This week’s edition of ‘The Best You Never Heard’ serves up tracks from the likes of Fantasia, FDM, Mashonda and the Southern Hummingbird Tweet. You can drop me your suggestions for future installments at sam@thatgrapejuice.net

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Fantasia – Two Weeks Notice

Though the success story from Fantasia’s underrated self-titled sophomore effort was undeniably ‘When I See You’, the album definitely boasted several equally as solid tracks. One of the standouts IMO is ‘Two Weeks Notice’. With its clever word-play, as well as Fantasia’s stellar vocal delivery, this stands as one of my favourite R&B songs from the last few years.

Listen: Two Weeks Notice

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FDM – Playground

Some of our UK visitors may be aware of homegrown R&B trio FDM (formerly known as Fundmental’03). Having burst onto the scene back in 2005, the guys served up what I feel to be their best release yet in the form of ‘Playground’. Arguably ahead of its time (or market aka UK), the track didn’t really garner the attention it deserved. Still, the uptempo cut goes hard, even today. {FYI: FDM have relocated to the US having signed a joint-venture deal with Geffen/Interscope late 07. Their debut album should be hitting stores before the year is out.}

 

Listen: Playground

 

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Mashonda – Blackout (ft. Nas)
Most noted for her 2005 smash ‘Back of the Club’, as well as being the wife of hit-maker Swizz beats, R&B singer Mashonda served up the club-banger ‘Blackout’ as the second release from her admittedly terrible debut ‘January Joy’. Unsurprisingly produced by Swizz, Mashonda’s swagger compliments the gritty, street sounding beat really well. Nas’ verse adds to what is an already great track.

Listen: Blackout (ft. Nas)

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Tweet – Taxi

Lifted from Tweet’s sophomore LP ‘It’s Me Again’, ‘Taxi’ serves as a reminder of the Southern Hummingbird’s oft under-appreciated appeal. In an industry filled with gimmicks and microwaveable hits, the soulful ‘Taxi’ highlights that there is still good music and genuine talent out there.

Listen: Taxi

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Your thoughts: Hit(s) or Miss(es)?

 

Kelis - 'The Hits' That Grape Juice is giving you the opportunity to win a copy of Kelis’ superb new greatest hits collection – ‘The Hits’. Featuring chart smashes such as her 1999 debut ‘Caught Out There’ as well as the career-defining ‘Milkshake’, the set is a must-have for all Kelis fans. To be in with a chance of winning one of the two copies we’re giving away, submit your answer to the following question:

Which popular rapper is Kelis married to?
a) Jay-Z
b) Nas
c) Pharrell Williams

Email your answer as well as your full name, age, and address to competitions@thatgrapejuice.net. Please be sure to put ‘Kelis Comp’ as the subject. Winners will be selected randomly from all correct answers. Competition ends Sunday 30th March . Good luck!

*EA Games Easter Give-Away winners will be announced later today*

Yesterday night saw the airing of the Making The Band 4 season 2 finale. The two hour telecast boasted performances from the shows star’s Danity Kane, Day 26 and Donnie. As well as performing Diddy made a ‘special announcement’ confirming that a new season of the show will be shot and will follow both the groups and Donnie on their North American tour. Check out the performances below:

Danity Kane – Damaged

Day26 – Got Me Going

Donny (ft. Diddy) – Take You There

I really enjoyed both Day26 and Danity Kane’s performances, although the latter were kinda shaky vocally at times. Donnie, on the other hand, what was that? I’m starting to question Diddy’s mindset when choosing him as a solo act, because the performance was wack – to put it simply. According to our friends over at Think2wice.org, who were in attendance at the taping, Donnie’s performance was done not once, not twice, but three times over. Yet still the televised version was the pits. Anyway, usual…

What do you think of the performances ?

Will you be checking for the Making The Band tour?

Remy Ma & Papoose Engaged According to AllHipHop.com, rappers Remy Ma and Papoose are engaged to be married this summer. The news was announced on BET’s Black Carpet show yesterday. They’ll sure be needing each other in the coming months, as the report below points out:

The strength of their relationship will certainly be tested, as jury selection has begun for Remy Ma’s trial for the alleged shooting of an acquaintance over money.

The Grammy nominated rapper is accused of shooting a woman twice in the abdomen after leaving a party in Greenwich Village.

Remy, 26, who allegedly accused Makeda Barnes-Joseph of stealing $2,000 from her purse, has pleaded not guilty to assault and related charges.

The pair will probably be using their superior lyrical abilities soon after another alleged assault occurred between Papoose and Fat Joe.

Fat Joe and Papoose recently clashed in a physical altercation that has sparked an intense beef.

I didn’t even know these two were going together. Move over, Nas and Kelis lol lol lol…not.


Any thoughts?

That Grape Juice recently caught up with D. Woods from Platinum selling group Danity Kane. During the course of our telephone interview, D. Woods spoke, quite openly, about the group’s success, the break-up drama, label/management opposition, her body image and much more. A long, yet interesting read. Enjoy.

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D. Woods Shouts Out That Grape Juice

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Sam: Hey D.Woods, how are you?

D.Woods: I’m great. How are you?

Sam: I’m doing fine, thank you. I’m doing fine. It’s great to be able to speak with you.

D.Woods: Likewise.

Sam: I’m sure you’ve been very busy as of late, describe your day today.

D.Woods: Oh, today. We were in rehearsal all day today. We’re actually about to shoot the video for our new single ‘Damaged’. So we’ve just been rehearsing, dancing and sweating (laughs).

Sam: That’s great. Let me just say, I’d like to congratulate you and the group on being certified Platinum with your self-titled debut.

D.Woods: Thank you.

Sam: You’re welcome.

As has been seen previously, coming from a popular reality show doesn’t always transcend into high record sales. How, then, does it feel to have achieved such a major feat with the first album?

D. Woods: It was definitely a surprise. I mean, it’s what we all hoped for, but we knew the odds that were against us. So after all our hard work, achieving it (platinum status) was like the icing on the cake because we, basically, had our dreams turned into a reality.

Sam: Ok. Your sophomore album is interestingly titled ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse’. How did the group come up with the name for the record?

D. Woods: Well, one of the records we have on the album called ‘The Key’ has a very…the music sounds kind of like a wind-up doll. So we had a whole visual brainstorming session for the direction of the album and (came up with) the fact that we can be likened to these dolls that can be made up, positioned and dressed. Yet, at the same time, we wanted to get a little bit deeper; open the doors to how we really feel because last time we didn’t really get too emotional, touch on things that matter and our personalities didn’t really shine as we would have wanted them to. This time, it’s like, welcome everyone in; we are like these dolls, pristine and whatnot, but at the same time we have other sides to us.

Sam: The record you mentioned, you said it was called ‘The Key’, right?

D. Woods: Yeah. It was written by a writer/artist named Shanell, who is actually my sister.

Sam: Yes. Is she signed with Ne-Yo?

D. Woods: Yes she is.

Sam: (laughs) I did a bit of research on that.

D. Woods: Yeah. Myself, my sister Shanell and another partner Mika, are a writing team called the The Girls Club.

Sam: Having watched the current season of Making The Band, Diddy seems to have given you ladies more of a creative input this go round. In what ways was this so and how did it impact the final product?

D. Woods: It definitely (impacted the final product). I mean, the title ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse’ is some thing that we as a group created. We definitely went toe-to-toe with him on choosing which songs (would feature on the album) out of the ones we recorded. We had a lot to say about the direction of our upcoming video. Everything, this time, is a lot more organic and believable.

Sam: You guys did a lot more writing on the album this go round, right?

D. Woods: Yes. We worked collectively to co-write. By ourselves, we wrote about six of the tracks on the album.

Sam: How many tracks are going to be featured on the album?

D. Woods: That is still in the works right now. We’re still going back and forth, choosing songs, keeping them and taking them off. I’m not sure just yet.

Sam: The album’s lead single, The Stereotypes produced ‘Damaged’ is markedly more pop sounding compared to the radio-friendly R&B on your first album. Is this the ‘sound’ we can expect to hear more of on ‘Welcome To The Dollhouse’?

D. Woods: Definitely. We definitely wanted a dance record, something that was Pop, with international appeal. We wanted something in the vein of what some other people were doing, like Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado. To be honest, we wanted to have that energy because we are all dancers. I mean, we were in rehearsal today just killing it (laughs). It’s exciting for us, for me. I’ve been dancing since I was three years old and me being able to express (myself) goes hand-in-hand with the vocal part of our performance. So yeah…

Sam: Great. As well as newcomers such as The Stereotypes, who else did the group work with on the album and what collaborations etc can we expect?

D. Woods: We did a couple of songs with the producer Danja. There’s also a song called ‘Bad Girl’ that Missy Elliott features on and we were really excited to be able to work with her. Some of the other producers include The Runners, Bryan Michael-Cox, 7even. We have writing teams like The Clutch. Our vocal producer, who basically vocally produced the entire album and we wrote songs with him, was Jim Beans. He had a really wonderful way of working with our different voices, voice textures and making us blend together. He helped us find new ways to get five voices on one track.

Sam: A lot fans wanted to know when the ‘Damaged’ video will premiere.

D. Woods: We are actually shooting it this Wednesday. So soon after.

Sam: Who will be directing the video?

D. Woods: The director is Syndrome.

Sam: I’m assuming the album has been completed; you’re just in the process of selecting tracks. Do you have any personal favourites?

D. Woods: Yeah, the recording is done, we just choosing the songs. I have to say that ‘The Key’ is my personal favourite because it comes from my camp…

Sam: (laughs)

D. Woods: There’s another one I wrote on called ‘Flashback’, it’s actually an interlude. I was one of the last ones that we did. Me and Dawn wrote it. It kinda almost has an alternative/rock edge to it. After recording it as an interlude, we were like ‘Dang, we should made this a full song!’ Also, there is a song called ‘Striptease’, which myself, Dawn and Jim Beans wrote together. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, sassy, and sexy, using a lot of metaphors…it’s real sexy (laughs). I’m hoping that it will end up being a single so that we can match the visual to the cleverly written lines. Danja produced that song, so the beat is crazy.

Sam: Definitely a lot to look forward to there.

We have to talk about the drama surrounding the group this past summer. There was a lot of talk among the media, as well as some of the group members themselves about a possible break-up/new line-up etc. Obviously, now things are fine, but what exactly went down then?

D. Woods: Well, there were the rumors that we were breaking up and I stress that they were rumors, as they were never confirmed. That was never a reality, so that was that. The other part of the drama, definitely, was that we had to ‘clean house’ with our business organization. Being a group that was constructed on a reality TV show, we were not in control of a lot of the things that were going on around us. I mean, as you saw with our last album, it kind of picked up and then the ball was dropped. So, we had to address those issues and take matters into our own hands; and that takes time (to restructure your business). We had to fire our management…actually, it was a mutual split, and both parties weren’t happy (laughs). We, basically, had to pick up the pieces. There wasn’t a lot of support from the label at that time, because they didn’t know what to do with us. We really just had to pull together; we live in 5 separate cities across the country…It was just a real reality, we really found out the real reality and that was what that (the drama) was all about.

Sam: There was a rather lengthy gap between the group’s first and second single, ‘Show Stopper’ and ‘Ride For You’ respectively. Was this linked to the restructuring process you mentioned?

D. Woods: Uh huh. Yeah.

Sam: Despite selling very well with the first album, the group have stated, on quite a few occasions, that you all didn’t make any money from it. Why? How did you all safeguard yourself this time around?

D. Woods: Well, being that we weren’t allowed to write anything on the first album, I say ‘allowed’ because we definitely submitted lots of songs but they weren’t…

Sam: Allowed to be placed on the record?

D. Woods: Right. It was in other people’s best interest to not have us writing on the first album (laughs). I mean, that’s the main way you will make money when releasing an album; after you recoup everything, there’s not much left over (besides what one would receive on writing credits). I think, that during the lengthy gap between ‘Show Stopper’ and ‘Ride For You’ – as you observed – that was actually the record company figuring out that we are actually a credible group. They were figuring that out at that point.

Sam: I know a lot of fans were hoping for more singles from the record. I remember hearing a lot of calls for ‘Sleep On It’ and other tracks to be given the single treatment. For obvious reason, it…

D. Woods: With the state of the industry, a lot of record companies are not gonna risk anything. They don’t want to spend a lot of money, but they want a lot of returns. I think people weren’t sure they could spend a lot of money on us and get a return on us; but we definitely proved them wrong –time and time again (laughs). So with that, we definitely fought for the right to take creative control, to be able to write on our album, to put new management in place so that business opportunities will be there that would allow us to make money outside of just the records. At this point in the industry, you make most of you money outside of the music. We didn’t have any of that set up by our last management. We were basically doing shows and paying ourselves, the people on the road with us etc. So when the shows stopped, the money stopped. That’s the part of the industry (people don’t see). Yes, it’s ‘Lights, Camera, Action’ and glamour, but it’s a job at the same time, you know. If you’re not out there making people move their feet and clap their hands, then you don’t get paid (laughs). It’s like at IBM, if you don’t press those buttons on the computer, you’re not getting a paycheque.

Sam: … (laughs) On the current season of Making The Band, much ado has been made about the fact that you ladies reached Platinum status with the first record. Do you feel any added pressure this go round? Are you fearful of the dreaded sophomore jinx?

D. Woods: No. I feel like this is the first album that we’re doing. We’re actually able to be ourselves. I feel it’s a better way for us to step out. Already, we’ve had great feedback on ‘Damaged’. From little listening parties here and there, people are real excited about the music, images, photoshoots, everything. The photoshoots etc we are doing now are just cohesive with the music; so it feels like now we are just starting. So it doesn’t feel like ‘Oh my God, the sophomore jinx’ (laughs); it’s more like ‘Oh, we really about to do it now. We weren’t playing the last time’ (laughs).

Sam: That’s great. Bad Boy’s track record with artists is, arguably, hit and miss. How does Danity Kane plan to sustain in the industry for the long haul?

D. Woods: We just plan to learn from the mistakes of the past (laughs), keep moving forward and not rely on anyone. I mean, all of us in Danity Kane, this isn’t our first taste of the industry – we all have our own levels of experience and know what’s going on. Like if we don’t know something, we know someone that does and will get the information. We’ll have the right attorney around us to give us the information, have a music business book etc at hand and make it happen. That’s what you really have to do; do it for yourself; you can’t rely on everybody else to do it for you.

Sam: Cool. On this season of Making The Band, you have co-star with the guys from last seasons show. How does the show’s new dynamic sit with you? Did you have any apprehensions going into it, as things have obviously changed?

D. Woods: Going back into it, I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what the direction of the show was going to be and how we were going to be portrayed. I was very protective of our image; I didn’t want it to go down as some ‘Flavor Of Love’ or ‘Real World’. This is our career and we weren’t looking to make a mockery of ourselves to get camera time. So that was my main concern, but I’m very happy; we have the comedy, the drama, the little romance that keeps it interesting. Yet, it also comes back to the music and I’m glad that it’s not all about the beat down or the ‘Oh, you couldn’t get your part right in the studio’. We are actually being portrayed as artists. People can walk away from this and they can respect our process, instead of criticizing it. If you look at how we were shown on the first couple of seasons, it wasn’t bad, but they would show a lot of the downfalls, but not much explanation behind it. So the viewers at home, who don’t know about recording in the studio for 12 hours trying to make hits, they don’t understand. That’s why we had a lot to fight against the first time coming out. Now I feel that the respect level is a lot higher.

Sam: As at writing, the episodes that have aired thus far, show you and Robert (from the guys) to have a situation of sorts going on. A potential romance, perhaps?

D. Woods: No.

Sam: (Laughs!)

D. Woods: That episode you got the gist of the relationship (laughs). We made up and, by the end of that night, we had an understanding. I think when you don’t know people, you don’t know the buttons people have…it was trying me. You know, sometimes with the male macho ego, he probably thought he could just do whatever he wanted. Me just being a jokester, along with Aubrey, we just think such things are funny. I guess some people don’t have the same sense of humor (laughs).

Sam: Are there plans for any more seasons of Making The Band?

D. Woods: At this point, I don’t really know. I think we’ll find out depending on how the ratings are and what the network (MTV) is saying.

Sam: Moving on; with your evidently curvaceous build – something touched upon in previous seasons- and individuality (the hair etc), do see yourself as a role model to younger females. If so, why do you think it’s important?

D. Woods: What did you call it (laughs)?

Sam: Curvaceous build (laughs).

D. Woods: Awww

Well whether I see myself as a role model or not, I probably am. There are probably people that I will never meet that know about me, know what I’m doing, look at me in articles etc and it’s something that I always have to keep in mind…sorry what was the rest of the question (laughs)?

Sam: (Laughs / repeats question adding…) like, there was an episode from two seasons ago, where Diddy called you out (for being heavier than the other girls). A lot of the reaction was, obviously sympathy for you, and at the same time there was a collective ‘Oh wow, D. Woods is actually real. She’s just like a real woman’. So to some extent women see you as a role model.

D. Woods: I think above all, you just need to be true to yourself and that’s what I’ve been doing. As far as my physique, I’ve always been body conscious – not in an obsessive, compulsive way – but I’ve been a dancer all of my life, so I’ve always been into body conditioning, staying in shape and making sure that I’m able to perform and do what I do to my best capability. I try to maintain that in a way that’s neither mentally or physically damaging. Yes, it comes to a place where you accept genetics and you have to take care of your process and what you’re willing to do. Like, I’m not willing to change myself to fit into anyone’s mould. If you feel like I need to be a certain size to be in this group, then you probably should have picked somebody else.

Sam: (Laughs)

D. Woods: … because, no matter what, there’s certain things on me that aren’t going to change or get much smaller. Even with the hairstyle, I just do what I feel like doing. Like today, I decided to cut a little of it off (laughs). It’s all a part of how I express myself. (I) Express myself through song, through dance and through the way I look.

Sam: Who would you say are inspirations to you, as an individual?

D. Woods: My parents would listen to a lot of Soul music and those types of singers, so I was inspired by that. I was also inspired by Whitney Houston with her legendary, powerful voice. I was inspired by Patti Labelle, in the way she’s so individualistic. When you look at her, her track record, being in a group and then moving on to become a solo act, throughout she never compromised her style. The way she decides to sing or wear her hair etc, just exudes a lot of confidence (which inspires me). I’m very influenced by Hip-Hop, like Outkast, Jay-Z, Nas, Biggie, The Fugees, that’s the stuff I know all the lyrics to. There’s countless singers like Stevie Wonder, Brandy, Bjork, a lot of different people. I did a lot of musical theatre coming up; I majored in Theatre at college. So those are really my influences.

Sam: You have a lot of international fans (especially here in the UK), many of which are hoping to see/hear from the group this year. Will you be touring/releasing etc this year?

D. Woods: Most definitely. We’re definitely putting pressure on our label; we’re always telling them ‘y’all need to put together an international market’. We’re going to be all over the globe this year. So, yeah.

Sam: That’s awesome. A few quick random questions:

Have you heard Laurie-Ann’s new single ‘Addictive’?

D. Woods: I sure have (laughs)

Sam: (laughs) Are you liking the single?

D. Woods: How do you feel about it?

Sam: (laughs)…(silence)…Errr…

D. Woods: I’ve only seen the video once, I think I have to see/ hear it a few more times (laughs). I think it’s very interesting, I know it’s something she’s wanted to do for a while. I have to now get myself into looking at her as an artist and not a choreographer.

Sam: Uh huh. What songs you’ve had on constant rotation?

D. Woods: Without sounding cocky, I’m listening to my own music (laughs). I like it, what we put together and ready to get it all out of my system. I definitely like Kanye’s ‘Graduation’. I work out to ‘Stronger’, Rihanna’s ‘Don’t Stop The Muisc’ is another of my workout songs (laughs). I really love Alicia Keys’ album too. For some reason, I’m listening to a lot of throwback stuff recently. Like I just bought Madonna’s everything off iTunes (laughs). If someone was to go through my iPod, they’d probably wonder how it (the different music) all comes together, but somehow it just does.

Sam: Rounding up, the release date for the album?

D. Woods: March 18th

Sam: That’s great. Do you have a message for the fans?

D. Woods: Get ready to be excited. The album, the tour, everything. Get ready.

Sam: Thank you for your time.

D. Woods: Thank you.

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Danity Kane’s sophomore album ‘Welcome To the Dollhouse’ hits stores on March 18th. In the meanwhile, you can catch D. Woods and the rest of the ladies on MTV’s Making The Band 4 (check your local listings for air times).

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Your thoughts on the interview?

Tyra Covers Entertainment WeeklySupermodel turned chat show host, Tyra Banks appears on the cover of the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine. Check out an extract from the feature, which can be read in full by clicking here, below:

Banks considers herself more akin to Martha Stewart and Donald Trump. To that end, her latest development is Bankable Enterprises, created to move the mini-mogul into arenas like real estate…

”There’s a fear I have with success in the business world,” she admits. ”People have this image of women, especially in business — that they have to be ballbusters, and that’s so not what I am.” That said, the woman whose company logo features a shiny bank vault is not going to stop growing her media empire. ”I’m not afraid of wanting money at all,” she says. ”Money will give me more power to do things that are truer to my spirit than what I’m already doing.” Still, she adds, ”I don’t think I’ll always be on television. I don’t know whether it’s 10 or 20 years, but I know it won’t be when I’m 60.”

More power to her.


Any thoughts?
 Sean Garrett - 'Grippin' On The Bed' (ft. Ludacris) ‘Smash on the radio bet I penned it!’. Indeed, the bold claim made by singer/songwriter Sean Garrett holds pretty much true. Having written hits for the likes of Destiny’s Child (solo efforts too), Mary J, Chris Brown, Britney Spears and a host of others, Garrett is now making the transition to an artist in his own right.
‘Grippin’ On The Bed’ (ft. Ludacris) is said to be the first single from his as-yet-untitled debut. About the track, I’m really feeling the production, arrangements and whatnot, but I’m not sure if I’m liking his voice or not. The man can definitely sing, yet his voice is very nasal sounding (see: Omarion, Chris Brown). Still, this track has me anticipating more of what he has to offer. It’ll be interesting to see if he can succeed where many other ‘behind-the-scenes’ composers turned artists have failed.

Hit or Miss?

{Link Removed As Requested}

A press listening session for both Mariah Carey’s latest effort and Janet Jackson’s ‘comeback’ album ‘Discipline’ was held here in London recently. The preview below, via DiscoPop, reveals a number of things about each project, including the title of Mariah’s LP, ‘That Chick’. It’s a long, yet interesting read, which should give an indicator about what one can expect from both projects {Thanks L. Thompson}:

In London, England, Def Jam boss Antonio “L.A.” Reid was showing off the two female jewels in their crown today with playbacks of the new Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey albums.

Label boss Reid seemed very excited about both of them, although that is his job, and mentioned plans for six singles from Mariah’s That Chick, which hits the stores in April.

Janet Jackson – Discipline
First up, though, was Janet’s Discipline. If you’ve heard the single, Feedback, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the album. It’s crisp, danceable R&B lavished with Janet’s trademark velvet harmonies.

The stand-out track was probably Tonight, a bubbling club track which can only be Jackson’s response to Rihanna’s Don’t Stop The Music. Reid mentioned that some of the tracks weren’t finished – and this one sounded like it was missing a sample somewhere in the mix. Once that’s added, this could be Janet’s biggest dance success since Together Again.

Love, Love, Love and This Can’t Be Good saw the lyrical return of the sweet singer who first raised her head on Let’s Wait Awhile – all coy and bashful while falling head over heels in love.

But the sleazy siren of 20 YO is also present. Title track Discipline is a gruesome plea for fetishistic S&M sex – with Janet referring to her lover as “Daddy” while asking to be tied up and disciplined. Given that her father is a well-documented control freak who used to beat his kids, this is more than a little uncomfortable.

Speaking of family connections, there’s long been a rumour that Janet and Michael will team up again (as they did on 1996’s Scream) this year. Well, nothing I heard today confirms that rumour – but there is a track called Rock With You that appears to sample the single of the same name from Off The Wall. Could the finished version feature guest vocals by the former King of Pop? I genuinely hope not.

The remaining two tracks, Rollercoaster and Greatest Ex Ever, didn’t really set my world alight – but you never know what’ll happen on repeated listens.

The main thing seems to be that Janet is back on form, vocally and lyrically. The record is very safe and commercial, although I’m not sure where they’ll go for the third single (Tonight surely has to be the second). But as a first step towards career rehabilitation Def Jam has made a strong play for their newest diva.

Mariah Carey – That Chick
Their old diva (in terms of contract, not age, of course) is Mariah, who is riding high after the 7xPlatinum-selling Emancipation Of Mimi.

We got to hear 10 tracks from the follow-up, That Chick, which I have to say sounded more polished and commercial than Janet’s effort.

One track in particular is set to make big bucks, and that’s Bye Bye – a torch song for people “who lost they grandmothers”. I guarantee that Simon Cowell will be sick of hearing badly-realised auditions of it by the end of the year.

Lyrics were never Carey’s strong point, mind you, so her paean to loss is summed up with not-very-insightful Hallmark platitudes like “I’d give the world to see your face” and “Life goes on”. Profound, eh?

Still, at least it’s better than when she desperately attempts to prove how bang up to date she is. In Touch My Body, she purrs to her lover: “If there’s a camera up in here then I best not catch this flick on youtube (youtube)”. Not exactly the sexiest boudoir come-on you’ve ever heard, is it?

But there are plenty of good tunes to counter the awesomely bad lyrics. Migrate, about a night out with Mariah while she wears jeans (“yeah, they fit”, she informs us) is sure to be a candidate for heavy MTV rotation, although I hope to God they excise T-Pain’s hopelessly strained vocals. Lovin’ You Long Time, meanwhile, is a strutting uptempo number very much in the style of It’s Like That.

So, what have we learnt from this listening “event”? Well, I wasn’t overwhelmed by the music – despite (or perhaps because of) the fact it was played so ear-splittingly loud that it felt like I was being punched repeatedly in the ears by a cyberman. Both artists have turned in a tuneful, competent set of R&B songs, but I’m not sure that any of them have the charisma or vitality to compete with the Rihannas and Beyonces of this world.

Both albums: 6/10 (scores may go up or down after further listens at levels tolerable to the human ear).

After reading this preview and seeing that ‘she cannot-be-serious’ album title, I’m real anxious to see what Mariah’s album will serve up. Although I’m not looking for her to simply re-create ‘The Emancipation’, that album should stand as an indicator of what people want from her. This kinda has me thinking the album will largely be a collection of ‘Shake It Off’/’Get Your Number’ type tracks – which, IMO, were not the strongest on the last album. Only time will tell, I guess.

I must say that Janet’s album is looking more appealing to me at the moment. The project just seems a lot more focussed sounding. Saying this, considering Janet, herself, confirmed the album to be mainly ‘uptempo’, the previewer sure did note quite a few syruppy ballads (not neccessarily a bad thing). Again, I’ll reserve (as is logical) full judgement until I’ve heard the album(s) for myself.

Your thoughts?
Whilst looking for something on my laptop, I dug up this review I wrote on the 2006 World Music Awards, which I attended here in London. Written, initially, for placement on a Michael Jackson site, I thought to share it with you guys. Enjoy.

I’m gonna cut straight to the chase…

Linsay Lohan sucked as a host…badly. She did no skits or entrance and essentially read off the auto-cue. Terrible.

Beyonce opened the show. She tore that motherf**ker down. She is a natural…it was effortless. She did the dance break from Ring The Alarm first (which I did not expect) and then went straight into Deja Vu. She performed again, didn’t see much of it though…I’ll get to why in a minute…

Even if I tried, I can’t remember a lot of the ‘world’ acts that performed. So I’ll jump straight to Nelly Furtado, who sang her new single ‘Why Do All Good Things Come to an End’. She did really good and was generally received well.

After (and sometimes during) every segment the whole arena would chant ‘Michael Michael Michael’, sing his songs etc. I’m talking from the rafters to the standing section where I was. Say what you want about him, but the man has loyal fans and could pack out most arenas across the world.

Anyway…

Paris Hilton got booed so hard, I felt sorry for her. Once she realised how bad it was, she just played up to the role of ‘spoilt show-off’.

Now the standing area was packed and I was fortunate enough to be roughly third row(ish) back there. Inevitably pushing started, I was having none of it and had words with a few people. Nonetheless I was no longer comfortable and was squashed. With no water being passed out until later, I was starting to feel the heat, yet was still anxious to see Michael etc. At the very moment I said to myself ‘imagine paying all that money to come here and faint’, I started to get woozy headed…everything turned into a blur and then it went black…all I could hear was ‘is he ok?’, ‘he’s fainted’ etc. So with that, the people I came with had to escort me from my 3rd row view to the very back of standing where I passed out on the floor…damn.

The announcer then said ‘please welcome back Beyonce’. One of the girls I went with grabbed the camera and ran. So much for looking after me (lol, I would have done the same thing…not missing **** for nobody lol). ‘To the left, to the left’ rang out and Beyonce performed again, while I was now recovering on the floor. I shook myself out of it though, drunk two Red Bull’s and woke the hell up. I was not missing Michael Jackson.

I eventually ‘excuse-me-ed’ my way close to where I was standing before. Beyonce came out AGAIN (talk about recycling the same stars) and introduced Michael Jackson as the recipient of the Diamond Award (over 100 million Thriller albums sold). I have NEVER, EVER, seen a crowd go wild like that… EVER. People were randomly bursting out in tears…genuinely in awe of him. Can’t no one say that the ‘Michael Jackson effect’ of the 80s doesn’t exist no more. It was in full effect last night. Most of you know the deal with MJ acceptance speeches…he begins to talk…gets drowned out by the crowd appreciation…says ‘I love you too’…etc lol.

Poor Rihanna…she came on straight after MJ (we were all expecting him to go straight into performance), but, no, it was her. When they announced her name…a lot of people booed. Not because they hated her, but they wanted Michael. Anyway, she sang Unfaithful. I won’t lie; the girl can, indeed, sing and has definitely developed a stage presence. Still, her voice is a little too whiney and nasal for my liking. Anyway she got a big applause after, yet seemed pissed (bitch, please) and went straight off stage…didn’t wave or acknowledge the audience at all.

The opening of Thriller started…people were expecting it to be Michael. Yet Chris Brown appeared and did a really good tribute…full red ensamble and everything. Like Rihanna his voice was a bit too whiney and pre-pubescent, however he nailed the Thriller choreography. Chris did a very respectable job. Good stuff. This, though, left the audience in a state of confusion; what was Michael to perform, if CB did Thriller?

A choir of teens filed onto the stage. They sang (mimed) 3/4 of We Are The World to the backing track and then MJ arrived. Here’s where people were a little PO’ed (after the show, might I add). He basically walked up and down the stage collecting posters, flowers etc and mumbled a few words of the song – and then left. I was told by a relative who watched the news that MJ said that he wasn’t performing and was there to collect the award. That explains why the whole We Are The World performance looked so hastily arranged. As you all know, this was built up to be his ‘comeback’ performance…in fairness to him there was never any ‘official official’ word on him performing. Rather rumors and hearsay snowballed and hyped everyone up for a Thriller-esque performance that was never going to happen. MJ and/or his people have to take slight blame for this…people bought tickets expecting him to perform…this could have been cleared up with a press release or something beforehand. It kind of leaves me a bit worried about the people MJ still has around him; surely clarifying his role at the awards beforehand would have left people in no doubt of what they were paying to see. However sitting back and letting people think it will be this show-stopping ‘comeback’ performance and then it not happening is like MJ shooting himself in the foot. Now the media over here are having field day.

I was interviewed by GMTV. I did it to, primarily, counter-act much of the negative interviews disgruntled fans were giving (and to get on TV). It wasn’t shown. The one’s aired showed fans heated and angry and nothing really positive. No surprises there.

Personally, I had a great time, mainly due to seeing Michael Jackson in the flesh for the first time as well as the spectacle that was Beyonce. The award’s itself was very badly organised, though. Long queue waiting hours, huge gaps in the show, among other things, left a very salty taste in my mouth.

With how yesterday went down, it is IMPERATIVE that Michael shows everyone why he is the superstar he is. He will forever be the King of Pop, but it seems the mainstream media as well as the general public need to be reminded. Remind them then Michael.

Any thoughts on the review?
As of January 1st, Def Jam will longer be presided over by Jay-Z; the rapper confirmed that he will be stepping down from his President role at the label. Check out the rapper’s statement below:

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have served as President of such a culturally-defining label as Def Jam over the last three years,” Jay-Z said in a statement. “During that time, I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of the world’s most dynamic artists and many of the most dedicated and talented executives in the music business today, including Antonio “L.A.” Reid. But now it’s time for me to take on new challenges.”

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter, took over as President of Def Jam in 2005. Under his guidance, the rapper signed his former rival Nas to Def Jam and oversaw the release of hit records by Kanye West, Rihanna and Ne-Yo.

Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid said that Jay-Z felt it was time to take on “different challenges in his life.”

Jay-Z will continue running and recording for his Roc-A-Fella imprint, which is distributed by the Island Def Jam Music Group. The mogul is rumored to be making a transition to the urban division of Sony Records with Rick Rubin. {Read full article}

Oh well. I can’t say any of this comes as a surprise. The stories of conflict between Jay and the upper management over at Def Jam have more or less proven true; IMO they just allowed him to save face by saying he ‘resigned’. It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out from here on out; there have been whispers that Jermaine Dupri will take on the now vacant role.
Your thoughts?
Though a fact not known by many, R&B songstress Nivea and 2007 breakout star Terius ‘The Dream’ Nash are, indeed, married and have a 2 year old daughter together Navy Talia. Mild rumors about a possible divorce have been mounting for a short while; in a statement to the press, Nivea confirmed them to be true:

I am also sorry to have to report the news of our separation. It is however a mutual decision for the both of us. We see this as an attempt to try and maintain the friendship we’ve developed since our marriage and also to allow growth for myself as well as him. Unfortunately I was not prepared for partnership or even real life for that matter. I am completely and truly grateful and thankful to God for sending him into my life and to him for everything that he has done for me and my family and that includes monetarily as well as spiritually and mentally, especially for myself, which was never his responsibility in the first place. None of you are aware of the real me and I plan to make that as clear as possible on this next album. I come from a sad and scary past that I am still in the process of overcoming and growing past, thanks to the man I love and always will. This is truly the only person I’ve ever known or heard of that is incredibly loving, passionate, wise, psychic, wise, creative, genius, and many more things that I could never put into words. I don’t feel it is fair for neither of us, especially him, to continue this never-ending battle of the minds that he and i have continued for long enough. I want nothing more than for him and I to be happy. His happiness is all i want, for I could never repay him for what he has endured by being my friend, partner, and husband.

Here’s hoping they act in the best interest of their daughter. I’m sure many will see this as inevitable considering The Dream’s success this year i.e. penning ‘Umbrella’ and emerging as an artist, yet from Nivea’s statement kinda paints a very different picture…

Your thoughts?
According to MTV News, Nas’ controversial forthcoming album ‘N*gger’ has been pushed back from it’s December release and will now hit stores in February next year – Black History Month in the US. Check out the report:

Nas had originally planned to put the project out next month, but according to his camp, the album has been pushed to February: Black History Month. Nas told MTV News the first single will drop sometime in January.
{Source}

I can see that he’s trying to drive his point home, but this has potential to have even more of a backlash than it already has. I’m not so sure it’s a wise move on Nas’ part.

Will you be checking for Nas’ ‘N*gger’ album?
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