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Neo-Soul diva Jill Scott is preparing to release a new studio album this year. The record, entitled ‘The Light Of The Sun’, serves as the 4th installment of t her critically acclaimed ‘Words And Sounds’ series. According to Soul Culture, the singer’s LP will hit stores in Spring/Summer.

As one of the most technically skilled singers to emerge in the last decade, to say that I am eager to hear this record would be an understatement. In addition to her lyrical prowess, Scott’s expansive vocal range and power ranks her in the same league as Lauryn Hill, in my opinion. Moreover, ‘The Real Thing’ was undoubtedly a  modern classic, as many of the singles from the project still enjoy heavy rotation on the R&B formats. ‘The Light Of The Sun’ is definitely one to which I look forward.

Thoughts?

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Elastic entertainer Ciara is reportedly being paid an astounding $2 million to perform this New Year’s Eve. The  singer will perform a set of her biggest hits at the event which will be held in Kazakhstan. Interestingly, Whitney Houston was also paid a similar fee when she appeared on stage at the same venue in July 2008.

New Year’s Eve has certainly set the stage for quite the wage war! First Rihanna gets paid to perform in Abu Dhabi, and now this. The real question is: which audience do you think will be getting more for their money? Those who turn up to hear Rihanna ‘sing’ or those who pay to see Ciara dance?

Thoughts?

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After months of speculation and a string of erroneous reports, Universal Music Group has just announced that Mariah Carey will be embarking on an 8-week, 19-city North American tour. The ‘Angels Advocate’ tour will be preceded by a performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City and officially begin on January 2nd at Borgata in Atlantic City. The production will support the diva’s 12th studio album, ‘Memoir of An Imperfect Angel’, which has been commercial disappointment by selling less than 344, 000 copies since it’s September release. Peep the official list of locations below:

Dec. 31 New York, NY Madison Square Garden – on sale now
Jan. 2 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata – on sale now
Jan. 15-16 Mashantucket, CT MGM Grand Theatre at Foxwoods – on sale 12/11
Jan. 19 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre – on sale 12/19
Jan. 21 Hollywood, FL Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – on sale 12/18
Jan. 25 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre – on sale 12/19
Jan. 27 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall – on sale 12/18
Jan. 30 Boston, MA Wang Theatre – on sale 12/19
Feb. 1 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theatre – on sale 12/19
Feb. 4 Montreal, Que. Bell Centre – on sale 12/19
Feb. 6 Ottawa, Ont. Scotiabank Place – on sale 12/21
Feb. 9 Toronto, Ont. Air Canada Centre – on sale 12/21
Feb. 10 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center – on sale 12/19
Feb. 13 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre – on sale 12/19
Feb. 16 Minneapolis, MN Northrop Auditorium – on sale TBA
Feb. 18 Dallas, TX Nokia Theatre – on sale 12/18
Feb. 20 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre – on sale 12/19
Feb. 23 Los Angeles, CA Gibson Theatre – on sale 12/19
Feb. 26 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena – on sale 12/19
Feb. 27 Las Vegas, NV The Pearl Concert Theater – on sale 12/19 {Source}

As a major supporter of Mariah Carey’s music and someone who enjoyed the ‘Memoirs…’ album, I am indeed excited she will be hitting the road once again. However, I am concerned that this maybe a little too late. The album has underperformed tremendously on the charts and has already fallen halfway down the Billboard 200. Furthermore, with only one hit record from the project, I highly doubt that people will be enthused to see her perform material from the album at all.

The real question is if she will be able to consistently sell out venues on her journey around the nation. Judging by the list of sites, it seems that label has taken this into consideration, as she will only be performing in small to medium venues. Hopefully, this will help the sales of her LP because at this rate, it does not seem that she will even go Gold (a first for Carey whose other 11 studio releases have all gone platinum or higher).

Thoughts?

Sexy siren Ciara spoke to ‘MTV News’ last evening while at the VEVO launch in New York City. The singer elaborated about the direction that  she will be taking on her next album, the follow-up to this year’s ‘Fantasy Ride‘. Ciara received a Grammy Award nomination for ‘Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals’ for her hit ‘Love Sex Magic’, which featured Justin Timberlake. The new LP hits stores in 2010.

This is certainly some interesting news. The fact that she is going to target “everybody” with this project is a very good indication that she will be developing material similar to ‘Love Sex Magic’, which saw her step out of her Urban niche and into the realm of Pop music. Ciara definitely has the potential to be an international act; with the potential to find success beyond the Hip-Hop/R&B format. Indeed, unlike many of her contemporaries (*hint hint*), she has both beauty and talent in her corner. I am eager to hear what she puts forward.

Thoughts?

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Exactly 10 years ago, Jennifer Lopez was at the helm of the pantheon of Urban/Pop artists. The entertainer was one of the few women to emerge from the ‘Latin explosion’ of the turn of the century and find major success on the Pop charts. ‘Jenny from the block’ has had 4 number songs from 8 top 10 hits.

However, in recent years, the singer has found it difficult to crack the upper peripheries of the Billboard Hot 100, especially with her new song ‘Louboutins’ which has yet to chart even after  high profile performances on the American Music Awards and ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’. In fact, this week the song has generated less than 0.370 million audience impressions and is falling rather quickly. In other words, it’s a flop.

Many critics highlight similarities between the star and her contemporaries including popular models Rihanna and Cassie, who are better known for their fashion know-how than their musical prowess (although neither can hold a candle to Jennifer’s danging/singing ability). Indeed, many have cited that like the style trends that they promote, their presence in the industry is nothing but a fad.

The real question that comes out of this situation is: does Jennifer have the potential to once again rule the Pop roost? Or will the performer be left in the 00’s like her former collaborator Ja Rule? I personally believe that unless Ms. Jlo is able to find a hit with her next single, her time may officially be up.

Do you think that Jennifer can make a comeback?

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Despite rigorous promotional efforts and a price cut to 99 cents, Rihanna’s ‘Rated R’ has debuted with less than impressive numbers. As confirmed by HitsDailyDouble, the album only managed to ship 180, 198 units, placing it at #5 behind Susan Boyle, Andrea Bocelli, Adam Lambert, and Lady GaGa. Although the figure represents a personal best for the fashionista, it certainly is a far cry from the 669,843 copies that Boyle managed to sell with notably less promotion. Not only has the album failed to capture public attention in the US but the record also underwhelmed audiences in the UK where it debuted at #16, selling 32, 000 units.

Regardless of my personal opinions about Rihanna’s material, this outcome was definitely not foreseen. As one of music’s ‘it’ acts, many were expecting ‘Rated R’ to be one of the most successful releases of the year, especially given the additional attention she received from ‘the incident’ involving ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. The upset is only compounded by the fact that 3 singles were released to support the album.

It is quite interesting that the Island Def Jam’s biggest selling acts of 2008 – Mariah Carey and Rihanna – both had very disappointing releases this year. The real question here is: what went wrong? Is it that there is some form of underlying issue involving her label? Or is there some other reason for her low debut on the charts?

What do you think went wrong?

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As a result of the lackluster reception of ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’, and Mariah Carey‘s indignation with the handling of the record, sources close to That Grape Juice have informed us that the songbird may just be ready to take flight to a new label. There is reliable word that Carey has been at logger-heads with label-head LA Reid for several months now.

The 39-year old diva has been signed to the Island Def Jam Music Group since 2002. The terms of the singer’s deal entail a minimum of 3 albums for the grand total of 22.5 million dollars, with her being named a joint partner with the Universal Music Group. Carey’s first LP released under the agreement was 2002’s ‘Charmbracelet’ which was followed by the 6x platinum ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, ‘E=MC²’ and Memoirs…, which was released on September 29th 2009.

If Carey decides to leave IDJ, I will not be shocked. The promotional efforts behind ‘Memoirs…’ reflect less than half of the energy that the label placed into the ‘Emancipation’ project. Has anyone else noticed that she has barely taken any new promotional pictures for this record with the exception of her single covers and the album booklet? Add that to Carey’s criticism’s of ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ being chosen as a single in place of ‘H.A.T.E.U.’, and it’s easy to understand why she might be preparing to ditch the label.

It is no secret that several labels have been itching to sign Carey since she left Virgin Records in 2001. Clive Davis (Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson) at J Records, for instance, tried to get her to join his team. The real question is: should Carey leave IDJ, where would she fit in? I personally think that her best move would be to go back to Sony, where she would be able to get the attention and funding she deserves; a plausible option now that ex-husband Tommy Mottola is no longer with the company. Either way, with a rare talent like hers, she would be an invaluable addition to any label’s lineup.

What do you think Mariah’s next move should be?

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Fashion favourite Rihanna has been hard at work promoting her forthcoming album, ‘Rated R’. Emerging from that project is ‘Cold Case Love’, which was written and produced by Justin Timberlake’s The Y’s. ‘Rated R’ hits stores on November 23rd.

The production on this track is no joke. The beat compliments the drifting melodies quite well and the inclusion of the instrumentals was genius. Those elements combined with the revealing lyrics, provide an interesting cocktail for what could become a major success. In contrast, as per usual, Rihanna’s vocal performance was far from impressive. Although she managed to portray the pain behind the lyrics, she also injected pain into my ears. Where have all the real singers gone?

Hit or Miss?

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With just a few hours left before the final sales figures are available, HitsDailyDouble is reporting that Amerie’s ‘Love And War’ has thus far sold a dismal 7, 7o3 units based on 54% of the tallied retailers. The record is on track to debut at #7 on the Billboard 200, clocking a projected total of 15-17, 000 units. Thus far, none of Amerie’s 3 singles have managed to appear on the Billboard Hot 100, with ‘Why R U’ peaking the highest on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts at #55.

I highly doubt that this comes as a shock to anyone. With horribly handled promotion, a blatant lack of media presence and zero radio support, there was no way that this was going to be a top-seller. Amerie is definitely talented but talent alone does not equate to a successful album. Many people would suggest that the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of her label, Island Def Jam, which we all know support some of their other far less gifted artists (who shall remain unnamed…) a lot more than those with actual talent. I would have to agree with some of that criticism as well. However, the material on this record did not scream “mega-hit” either so the real fault truly resides with all of the parties involved, including Amerie herself.

Thoughts?

Heidi and Jade, two thirds of controversial trio, the Sugababes, recently sat down with In4merz to discuss pretty much everything (Amelle is resting off her ‘exhaustion’). Hence, posed to the ladies were questions about the group’s future, the fate of Jade’s solo material, their ironically titled ‘Sweet 7’ project and a whole lot more.

An interesting watch, yet a somewhat sad one, as the reality of what the group has become sunk in with every minute that passed during this interview (see: Jade’s talk of needing to ‘do her homework’ etc). Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see how things unfold with their ‘Sweet 7’ album.

Your thoughts?

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In a recent interview with Boombox, R&B singer Omarion offers his 2 cents on the brewing controversy surrounding the ‘dark side’ of the music industry, as well as Rihanna’s alleged involvement. Some of you will recall Tiffany Evans’ recent comments about Rihanna and apparent ‘devil worship’, comments which kinda blew the lid off the whole situation – a situation which has been the subject of much debate on a covert level for some time now. Check out what the former B2K star had to say:

“I don’t personally know Rihanna’s beliefs but I think there’s a very dark and very sinister part of the entertainment business and I think it’s very visible,” he said. “This is something that a lot of people don’t look at [but for example] Michael Jackson used to be a Jehovah’s Witness and I remember hearing that he wanted to separate from the religion — and this was during the time that he was doing ‘Thriller’ [which ended up being] his biggest album.”

“Fast forward to now,” Omarion continued, “[and] it really made me think that there is a [time as an artist] where there’s going to be a choice. The[entertainment] world [dictates] that you have to be with three or four women, or do this in order to get that [and] I think it’s really interesting. With God and the industry, it’s really dark. The dark side is having to get in, there’s a certain submission you need to have. Just like a gang [initiation], so to speak. You might have to do something against your moral code. I’m not saying that it’s always this way, but when you’re someone that is young and you’re coming up in the industry and you really don’t have a grip on your morals it can be very dark. The game is just about over saturation.

“I don’t know if Rihanna [has fallen victim to those pressures]. I’ve never really heard her speak about it,” he said. “I hope that she doesn’t believe in that stuff and I don’t think that she does, but I don’t know. It’s not just been a Rihanna thing, [there’s has been religious speculation] about a lot of artists.”

Hmmm. I’ve kinda kept my mouth quiet about all this Illumnati malarky for a while now, but feel there’s there no time better than the present to address it head on, following Omarion’s comments (which I felt, though thought provoking, had holes all over the place).

Coming from a strong pentecostal Christian background myself, the notion of the existence ‘evil’ and ‘evil spirits’ are something which has been drummed into me from an early age, hence I’ve always had an awareness of negative entities. More broadly speaking, though, even on a non-religious tip, to believe in any type of ‘good’, one must believe in the existence of ‘evil’. That said, I really can’t see what all the noise is about here.

Yes, some artists’ conduct are questionable. And, yes, folks are in their rights to actively question certain things they observe (Ms. Fenty’s uber ‘dark’ image is becoming a little worrying). However, to start lumping almost every major artist and their mother as being part of some ‘evil’ cult is just ridiculous. So ridiculous, that I can’t but laugh. It’s funny, as the folk that are making the most noise are the same ones who don’t actively practice religion or aren’t religious at all. All these rumours seem to be bringing out the ‘inner preacher’ in many a gossiper (rolls eyes), who will have you believing the ‘devil’ himself  is a man who lives on Hollywood Blvd, a man who all of the industry’s top stars visit and ‘sell their souls’ to in exchange for success. I call BS.

The limited glimpse I’ve had into the ‘showbiz’ world through the opportunities I’ve had via this site, really drives home the age-old adage that  ‘not all that glitters is gold’. I can’t help but think that those saying these stars have ‘sold out to Satan’ are of the opinion that what they see in the music videos and on TV are real (i.e. luxury life, fame, money, cars aka hedonistic pleasures). It really isn’t, trust me. The reality of these stars are usually markedly different to what the Hollywood machine would have you believe is real. It is this same Hollywood machine that pumps money into artists and brands until they they reach the dizzy levels of success that seems to be triggering these accusations. It’s as if the level of stardom some artists enjoy isn’t digestible for some, hence to explain it, there has to be some kind of ‘supernatural’ element to it. Surely, it’s not that hard to swallow the fact that the media, a very powerful entity, creates (super)stars, as well as the fact that many of today’s stars do indeed work very hard on their craft, as well as their business savviness – to ensure their continued success and staying power.

While I’m not entirely downing some of the messages these religious DVD’s etc are propagating (although this CD burning thing needs to stop. You know damn well you paid good money for them!), I urge folk to not get caught up in the sensationalism of it all. If anything, if you didn’t pay attention to or question certain peculiarities before, now’s the time to switch your radar on – not just when it comes to the music industry either.  That said, singling out the most successful ones and putting their success down to some kind of ‘evil exchange’ is rather senseless IMO.

Quite eager to hear what you guys think about all this…

Your thoughts?

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Exactly one month ago, superstar Mariah Carey released her 12th studio album ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’ with a far from fantastic debut on the Billboard charts. Not only did the record fail to capture the top spot, but it spawned the lowest first week sales of her career with only 168, 000 units sold. To date, the album has managed to sell only a dismal 275, 000 copies.

This is beyond random. ‘Obsessed’ is a certified platinum hit (which I’m sure made a certain other poster on this site gag) and the album got way better reviews than the lukewarm ‘E=MC²’. Add that to strong material and impressive live vocal performances, many thought the album would have been a huge hit.

I sense the real downfall of the album came with the choice of ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ as the “first” single (o please). The label thought it would be a guaranteed ‘stone-groove smash hit wonder’. However, just because critics favour a track does not mean that the DJ’s or radio will support it. The same thing happened with the garbage that was ‘Bye Bye’.

It’s a fact that Mariah herself was pushing for ‘H.A.T.E.U’ to be released instead, voicing her annoyance almost every time she sang ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ in concert. No wonder there have been murmurings of her planning to leave Def Jam for a while now. I’d imagine an artist of Mariah’s caliber does not like to be told what to do in the vein a random R&B chick would, especially when they are proven right. Whether this album will even go Gold remains to be seen…

What do you think went wrong?

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