Sunday October 19th, 2003
New CD's this past week:
- Will Downing - Emotions
- Raphael Saadiq - All hits at the House of Blies
- Jesse Powell - Jesse
- Jagged Edge - Hard
- Dennis Taylor - In the mood
Music news stories this week:
Alicia Keys Releases Official Lead Single
Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys recently
released the official first
single, "You Don't Know My Name," from her forthcoming sophomore set,
The Diary Of Alicia Keys, which will be released on December 2nd. One
song from the set, "Streets Of New York" featuring Nas and Rakim, was
leaked to urban radio in September.
The Diary Of Alicia Keys will feature the production of Keys, her
writing partner, Kerri Brothers, and Kanye West. The set will also
feature a guest appearance from Missy Elliott.
Keys will be launching a tour to promote the new album in the coming
weeks.
The singer earned four Grammy Awards for her 2001 debut, Songs In A
Minor, which has sold more than 5 million copies to date.
Former Temptation Sues The Group And Motown
A former lead singer for the Temptations
has filed a lawsuit against the
group, over album royalties and use of his image and voice. Barrington
Henderson, who was with the group more than five years, filed a lawsuit
Tuesday (October 14th) against the Temptations, Motown Records, and
others. Henderson, who was fired in June, alleges that the group and the
label failed to pay him album royalties and that they continue to use
his image and voice to promote the group on the web, on merchandise, and
in advertising.
According to the suit, Henderson says that during his employment, the
Temptations failed to make required Social Security payments on his
behalf. He also alleges that Otis Williams, the founder of the
Temptations and the only remaining original member, made defamatory and
untrue statements about Henderson's on-stage ability. Henderson's
lawyers told Reuters that Williams reportedly said Henderson didn't hit
the right notes when performing.
Otis said recently, commenting on previous lawsuits against the group,
that he tries not to let the legal stuff bother him, or hinder the
group's ability to perform. "Well you understand the nature of the
beast, you know? Success brings about some kinds of distasteful kind of
things, but we don't let it get us down, you know? We take a negative
and turn it into a positive. We take it with a grain of salt on the real
side because we're still doing what we love to do and We just have to
let the lawyers do what they have to do and keep on."] Meanwhile, Shelly
Berger, the president of Star Direction, the company that has managed
the Temptations for 37 years, said the group had not yet been given any
legal papers and would not comment. Motown, which is owned by Vivendi
Universal, also declined comment.
3LW Sign To So So Def, Ask 50 Cent To Get 'Gangsta' With Them
On Monday, R&B group 3LW proved that
rappers aren't the only acts who
can make headlines at the Source Awards.
After Wyclef Jean cruised by them on the red carpet atop his motorcycle,
the recently re-formed trio announced they'd just made another big
change. Adrienne Bailon, Jessica 'J' Benson and Kiely Williams have
signed a new label deal.
"OK, this is the big news right here," J, the group's newest member,
said as things quieted down. "We were just signed, so now we are
definitely [with the] So So Def [imprint] and [its distributor],
Arista."
"That's right, we're really excited," Adrienne added. "[We're]
working
with Jermaine Dupri. J.D. is actually gonna be doing four or five tracks
on the album. We are moving to Atlanta for a certain amount of time to
finish the album. It's gonna be so much fun working with him."
For fans who've been tracking 3LW for the past few months, the
announcement comes as no surprise. The group, formerly signed to Epic
Records, has been negotiating with Dupri for some time now (see
"Jermaine Dupri To Sign 3LW, Former Dogg Pound Member Daz"). A few
months ago, the producer/label exec said he wanted to sign the girls
because he saw their potential and thought all they needed to really
take off was the right team behind them.
So far the women have completed 10 songs with a few different producers,
according to their publicist, and will probably reach out to a few more
beatmakers when they finish up their new album, Phoenix Rising, with
Dupri in ATL. While in the Dirty, the songbirds also want to hook up
with the mouth of the South, Ludacris, for a remix of their first
single, "After This," which they recently debuted at the Lady of Soul
Awards.
"[The song] is about a girl who goes to a party," Adrienne said,
"and
she's basically asking the guy, 'Well, where are you going after this?
Before we hit the [parking] lot, you gotta tell me what you're thinking
about. What are you planning on doing?' So I think it has good message,
but it's a fun song. It's got an incredible track. It's gonna be hot."
The members also mentioned that they've got a song they'd like a certain
Queens MC to contribute his slick talk to.
"We actually have a song that we wanna put 50 [Cent] on," Adrienne
said,
openly soliciting the rapper. "So if you're [listening] 50, it's called
'Gangsta.' "
"We want you, man, we want you," J interjected. "We need
you."
"You gotta be on it," Adrienne said. "It's all about you."
Wyclef Jean To Stop Traffic In Times
Square
Grammy Award-winning performer Wyclef Jean
is scheduled to stop traffic in
New York City's Times Square on October 23rd for a special lunch-time
performance. The singer is slated to perform at the intersection of
Broadway and 45th Street at noon.
Jean will follow the midday performance with a free evening concert at New
York's Roseland at 8 p.m. Both events will be sponsored by LG Mobile
Phones. Fans who wish to get free tickets for the Roseland concert should
visit LGmobilephones.com.
In related news, Jean's Preacher's Son CD will be released on November
11th. The set will feature guest appearances by Patti LaBelle, Monica, The
Edge, Sharissa, Carlos Santana, Redman, Missy Elliott, Prodigy of Mobb
Deep, and Cassidy. The first single from the set is "Industry."
Toni Braxton To Release Greatest Hits Set
R&B singer and actress Toni Braxton
will release greatest-hits set,
Ultimate Toni Braxton, on November 4th. The set will include all of the
singer's hits from 1992-2002 while she was signed to Arista Records.
Ultimate Toni Braxton will feature three songs that were never previously
released, including a live version of "Seven Whole Days,"
"Whatchu Need,"
and "The Little Things."
Braxton is presently pursuing her acting career, playing the lead role in
Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida on Broadway. She will be appearing in the
show through November.
Braxton is also presently in the studio working on new material for a new
album. She has joined the roster of Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records,
which is distributed through Universal Records.
The complete track listing for Ultimate Toni Braxton includes: "Give U My
Heart" featuring Babyface, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home,"
"Another Sad
Love Song," "Breathe Again," "Seven Whole Days (Live),"
"You Mean The
World To Me," "How Many Ways," "You're Makin' Me High,"
"Un-Break My
Heart," "I Love Me Some Him," "I Don't Want To,"
"He Wasn't Man Enough,"
"Just Be A Man About It," "Hit The Freeway" featuring Loon,
"Whatchu
Need," "The Little Things," and "Un-Break My Heart (Soul -
Hex Anthem)."