A new unreleased cut from R&B crooner Mario surfaced today in the form of ‘I’m A Fan’. Said to have been recorded during the sessions for his current LP ‘D.N.A’, cut, to put it simply, is fire on a track! A mid-tempo with that ‘knock’, the song manages to encompass great production and arrangements, engaging lyrical content and, as ever with the 23 year old Baltimore native, good vocals. This should have made the album (which is pretty solid, by the way)…
R&B crooner Mario stopped by Good Morning New York today to perform new single ‘Thinkin’ of You’, as well as his hit ‘Break Up’.
We’re definitely supporters of Mario around these sides, however this live showing was just not cutting it. Lazy, sloppy and distinctly run-of-the-mill, this performance didn’t at all convey the fact (IMO) that Mario is one of the premier male R&B vocalists on the scene at present.
I was going to go off on one about how awful his label’s promotion and all-round handling of his project has been (did you know Mario dropped his album last week? My point exactly) However, on second thought, performances like this (aka ’so-so’ / ‘doing it for the sake of it’ ones), while seeming quite harmless, are what separates your ‘typical R&B singer’ from the Usher’s and co. Surely, if an artist is undeniably doing the damn thing, the label has no choice but to pay attention. Having to admittedly eat a bit of humble pie on this one (as some of my favourites are guilty of the same thing), being successful in today’s industry really is a two way street: the artists need to do their part x100, and the label will more times than not hold up their end of the deal. Perhaps the days of hollering about ’such and such got crappy promo’ need to end. That said, some labels are taking the p*ss (see: Amerie / Def Jam).
As one of those of felt his last album ‘Go!’ was a criminally underrated gem, these snippets aren’t grabbing me as instantaneously as I would have hoped; I’m not a fan of the first single ‘Break Up’ either. That said, I’ll hold my full judgement until hearing the record in entirety.
Eurovision break-out star Jade Ewen appeared on GMTV this morning to perform the lead single from her debut album ‘My Man’.
Before attempting to roast the talented Londoner, it’s important to point out that 99% of artists lip synch on GMTV, as ths show doesn’t have the sound facilities to assist live performances.
Anyway, about the performance, I really enjoyed it. Having seen the video a few weeks back, I was wondering where the proper choreography was at. Evidently that side of things has been tended to for the live performances; she worked it. Good stuff.
Tidbit: Turns out Ms. Ewen loves the taste of That Grape Juice You’ll be seeing a lot more of Ms. Ewen around these sides very very soon (hint, hint lol).
Burgeoning star and the youngest of the Knowles clan Solange takes no nonsense when it comes to defending her superstar sister Beyonce. The ‘I Decided’ singer lashed back at a post on Twitter suggesting that her elder sister needs to sit down somewhere and let “better” vocalists such as Jennifer Hudson and Jazmine Sullivan have the limelight. Check out Solange’s response is below:
“Sick of people thinking I’m gonna be my sisters enemy. Now that was the “nice” read. Next person who hits me with some negative energy about my sister is gonna get Fox news all over again. Don’t try to love ME because you want to be the “anti Beyonce”. I am the ‘all for’ Beyonce. Now kiss both of our Knowles asses if you don’t like it!”
Preach LOL! It’s actually refreshing seeing Solange address the topic of Beyonce head on without the media-savvy answers. It must be uber annoying being pit against your own sister by outsiders for no logical reason. Not sure I’m feeling the Fox News subliminal gloating, but I get where she’s coming from.
Exactly one week ago, the world lost the undisputed King of Pop. Today, AEG – the company behind his much anticipated, yet ill-fated, comeback set of shows ‘This Is It’ – released some footage of one of Mike’s last rehearsals. 48 hours later, he died.
Judging from this clip, MJ seemed to be in great form performance-wise. Long live the King!
Many thanks for your continued patience with the Danity Kane D.Woods and Dawn Richard interviews. They were anticipated to be rolled out tonight, yet the server is finding it hard to cope with the length of both interviews. That said, they will be up UK time 8.30am 2nd April. You will not be disappointed (and the Sam roasting and cussing will end LOL). In the meanwhile, check out D.Woods and Dawn shouting out That Grape Juice:
Peep Beyonce and nephew Julez behind the scenes of their new Nintendo DS commercial for the game Rhythm Heaven. Lil’ man has grown up quite a bit. Good stuff.
For those wondering about the whereabouts of his mother Solange, she is currently on tour with Estelle in the US.
Following recent comments by Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine about plans for a Jackson 5 tour next year, the King of Pop himself has released a statement asserting that he will NOT be taking part:
“My brothers and sisters have my full love and support, and we’ve certainly shared many great experiences, but at this time I have no plans to record or tour with them,” he said. “I am now in the studio developing new and exciting projects that I look forward to sharing with my fans in concert soon.”
The statement comes in response to his brother Jermaine Jackson’s recent comments at a TV industry function in Sydney, where the musician said the Jackson 5 has plans to reunite next year.
Jermaine Jackson was in Australia yesterday (Oct. 29) to help launch a new “greatest hits” TV channel for Foxtel. “This has been a long time coming for the Jackson family to get back together,” he told the Australian Associated Press.
“It is just the timing, so what we’ve been doing is working on the music and all the logistics. It is going to be more like a family affair, Janet’s going to open and, of course, the original Jackson 5 … Michael, Randy and the whole family … We’re in the studio, we’re planning on being out there next year.” {Source}
Ouch. I’ve long thought that something wasn’t quite right among the Jackson’s and I guess this confirms it. Anyway, I guess hearing from MJ’s own mouth that he is planning a solo stage comeback gives us something to look forward to.
The video for Rihanna’s latest single ‘Disturbia’ premiered today. Put simple, the David LaChapelle clip is truly awesome, however the song is truly the pits – which is s shame. Still, I can see this one being another hit for the 20 year old. More power to her, I guess…
As some of you may know, rapper 50 Cent has been embroiled in a court case with the mother of his son, Shaniqua Tomkin. According to Tomkin, the G-Unit leader was trying to evict her and their 10 year old son Marquise from his multi-million dollar residence in Long Island, New York. Today, however, a judge ruled that 50 can indeed evict the pair from the house (click here to read more) . Check out the video below, which features words from 50 and Shaniqua, prior to the judgement and afterwards:
Irrespective of 50’s stance that Tompkin is, quote, “taking advantage of the fact he pays all the bills”, their son’s welfare really should be his top priority. Seeing 50 so pleased with himself after the judgement says a lot about him…a whole lot. SMH…
Danity Kane’s sophomore LP ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse’ has debuted atop of the Billboard 200 after selling an impressive 236,000 copies in its first week on sale. ‘Dollhouse’ first week numbers have bested that of the group’s self-titled 2006 debut.
In other chart news, rapper Rick Ross sits comfortably at #3, shifting another 90,000 copies of ‘Trilla’, while Flo Rida’s ‘Mail On Sunday’ debuts at #4 with 86, 000 sold. Lower down, Def Jam’s Rocko ‘Self-Made’ enters at #21, selling though 28, 000 records. {Source}
You’ll be seeing a lot more of Ms. Ewen around these sides very very soon (hint, hint lol).
