Competition: Alicia Keys Tour Give-Away! - Week 2 WinnersThanks all those who entered the Week 2 of our ‘Alicia Keys Tour Give-Away’.
The correct answer to the question:

What is Alicia’s real name ?

a) Alicia Augello-Cook

The winners, who are listed below, win a pair of tickets each to their selected date (email confirmation has also been sent out):
* Dallas, Texas: Nokia Theatre – May 14th 2008 – Winner:
Pedro Aguilera

* New Orleans, Louisiana: New Orleans Arena – May 22nd 2008 – Winner
Jordan Lewis
Congratulations to the winners! Stay tuned for the final (Week 3) instalment of the competition, which will be posted tomorrow.
R&B star Kelly Rowland is really doing her thing over here in Europe. ‘Work’ is still soaring up the charts in some countries, one of which is France, where the singer stopped by Le Grand Journal to perform the song today:

Great performance; from the energy, to the crowd interaction to the weave slinging lol. Kelly has really been on her A-Game consistently with these recent batch of performances. ‘Ms. Kelly: Deluxe’ hits stores in Europe on May 12th.

What do you think of the performance?

Christina: 'I Would Never Work With Timbaland'Pop star Christina recently spoke on the direction of her fourth studio album (due in the Fall), insisting that the LP would not follow trends:

“This record is going to be very different from my previous record ‘Back To Basics.’ I’m working with a lot of different people so it’s a little hard for me to really go for a specific theme this time around, but I can assure you that it’s going to be a very very interesting record. Am I nervous? Of course but I’m also very excited. I never like to play it safe so it’s always a little risky to release a record that doesn’t sound like everything else out there. I mean, I love Timbaland’s music for example but I would never work with people like that because everyone else is doing it already” {Source}

It’s great to see Christina not jumping on the Timbaland bandwagon. Granted he’s undeniably one today’s top hit makers, his ‘sound’ is becoming increasingly dated IMO. I’m kinda hoping Christina keeps pushing boundaries, yet also sticks with a tried and tested direction; as that ‘Back To Basics’ record, though not the pits, was certainly several steps back from the solidness that was ‘Stripped’.


Any thoughts?
Former G-Unit vixen Olivia recently sat down with Carlos King to discuss a number issues including her highly publicized split from the rap collective, her new album, romance and more. Check it out:

It was good to see her give a little clarity to the situation. Here’s hoping she’s found the right label that will handle her project correctly, as the list of producers featured on the record are pretty impressive (Bryan Michael Cox, Darkchild, Missy Elliott etc).

Any thoughts?

Chris Brown Covers Ebony R&B teen star Chris Brown features on the cover of the latest issue of Ebony magazine. The pic along with the article tag-line (‘Chris Brown On Women, Sex & Music’), definitely show he’s of age now.

What do you think of the video?
Ashanti - 'In These Streets'As Ashanti readies her fourth studio LP ‘The Declaration’ for a June 3rd release, a new track from the set has surfaced. Though the mid-tempo ‘In These Streets’ is a solid cut, this is very much album-only material. Decent.

Hit or Miss?

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Amidst the media speculation surrounding Mariah Carey’s supposed marriage to actor/comedian Nick Cannon, the video for the singer’s new single ‘Bye Bye’ – which stars Cannon – premiered today. Having watched the clip, I’m now almost certain that the ‘wedding’ is a publicity stunt. I mean why was Nick in the video? His role served no purpose to the song’s lyrical content. The initially boring clip picked up when it began to take some kind of relevant form. I’m not particularly a fan of the song, however I can see Mariah scoring another big hit with this.

What do you think of the video?

Ciara - 'High Price' (ft. Ludacris) (Snippet)A snippet of ‘High Price’ (ft. Ludacris), the first single to be released from Ciara’s 3rd studio album ‘Fantasy Ride’ (tentatively slated for a September release) has surfaced. I’ll reserve my judgement until I hear the track in its entirety. I know that I’m definitely on the fence about the ‘voice’ she’s singing in.


Hit or Miss?

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Jennifer Hudson - 'All Dressed Up In Love' Jennifer Hudson’s contribution to ‘The Sex & The City’ movie soundtrack, a cut titled ‘All Dressed Up In Love’, has surfaced. Though not what I initially expected, the funky mid-tempo is a decent effort, that seems to match the tone of the film.

Hit or Miss?

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Pussycat Doll front woman, Nicole Scherzinger sang the US National Anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner’, this past Saturday at the Oscar De La Hoya vs Steve Forbes boxing match in California. Check it out below:

She sounded good for the most part, but something about her is still distinctly underwhelming to me. When is the new Pussycat Dolls album out?

What do you think of her rendition?

*Apologies about the slow posts recently*

Mariah Covers VIBE

Diva Mariah graces the June cover of VIBE magazine. The issue, which hits newsstands today, sees the songstress model a variety of swimwear showcasing her new slim-line physique.She looks real good; they went a lot easier on the Photoshop job than her recent promo pics have done, IMO making her look even better.

What do you think of the cover?

That Grape Juice, once again, wants to see what you guys are listening to. Which 5 tracks have you got on constant rotation at the moment? Remember, it doesn’t have to be limited to R&B or Hip-Hop; could be something new, throwback, even something you made yourself lol. Drop a comment in the comments section. Mine are – in no particular order:

1) For The Record – Mariah Carey
2) No Substitute Love – Estelle
3) Closer – Ne-Yo
4) I’m Here – Fantasia
5) Candy Shop – Madonna

What are your ‘Top 5 Songs Of The Moment’?
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