Sunday July 7th, 2002
New CD's this week:
None to report this week
Short news stories this week:
Keith Sweat's 'Rebirth' Due Next Month
R&B superstar Keith Sweat returns Aug.
13 with his latest Elektra album, "Rebirth." The
set is led by first single "One on One," which debuts this week at No.
75 on Billboard's
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Sweat executive produced the album and
produced or
co-produced most of the tracks.
"Rebirth" features guest shots from Royalty & NASDAQ on "I
Want You," as well as
Lola Troy & Lade Bac on "One on One," Doni on "Can It
Be," and Ron-Ron & Royalty
on "I Want You." Other album tracks include "What Is It?,"
"Anything Goes," "100% All
Man," "The Right Stuff," "Diary of a Blackman,"
"Trust Me," "Wonderful Thang," and
"In & Out." The set is rounded out with an as-yet-undetermined
live bonus track.
Sweat has yet to confirm his touring plans, but will appear Aug. 10 at a free
concert
sponsored by Chicago radio station WPWX. The show, to be held in Washington Park
in
conjunction with the annual Bud Billiken parade, will also feature Mario, Tank,
and
Nivea, with other acts to be added. Last year's event drew more than 800,000
people and
featured Ronald Isley, Avant, Jagged Edge, and Fabolous, among others.
"Rebirth" is the follow-up to 2000's "Didn't See Me Coming,"
which debuted at No. 5 on
Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 16 on The Billboard 200. It
has
sold 624,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Glenn Lewis Honored To Get Props From Prince
Toronto, Canada-bred R&B singer Glenn
Lewis received props from Prince when the
Purple One played Toronto's Massey Hall on June 15. As Lewis stood and watched
the
show, Prince recognized him, and asked Lewis to join him on stage.
Lewis told LAUNCH that he was surprised to get recognized by Prince: "That
blew me
away. I didn't even feel worthy necessarily of being able to be on stage with
him, but it
was an honor. And it was a lot of fun. I didn't even realize Prince even knew
who I was. I
was kinda shocked. He was calling me up on stage. I was pretty shocked."
Lewis was so caught off guard, that he just vibed with Prince's band, which he
describes
as "phenomenal." "I just let loose," Lewis added. "I
kinda blanked out, and sang from the
heart, the first thing that came to mind."
Lewis, whose previously planned tour with Tweet was cancelled due to poor ticket
sales,
is currently discussing traveling the concert circuit with Donell Jones and
Raphael
Saadiq.
Lewis's Epic Records debut World Outside My Window features the singles
"Don't You
Forget It" and "It's Not Fair."
Jerkins Says New TLC Record Full Of 'Innovative Bangers'
The album TLC are finishing without the
late Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes will include what
producer Rodney Jerkins described as "the most beautiful ballad that I've
ever done in my
life."
Jerkins took a break Tuesday from recording with Tionne "T-Boz"
Watkins and Rozonda
"Chilli" Thomas to attend the BET Awards.
"It was very emotional when we first started, 'cause we started around the
time when
[Lopes] passed," Jerkins said before the ceremony as he made his way up the
red carpet.
"But we started, and it's clicking now, and I think everyone's working
harder because of
the situation. Expect the best from this project, really, the best from all of
us."
The album, which will include vocals Lopes recorded before she died in a car
accident on
April 25, is mostly filled with what Jerkins called "innovative
bangers." Dallas Austin
and Raphael Saadiq have also contributed production work.
Aside from tracks for the TLC album, Jerkins has recently produced a song called
"Wishful Thinking" with Chilli and Carlos Santana for the latter's
upcoming album and a
remix of Cher's "A Different Kind of Love Song."
"It's incredible to be able to work with a true diva," Jerkins said.
"Cher said she just
wanted me to do my thing, which was the most incredible thing in the world. And
I had
fun doing it."
Jerkins is planning to work with Whitney Houston in the next few weeks and is
also
focusing on developing a new rapper from Harlem named Fats. His debut, Follow
Your
True Story, is due later this year and will include the single "Stand
Up," featuring
Freeway.
"I really believe that he's gonna be that next rapper that everybody talks
about," Jerkins
said.
Blackstreet Members Reunite, Plan New Record In October
New Jack Swing pioneer Teddy Riley revealed
at Tuesday's BET Awards that he and
Chauncey Hannibal have put aside their bitter rivalry and re-formed the group
with
singers Mark Middleton and Eric Williams.
Those four have also reunited with past Blackstreet members Levi Little, Dave
Hollister,
Joseph Stonestreet and Terrell Phillips for a ballad fittingly titled
"Bygones," according
to a spokesperson for their new label, DreamWorks.
Blackstreet are recording an album now and plan to release it October 22.
"The name of
the album is Level Two, though we're not really sold on the name yet, but Level
Two is
the idea," Riley said.
So far the group has recorded with Havoc from Mobb Deep and hip-hop legend Erick
Sermon, who produced a portion of the band's 1994 self-titled debut. "We
have more
people coming," Riley said. "They want to get in on the project
because they hear what
the first single is sounding like, so they love it."
The kickoff single, the party track "Wizzy Wow," features guest vocals
from Mystikal.
Blackstreet are shooting a video for the track late next month in Toronto.
"It's just an
unbelievable track," Riley said. "Everybody loves it. We tested it
everywhere. We were
gonna drop it at the end of August, but they pushed it up to August 1st."
The group, which had gone through several lineup changes, split bitterly in
1999, with
Riley suing Hannibal for slander over comments he made on a solo album. Since
then
Riley has maintained his status as a top producer, working with 'NSYNC, Michael
Jackson and Joe, including his #1 hit "Stutter."
Blackstreet won a Grammy for their 1996 single "No Diggity," which
featured guest
vocals from Dr. Dre.
Jill Scott Moonlighting As A Journalist
Soon, neo-soul singer Jill Scott won't just
be known for her vocal chops. The
Philadelphia-based newlywed has been spending her spare time penning articles
for
magazines and newspapers.
She has written a cover story on hip-hop artist Common for the One World's fall
fashion
issue. She's interviewed fellow Philadelphia-bred artist Patti LaBelle for
Philadelphia
Magazine. And she has written a poem on American porches for the August issue of
Oprah Winfrey's O magazine.
Scott recently discussed her pursuit of journalism: "Currently, I'm writing
for magazines.
I have a cover of One World. I wrote an article with Common. And I've been
working
with the New York Times, and let's see, I'm trying to remember all the
magazines. O
magazine, and of course, all of the Philadelphia newspapers. Philadelphia
Weekly, the
Tribune. I just write for a living. For sanity's sake, I write."
Scott has also been tapped as a co-host for this year's Lady Of Soul Awards.
Scott's platinum and critically acclaimed 2000 debut Who Is Jill Scott?: Words
& Sounds,
Vol. 1 earned her a best new artist nomination.
Philip Bailey To Launch Solo Tour
Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) singer Philip
Bailey recently released a new solo album, Soul
On Jazz, and he'll kick off a tour to promote it later this month. Soul On Jazz
features
Bailey's take on numerous jazz classics like "Nature Boy," as well as
Les McCann and
Eddie Harris's soul/jazz hit, "Compared To What," and Thelonious
Monk's "Ruby, My
Dear." Bailey also gives EWF's hit "Keep Your Head To The Sky" a
jazzy twist.
Philip Bailey tour dates (subject to
change):
July 22 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere
July 23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
July 24 - Boston, MA - Sculler's
July 27 - Philadelphia, PA - Verizon Hall at Kimmel Center
July 31-August 4 - New York, NY - Blue Note