The way we see it, mid-tempo Rihanna will always trump Dance Rihanna…on a number of fronts.

Sure, while her Dance jams have seen her become one of the world’s most celebrated entertainers, it’s her mid-tempo numbers that showcase the tone and vulnerability that makes ‘Diamonds‘, ‘Rehab’ and ‘Love Without Tragedy’ the gems that they are.

Now watch Riri flaunt the best of her voice during a performance of ‘Cold Case Love’ during the first night of her ‘Diamonds World Tour’ below…

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Much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ segments, readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.  So in a quest to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday we introduced a new retrospective segment – ‘TGJ Replay’.

Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase albums (and eras) from a library of pop music hits.  From our collection to yours, TGJ presses play on Michelle Williams‘ 2002 debut solo effort ‘Heart To Yours’…

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Check out these snaps of ‘Take A Bow‘ icon Madonna, arriving at last night’s GLAAD Media Awards dressed as Boy Scout.

Perhaps a statement aimed against the ‘Boy Scouts’ allegedly ban against LGBT members, the vocalist hit the star studded event at NYC’s Marriot Marquis, where she presented the Vito Russo Award to Anderson Cooper, with whom she can be seen with after the jump.

Footage of her powerful speech below…

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Ever keen to broaden our musical scope, recent months have seen That Grape Juice venture into a number of new musical landscapes including, most recently, gospel.

Spearheaded by well-received interviews with gospel singers Joshua Rogers, Dorinda Clark Cole, Israel Houghton, and more, TGJ is now offering readers ‘The Overflow’ – a collection of the top gospel-themed news stories from the week.

Tuck in below for the latest news on gospel beaus Fred Hammond, Ricky Dillard, Earnest Pugh, and more…

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Singer/Songwriter…mega seller?

The above may be a question the folks over at Roc Nation will be asking themselves of Elijah Blake today, after he extended his lead as R&B’s fastest rising newbie with a remix to Drake‘s smash hit single, ‘Started From The Bottom’.

Find out why his stock as an entertainer is set to sky rocket below…

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As reported here, BET’s annual faith-based extravaganza ‘Celebration of Gospel’ is celebrating its 13th anniversary.  Looking to do it bigger than ever, the Steve Harvey-hosted affair unveiled its best line-up yet, featuring performances from Tamar Braxton, Anita Baker, Tyrese, and all the major gospel heavy hitters (Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Smokie Norful, Tye Tribbett, Clark Sisters, and more).

But before fans will be able to praise and gaze at the line-up on April 7th, the taping occurred last night in sunny Los Angeles.  Check below to see some of That Grape Juice’s favorites – Tamar Braxton, Dorinda Clark Cole, Kierra Sheard, and more – hit the red carpet…

Your thoughts?

We won’t lie.

Upon hearing Christina Aguilera‘s latest LP ‘Lotus’ weeks before its November 9th release, we were sure it’d go on to become one of the year’s mega sellers, shifting numbers moved by the likes of Pink‘s ‘The Truth About Love‘.

Unfortunately, for reasons we hope to one day learn of, Christina’s promotion of the release did not live up to the album’s worth resulting in what many fans are accurately billing a commercial slow burner. An album, that though packing enough hits to dominate a number of radio formats, was never given the opportunity to truly fly.

That is…until now.

Details below…

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Congratulations are in order for Kendrick Lamar!

Less than two months after becoming available purchase, his Drake assisted single ‘Poetic Justice‘ has now sold enough copies to receive Gold Certification by the Recording Industry Association Of America.

Chart check below…

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Usher‘s inaugural SXSW appearance came last night during the set of the night’s rocker headliners Afghan Whigs.  The group backed the ‘Confessions’ crooner as he laid into a number of his top hits including ‘O.M.G.’, ‘Climax’, ‘U Got It Bad’, and more.

Ush’s performance, which came during the height of last night’s media circus around ailing health reports of rapper Lil’ Wayne, saw him send well-wishes to the ‘Lollipop’ performer.

See this and more after the jump:

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‘Lose To Win’ wailer Fantasia was spotted in Hollywod, Florida this weekend showing off for the 8th annual ‘Jazz In The Gardens’ Conference.

Donning a sparkling black sequined number,  the Grammy-winner gleamed while chatting about her highly anticipated performance and what fans can expect from it.  See more from our friends TheYBF below:

The snaps surface just weeks before her fourth album ‘Side Effects Of You’ is set to hit record shelves.

Fans interested in the showing should know Fantasia is just one of R&B’s premier acts on the bill.  Monica, Mary Mary, Charlie Wilson, Babyface, and Ne-Yo are just a few of the other acts on hand to entertain as well.  See more information here.

Your thoughts?

Guess who decided to give those vocals a rest?

Yep, perhaps in realising the sound that springs from her mouth can at times give ‘nails on a chalkboard’ realness, last week saw Rihanna employ a backing vocal during her performance of ‘Pour It Up’ on the first night of her ‘Diamonds World Tour’.

Opting to execute a stripper friendly choreography instead of singing live, her serving of the song does make for an interesting watch, telling a number of tales on how many hours both she and team spent in rehearsing for the show.

Watch and weigh in below…

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Let’s be honest…how many of Justin Timberlake‘s contemporaries ten years ago can say they’re just as successful today as they were back then.

When you take Beyonce and Britney out of the equation, that leaves very few- and now, days before his latest album is set to secure sales of over half a million units in its launch week, he extends his current reign with a visit to BET‘s ‘106 & Park‘.

Pushing the album to its Urban audience,  the former N’Sync frontman dished  on the process behind crafting the album, the aforementioned Bey  and what the future holds for his ever potent brand.

Watch below!

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