Sunday June 12th, 2005
New CD's this past week:
- Raul Midon - State of mind
- Angela Johnson – Got to let it go (UK release)
- Tasha’s World – World domination (Dutch release)
Music news headlines this week:
Destiny's Child To Split After Fall Tour
Chart-topping R&B trio Destiny's Child will split
after its fall North
American tour, a spokesperson confirms. Group member Kelly Rowland made
the announcement on stage in Barcelona last night (June 11). The trio's
"Destiny Fulfilled...and Loving It" tour will hit North America beginning
July 2 in New Orleans and wrap Sept. 10 in Vancouver.
The corresponding album, "Destiny Fulfilled," peaked at No. 2 on The
Billboard 200 late last year and spawned the hit single "Lose My Breath."
It has sold more than 2.7 million copies in the United States, according
to Nielsen SoundScan.
The group was cagey when asked by Billboard last year if this album would
be its last. "Who knows what will happen in three, five or 10 years?"
group member Beyonce said. "The main thing is that we maintain our
friendship and that we do it because we want to -- not because it's a good
business move."
Destiny's Child, which also features Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams,
had taken a three-year break from the studio following the 2001 release of
"Survivor" to allow its members time to work on solo projects.
Beyonce emerged as a superstar in her own right with the 2003 release of
"Dangerously in Love," leading some to speculate she no longer needed
Destiny's Child as an artistic vehicle. But she told Billboard last year
the group felt it still had something to offer musically with "Destiny
Fulfilled."
"We did this record for ourselves, not to sell a million the first week
out," she said. "That doesn't mean as much to us as just the fact that
three friends got back together to do another record. That was our destiny."
EW&F Return With New Album
After numerous release date changes, the new
album from legendary R&B
outfit Earth, Wind & Fire, "Illumination," is set for a Sept. 20 release
via Sanctuary. The 12-track set is the follow-up to 2003's "The Promise,"
which broke a six-year EW&F studio silence.
A number of high-profile artists and producers have left their
fingerprints on "Illumination," including the Black Eyed Peas' Wil.I.Am,
who wrote and produced "Lovely People." Raphael Saadiq produced "Love
Together," "Pass You By," "Work It Out" and "Show Me the Way," a
pre-release track that was nominated for a 2004 Grammy for best R&B vocal
by a duo or group.
"Earth, Wind & Fire collaborating with the new soul movement made sense
because the thrust of their music is still about playing instruments and
utilizing vintage sounds, only in today's setting," group member Philip
Bailey says.
Two songs have already appeared in films: the Jimmy Jam/Terry
Lewis-produced "Love Dance" in "Robots" and the Big Boi/Sleepy Brown/Kelly
Rowland collaboration "This Is how I Feel" in "Hitch."
Other artists appearing on "Illumination" include Brian McKnight, Floetry
and, on a bonus cover of OutKast's "The Way You Move," saxophonist Kenny G.
The group will begin a summer North American tour with Chicago on June 24
in, appropriately, Chicago.
Braxton Aims To 'Please' On New Album
Toni Braxton's first album for Blackground has
been christened "Libra" and
will be released in September. The Scott Storch-produced first single,
"Please," topped Billboard's Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart last
week and debuts this week at No. 78 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally. A
video for the track will be shot with director Chris Robinson.
"Libra" is Braxton's first album of new material since 2002's "More Than a
Woman," which has sold more than 433,000 copies in the United States,
according to Nielsen SoundScan. A remix collection, "Un-Break My Heart,"
was released in April via LaFace/Legacy.
Of late, Braxton has been dabbling in TV acting, having appeared in two
episodes of the UPN drama "Kevin Hill."
George Clinton To Release New Album
George Clinton will celebrate his fiftieth year
in the music business with
a new album 'How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent' due August 23rd. The funk
legend - who started out with a vocal group called the Parliaments in 1955
-will be joined by members of his bands P-Funk All-Stars and Parliament
Funkadelic, as well as superstar disciple Prince, on the double-disc set.
"It's one of the best records we've ever done," says Clinton.
Clinton will hit the road this summer, beginning at Los Angeles' Greek
Theater. The tour features an opening act composed of Jane's Addiction
drummer Stephen Perkins, bassist Me'Shell Ndegeocello and R&B man Raphael
Saadiq, with a revolving door of special guests.
"Flea will play at some of the shows, and Big Boi from OutKast, Snoop,
Redman, Flavor Flav, Chuck D, Gwen Stefani, Lenny Kravitz, Fishbone,
Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Musiq, the Black Eyed Peas and the Roots."
Clinton has further reason to celebrate. Last week he won a court ruling
that gave him the rights to the master recordings of four classic
Funkadelic albums: Hardcore Jollies (1976), One Nation Under a Groove
(1978), Uncle Jam Wants You (1979) and The Electric Spanking of War Babies
(1981). The catalog is a goldmine, as Funkadelic samples have been staples
of blockbuster hip-hop records, most notably Dr. Dre's 1992
KEM'S 'Album II' Goes Gold After Two Weeks
The sophomore album by Detroit-based artist Kem,
entitled Kem Album II,
has been certified gold for shipment of more than 500,000 copies. The
certification comes just two weeks after the CD was released. Kem Album II
features the Number One urban adult single, "I Can't Stop Loving You."
It's the singer and songwriter's second gold album. His debut, Kemistry,
was certified gold in June of 2004 and he was presented with an official
gold certification plaque at a special ceremony in Detroit last September.
Kem is also featured on the title track from flutist Alexander Zonjic's
new Seldom Blues album. The tune "Seldom Blue" also features Bob James and
Kirk Whalum.
Kem can be seen performing his hit single on ABC's The View on Monday,
June 6th, just before kicking off the Find Your Way tour with Fantasia and
singer Rahsaan Patterson on June 8th at the Fox Theater in St. Louis .
Gap Band To Be Honored By EMI
Funk pop group the Gap Band will be honored as
BMI Icons at the performing
rights organization's fifth annual Urban Awards, set for August 26th at
the Fontainebleau Hilton in Miami , Florida . The group is being
celebrated for their "enduring influence on generations of music makers,"
and will receive an all-star musical tribute at the awards ceremony.
Singer-songwriter Charlie Wilson formed the Gap Band with brothers Ronnie
and Robert in 1967. The group ruled the R&B charts in the late '70s and
early '80s with hits like "Outstanding," "You Dropped A Bomb On Me," "Burn
Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me?)," and "Party Train." Charlie's
gospel-tinged vocals have influenced a whole generation of current R&B
crooners.
Reflecting on the Gap Band's string of chart-topping singles, Wilson says:
"Those songs are timeless, you know, and that's another plus that we
had, timeless songs. I think we were just a little ahead of our time. I
think that disco was out when we came through, and we just kinda cut
through. 'Cause we wasn't really disco band, they was trying to get us to
record that kind of music and we just -- we just didn't have it in our
blood, ya know. We're a gospel funk rock group, basically (laughs), and we
just kept it real."
Wilson continues to record as a soloist and tour with the Gap Band. The
singer has recruited R. Kelly, Justin Timberlake, and the Black Eyed Peas'
Will.I.Am to produce tracks for his forthcoming Jive solo album. The
just-released first single is titled "Charlie, Last Name Wilson."