coming days. Keys also recently participated
in the Jermaine Dupri-produced all-star remake of the Marvin Gaye classic "What's
Goin On?", which was recorded to help raise funds for disaster relief in the wake of
the September 11 terror attacks.
When the media spoke with Keys--who produced, wrote, and arranged "Songs In
A Minor" - the 20-year-old star shared some of the creative process that produced
the highly successful debut album: "Sometimes I go home and I'll maybe start
tinkering on the piano. Or even forget the piano--I'll just hum some melodies and
come up with some different ideas. From there I usually write the song or I'll create
a track around my ideas, and then write the song. You know, it kinda goes hand
and hand. Sometimes I write to a track or my track that I created, or sometimes I'll
write to just finish the song up, and then create a track, so it really depends. It's just..
.it's a feel thing, actually. With this whole album, it's really been a feel thing."

Stevie Wonder Slapped With Wrongful Termination Suit By Station Newsman

Superstar Stevie Wonder is again in the news with litigation woes. This time he is
being sued by a disgruntled ex-employee of Wonder's Los Angeles radio station.
Veteran newscaster Ron Brewington filed suit October 2 in Los Angeles County
Superior Court, claiming wrongful termination, defamation, negligent infliction of
emotional distress, and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Wonder
and KJLH-FM, the Los Angeles radio station owned by the singer-songwriter.
Also named in the suit are the station's general manager and news director.
According to Brewington, he had been hired by KJLH last year to broadcast two
daily news segments every weekday. But on September 14, the newsman says he
got into an argument via phone with news director Jacquie Stephens, who was on
location in Washington, D.C., about difficulty with a news feed. Brewington admits
that while harsh words were spoken, he immediately apologized. Two weeks later he
was fired after serving 17 months on the job, according to the suit.
According to Brewington attorney John Blanchard, Brewington made three attempts
to settle the matter with Wonder and KJLH executives before filing his suit. Monetary
damages have not yet been determined. "It is with great personal difficulty that I have
to pursue this lawsuit, after having been affiliated with the station for such a long
period," says Brewington in a statement.
Neddy Williams and Jasse Dickerson, attorneys for Wonder with the firm Littler
Mendelson, would not comment individually on the case, but released the following
statement: "KJLH does not believe that Mr. Brewington's claims have any merit, and
it will vigorously defend against his allegations."

Jill Scott Comes Alive With 10 New Tracks

Singer to release Experience: Jill Scott (826 Plus) November 20.
Jill Scott's set to offer fans more words and music with Experience: Jill Scott
(826 Plus), a double-disc LP with a live set and 10 new cuts due out November 20.
The live disc features 11 tracks recorded at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.,
on August 26 - hence the title - including her hit single "Gettin' in the Way" and
revamped versions of "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E-Flat)," "Slowly, Surely" and "Love
Rain." The show came near the end of her U.S. summer tour (see "Jill Scott Gets
Intimate At Her [Sort Of] Homecoming Show"). The new songs include "High
Post Brotha," featuring Common; "One Time" and "Sweet Justice." All were
recorded in a New York studio save for the poem "Thickness," which was recorded
at the Tower Theatre near Philadelphia, according to Scott's publicist. "I wanted to
give my fans something more with the new cuts, and we recorded the D.C. show
because it was magical," Scott said in a statement. "I wanted everyone who could
not be there to experience it."
Experience: Jill Scott (826 Plus) track list, according to her publicist:
Disc one:
"Show Intro (Time to Move)"
"A Long Walk (Groove)"
"Love Rain (Suite)"
"Slowly, Surely (Redux)"
"One Is the Magic #"
"Do You Remember"
"Gettin' in the Way"
"It's Love"
"The Way" (featuring Mike Phillips)
"Fat Back Taffy"
"He Loves Me (Lyzel in E-Flat)"

Disc two:
"Free - Intro"
"Gotta Get Up (Another Day)" (featuring 4 Hero)
"One Time"
"Sweet Justice"
"Thickness"
"High Post Brotha" (featuring Common)
"Gimme"
"Be Ready"
"Free - Outro"
"And"

Destiny's Child Postpones European Tour

Destiny's Child has postponed its European tour until May of next year, citing the
current international situation and the U.S. Department Of State's Worldwide Caution
travel advisory. The European tour was originally set to kick off October 24 after
several tour dates in Australia.
"We're always excited when we perform for our fans in Europe and the U.K.
Postponing these shows was the hardest thing for us, because we truly enjoy the
fans," said singer Beyonce Knowles in a statement, adding, "We made that decision
the very last second after taking a hard look at the state of the world right now. We
look forward to rescheduling the original shows, adding additional shows, and we
pray for a quick end to the fighting and a return to peaceful times."
In related news, Destiny's Child was recently added to the lineup of United We
Stand What More Can I Give? benefit concert for Washington D.C. and America,
set for October 21 at Washington's RFK Stadium.
Destiny's Child also joined U2's Bono, Alicia Keys, *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera,
Mary J. Blige, Eve, the Backstreet Boys, and many other artists on the new recording
of the Marvin Gaye classic, "What's Going On?" The charity EP will be in stores on
October 30, with half its proceeds benefiting AIDS relief, and the other half going to
the United Way's September 11th Fund.
The trio's holiday collection, 8 Days Of Christmas, which was largely co-written and
co-produced by Knowles, will also be released on October 30.

Postponed Destiny's Child European performances include (all dates 2002;
subject to change):
October 24 - Stockholm, Sweden - Globe Arena rescheduled to May 28
October 25 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum rescheduled to May 25
October 26 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle rescheduled to May 31
October 28 - Cologne, Germany - Cologne Arena rescheduled to May 20
October 29 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle rescheduled to June 3
October 30 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyerhalle rescheduled to May 17
November 1 - Berlin, Germany - Velodrom rescheduled to June 1
November 5 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportspaleis rescheduled to May 15
November 6,7 - Rotterdam, Holland - Ahoy rescheduled to May 21,22
November 10 - Sheffield, England - Sheffield Arena rescheduled to June 9
November 11 - Newcastle, England - NEC Arena rescheduled to June 11
November 12 - Belfast, Ireland - Odyssey Arena rescheduled to June 21
November 14,15 - Birmingham, England - NIA rescheduled to June 16,17
November 17 - Manchester, England - MEN Arena rescheduled to June 13
November 18,19 - London, England - Docklands Arena rescheduled to June 7,8
November 20 - London, England - Wembley Arena rescheduled to June 18

New Prince Album Goes Online

Prince released his new album "The Rainbow Children" Wednesday (October 17), but
don't expect to see the release on the shelves of your favorite record store just yet.
Reflecting his continuing disenchantment with the recording industry, "The Rainbow
Children" will first be made available to members of Prince's NPG Music Club,
located at npgmusicclub.com. Members will be able to download the album in its
entirety on to their computers. "The Rainbow Children" will later be made available
at the traditional outlets on November 20.
"The Rainbow Children" will be released on NPG Records, Prince's label. By
overseeing the entire project from writing to distribution, the artist is able to control
and minimize production, art, and publicity costs. The artist is also able to cut out
the traditional record labels, with whom he has had numerous well-publicized
disputes concerning royalties and copyrights.

Erick Sermon to hold press conference

Erick Sermon will hold a press conference in the coming weeks to address accounts
that he jumped from a three-story building window on September 25, a spokesperson
for the artist told us. The conference is tentatively scheduled for October 23, but the
exact date, time, and location haven't been announced.
Last month, it was reported that Sermon was in serious condition after being involved
in a car accident. However, last week, a Paterson, New Jersey police spokesperson told
us that Sermon jumped out of a window.
Sermon's album Music, his first for J Records, is scheduled to be released October 30.
"I'm Hot," his latest single, which features a sample of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing,"
is Number 69 on The Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Beyonce's up for Austin Powers role

(LOS ANGELES) - Beyonce Knowles, one-third of pop/R&B sensation Destiny's Child,
is in advanced negotiations to make her feature film debut as the female lead in New
Line Cinema's "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember" for director Jay Roach.
Production is scheduled to begin next month for a July 26 release date. The project will
mark Knowles' second outing as an actress; she made her debut this year in the title
role of the MTV telefilm "Carmen: A Hip Hopera." The third installment of "Austin
Powers," written by Mike Myers and Michael McCullers, continues the adventures
of the swinging '60s superspy and his nemesis, Dr. Evil, both played by Myers.

Fate of Jackson-Kravitz duet uncertain

Michael Jackson and Lenny Kravitz have collaborated on a new song, but you won't hear
it on either Kravitz's album "Lenny" or Jackson's album "Invincible", both of which are
due October 30.
Kravitz tells us that the song is a duet that he wrote and produced, but its future right now
is uncertain. In fact, he wouldn't even reveal the title: "We'll see what happens when my
album and his album are finished, meaning when they run their course. You know, I gotta
keep stuff, he (Jackson) likes to keep stuff quiet. We'll see if it comes out. I mean, we
have it, so we're just, like, holding on it to see what we should do."
In addition to their upcoming album releases, Jackson is slated to take part in the United
We Stand benefit concert October 21 in Washington, D.C., while Kravitz will perform at
the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards on October 23.

Jagged Edge kills the girls softly with "Goodbye"

Jermaine Dupri's protege group Jagged Edge has been known for their romantic and
party-oriented R&B songs, but the group's latest single "Goodbye" addresses the issue
of heartache.
Group member Brian Casey tells us that the quartet intentionally set out to deal with
good and bad aspects of being in love on their third album, "Jagged Little Thrill",
released in June: "I think we devoted so much time last album to relationships, and
the good of relationships, and the good part of relationships. We didn't spend much
time talking about the millions of people who are not experiencing good relationships,
and the millions of people who see that downside of it as well. This album, we
definitely did some of the downside. But at the same time, we got certain songs - big
party songs, and just fun songs that we didn't have on the last album as well as - like
I said--the songs that's dealing with certain social issues."
"Goodbye" is Number 40 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.

News 2001