We’ve been receiving many an email about a new Kelly Rowland cut which surfaced over the weekend, in the form of the Ne-Yo penned ‘Grown Ass Woman’. Interestingly enough, though, we’d heard the track hours before it seemingly started doing the rounds – opting not to post it due to what ( at the time) seemed like salicious leaks of Ms. Kelly’s new material.

However, it has today been confirmed that the Stargate produced track will now be serviced as Rowland’s new Stateside single instead of ‘Shake Them Haters Off’ (which may not actually make the album’s final tracklist). ‘Grown Ass Woman’ goes for adds on US Urban radio on June 29th.

A sassy, mid-tempo, which packs more of a punch lyrically than it does on the production tip, ‘Grown Ass Woman’ may just be that hit that Rowland has been seeking on home shores for sometime now. As much as it pains me to do, this does bare similarities to pal Beyonce’s ‘Irreplaceable‘; unsurprising in that it is the same team behind both songs. Not to be taken as a means of pitting the women against each other, the song’s comparability could very bode well for Rowland, for like ‘Irreplacebale’, ‘Grown Ass Woman’ boasts many a hook, is infectious, and radio food if I’ve ever heard it. Here’s hoping it does the trick.

Take a listen below…

(more…)

In somewhat of a surprising move, Kelly Rowland looks set to release BOTH ‘Commander’ and new cut ‘Shake Them Haters Off’ as the lead singles from her forthcoming album in the US. Produced by Stargate and penned by Ne-Yo, the song is quite the departure from the divafied scorcher that is ‘Commander’. Instead, it boasts an uplifting and empowering sentiment over a breezy mid-tempo beat.

Though admittedly far from my favourite cut from her new material, from a US radio standpoint, selecting this as a complimentary single to ‘Commander’ makes a lot of sense. For, in this era of music, it’s about shooting as many bullets and seeing what sticks (just ask Usher / ‘OMG’, ‘Lil’ Freak’, ‘Papers’ = hit album).

Take a listen below…

(more…)

T.I. has finally released the 1st single from his highly-anticipated upcoming album, ‘King Uncaged’. ‘Got Your Back’, which features Keri Hilson, was produced by DJ Toomp (Mariah Carey’s ‘I’ll Be Loving U Long Time’). ‘King Uncaged’ hits stores on August 17th. Give the song a listen below:

(more…)

After a brief hiatus from the spotlight, Ne-Yo is set to premiere his new single ‘Beautiful Monster’ on June 1st on iTunes. Check out the cover for the single above…

Will you be checking for Ne-Yo’s new material?

Your thoughts?

As previously reported, our good friends over at Rap-Up caught up with Kelly Rowland on the set of her eagerly awaited ‘Commander’ video earlier this week.

In this latest part of the interview, the Destiny’s Child alumni speaks on working with producers such as Dr Luke (Britney Spears), Stargate, Ne-Yo, and Jim Jonsin, as well as her wish to collaborate with with T.I. and Diddy, and more. Check it out below….

(more…)

Things are not looking good for diva Mariah Carey. The 39 year old’s remixes for her ‘Angel’s Advocate’ LP have failed to excite fans,with the lead  singles ‘Up Out My Face’ and the Ne-Yo assisted ‘Angel’s Cry’ failing miserably on the charts.  While ‘Up Out My Face’ peaked disappointingly at #100 on Billboard Hot 100, ”Cry’ embarrassingly never garnered enough airplay or downloads to even debut on the chart. Ouch!

This era is quickly descending into a hot burning mess for our Mimi. It’s all rather sad. With the Oscar buzz around ‘Precious’, as well as her other projects, it’s a bit baffling as to why she’d opt not to just concentrate on those (forgetting and hoping we did too) the epic flop that was ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’). Instead she’s subjecting herself to more embarrassment by lazily releasing a half-baked remix record. I really do not know who or what is helping her make these ill-informed decisions, but…

Your thoughts?

Universal Motown‘s latest signee Kelly Rowland is currently wrapping up the recording process of her hotly anticipated 3rd solo album, and it appears the 29 year old has left the best till last. Following recent confirmation that she’s has been recording with hit-makers Ne-Yo and Danja, it has now been revealed that the Destiny’s Child star has also been working with Polow Da Don on the project in Los Angeles. {Source}

Rowland worked with Polow on her 2007 smash ‘Like This’; the then-little-known producer, real name Jamal Jones, went on to craft hits for the likes of Ciara (‘Promise’), Fergie (‘London Bridge’, ‘Glamorous’), Usher (‘Love In This Club’), Keri Hilson (‘Turnin’ Me On’), and Chris Brown (‘Forever’).

Kelly and her new team are NOT playing this go round. I love it! As we reported, the album’s first single is set to drop in April, with the album following in May/June.

Your thoughts?

Global star Kelly Rowland is currently wrapping up the recording process of her hotly anticipated third studio album; and That Grape Juice can EXCLUSIVELY confirm that the 28 year old singer has recently enlisted hit-maker Ne-Yo for the project. The ‘Miss Independent’ singer/songwriter joins the likes of Brian Kennedy, Jermaine Dupri, Bangladesh, Baby Face, Toby Gad, David Guetta, Rico Love, Jim Jonsin, Bryan-Michael Cox, Eric Hudson, and The Stereotypes, all of whom Rowland has worked with on the album.

As previously reported, the Destiny’s Child alumni is preparing to formally announce her new record deal with Universal Motown, home to the likes of Lil’ Wayne and Young Money, Akon, and Nelly.

—————————————–

Granted the work of above-mentioned list of producers may not all make it onto the final tracklist, it certainly makes for  an exciting read as well as awesome prospects for the sound of Ms. Kelly’s record. Now that Ne-Yo is on board, things are looking even better. With Kelly looking to fuse Urban and Dance this go round, I’d certainly welcome Ne-Yo serving up something in the vein of ‘Closer’ and/or ‘Miss Independent’ for our girl. I guess time will tell. One thing is for sure….we can’t wait to hear it!

Your thoughts?

Yesterday, diva Mariah Carey’s ‘Angels Cry (Remix)’ surfaced on the web. Today, the ‘Up Out My Face (Remix)’ has emerged as well. The single, which will be released as part of a dual release with ‘Cry’, features rapper Nicki Minaj. Carey’s ‘Angels Advocate’ remix LP hits stores on February 23rd.

This track supports the old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The original version was solid and served as one of the standout songs from the ‘Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel’. However, the addition of Minaj’s almost confusing lyrics over a completely unaltered production seems almost completely pointless. The rapper did not improve the song in any way. The hype of both their names will certainly guarantee that the song will get airplay but without the support of a strong video, I sense that this single will be quickly ignored in favour of the ‘Cry’ collaboration with Ne-Yo.

Hit or Miss?

Mariah Carey and Ne-Yo have been busy on the set of their new video for their collaborative effort, the ‘Angels Cry (Remix)’. The clip is being directed by Carey’s husband, Nick Cannon, who also directed her ‘Up Out My Face (Remix)’ which features rapper Nicki Minaj. While these shots don’t look as intriguing as those of the other video, I am still eager to see what two of R&B’s major players can cook up. Peep more pics from the shoot below:

What do you think of the pics?

That Grape Juice recently conducted an exclusive interview with super producer Rico Love. In our discussions with the hit-maker, who originally broke into the industry as a rapper signed to R&B phenom Usher, elaborated on some of his current projects. Included in his extensive list of works are records for Kelly Rowland, Nelly, Jamie Foxx, Pleasure P and Usher’s highly anticipated forthcoming album, ‘Raymond vs. Raymond’ which hits stores on March 1st, 2010. Peep an excerpt from the interview below:

Which abum have you worked on thus far that you feel has produced your best work (released or unreleased)?

I don’t know but I’m really confident about this Usher project. I did like 6 records on the ‘Raymond vs. Raymond’. This is 360; this is bringing it back to where I got my start. I put everything into every artist I work with – new or old, legend or newcomer – but I go above and beyond for Usher because I have so much to prove. This is the guy who gave me my start, so this album I gave some of my best work; I wrote some of my biggest records.

It goes without saying that Usher’s had a hard time recapturing the success of the ‘Confessions’ era for one reason or another. What can we expect from his upcoming record?

I just want people to know that he sings better than ever. His vocals are better than ever. He is doing innovative, new-sounding music; just a new vibe. Also, he’s not neglecting the classic ‘Usher’ sound. I feel like that’s what happened before. I wasn’t involved in the ‘Here I Stand’ album. I thought it was a great record. I feel like now he’s just capturing what made Usher so great; those classic melodies that we’re tackling; just having him sing like he’s never sung before.

Usher goes in hard; he does vocal training still! After all these years, he still gets his vocal coach and gets better; he works out his voice still. I just feel like he’s got his mind right; he’s ready for war; he feels like his back is against the wall and that’s sometimes the best feeling; the feeling that makes the best records.

This is certainly some welcome news. As an advocate of many of Usher’s earlier records, I am enthused to hear that he is pushing himself both musically and sonically to new heights. Given the current tumultuous nature of the industry, and the fact that his last LP was generally underwhelming, Usher is going to have to give everything that he’s got if he hopes to make a major impact on the charts. With many of his younger contemporaries including Chris Brown and Ne-Yo vying for his top spot, the crooner is truly going to have to prepare for “war”.

Thoughts?

R&B hit-maker Ne-Yo made an appearance on ‘Live with Regis & Kelly’ recently. The singer/songwriter performed ‘Never Knew I Needed’ from the soundtrack of Disney’s ‘The Princess and the Frog’. The LP was released in stores on November 23rd.

This is a very pleasant song. However, there is something about Ne-Yo’s voice that does’t deliver the material in the way that leaves an impact on the casual listener. Whether it is his lack of power or just a natural ‘grit’, I felt that the performance came up wanting. Either way, it’s hard to deny that Ne-Yo is an immensely talented writer and one of the best dressed men in the game right now. It’s certainly refreshing to see him on stage without his pants sagging down to his knees like many of his contemporaries.

Thoughts?