Despite it being some time before her new album hits stores, Pop beauty Cassie has already embarked on a mini promotional campaign to generate some buzz for the project which is to be released by Bad Boy Recordings.
Paying a visit to the ever welcoming 106 & Park, Ms. ‘Long Way To Go’ addressed a number of issues, from what can fans expect from the LP and more interestingly, the reason she has been working with vocal coaches.
Watch the interview below…
R&B is on a respirator. Once a celebrated genre that has given the music industry some of its most praised acts (see Luther, Whitney, Aretha, Marvin), the musical styling is unquestionably losing its identity to Hip-Hop and now Electro-Pop.
The question at hand: is R&B on its last breath or is revival in its future? In a three part series, That Grape Juice will analyze three sectors of the fallen genre: ladies (songstresses), males (crooners), and groups (both male and female) to determine if resurrection is in its future or if it will find permanent rest in the history books.
Next up, gentlemen…
One quick peruse of today’s Pop charts and Marvin Gaye might have a new reason to ask ‘What’s Going On’? 2011’s Billboard charts stand almost tenantless of R&B testosterone, with acts like Trey Songz acting as sole representative of the dying breed. Such turn of events beg the question; Where did the male R&B singer go?
Rewinding to the beginnings of R&B sees acts such as Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and Gaye winning over multi-racial audiences, breaking down barriers while ‘breaking it down’ on global stages. These are the men who effortlessly denoted what the generations that succeeded them would call ‘swag’. And, though Gaye himself is touted as one of the greatest R&B vocalists of all-time, his contemporaries yielded no shortage of competition.
Fast forward from the Motown heyday of the 60s to the 80s and early 90s and you’ll see R&B replace disco moves in place of slow grooves, and balladeers take the forefront. And, while the Prince’s and Michael Jackson’s were migrating from their native genre to Pop crossover territories, Peabo Bryson, Gerald Levert, Babyface, Tevin Campbell, and the era’s king crooner, Luther Vandross, were busy enacting an R&B renaissance. Although not dominating the Pop charts like their R&B female counterparts (see Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey), there was certainly no dearth of R&B divo, crafting unforgettable hits and designing the soundtrack to our generation’s ‘old school’.
And then there was R.Kelly. With highly sexualized lyrics and suggestive stage shows to match, Kelly single-handedly ushered in a new era of R&B – discarding the debonair of Romance&B in exchange for Risque&B. Crowned the genre’s new king, the singer undeniably stands as the bridge between the balladeers of yesteryear and today’s R&B. And, while the Brian McKnight’s, Jon B.’s, Maxwell’s, Ginuwine‘s, and co. crooned to varying, altogether commendable chart success, the 90s saw no other R&B male take the industry by the reins like Kelly until Usher.
With Kelly’s packaging, albeit diluted, Mr. Raymond saw his rise to fame come on the wave of teen idolatry. Even with the record buying public partial to Popi’er counterparts (Backstreet Boys, N’sync, etc.), Usher still never abandoned his R&B roots, wielding such career defining hits as ‘Nice and Slow’, and later ‘You Got It Bad’ and ‘Confessions’.
Fast forward to today. After a decade of Hip-Hop influence, even neo-soul and traditional R&B singers (Mario, Jaheim, Musiq Soulchild) have tried trading in their signature mid-tempos to conform to the genre’s stylings (bass heavy and oft misogynistic lyrics) – to mixed success. And with Hip-Hop’s hand itself slowly losing grip on the industry, failures in both Hip-Hop and R&B have encouraged the Usher’s (see: ‘Here I Stand’) and co. alike to conform (to varying degrees) to the industry’s new tyrant – Electro Pop.
So, where does the R&B male fit in?
While a new class lay waiting for chart recognition (Lloyd, Miguel, and the like), this generation’s leaders are undoubtedly Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, and Trey Songz. Interestingly, though all three are billed as R&B artists, none have remained as loyal to the genre as Songz (noted: the first to debut, but the least successful of the three). Could such be due, in part, to his allegiance to R&B?
That Grape Juice wants to know…
Pop royal Janet Jackson is currently over here in London for the latest leg of her ‘Number Ones: Up, Close, & Personal Tour’. Taking a brief break from her 3-day residency at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, the diva stopped by ITV1’s Paul O’Grady Show.
There, the 45 year old (still hard to believe) plugged the trek, her new book ‘True You’, movies, and the like. She also reveals that the tour will be heading to Africa, Asia, as well as returning to the States – keeping her on the road into 2012.
Check out the interview (and my two pence below) …
It’s been a so-so few years for Mary J. Blige. While her albums have sold solidly, each release seems to spurn fewer and fewer hits. Hoping to turn the tide with her forthcoming ‘My Life II’ LP, the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul has gone back to basics. Case, point, example, ‘Miss Me With That’.
Take a listen after the jump…
She works hard for the money!
Taking a break from her busy X Factor USA schedule, Nicole Scherzinger flew over to Carisle, England to continue promotion for her ‘Killer Love’ LP at Radio 1’s ‘Big Weekend’ last night.
The set, released in Europe in March, has performed well on this side of the pond, peaking at #8 on the Official UK Album Chart.
Check out the former Pussycat Doll’s live showings of ‘Poison’, ‘Don’t Cha’, and UK #1 ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ …
Comeback queen Jennifer Lopez is currently riding high on the charts with new single ‘On The Floor’. Ahead of the debut of the song’s video on Thursday’s American Idol, a new teaser of the TAJ directed clip has been released.
Check it out after the jump…
Somewhat overdue, the video for Michael Jackson‘s latest single ‘Hollywood Tonight’ was aptly shot in Hollywood, California last night. The Teddy Riley produced cut (first recorded in 2007) serves as the 2nd release to be lifted from the King of Pop’s first posthumous LP ‘Michael’ – which topped charts globally late last year.
Check out the footage, which sees the 60+ cast dancing up a storm, after the jump…
The cast of hit TV show ‘Glee’ hit the X Factor stage for their first major live performance. Check out Rachel, Finn, Mercedes, Kurt and co’s rousing performance of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ after the jump…
The video for Ke$ha‘s #1 smash ‘We R Who We R’ premiered moments ago on VEVO.
Peep the Pop rebel in action below…
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The trailer for Tyler Perry’s ‘Why Did I Get Married Too’ aired on Entertainment Tonight a few moments ago. Once again starring Janet Jackson, the sequel to 2007’s box office smash ‘Why Did I Get Married’ is set to be released April 2010. The trailer looks off the charts!
Interesting to note, Janet was on the set of the movie when she learned of her brother Michael’s passing back in June. She returned to filming a few weeks later, so I’d imagine this one will see an emotionally charged performance from Ms. Jackson (and the rest of the cast). Definitely looking forward to this.
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