Staffers will keep you

On Wednesday, cameras finally rolled on Britney Spears’ video shoot for Madonna’s tour. In the clip, Brit, clad in a gray hoodie, walks into an elevator and nervously paces as it begins its ascent. She then kicks and smacks the elevator walls, screams into the camera and pulls down her hood to yell, “It’s Britney, bitch.”

· Nobody here is trying to tell Amy Winehouse how to live her life. But does it really make sense for the troubled “Rehab” singer to be launching her own club night at London’s Camden Monarch on Thursday (July 10)? Love the name, though: “Snakehips at the Monarch.”

· Here’s the rehearsal footage of the Flaming Lips practicing their cover of the Who’s “Tommy” in preparation for Saturday’s VH1 Rock Honors concert (airing July 17). All we can say is: fish-eye lens, lots of smoke, a strobing gong, alien helium vocals and some kind of silver tassel rah-rah drum stick being waved around by singer Wayne Coyne. Have we mentioned how much we love the Lips?

· After the free Bon Jovi All-Star Concert in Central Park on Saturday, Sheryl Crow, 3 Doors Down and Josh Groban are getting in on the musical action at the All-Star Game in Yankee Stadium on July 15.

Mtv.com

Kanye West wins two prizes at BET Awards

Rap star Kanye West picked up two prizes at the BET Awards, an event honoring black recording artists, actors and athletes, while Alicia Keys was one of several stars who used the occasion to salute presidential contender Barack Obama.

The only other multiple winner was the hip-hop duo UGK, consisting of Bernard "Bun B" Freeman and the recently deceased Chad "Pimp C" Butler. In all 15 awards were handed out during a three-hour show mixing the heroes of contemporary hip-hop and old-school R&B.

Keys, flying high with a successful worldwide tour, a chart-topping album and an upcoming film, shared the stage with three leading female ensemble acts from the 1990s -- TLC, En Vogue and Sisters with Voices -- for a medley of R&B music.

She went on to win the prize for best female R&B artist, and offered a heartfelt endorsement to Obama, who would be the first African-American elected to the nation's highest office.

"Together we can do anything -- Obama, y'all!" she enthused.

Teen sensation Chris Brown, who topped the U.S. singles chart last year with "Kiss Kiss," was named best male R&B performer.

AL GREEN IS SORRY

The evening's most spine-tingling moment came when veteran soul crooner Al Green, recipient of a lifetime achievement award, got the audience in the Shrine Auditorium on its feet singing, and dancing, along with his classic 1970s hit "Let's Stay Together."

Backstage a short time later, Green apologized.

"I'm sorry I didn't sing as well as I should because I got scared. I was nervous," he said. Green, 62, earlier this month hit the top 10 of the U.S. pop chart with his first album in three years, "Lay It Down."

West, whose third album, "Graduation," was one of 2007's top-selling releases and spawned three Grammys, was named best male hip-hop artist and shared a second BET prize with R&B singer T-Pain for their collaboration on the hit single "Good Life."

"This man, T-Pain, is a genius," West declared onstage of his co-winner, resplendent in metallic silver-and-black patterned top hat and tails and oversized shades. "I'm one of the kings in this game right now, so my opinion counts."

T-Pain, a southern soul singer with a best-selling ringtone adapted from his hit single "Buy U a Drank," was visibly humbled and euphoric.

"I appreciate it everybody," he said. "Three years ago, I couldn't even get a ticket to get up in here." T-Pain entered the show with the most nominations, five in all.

UGK, whose album "Underground Kingz" topped the charts last summer, won the BET prize as best group and shared the award for best video with the hip-hop duo Outkast for their work together on "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)."

It was a bittersweet triumph for UGK, coming just six months after Butler, 33, was found dead in a Los Angeles hotel. Two days later UGK received a Grammy nomination for the song "International Player's Anthem." Butler had previously served nearly four years in prison for aggravated assault.

Freeman, aka Bun B, now pursuing a solo career, said he hoped "to keep Pimp C's legacy alive" with a new UGK album due out this fall.

The prize for best female hip-hop performer went to Missy Elliott, who has not had an album out since 2005 but has a new CD set for release in August.

The Dream was named best new artist, and the viewers' choice award, determined by an online vote of fans, went to Lil Wayne and his single "Lollipop," featuring Static.

The best and actress awards went to Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Halle Berry, neither of whom attended.

The eighth annual BET Awards was presented by the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Networks cable group, which carried the three-hour show live.

Album Release- June 24 2008

24 June Tuesday
Joseph Arthur	[Title TBA] EP
Dwele	Sketches of a Man
Alejandro Escovedo	Real Animal
Hercules And Love Affair	Hercules And Love Affair
IAMX	Kiss+Swallow US Release
Less Than Jake	GNV FLA
Nelly	Brass Knuckles
Safari So Good	Every Fight is a Food Fight When You're A Cannibal
Three 6 Mafia	Last 2 Walk
Paul Weller	22 Dreams
Withered	Folie Circulaire

Album Review: Julianne Hough – ‘Julianne Hough’

Julianne Hough is already known to millions of fans as the two-time professional dance champion on ABC-TV's top-rated Dancing with the Stars (DWTS). The show, which pairs professional dancers with music, sports, film and television celebrities, has become a cultural phenomenon and Julianne its top star.

Julianne's debut album is a compelling collection of songs about the joys and challenges of everyday life delivered by an evocative young voice. "That Song In My Head" is the first single from the album and available immediately to download from the Amazon MP3 store.

Release Date (USA): 2008-05-20

Artist/s: Julianne Hough
Label: Mercury Nashville

Track Listing
1 That Song In My Head
2 You, You, You
3 Hide Your Matches
4 My Hallelujah Song
5 Jimmy Rae McGee
6 Dreaming Under The Same Moon (Featuring Derek Hough)
7 About Life
8 Hello
9 Help Me, Help You
10 Love Yourself
11 I'd Just Be With You

Tha Carter III Review: The Takeover

Lil Wayne moves to the forefront of hip-hop biggest star with “Tha Carter III.”
I admit I was skeptical. With all the postponed release dates and absurd amount of hype, I figured Lil Wayne's much-anticipated “Tha Carter III” would only disappoint.

Now that Weezy has become mainstream and released the 50 Cent-like single “Lollipop” for the radio masses, I figured the so-called best rapper alive would become yet another hip-hop star who eschewed creativity for selling out.
Turns out “Tha Carter III” was worth the wait.
The disc is a potpourri of tracks, from the likely club hit “Got Money” featuring T-Pain to the R&B-infused “Comfortable” produced by Kanye West with the hook crooned by the legendary Babyface.
Other guest stars include Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Robin Thicke, Bobby Valentino, Fabolous and Juelz Santana.
The song with Jay-Z, “Mr. Carter,” is the hottest track on the disc, but it also could signal a changing of the guard. While Jay-Z spits his usual hot rhymes, it's Weezy who takes the lead, which is how it's starting to play out in the hip-hop mainstream.
Want proof? When I went to pick up the CD last night, the store I was at had already sold out of their initial copies and had to tap into Wednesday's supply. That's how hot Weezy is right now and there doesn't seem to be any signs of him cooling down.

Ashanti's bloody videos spark protest

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Blood-splattered videos for R&B singer-songwriter Ashanti's single "The Way That I Love You" sparked a protest by demonstrators in Los Angeles, prompting the artist and Universal Records to remove the clips from the Internet.
Led by civil-rights organization Project Islamic Hope and its leader, Najee Ali, more than two dozen parents and religious leaders gathered outside the West Coast Universal/Motown offices on Tuesday (June 10) to voice their displeasure with the videos.
One clip features a scorned lover, played by Ashanti, who gets revenge on her cheating boyfriend by stabbing him to death. Images include a murder scene with a bloody knife and the boyfriend's body in a tub.

A separate promotional video includes a fake news reports about a killing spree allegedly inspired by Ashanti's love crime, as well as bloody walls with the words "black children will die" smeared on them. Before the protest, the promo video was viewable on TheWayThatILoveYou.com, but the site has since been removed.

The site allowed visitors to send customized versions of the promotional video called "Gotchagrams," with options to input a friend's name, their "crime" and "weapon of choice."

"Following discussions with Ashanti, we have jointly decided to remove the TheWayThatILoveYou.com website that hosts the Gotchagram," reads a statement from Universal. "Ashanti and her music have always been about self-empowerment and addressing the issues that are most meaningful to her. We stand by our artist and her creative choices."

"The Way That I Love You" is the first single from her new album, "The Declaration," which debuts this week at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

Reuters/Billboard

Album Review: 'Evil Urges' by My Morning Jacket

New album a hodgepodge of genre, style, quality

My Morning Jacket's "Evil Urges" appears to be the product of a band that has collectively lost its damn mind. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (though a few tracks might be), but My Morning Jacket doesn't appear to be content with being a pretty terrific alt-country, reverb-heavy, Southern-rock band; they're reaching into all sorts of other genres, too. More than a few times, this results in a pretty disjointed feeling, but it works more often than it doesn't.

That doesn't mean it isn't completely bizarre - we've got songs that sound like Donovan, '60s bubblegum pop, James Taylor, '80s hair bands and Michael Jackson (I know, I was as surprised as anyone). More distressingly, Jim James and co. have largely dropped the reverb that made "It Still Moves" and "Z" so dream-like and memorable. I respect bands for messing with their sound and all (as long as they don't become, well, lame in the process - see the last Interpol album), but some remnant of what made me like the band in the first place is always appreciated.

See, for example, the most bewildering track on the album, "Highly Suspicious," which melds an '80s hair band feel with a bit of Tom Waits and a bit of Michael Jackson. I have no idea what to make of it, and it doesn't really fit with the rest of the album.

The tracks I like the best, I must admit, are by and large the hill-country songs, simple and with few flourishes, that the band does best. See "Sec Walkin" and "Smokin from Shootin," two excellent tracks that remind us, in spite of a few spots now and then, that My Morning Jacket can still bring the Southern rock better than just about anyone. The title track, "Evil Urges," in which James helpfully reminds us in a falsetto that is atypically alarming for him that "evil urges, baby / are part of the human race," brings the greatness as well.

But the anthemic "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2" and the soft storytelling of "Librarian" are unrivaled in any of My Morning Jacket's previous output. It's worth listening to the weaker tracks (or the fairly decent tracks that don't really make much of an impression, like "I'm Amazed," "Look at You" and "Remnants") to get to these two gems. "Librarian" is a gentle, haunting Donovan-type ballad that marks the first reasonably serious use of the term "Interweb" I've encountered anywhere, while also lamenting the beauty of a librarian, spoiled, as James sings, by her own self-image (and drawing a comparison to Karen Carpenter, "another lovely victim of the mirror"). "When God gave us mirrors," he sings, "he had no idea."

"Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2," meanwhile, is bombastic where "Librarian" is subdued. It seems like the kitchen-sink track on an album that feels like a kitchen-sink album, as the song essentially serves as a reprise of the "Pt. 1" track, with the addition of synthesizers, disco-style beats and choirs. If that sounds over-the-top, it is, but in the most excellent way.

If it sounds like I have no idea what to make of this album, even after having listened to it many, many times … well, that's true. But the high parts are high enough to give this a recommendation. You can always skip past the really weird parts.

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends (Parlophone)

Release date: 12 June 2008
All the talk before Coldplay released their last album was how an unforeseen delay of the album's release (caused allegedly by Chris Martin being scared witless by, erm, Morning Runner) would lead to a profits warning by EMI - that's how much was riding on what turned out to be a pretty underwhelming record.

This time round, you could be forgiven for EMI's shareholders panicking once again. All the talk is of musical revolution - it's Dylan goes electric, it's Coldplay's very own Achtung Baby, maybe even their Kid A.....

Or maybe not. For, although this is undoubtedly Coldplay's most musically adventurous album, it certainly won't scare away the millions of people who bought their first three albums. True, there's a little less trademark piano, which has been replaced by excessive percussion and some unusual song structures, but it's certainly not an unrecognisable Chris Martin who welcomes us aboard the rather pretentiously titled album.

An instrumental opening up the record is about as avant-garde as Coldplay get here - but as instrumental opening tracks go, it's pretty damn good. Life In Technicolour builds up slowly, then bursts into action, aided by some 'woah-oh-oh's from Martin. It's an uplifting opening, which bodes well for the next 45 minutes.

There are several tracks that merge into each other, giving the impression sometimes of a total shift in time signatures - Yes for example begins as a woozy, doomy ballad, with Martin wearily intoning "I'm just so tired of this loneliness" before effortless spiralling off into Chinese Sleep Chant, which with its barrage of guitars and whispered vocals, sounds like it could be an out-take from a Ride or Asobi Seksu album.

It's a similar story with Lovers In Japan, although slightly more Coldplay-esque. The opening is all chiming guitars and soaring choruses - the closest that the band have ever come to U2 in effect - before quickly changing tone into a more sombre piano ballad, Reign Of Love. The idea behind these 'hidden tracks' is apparently intended to encourage people to download the whole album rather than specific tracks, but it works very well.

Viva La Vida also contains some of Chris Martin's best songs to date, such as the excellent, string drenched Viva La Vida which rivals Arcade Fire for sheer uplifting goodness, and the stomping Violet Hill, which cleverly switches from snarling and aggressive to plaintive and yearning at the click of a finger.

There are other nice touches throughout - the clattering percussion on Cemeteries Of London, the backwards guitar loop on Strawberry Swing and the closing Death And All His Friends which expertedly builds up to a bellowing chorus of "I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge, I don't want to follow death and all of his friends" which is so impassioned you'll have trouble stopping yourself joining in.

Yet there are other moments which stop this being Martin's masterpiece. He's still got that habit of writing lyrics in platitudes and cliches - the otherwise excellent 42 solemnly informs us that "those who are dead are not dead, they're just living in my head" while throughout the album there is mention of time being short, someday the sun will come out, big fish in little ponds and so on.

It's a shame because the aforementioned 42 is probably the furthest they've pushed the boat out musically - there's about 3 different melodies in there, switching from piano ballad, to funky guitar wig-out, a hand-clapping section, before switching back to the piano ballad. Credit for this should go to producer Brian Eno, who's done a similar job to what he did with Paul Simon a couple of years ago - subtly adding little touches here and there in order to develop the band's sound without scaring off the casual fan.

They're a much maligned bunch are Coldplay - mainly because they're so successful. Yet you only become successful if you're good at what you do, and Coldplay are extremely good at what they do. While this doesn't quite hit the heady heights of A Rush Of Blood To The Heads, it's a huge improvement on the beiger than beige X&Y, and if their next album (apparently featuring a Kylie Minogue duet!) continues this trajectory, we could have something pretty special on our hands.

June release 2008 - 17 June

17 June Tuesday
The Briggs	Come All You Madmen
Busta Rhymes	Blessed
Coldplay	Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Anthony David	Acey Deucey
Goo Goo Dolls	Greatest Hits Volume 2
Ice Cube	Raw Footage
MIGGS	Unraveled
Judas Priest	Nostradamus
Missy Elliott	FANomenal
The Notwist	The Devil, You + Me
The Offspring	Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace
Ride The Boogie	Ride The Boogie
Silver Jews	Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Tilly and the Wall	O
Sister Hazel	Before The Amplifiers, Live Acoustic
Wolf Parade	At Mount Zoomer

June release 2008 - 10 June

10 June Tuesday
The Bangkok Five	We Love What Kills Us
Solomon Burke	Like a Fire
Jakob Dylan	Seeing Things ex-Wallflowers
Lil Wayne	Tha Carter III
Alanis Morissette	Flavors of Entanglement
My Education	Bad Vibrations
My Morning Jacket	Evil Urges
N.E.R.D.	Seeing Sounds
Plies	Definition of Real
Quitzow	Art College
Railroad Earth	Amen Corner
Setting Sun	Children of The Wild
Martha Wainwright	I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings, Too

Ashanti releases Declaration

Today is the return day for Ashanti, who once was the biggest female R&B artist in the world. Nathan S from djbooth.net writes:

She was the reigning princess, and people across America simultaneously turned up their radios just to listen to her whisper “baby, baby, baby” over and over again. And then, something mysterious happened. Despite two previous platinum albums, sales of her 2004 release Concrete Rose were disappointing at best. Maybe it was Irv Gotti’s legal troubles, maybe it was the quickly shifting landscape of the recording industry, whatever the reason, Ashanti has undeniably disappeared from the spotlight over the last four years. As unthinkable as this would have been in 2001, I just asked my 12-year-old niece who Ashanti was, and she responded “who?””

It is true as time went by I even forgotten Ashanti exists. I forgot how I loved to listen to her unique voice in my car while driving to classes. But you know Nathan is right that Ashanti is still cool and hasn’t changed. She has pretty much been the same and he is right about us changing and not her.

Rolling Stone:

On her fourth album, she’s still doing the diva-by-numbers thing, alternating between angry-at-her-man anthems and lovey pleasantry. The shuffling “Body on Me,” featuring Nelly and Akon, and the shiny electro-pop “So Over You” are a step up from her Ja Rule duets of old. 2 out of 5″

Associated Press:

The disc doesn‘t manage to break any new ground, with Ashanti singing mainly over unremarkable contemporary R&B tracks about her own good loving and cheating boyfriends.”

MSNBC:

Ashanti continues to celebrate her femininity on tracks like the sensual, Robin Thicke-assisted “Things You Make Me Do” and the bass-heavy ”Girlfriend.”

Us Weekly:

While her fourth CD of self-penned R&B tracks contains a few hip beats (such as the piano-driven first single, “The Way That I Love You”), the sound feels out of date. 2 1/2 out of 4″

Ashanti has also been trying herself in acting career which is the latest trend among celebrities whether they go music-to-movies or vice versa. Diva has already starred in Resident Evil, John Tucker Must Die and Coach Carter. But all of her roles were tiny and unimportant. Ashanti says:

I’m always reading scripts. I’m even looking to get into some behind-the-scenes work. Maybe do some co-producing. It’s all about taking chances. You can’t be afraid to try something different.”

Hopefully her album Declaration will give her a boost and she would declare herself as one of the leading vocals in the US.

When you get pushed into a certain position and your back’s against the wall, you’re either gonna sink or you’re gonna swim. I choose not to sink.”

Said singer leaning forward on the conference room table at Universal Motown’s Manhattan headquarters.

Starting today her album is available in stores. See the video of the song from Ashanti’s new album Declaration.

Full article and clips >>

Album Release Dates - June 2008

There aren’t a whole lot of album releases for June but I’ve been anticipating Jewel’s upcoming album for several months!

June 3
Jewel - Perfectly Clear

June 10
Montgomery Gentry - Back When I Knew It All

June 24
Mark Chesnutt - Rollin’ With the Flow

PLIES TO HOST SOPHOMORE ALBUM RELEASE PARTY JUNE 10TH IN TAMPA, FL

For_Immediate_Release:

United States of America (Press Release) May 29, 2008 -- TAMPA, FLORIDA – Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic rap Superstar PLIES will celebrate the release of his sophomore album DEFINITION OF REAL, on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at the all new Club 360 (1609 East 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL 33605) in Ybor. This star studded event will not only be a celebration of the rappers 2nd album in less than a year, but has been deemed the most anticipated social experience of the year. The event is open to the public in support and appreciation of PLIES' many fans. In addition, expected attendees will include music, television, film, professional sports and entertainment movers, shakers, and tastemakers. The celebration begins at 9pm EST.

ABOUT:

PLIES, who was recently named Forbes, top 10 "Hottest New Music Stars," hails from Ft. Myers, FL. Signed to Big Gates/Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic records, PLIES made an impressive debut in August of 2007 with his certified gold album The Real Testament which spawned chart topping singles such as "Shawty" feat. T-Pain, "Hypnotized" feat. Akon and "I Am the Club" which sold over 2 million ring tones collectively. In recent months the rapper has launched and interactive, dual purpose fan club, and kicked off a nationwide promotional tour. The tour will pay tribute to his many fans in the U.S. Military with a series of appearances in association with Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and Navy Exchange Service command. PLIES is currently preparing for the June 10th release of his sophomore album DEFINITION OF REAL. To find out more information about PLIES visit www.PliesWorld.com.
DEFINITION OF REAL will be available in stores and online on Tuesday, June 10, 2008. Led by a compilation of chart topping singles including "Bust It Baby pt. 2" featuring Neyo and the official 2nd single "Please Excuse My Hands" featuring Jaime Foxx and Dream. The album caters to a diverse fan base with the contemplative "Worth Goin' Fed For," Plies debates the perils of street life. And with the heart-wrenching "Somebody Loves You," Plies reassures that no matter what's going on in life, there's always someone there for you. "Who Hotter Than Me" most definitely serves the hood, where Plies carries his signature swag and declares the streets on lock. The Trey Songz assisted "I'm the Man" stands perfectly side-by-side with the super-raunchy "I Feel Like F***in'," making "DEFINITION OF REAL" a complete and balanced album, much like Plies' debut The Real Testament

Music Source

June release 2008

3 June Tuesday
Ashanti	The Declaration
Common	The Greatest Story Ever Told
Disturbed	Indestructible
Fleet Foxes	Fleet Foxes
From Bubblegum To Sky	A Soft Kill
The Futureheads	This Is Not The World
Jewel	Perfectly Clear
Journey	Revelation Walmart exclusive 3-disc CD/DVD
Ladytron	Velocifero
Aimee Mann	@#%&! Smilers
Bret Michaels	Rock My World
Midnight Juggernauts	Dystopia
Robert Pollard	Robert Pollard is Off to Business
Radiohead	Radiohead: The Best Of Best-of EMI albums
Gavin Rossdale	Wanderlust
Shearwater	Rook
Spiritualized	Songs in A & E
Weezer	Weezer (Red Album)
Your Highness Electric	The Grand Hooded Phantom Source: www.metacritic.com

Review The Ting Tings We Started Nothing

Artist: The Ting Tings

Released: 19 May 2008

There comes a moment when even the most ardent cynic realises its time to sneak out of their jaded prison and gatecrash a party. And this summer, as a nation throws off its shackles of pessimism to the sounds of their debut, it'll happen to you too. Licking their wounds after trial-by-record-label with former outfit, Dear Eskimo, the Salford duo stared into the roiling canyon of resentment - and decided to go drinking instead. The result is the delirious joy-gasm known as We Started Nothing, and the soundtrack to what can only be described as a Ting Tings moment.

Stultifying career? Soul-sapping ex? Shoe-gazing again? Throw a party! And be sure to book a Great DJ! This dizzying, sing-a-long opening track is homage to their famed escapades as scenesters-in-residence at Islington Mill - Manchester's drizzly, down-to-earth rendering of Andy Warhol's Factory. With such hedonistic pedigree, it'd be easy to dismiss them as purveyors of the slick hipster sneer, but they're unremittingly adorable. The Ting Tings are distinctive in the electro ephemera trade for their unpretentious quirkiness. It can be seen on such playful adventures in nonsensical imagery as Traffic Light and Fruit Machine.

The album scampers by in its springy Converse with suitably youthful exuberence. Yet, it has a spirit that can only come from experience. The shouty roll call of misnomers, That's Not My Name, is a feminist rant you can only write when you have the benefit of hindsight. It was inspired by the experience of singer/guitarist, Katie White, who was offered fame-for-flesh in their former incarnation. The track laments forgettable female starlets baring all for the lads. With idealism duly quashed, it's a refreshingly jovial indictment of modern music which, nonetheless, packs a punch.

Of course, any party worth its salt stays on way past the Ting Tings moment and, naturally, this duo aren't going to be going home alone any time soon. Their staggering six-minute title track is like a dishevelled dawn chorus, serenading the last men standing. Cynics can look on blankly as the pied pipers of hyper lead the conga into the middle of next zeitgeist.

Music Source

Usher, Cyndi Lauper and more

The release of his fifth album, "Here I Stand," may have been delayed by six months, but Usher made up for lost time with his recent smash "Love in This Club," featuring Young Jeezy; the eighth No. 1 hit of the R&B juggernaut's career, the track jumped from No. 51 to the top of the charts in a single week, the third-biggest leap to No. 1 in Billboard history. And although he devoted much of late 2007 to family life (the license plate depicted on the cover of "Here I Stand" bears the digits 1126 -- his son's birthday), he still plays the lover man on "Trading Places" and his current smash duet with Beyonce, "Love in This Club Part II." Listen for additional cameos by Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and will.i.am, and beats and grooves crafted by A-list producers including Jermaine Dupri, Jazze Pha, Dre & Vidal and Tricky Stewart.

Usher has his charms, but when it comes to R&B crooners who set the mood for romance, Al Green remains virtually untouchable; just drop "Let's Stay Together" at a wedding reception sometime and watch the couples pack the floor. The good Reverend continues his recent winning streak with "Lay It Down." The disc was co-produced by Green with two of the most revered young guns around -- Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson of the Roots and keyboard player James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Common, Lauryn Hill) -- and features guest appearances by Corinne Bailey Rae (the sublime "Take Your Time"), John Legend, and the Dap-Kings horn section (Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse). But even with all these youngsters involved, "Lay It Down" still sounds of a piece with Green's classic Memphis sides for Hi Records. As it should be, says Thompson: "The reason why we are doing this is because we all idolize Al Green. Even today, nobody has range like him."

Music Source

Urban Verbs: Back for One Night Only

All Things Considered, May 24, 2008 - In the late 1970s, D.C.-based band Urban Verbs was snapped up by a major label to become the "next big thing" in the burgeoning New Wave scene. It was a demo tape produced by Brian Eno that got them the attention of Warner Bros. However, after two albums, the label unceremoniously dropped Urban Verbs and the band broke up soon thereafter. This weekend, the band reunites for one show only at the 9:30 Club.

Guest host Guy Raz speaks with the original members.

Music Source

COLLINS TO COLLABORATE WITH AKON & PHARRELL WILLIAMS

Legendary singer PHIL COLLINS is considering giving his music a modern twist by collaborating with hip-hop stars AKON and PHARRELL WILLIAMS.
The musician admits he is "flattered" to hear the duo is keen to work with him and is equally surprised they are fans of his music.
He tells Rolling Stone magazine, "I'm flattered that they've expressed the interest publicly, risking their careers in doing so.
"Anything is possible and I certainly would investigate doing that if I did think about doing something." It's not the first time the Collins' original material has been reworked by R&B heavyweights - Brandy, L'il Kim and Kelis sang updated versions of Collin's hits on 2001's Urban Renewal LP.

MARIAH RUBS OFF ON NICK CANNON

Newlywed Nick Cannon has developed Mariah itis judging by his three-hours-late appearance at Operation Smile’s Fifth Annual Smile Event held at Skylight Studios in NYC. (Mariah Carey is notoriously running behind – she was 11 hours late for interviews to promote her new album E=MC2.)
Around 8:30 p.m., Mariah’s bodyguard, dressed in a dapper white jacket, begins scoping out the scene. He’s pacing the street. Photogs crack that she could walk – she lives nearby.
But when her new hubby Nick finally arrives, he makes it all worth it. How is he feeling? “I’m good,” he beams, smiling from ear-to-ear. I’ve talked to Nick on so many red carpets over the years. He’s lapping up the attention.
Operation Smile ambassador Jessica Simspon can’t be here tonight because she celebrating Ashlee’s nups, but gal pal Jamie Lynn Sigler brings her pregnant sister-in-law Whitney and bro Mark. And, it’s Jamie Lynn’s birthday! “I slept in really, really late,” she tells me. “I got a huge balloon bouquet from my girlfriends back in L.A. It was a surprise. I got a lot of nice e-mails and phone calls. Birthdays are a nice time to catch up with people you haven’t spoken to in awhile. Later I’ll meet up with some friends.”
Donald Trump tells me he got into trouble with NBC for saying he’d like O.J. Simpson to appear on the next Celebrity Apprentice, which starts taping in October. “I wouldn’t say NBC was thrilled,” he admits.
And it’s a special night for his son, Donald Jr., who is here with wife Vanessa.
“It’s funny because a year ago at this event, on the red carpet Vanessa went into labor,” Ivanka’s brother tells me. “It’s a pretty special time for us, coming back here. Last year at this time, she was literally about to explode and literally almost exploded on this red carpet.”
Their baby girl, Kai, recently celebrated her birthday. “We had a big party for her and her 25 – I didn’t know babies had – friends. Her 25 closest friends. Vanessa set up a Mickey and Minnie Mouse-themed party. She had a lot of fun. She’s getting big and growing well.”
What are playdates like for the kids of The Donalds? “They hang around and drool on each other and play. Barron’s a year-and-a-half older, so there’s still a bit of an age gap.”
Tinsley Mortimer, sister Dabney Mercer, former Pussycat Doll Carmit Bachar and Olivia Palermo strut through. Turns out, Olivia considers Mariah a neighbor. “She lives right next door,” she tells me. “We’re happy to have her in the neighborhood.”
And, many of us -- including the Trumps -- are long gone by the time Mariah deigns to arrive.
http://www.okmagazine.com/

Madonna’s $471,000 Chanel Bag: Worth More Than a Kiss from Clooney!

The annual amfAR Cinema Against AIDS benefit kicked off in the hills high above Cannes yesterday. Last year, George Clooney auctioned off a kiss for $300,000, but this year Madonna’s alligator Chanel purse was the star of the show. The black alligator bag with a clasp studded with 334 diamonds was the actual purse she carried to the event, and that’s not all. She even gave up everything in the haute couture bag including Shu Uemura blotting paper, lip gloss — “It actually touched my lips”, Madonna noted — lip balm, a magnifying mirror, and throat lozenges. The only thing she took out was her blackberry and phone, explaining “I’m not going to give up my blackberry and phone because that’s too expensive for you.” The final winning bid? 300,000 euros — that’s over $471,000 — for AIDS research! Sorry George, looks like Madonna’s chic purse is worth more than your kiss. As Madonna joked, “That’s cheap. Everyone’s kissed George Clooney.” Check out a behind the scenes peek at the amfAR benefit, including Madonna’s auction and Sharon Stone’s welcome.

Story of 'unseen' Lennon lyrics

A woman from London is set to make a fortune when John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the anti-war song Give Peace a Chance go up for auction this summer.

They are expected to fetch between £200,000 and £300,000.
Gail Renard was a student in Montreal in May 1969, when Lennon and wife Yoko Ono arrived to hold a "bed-in" at the city's Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
She and a friend sneaked into the hotel - Renard calls it a "Mission: Impossible" routine - and up to their door.
"Yoko answered and I asked if I could have an interview for my school newspaper.
"She graciously said yes. She asked us in, and I was suddenly face-to-face with John Lennon."
Renard and Lennon became instant friends, and he asked her to stay and help with the "bed-in".
"It was Alice in Wonderland," Renard says of the eight-day experience.
"I was a 16-year-old, with a Beatle who was my hero, and it was just a circus every minute.
"On the last day, John wanted to record a song," Renard recalls.
"We didn't know what it was at the time."

After recording Give Peace a Chance, Lennon gave Renard his original lyrics for her to keep.
These spent years hanging on a wall in Renard's study but were then moved for safety, ending up in a vault.
"I thought, this is ridiculous," she said.
"They should be out with somebody who can enjoy them, and they should be seen again."
She also believes the song and Lennon's message have a particular resonance now.
"It's my way of thanking him, to get his message and his song out there again, and have people thinking about it and talking about it."
The piece is the highlight of Christie's rock and pop memorabilia auction on 10 July in London.
"Beatles lyrics, and particularly in John Lennon's hand, rarely surface on the auction market, so it's very much a unique opportunity," said Helen Hall, head of popular culture at the auction house.
Other items being sold will include a collage made by Lennon as a birthday card for Elton John in the 1970s, plus an amplifier played on stage by Jimi Hendrix.

Miley Cyrus Accused of Song Stealing

Much like Avril Lavigne before her, pop teen queen Miley Cyrus is facing yet another (though non-photographic) scandal as a rock band is considering suing her due to some remarkable similarities between their tune and Miley's song 'Rockstar.'

Miley Caught Red-Handed?

Crystal Castles close The Great Escape

Crystal Castles closed The Great Escape festival with a chaotic show in the early hours of this morning (May 18) at Club NME at the Brighton Barfly.
Taking the stage at 2am (BST) the duo played a raucous set of energetic electro-rock, which saw singer Alice Glass spend almost the entire show suspended above the crowd, balancing on both security guards and crowd members.

The security guards seemed baffled by the singer's frenetic stage style, seemingly unsure whether to attempt to pull her back from the crowd or help suspend her. As such she was ducked back and forth repeatedly as she sang.
The gig was rammed, with fans having queued extensively for a chance to catch the band. Various crowd members joined in Glass's chaotic antics, crowd surfing past her while she sang the likes of 'Air War' and 'Courtship Dating'.
The gig wrapped up the three-day festival, which saw hundreds of bands play gigs across venues in the coastal city.
Before Crystal Castles' set at the Barfly Lightspeed Champion played a well-received show at the venue. Wearing his trademark furry hat he played songs including 'Galaxy Of The Lost' and 'Midnight Surprise'.
Lightspeed Champion – aka Dev Hynes – was on energetic form, mounting a speaker stack near the death of the set while playing his guitar, then hurling himself onto the keyboard causing a cascade of sound as he smashed against the keys and the instrument collapsed.
Earlier in the day, at 4pm, Kid Harpoon played a secret gig at the Audio venue with singer/songwriter Soko.
The duo took it in turns to sing backing and lead vocals and play the ukulele. They played songs including 'Milkmaid', 'Peanut Butter' and 'Late For The Devil' and were watched by members of Friendly Fires.
Ida Maria was another performer to play a secret gig, playing on the balcony outside the Theatre Royal. The singer played a three-song set, bringing movement on the pavement below to a standstill as fans clamoured to catch the short show.
Dead Kids, meanwhile, played an impromptu jam on the seafront, then much to fans’ delight hurled themselves into the ocean for a splash around.
Over at the Revenge club Cheeky Cheeky And The Nosebleeds played an energetic set of retro-pop, with the band asking fans to dance along to their songs, 'Slow Kids' and 'Fascinating'.
Despite playing her jovial secret gig with Kid Harpoon earlier, Soko was in a wretched mood during her later show at the Concorde 2 venue at the bash organised by MTV2 Gonzo.
Complaining about the lighting levels, the singer/songwriter said, "Well, do you care if it's on MTV or do you care if I play a good gig? So, please can I have some low lights?"
The lights were eventually turned down for Soko and she continued her set, which included 'How Are You?'.

However, Soko soon began complaining again, this time about the noisy audience, many of whom were chatting amongst themselves. "If you feel like talking caan you go outside?" she said angrily. "Thank you for talking, and thank you for the lights" she later said before leaving the stage.
Later on many bands headed to Club NME at the Barfly to drink and dance the last night of the festival away.

Music News

Ashlee Simpson marries love Pete Wentz in intimate LA ceremony

Pop singer Ashlee Simpson, the younger sister of actress Jessica, has tied the knot with her beau of two years, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. The intimate ceremony took place a month after announcing their engagement.

The bride was dressed in an ivory lace wedding gown by Filipino designer Monique Lhuillier, accessorised with a diamond necklace and earrings. Ashlee, 23, exchanged vows with her 28-year-old beau in front of 150 family and friends at her parent's estate in LA.

Performing the non-denominational ceremony was dad Joe Simpson, with Jessica serving as maid-of-honour. Acting as an unusual ring-bearer was the groom's pet bulldog, Hemingway.

By Jessica's side was her beau Tony Romo, dispelling rumours the two had split. Guests also included Nicole Richie, with her Good Charlotte rocker love Joel Madden.

The newlyweds, who are expecting their first child together, held an Alice In Wonderland themed reception featuring a wedding cake with a top hat, teapot and stopwatch on the top.

New Kids Perform Live, Make Our Intern’s Dreams Come True

There are some things that we don’t understand about our intern Rya. To wit: how is it possible that someone obsessed with “Gossip Girl” can also be a Blockhead? Yes, that’s right — our “GG” expert is also a huge fan of New Kids on the Block, which explains why she woke up at the crack of dawn this morning:

This morning, Manhattan’s renowned Rockefeller Center became Block-efeller center — a strip of city blocks packed with grown women who came from all ends of the Earth to witness an event a decade-and-a-half in the making: the triumphant return of the hottest pop group of yesteryear, New Kids on the Block. A month after an older, sleeker incarnation of the five men from Boston was unveiled, another curtain dropped – this time, a banner with the band’s new logo. The band performed a medley of their greatest hits and their newest cut as a part of the “Today” Summer Concert Series.
Naturally, yours truly was on the scene. I was there for the very same reason many other women were in the audience: to see a band that they were far too young to see in concert during their heyday. Quite frankly, I felt all too much like my four-year-old self as I scrambled for a better view (or for that matter, any view), got pushed around my much older fans wearing NKOTB shirts (some threadbare, presumably from being worn in heavy rotation two decades ago), yearned for face time with Joey, and sang along far too loudly to songs I didn’t realize I still knew by heart…
I got to Blockefeller Center at an ungodly 6:00 am. However, the show’s outdoor plaza had long been teeming with Blockheads, evident by all the folding chairs, New Kid blankies, and McDonald’s bags that lined 48th Street. A line of people trying to get into the pit in front of the stage snaked around the block, and the lucky first few were allowed in to watch rehearsal. Rehearsal! As space the pit reached half-capacity, it was only then that fans who began waiting at midnight were being allowed in. They were a full six hours ahead of me. I never had a chance.
At 8:40, the group was set to perform. Every once in a while, the band would start to play, causing grown women to shriek at dog-whistle decibels. I was finally settled into my barricaded section far, far from the stage and becoming acquainted with fellow fans who had traveled from as far away as Virginia and Florida for the historic event. Soon, rehearsals began during commercial breaks, and the excitement mounted as a collective realization dawned on the crowd that ohmygod! this is really happening!
The performance was in a word, majestic — on par with a very surreal, delicious meal. For appetizers, the Kids served a medley of their greatest hits. The first verse of “Step By Step” turned into the “oooooh-ooohh-oohhh-ooooh-oh!” refrain from “Hangin’ Tough” — but not before Donnie’s voice cracked as he called out to the audience. Adorable! We love you anyway!
After a quick dance break, the group shed their matching blazers, and they were down to untucked shirts and sneakers. The look was more “with-it real estate broker” than “pop icons with a vengeance.” To stand out as the group’s resident bad boy, Donnie donned a baseball cap. Joey then donned his signature top hat and serenaded with a section from “Please Don’t Go, Girl,” before the group launched into the obviously amazing crowd-pleaser “The Right Stuff.”
After another break, they returned for the main course, their latest single “Summertime.” Quite frankly, had this been an actual meal, I would’ve sent it back to the kitchen — but I’m afraid of Blockheads, and therefore, that’s all I’ll say about that.
And at long last: dessert! Donnie dedicated this number to “all the fans who weathered the rain” (such cordial words from the man who taught me the importance of fire safety), and Jordan got on the keyboard for a rousing rendition of “Tonight.” On the “Today” show — get it!? Concept number! Truth be told, I can’t objectively tell you how rousing it was, because I found myself plunged into some kind of estrogen-rich sing-along. Security guards were dancing; the woman standing in front of me announced to the crowd that she was going to leave her boyfriend for Joey; the man standing next to me continuously professed his love for Jordan; and the song became indelibly carved into my brain.
I am still humming “Tonight” as I write this. Thanks, New Kids!!

Music News

Lily Allen jokes about topless photos at the Cannes film festival

Pop singer Lily Allen was among the partygoers at the Cannes film festival tonight, where she joked about topless paparazzi photographs of her which appeared this week.

The star was attending a party to celebrate the pending release of the film How To Lose Friends and Alienate People in Cannes, which is based on the memoirs of British journalist Toby Young.
Asked if she was upset by the topless photographs, Miss Allen answered: "No, it's my body. I heard I was a Page Three girl."
She said her recently dyed blonde hair was likely to be a lasting style and said blondes had more fun.
Miss Allen, 23, said she had come to Cannes for the party and also to meet her father, Keith Allen, the actor.
The singer, who recently hosted her own BBC3 chat show, is enjoying a holiday after suffering a miscarriage and splitting from her boyfriend, Ed Simons of dance outfit the Chemical Brothers.
In the past, she has reportedly suffered a lack of confidence about her body shape.She has recently been spotted on nights out with Gavin and Stacey star James Corden, but the pair maintain they are just good friends.The musician is recording a new album and said it was "going really, really well".
"I'm really, really happy. I'm really excited about it," she added.
Miss Allen has been staying at the exclusive Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc at the resort on the French Riviera, and has been caught sunbathing topless, photographs of which have appeared in the British national press.

Top 10 selling artists

1. The Beatles

What can be said about the Beatles that hasn't already been said? Throughout their career, these four fab lads redefined themselves, our culture, and rock and pop music--their effect is still being felt today, which makes it pretty much impossible to make a list of top artists without acknowledging their influence.

2. U2

From their humble roots in the early '80s to their current status as quite possibly the best recording band in the world, U2 holds a unique place in world of rock music. They've remained relevant by crafting melodically catchy and emotionally resonant music that speaks to the times, yet never feels dated or out of place--anthemic pop music that truly makes the whole world sing.

3. Norah Jones

Back in 2002, nobody could have predicted the meteoric rise of jazzy songstress Norah Jones. Appealing to everyone from soccer moms to rock-freak Mike Patton (who used her on his latest project), Norah's soothing piano and sultry vocals took the world by storm. With only two albums under her belt, she has already made her mark--we're looking forward to more.

4. Johnny Cash

Unrivaled in the world of music as both a songwriter and performer, Johnny Cash set the standard for many country performers that followed in his footsteps, and remained an active, vital, and important artist for his entire career. From his early days at Sun Records to his stunning series of "American Recordings" produced by Rick Rubin, the Man in Black's storytelling and emotional transparency never faltered, securing his spot in our Top 10.

5. Diana Krall

Diana Krall is at once anachronistic and staunchly modern--her ability to make decades-old standard jazz tunes reverberate with a new life lends her a cross-generational appeal few artists enjoy. With her traditional staccato piano style and smooth dynamic vocals, it's easy to fall under her spell.

6. Bob Dylan

Remaining a relevant, active artist for nearly a half century is no easy task, especially in the finicky ever-changing world of music, but for Bob Dylan, it seems to be both effortless and natural. As both an oft-covered songwriter and unique performer, Dylan has influenced countless followers with his chameleonic musicality ranging from folk to rock to blues to country.

7. Frank Sinatra

As the artist who brought to life the definitive versions of many of America's classic standards, Frank Sinatra easily makes our list of top 10 artists. With his inimitable voice, this legendary rat-packer simply sings some of our all-time favorite songs.

8. Dixie Chicks

With their major label debut, Wide Open Spaces, the Dixie Chicks exploded onto both the country and pop charts, and with each subsequent album demonstrated over and over that their initial success was no fluke. Weathering controversy with confidence, they've proven their staying power and ability to appeal across genre lines while maintaining their personal and musical integrity.

9. Enya

Getting her start with Irish mainstay Clannad, Enya broke out on her own in a big way with 1988's Watermark. With a sound uniquely her own, encompassing layered vocal textures, plucked strings, and tranquil synth pads, Enya has solidified her place not only in Celtic and New Age music, but deeply within our hearts.

10. Rod Stewart

Beginning his career with the Jeff Beck Group and the Faces, Rod Stewart has traveled a diverse artistic path, flirting with blues, folk, rock, disco, and American standards. Whether you prefer him as a young bluesy rocker, an '80s pop interpreter, or a dignified sensual crooner, Rod Stewart and his trademark raspy vocals deliver the goods.

Boy, 12, takes top music prize

A 12-year-old trombone player has been crowned the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2008, becoming the youngest winner the contest has ever had.
Peter Moore, from Stalybridge beat four other finalists at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.
Peter, whose family all play brass instruments, performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Belfast-born Peter, who started playing trombone when he was six, is the 30th winner of the competition.
Peter said: "I want to be a soloist, so this is a fantastic platform to start from."
The competition was hosted by Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones and singer Aled Jones

Music News

Coldplay tour dates

Coldplay announced dates for “Viva La Vida” North American tour.

The upcoming album will be released on June, 17th. The record produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs is the follow up to “X&Y”. In 2005 it debuted #1 in 32 countries and 10 million copies are sold worldwide.

Band will perform the main hit ‘Violet Hill’ on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on June 26th and on the TODAY show on NBC on Friday, June 27th.

Rolling Stone named ‘Violet Hill’ a must-have in a recent “Download” column, saying:

(Lead singer Chris) Martin broods over a lost lover with a snarling acidity that makes him sound more human than ever — miles away from the dreamy romantic he was on soaring ballads like ‘Speed of Sound’”

6/29 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center 5/16

7/2 Washington, DC Verizon Center 5/17
7/3 Hartford, CT XL Center 5/17
7/5 Detroit, MI The Palace of Auburn Hills 5/17
7/6 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena 5/17
7/8 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center 5/17
7/9 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center 5/17
7/10 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center 5/16
7/12 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena 5/17
7/19 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena 5/17
7/21 Sacramento, CA ARCO Arena
7/24 San Jose, CA HP Pavilion
7/27 Pemberton, BC Pemberton Festival
7/29 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
7/30 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome

8/1 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
8/3 Omaha, NE Qwest Center
8/4 Chicago, IL United Center

10/20 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
10/21 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
10/26 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
10/29 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
10/30 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

11/3 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
11/11 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
11/18 Houston, TX Toyota Center
11/19 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
11/21 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
11/22 Salt Lake City, UT Energy Solutions Arena

Music News

Lil Wayne Biography

Charismatic Southern rapper Lil Wayne began his industry ascendance as one of the Hot Boys, a short-lived Cash Money Records all-star group, and after establishing himself as a successful solo artist, he grew to become a critical favorite, known especially for his entertainting underground mixtapes. Born Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., on September 27, 1982, in New Orleans, LA, Lil Wayne grew up in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans' 17th Ward. There he became acquainted with the Cash Money Records collective, which he eventually joined as a teenager. Get It How U Live! (1997), a Hot Boys album also featuring Juvenile, B.G., and Turk, marked Lil Wayne's album debut; at age 18, he was the youngest group member.

A second Hot Boys album, Guerrilla Warfare (1999), preceded Lil Wayne's solo debut, Tha Block Is Hot (1999). The solo album went double platinum, peaking at number three on Billboard's album chart and spawning a Top Ten hit with the title track. Lil Wayne's second album, Lights Out (2000), failed to match the success of its predecessor, nor did 500 Degreez (2002), his third album. By this point in time, Lil Wayne was the only remaining Hot Boy on Cash Money -- all other members had defected -- and the future didn't seem promising for him or the label. Consequently, he purportedly scrapped work on his fourth album and instead released the recordings as an underground mixtape, Da Drought (2003), his first of many to follow.

Tha Carter (2004) signaled a change in direction for Lil Wayne. The album itself wasn't a huge departure from Lil Wayne's past three -- it's filled to the brim with tracks produced by Cash Money in-house producer Mannie Fresh, some of which could well have been left on the cutting room floor -- yet it showcased a more measured and mature performance by the rapper, who seemed newly emboldened and sported a new look on the album cover (i.e., dreadlocks). The change in direction was commercial as well as musical, as Tha Carter featured Lil Wayne's biggest hit in years, "Go DJ"; moreover, the album itself was a Top Five hit. Also in 2004, Lil Wayne began to be guest-featured regularly, starting with Destiny's Child's "Soldier," a Top Three hit.

A pair of popular 2005 mixtapes, Dedication (with DJ Drama) and Suffix (DJ Khaled), further established Lil Wayne as a dexterous freestyle rapper. Plus, they helped garner additional interest in his music among listeners who weren't part of the usual Cash Money constituency. By the end of the year, Lil Wayne's reputation was such that Tha Carter, Vol. 2, his next Cash Money album, debuted at number two on Billboard's album chart upon its December release, and did so without the benefit of a smash hit ("Fireman" stalled at number 32) or the productions of workhorse Mannie Fresh, who had left Cash Money.

In the wake of Tha Carter, Vol. 2, which was a critical favorite as well as a strong seller, Lil Wayne continued to bolster his reputation and increase his fan base via the mixtape circuit. Of the myriad mixtapes bearing his name from 2006 onward, Dedication, Vol. 2 (DJ Drama, 2006) is a standout; like Tha Carter, Vol. 2, it was a critical favorite, making many end-of-year lists. The Carter, Vol. 2, Pt. 2: Like Father, Like Son (DJ Khaled, 2006) was notable, too, as some of its material was revived for Like Father, Like Son (2006), a major-label collaboration with Baby, aka Birdman, that spawned the hit "Stuntin' Like My Daddy." Lil Wayne also collaborated regularly with Dipset member Juelz Santana during this period. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All

Music Guide

Amy Winehouse Arrested Over Drug Video

MATT DUNHAM/AP PHOTOAmy Winehouse arrives at a police station in late April for questioning in a couple of alleged assault by the singer.

Amy Winehouse is back in police custody, this time over the infamous video that appeared to show the talented but self-destructive singer smoking crack and snorting powdered Ecstasy and cocaine. "Amy Winehouse voluntarily attended a London police station today by appointment," according to a statement from Winehouse's spokeperson. "She was arrested in order to be interviewed and is co-operating fully with enquiries. The interview relates to a video handed to police earlier this year."

In late April, Winehouse was briefly arrested and released for head-butting a man and slapping another man during a bar crawl. She was given a formal warning.

Nine Inch Nails release new album free online

Nine Inch Nails have made their new studio album, 'The Slip', available to download free.
The album is available to download now from the Nine Inch Nails website. It will receive a conventional CD and vinyl release in July. The album download includes a PDF with art-work and album credits.
'The Slip' was produced by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor plus Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. In a statement to fans Reznor said: "Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years. This one's on me."
Nine Inch Nails previously released an album, 'Ghost I-IV' online in March, with fans choosing how much to pay to download it.

The track-listing of 'The Slip' is:

'999,999'
'1,000,000'
'Letting you'
'Discipline’'
'Echoplex'
'Head Down'
'Lights In The Sky'
'Corona Radiata'
'The Four Of Us Are Dying'
'Demon Seed'

Lil Wayne Won't Tour With G-Unit, But Might With Keyshia Cole; Young Jeezy Explains Rash Of Guest Spots: Mixtape Monday

Plus: Lil Mama demands equal opportunity for female MCs, and Young Dro shows off his 'Swag Shop.'

• MTV
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Artist: Young Dro

Representing: Grand Hustle

Mixtape/ DVD: I Am Legend/ "The Swag Shop"

411: When you hang out with a guy named Dark Gable, your swag has to be at 110, so you won't get overshadowed. Not a problem for Grand Hustle's Young Dro. If you haven't noticed by the rainbow gators, matching Polo shirts and equally colorful lyrics, the Atlanta native has his own style.

" 'Swag Shop' is a shop where you can whip in and get you a 50-piece swag with extra swag sauce," Dro joked outside of T.I.'s Grand Hustle studio. In reality, "The Swag Shop" is a documentary-style DVD that Dro is putting together with producer Dark Gable. In the DVD's trailer, we see Dro talk to Tip via computer video hookup, touch the town with wife Fantasia and lay vocals in the lab. There will also be some new songs to accompany the release when it hits the streets.

"I'm not going through [the DVD] saying, 'I got swag, swag, swag,' it's just showing," Dro explained. "I'm showing you my regular self. You're gonna be able to see from the way I dress, the oysters I crack open, all the behind-the-scenes stuff."

In the meantime, Dro has his mixtape I Am Legend getting love down bottom.

"People looking at it like an album," he said of the mixtape, while getting ready to leave in his custom Escalade. "[It has a] lot of original songs. We didn't jack for beats too much. Put out a lot of original stuff. We're giving them their money's worth."

Dro's long-talked-about second LP, The Young and Restless, is coming out sometime. We don't know an exact date, but he says this year.

"We're at the last stages of it," he said. "It's about to be a closed casket. I just wanna take my time. It's a lot of people out there rushing." Danjahandz, Mannie Fresh, Akon, Fantasia, T.I., Lil Wayne and Midi Mafia are all on point for the project.

http://www.mtv.com

Robyn and Kylie Minogue

Most of Robyn recasts the teenage hitmaker of a decade ago as a formidable 26-year-old Stockholm chick. Like Mandy Moore and other '90s teenpop survivors, Robyn clashed with the record industry's boneheaded notions of how her career should proceed, eventually stalking out on her own. Now she favors, in addition to tough talk voiced in her slight but unquenchable soprano, fast electro arrangements tending toward the geometric, and beats that her wonderful bio terms "pixilated." She has hitched her creative enterprise to Swedes like Klas Åhlund of Teddybears ("Stockholm's amazing bricolage pop group") and the Knife, a shadowy duo who make "towering, architectural synthpop" and who produced "Who's That Girl" for her—which is towering and architectural, but in a quickly digested way. ("Unbelievably," the bio relates," her [then] label hated it.") Her appeal is questionable when she tries to sound like an American rapper, but on tracks where she just sings—the immaculate junk symphony of "Be Mine," the excellently Japanese "Bum Like You," the Autobahn power-ballad "With Every Heartbeat"—she gives Europop a swift Swedish energy and presence.

Will Robyn, in 10 years' time, be a lustrous international franchise on the order of Madonna—or Kylie? These things are difficult to predict, or even accurately judge: Until I saw Kylie—on 2005's Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, when HBO aired it a while ago—take charge of her years of hits with the blazing musical ownership of Michael Stipe or Mick Jagger, I was clueless about the Australian's top-flight grip on post-disco pop, and began to hear something like her genius 2001 single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" as more than just brilliant production. Her current album, X, is full of songs with a similarly grand pop-rock sense of melody, best enjoyed on addictive tracks like "Sensitized" and "Stars," which indicate just how scintillatingly a pop singer can control tunes without athletic shows of diva technique. But it's not the production, as copiously sexy as it is, that makes this great: It's that Kylie has an ear for fantastic pop-rock tunes restyled for 2008, and she approaches them not as merely amusing sonic glitter, but as totally vital music. Robyn and her bio writer proceed similarly. Of course, it's only pop music—but without the passion, the point gets lost.