Sunday May 1st, 2005
New CD's this past week:
- Amerie – Touch
- Mint Condition – Livin’ the luxury brown
- Bobby Valentine – Bobby Valentine
- Lynden David hall – In between jobs (UK release
Music news headlines this week:
Sanctuary Urban Sets Sizzling Sping/Summer Release
Schedule:
Get Ready For Keith Sweat, Ray J, Sunshine Anderson And New Music From
Rick James!
Sanctuary Urban Records Group president Mathew
Knowles has unveiled a
powerhouse lineup of record releases that position the imprint as a leader
in urban music.
With a bevy of upcoming releases scheduled, including a major film
soundtrack and an album of new music from the late Rick James, Sanctuary
Urban Records Group is thriving under the leadership of Mathew Knowles.
The label is steadily accomplishing the goals of Sanctuary Group CEO Merck
Mercuriadis in developing an urban brand that matches the worldwide
influence and success of the company’s long tenure in rock and pop music.
“As Sanctuary forges ahead into the urban arena, there is no other
executive that I would want as a partner. Mathew Knowles was handpicked to
develop an urban brand and has quickly established a world class roster of
recording artists, artist managers and management clients that I don’t
believe any other executive could have done, especially in such a short
amount of time,” says Mercuriadis. “We have enormous respect for Mathew,
the team he has put in place and the talent that he has brought to this
company. We are excited about Sanctuary Urban’s very impressive release
schedule. ”
Some of Sanctuary Urban’s 2005 releases include albums from Ray J
(Raydiation, 6/28); Papa Reu (Life & Music, 6/28); Keith Sweat (Grown &
Sexy; 7/26) and the soundtrack for the Fox Films movie Roll Bounce (8/23).
The company will also release new music from R&B chanteuse Sunshine
Anderson, and an album of new music from Rick James.
The Rick James album will be released in conjunction with the late singer’s
estate, and features a duet with his daughter Ty James. This album is planned
for an August 2 release.
“Sanctuary Urban Records Group is growing faster than even I imagined, and
I think BIG. Though we are growing quickly, we have not forsaken quality
or creativity when it comes to signing artists to this label. Our artist
roster is exceptionally talented, and our upcoming releases solidify
Sanctuary Urban as a label that takes music seriously and handles the
business of music smartly. That philosophy will fuel our success as I
continue to build Sanctuary Urban into a dominant brand,” says Knowles.
Jaguar Wright Inks With Artemis; New Album Due June 28th
Artemis Records is proud to announce the signing
of Jaguar Wright to a
worldwide, multi-album contract. An album of all-new material, 'Divorcin
Neo To Marry Soul' is slated for a June 28th release. The album includes
tracks produced by industry heavyweights such as Raphael Saadiq and Chucky
Thompson. Artemis CEO/President Daniel Glass commented, "Jaguar possesses
the entire songstress package and is a real symbol of female empowerment.
Her beautiful voice soars and her songwriting skills are superb. She is
the real deal. 'Divorcin Neo To Marry Soul' is a complete album - each
song a real gem".
Philadelphia-based Wright gained national attention as a part of The Roots
family collective, when she lent her vocals to several of their hit songs.
Soon after, Wright was tapped by Jay-Z to sing back-up on the now
legendary MTV Unplugged Jay-Z special. In January of 2002, Wright released
her debut album 'Denial, Delusions and Decisions' to critical acclaim on
The Roots imprint Motive via MCA. The album sold upwards of 250,000 units
worldwide and one of the tracks from the album, "The What Ifs" was heavily
featured in Coca-Cola commercials.
Fantasia Jumps Aboard Kem Tour
Fantasia will take part in her first major U.S.
tour this summer. The
"American Idol" season three champion will open for Motown artist Kem
beginning June 8 at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. The three-week, 16-date
run will wrap July 1 in Atlanta.
Following the Kem dates, Fantasia will head directly to New Orleans for
the annual Essence Festival, where she will perform on July 2.
The title track from Fantasia's J Records debut album "Free Yourself," was
released to radio last week. The artist will perform that track plus two
other songs as part of ABC's "Good Morning America" live summer concert
series on July 22.
The artist recently unveiled two exclusive EPs via Apple's iTunes Music
Store, featuring remixes of the cuts "Truth Is" and "It's All Good." The
latter features nine different versions, including remixes by Nate Skaten
and the Scumfrog.
As for Kem, he is touring in support of his new album "Album II", due for
a release may 17th. Kem's first album "Kemistry" was released in 2003 and
debuted at No. 14 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, it has sold
587,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Alicia Keys has Plenty On her Plate
Even while Alicia Keys is touring for touring for
her Grammy-winning
album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, the singer has numerous other projects in
the pipeline. Among them:
She'll appear on the kids' show Sesame Street on May 9th.
Keys is looking into movie acting, with an upcoming role in Composition in
Black and White. Produced by Halle Berry, the film is the true story of a
1950's biracial piano prodigy, Phillipa [pronounced FILLippa] Schuyler. No
start date for filming has been set. Keys told MTV.com that there are also
two other movie roles she's quietly pursuing.
A new "unplugged" album is in the works for Keys, but she admits her
creative process is such that she has no idea when it will be completed.
Keys is also writing another book. Unlike the book of poetry and lyrics
that accompanied Diary, this one will be a true autobiography. Keys tells
MTV.com "I'm just formulating which style I want to write it in: straight
based off my life or a little more journal-style in nature." Keys said
about her first book, and how it differs from album: "They both represent
my soul, my spirit, my thoughts, my ideas, that kind of thing. I think the
poetry is much more direct in the sense of following no specific pattern
it's truly just from what I feel and what I see, my interpretations as
opposed to trying to fit it into four minutes there's no censoring that
way, and so because of that I feel they will get a more direct version of
who I am."