This week’s Best You Never Heard feature returns this week with little known gems by Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox, Jill Scott, The-Dream and Cherish.

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Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox – Same Script, Different Cast

For a collaboration of such magnitude, it’s surprising to note that so little has been made of Whitney Houston and Deborah Cox’s 2000 duet ‘Same Script, Different Cast’. Lifted from Houston’s multi-Platinum ‘Greatest Hits’ LP, the stirring ballad sees the divas soar to new vocal heights, over a soulful reinterpretation of Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’

In an age where the beauty of great lyrics is almost entirely confined to the past, this is a potent reminder that an engaging story can skilfully be conveyed via song. Indeed, the track features Houston playing the former lover of Cox’s current boyfriend, warning Cox of his hurtful ways. Yet Cox refuses to acknowledge it, accusing Houston being jealous. A divas clash of epic proportions!

If ‘The Boy Is Mine’ had a sassier, older sister, this would be she! Awesome track.  (SAM)

Listen:

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Jill Scott – The Real Thing

Serving as the title track from her 2007 release, ‘The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3’, Jill Scott’s ‘The Real Thing’ demonstrates her versatility as both a songwriter and vocalist. The powerhouse singer gives the listener the opportunity to hear the restrained yet gritty side of her renowned voice while unleashing a wave of lyrical fire over the live instrumental.

Scott spits rhymes in the second verse with the precision of the most talented MCs; combining her Neo-Soul roots with her poetic skill. When it comes to being a true artist, Scott is definitely ‘the real thing’. (TRENT)

Listen:

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The-Dream – Put It Down

Listen:

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Cherish – Chevy

Though now no longer together, sister-group Cherish served up many an underrated gem in their short stint on the music scene – cue ‘Chevy’. Taken from their 2006 debut ‘Unappreciated’, the track is best characterised as R&B bliss.

The Old School inspired car-bumper manages to not only be racy (with clever use of metaphors), it also remained age-appropriate for the ladies – who at the time were mostly in their teens. How or why this wasn’t a single, I have no idea! (SAM)

Listen:

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In what looks to be the first major controversy Lady GaGa has found herself in, the 24 year old superstar has admitted to Vanity Fair magazine that she uses Cocaine. This, despite, her much publicised battle with drug addiction – and eventual overcoming of it.

Full story below…

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R&B songstress Keyshia Cole is currently hard at work on her fourth studio album. The ‘Let It Go’ singer, who gave birth to her first child in March, recently revealed the name of the LP in an interview with Hip-Hop Diva.

Album title after the jump…

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Today marks one year since the passing onto eternity of the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Despite 365 long days having passed, the reality that Michael is no longer with us is still hard to fathom. Indeed, during his life, Michael enjoyed an unparallel level of super-stardom, leading many to class him as ‘other worldly’, a fictional character of sorts – who doesn’t die. Unfortunately, the reality of his mortality coldly hit the world on June 25th 2009.

However, today shouldn’t be one for mourning. Rather, the life of this incredible performer, philanthropist, and all-round legend should be celebrated. Cliché-sounding perhaps; yet, in the 50 years Michael spent on this earth, he shared a gift, a talent, which many of us will never see topped in our lifetime. To have experienced such history, I am eternally thankful for.

A lifelong fan, Michael’s passing hit me hard. As a late 80’s baby, Michael Jackson came to represent my childhood (from dancing around to his music at ANY and EVERY opportunity to watching ‘Thriller’ only to run away in a delightful fright when he turned into the monster “go away!”). In later years, I came to appreciate his artistry, as well as the depth and breadth of his message. Indeed, my love for Michael’s music birthed my love for music more generally – hence the eventual creation of this very site. His death (made all the more ‘real’ by the fact I was due to see him – front row centre – at his ‘This Is It’ show), therefore, left me feeling as if a significant part of my childhood died when he did.

Yet with time, comes fresh perspectives. While Michael may physically be no longer with us, he is still very much alive – as are the music and memories he left us with. Put simply, greatness is immortal. Michael Joseph Jackson is immortal.

Therefore, on this the one year anniversary of his passing, That Grape Juice salutes the undisputed King of Pop, King of Dance…King of Music – Michael Jackson.

Long live the King!

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Tidbits

A major supporter of Michael’s later work, I feel too much of it went criminally underrated. The following are a couple of my favourites of his more recent material:

We’ve Had Enough

Unbreakable

* Also, click here to check out our review of The Michael Jackson Exhibition.

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Your thoughts?

In the wake of the leak of Drake‘s hotly anticipated ‘Thank Me Later’ LP (which is set to hit stores June 15th ), the Young Money star has taken to Twitter to air his opinions on matters. Check out what he had to say below…(via Rap-Up)

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Hailed by industry heavyweights as ‘the next big thing’, 24 year old Brit Smith, more commonly known as Matisse, looks poised for a very successful 2010.

The latest addition to the Jive Records roster, Matisse is no stranger to the limelight. Indeed, she named herself after one of her favourite painters who refused to give up as a struggling artist. Some may remember the stunning starlet‘s first industry outing as one half of sisterly duo Brit & Alex back in 2008. While that project didn’t take off – resulting in the sisters disbanding, Matisse the solo star looks set for a much brighter future, if the phenomenal reception to her infectious debut single ‘Better Than Her’ is anything to go by.

So much so is the buzz surrounding the singer that many of music’s biggest hitmakers are queuing up to work on her debut LP. The following are but a few of them:

“Matisse is one of my favourite new artists. She brings a playful energy back to pop music reminiscent of early Madonna” – Kevin Rudolf

“She’s a natural superstar who’s a deadly combo of sexiness and class.…” – Dallas Austin

“Matisse is an artist with the goods! … Someone to keep an eye out for in 2010!” – Tricky Stewart

“Matisse is the complete artist. … [She] is the real deal!” – Harvey Mason Jr.

Though born in Connecticut, Matisse’s teenage years were spent here in London – an experience which no doubt influences the international sound her music boasts; an honest (non-cliché) fusion of Pop, Electronica, and R&B. A fusion, I found, greatly demonstrated on the Dallas Austin produced ‘Lullabies, Chocolates & Lies’ – which you can listen to below.

A breath of fresh air, Matisse will no doubt be a name on the lips of many very soon!

Check out ‘Better Than Her’ and ‘Lullabies, Chocolates & Lies’ below:

Better Than Her

Lullabies, Chocolates & Lies

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For more on Matisse, check out her official website, as well as her Myspace. You can also follow her on Twitter.

Think you or your artist should be featured on ‘Freshly Squeezed’? Drop an email to freshness@thatgrapejuice.net

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Your thoughts?

Christina Aguilera is on the brink of having one of the biggest radio hits of the year. Her new song, ‘Not Myself Tonight’, recently nabbed the title of being the most added song to Top 40 radio since January 1st, despite only being serviced to US stations on April 5th.  Now, as part of the building promotional campaign for the single and her new album, ‘Bionic’, which hits stores on June 8th, the singer has taken to her official website to discuss what fans can expect from the project. Check out what Aguilera had to say below:

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It appears the weighty promotional campaign for Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married Too?’ has paid off rather handsomely. Since the movie’s debut four days ago (April 2nd), it has grossed $30,150,000 – besting the first film’s debut box office sum by more than $10 million.

Originally a shoo-in for the top spot, the movie debuted at #2 behind ‘Clash of the Titans’, which rocketed to #1 after grossing a whopping $61,400,000 during the same period.

The real success story, however, is undeniably ‘Married’. For, with its $20 million production budget, the movie has – in its first week of release – recouped all of that sum as well as  made a profit of $10 million!

Perry is set to shift his attention to his latest project, the movie adaptation of the book ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf’. The film, which will star Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, and Phylicia Rashad, begins filming in June, and will be released next January.

Randomness: Did you know the reason countries such as the UK don’t ever get the chance to see any of Perry’s films (and films like them) is because the movie studios -quote-on-quote – “don’t feel there is a market for them”. SMH…

Your thoughts?

A few months ago, Rihanna took part in a campaign to raise awareness for the plight of 7 year old Jasmine Anema who was dying of leukemia. Now, a month after the child has passed away, her mother, Karen Detrick, has accused Rihanna possibly of using her daughter’s illness for publicity. Check out what she had to say below:

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That Grape Juice caught up with Grammy award winning R&B star Monica this week. In our candid interview with the mother-of-two, she spoke on everything from finding her place in the industry again, to whether her hit BET reality show will be returning, exclusive details on her new album ‘Still Standing’, marriage, kids, Rihanna, and much more.

As ever, we ask the questions you really want answers to. A great read, I must say….Enjoy!

{Transcription by Bisi Kadejoh}

Monica Shouts Out That Grape Juice

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Mariah Carey is a diva. Soaring to the top of the charts with her incredible 5 octave vocal range, her  rapid ascension to the pinnacle of Pop music remains a feat unmatched by any other solo act in history. From her 18 #1 hits to her outstanding record sales, she truly is a phenomenon. Yet, in recent years, it seems that Carey’s impact has begun to wane.

With the exception of her now 6x platinum ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, Carey has been unable to produce a record in the last 10 years that captured renowned public appeal. In fact, she only accomplished 4 chart-toppers since the year 2000, a dramatic decline from the 14 she had in the 1990’s. Indeed, the demand for Carey’s material has now reached an all-time low as her latest LP, ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’, took an embarrassing 4 months to  achieve a gold certification; a noticeable decline for an artist whose previous 11 studio releases all went platinum or higher.

The real question is: what can Carey do to rejuvenate her career? While ‘Memoirs’ received the best reviews of any album she released since ‘Butterfly’, it is blatantly apparent that Carey is remaining in her comfort zone of mid-tempo R&B and finger-snapping radio material. Most of her records capitilise on the same formula she used to re-establish her career in 2005. However, this is 2010.

Unlike her peers such as Madonna, Beyonce or even Christina Aguilera, Carey seems reluctant to experiment with her image and material in the same way that she does with her voice. She remains steadfast in her effort to hold on to her youth by crafting Sesame Street-quality material such as ‘Touch My Body’ and ‘Up Out My Face’. Even her ballads have begun to sound the same; almost all emulating the piano-driven productions of her monster hit ‘We Belong Together’.

If Carey does not reinvent herself soon, she runs the risk of slipping into irrelevancy like many of her counterparts including Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez before her. She certainly has both the skill and the talent to reposition herself at the helm of the  game. Nevertheless, Carey needs to think ‘outside the box’ or her career may end up in one.

What direction should Carey take to revamp her

career?

Rihanna sat down with DJ Skee on 102.7 KISS FM recently. The model discussed several topics including working with Jay-Z and Bono, who she thinks is the better rapper between Jay and Kanye as well as her role as an industry “trendsetter”. Rihanna also revealed her admiration for Ke$ha who she calls “the new ‘it’ girl of the industry”.

I doubt anyone is surprised that Rihanna is a fan of Ke$ha. Both ladies have put forward similar, club–ready tracks and are definitely ‘it’ girls of the moment. The real talking point of this interview was when she addressed her role as a “trendsetter”. It’s great to see that she admits to drawing “inspiration” from others because her entire style seems “inspired” by Fefe Dobson and Kelis.

Thoughts?