Let’s face it…

The turn of the century has unfortunately been accompanied by an under-appreciation of true vocalists.  Veritably, it has been clear to see that as production technology has increased its ability, inversely, quality vocal performances have decreased.

Turn on the radio today and you will be assaulted by an abundance of autotune, so much so one may question if he/she is listening to real people or The Transformers…

*Voting closes Monday, January 14th at 11:59pm CST*

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Looks like Justin Timberlake‘s looking to bring more than sexy back if his latest single is anything to judge by!

A mid-tempo groove similar to his early 2000’s hit ‘Senorita’, Timberlake enlists the help of rapper/mogul Jay Z for ‘Suit & Tie’ – his Timbaland-produced return to charts.  The first song lifted from his yet-titled follow-up to 2006’s ‘FutureSex LoveSounds’, the song hasn’t been available on Itunes for 30 minutes yet and is already skyrocketing up the digital charts.

Teasing his highly anticipated return for the last week or so, you tell us:  is this just what the doctor ordered to heal those in desperate need for a fix of Justin?  Take a listen to the new Robin Thicke joint below:

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Over the past two decades Gospel hitmaker Israel Houghton has seen his name blasted atop Billboard’s Gospel Charts for hits like ‘Again I Say Rejoice’, ‘Friend of God’, and the most recent #1 hit ‘It’s Not Over (When God Is In It)’.

In such time, the ‘New Breed’ captain has not only racked up 4 Grammy awards and a host of other accolades, but has become one of the genre’s frontrunners – with 2012 seeing him join fellow Gospel gents Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin, and Marvin Sapp for the hotly-selling ‘King’s Men’ national tour.

But, despite his successes, the ‘Jesus At the Center’ maestro maintains that his family remains the center of his devotion as he still juggles the demands of being the worship leader for mega-pastor Joel Osteen‘s Lakewood Church (Houston, TX) with touring and recording.

Click below to read our candid interview with Houghton as he discusses this topic and many more, exclusively with That Grape Juice:

**Israel Houghton Shouts Out That Grape Juice**

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Indeed, over the course of her nearly two decade long career,  few red carpets graced by a certain  Jennifer Lopez have yielded negative reports and tonight’s Golden Globe ceremony serves as no exception.

Styled in a figure-hugging, flesh colored gown, the ‘On The Floor’ hitmaker had all eyes on her on the red carpet as she showed off the white-laced number. See more below and tell us what has been your favorite look of J.Lo’s from Golden Globes past:

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Looks like that Adele reign just won’t let up.  For, shortly after learning her 2012 hit Bond theme ‘Skyfall’ was nominated for an Academy Award, the 9-time Grammy winner can now add ‘Golden Globe’ winner to her long list of achievements.

Indeed, the world may be waiting for her highly anticipated return to stage at the Oscar ceremony, but for now her “return to stage” has come in the form of a hilarious acceptance speech as she accepts the ‘Best Song’ award from tonight’s ‘Golden Globe’ festivities:

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If Brandy is the anointed Vocal Bible, then New Jersey-born beauty Lachardon is undoubtedly one of her faithful disciples.  Armed with a jazzy melisma rivaled by few you’ll find, Lachardon – born LaTayvia Cherry – has sweetly slipped her infectious vocal stylings all over well known hits for the last few years much to critical acclaim.

Now, the songstress is hard at work mixing up ‘Lemonade’ – her debut EP.  Executive produced by Cherry herself, the set is on board to showcase the same honey vocals that have drawn many to buzz.  Reportedly eyeing a May 2013 for release  (That Grape Juice learned exclusively), to that we exclaim…if this is the ‘Lemonade’ she’s serving – we’re definitely buying!

Click below for New Jersey’s best kept secret’s take on past hits like Aaliyah‘s ‘Rock the Boat’, Beyonce’s ‘1+1’, and her uncanny Brandy impersonation:

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With the 2013 Grammy Awards now less than a month away, one would think Frank Ocean had enough to look forward to this year- following the birth of his debut album last year.

However, before he’s set to win big at the star studded event, tonight welcomed news that cements his status as one of the world’s fastest rising commercial acts…and the unassuming saviour of Contemporary R&B.

Details below…

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“You don’t have to love me, but you will respect me, cause I’m a boss!”

She was the first girl to scream on a track, she switched up the beat of the drum and brought all the boys to the yard: yeah we’re talking Kelis and her hit single ‘Bossy’. The 2006 release is this week’s From The Vault selection.

After branching out from the masterminds behind her first three LP’s – the Neptunes – Kelis mixed things up, and begun working with different producers and writers, including Bangladesh and the ever in-demand Sean Garrett. Together the trio cooked up this gem of track.

 The 808-driven cut (like its housing album, ‘Kelis Was Here’) was a marked departure from Ms Rogers’ previous material, aiming for a more “contemporary” sound in a bid to capitalize on her previous worldwide smash ‘Milkshake’.

Released in Spring 2006 as the launching single from ‘Kelis Was Here’ album, ‘Bossy’ managed to chart inside both the US Hot 100 and Hot Hip-Hop/R&B tallies at #16 and #11 respectively. It failed to achieve the same feat in the UK where it peaked at #22 but got to the 18th position of the Australian chart.

Though not as successful as the aforementioned ‘Milksake’, it remains one of the artist’s most recognizable songs and wouldn’t sound out of place alongside some of today’s Urban hits such as Rihanna‘s ‘Pour It Up’ or Kendrick Lamar‘s ‘Swimming Pool (Drank)’.

For the video, director Mark Klasfeld made the former Mrs Nas embrace her inner glamour diva, and she can be seen enjoying a pool party with her posse as well as rocking a cocktail reception all the while displaying some high-fashion clothes including THAT swimsuit. Put simply, the clip serves up edgy, tasteful, all the while looking like a magazine editorial.

With the Harlem-bred singer hard at work on her sixth album, the follow-up to 2010’s ‘Fleshtone’, we must admit that having loved her more electronic offerings, we’re praying she re-embraces, even for a few songs, the very musical style that brought her to our attention in the first place – hard-hitting R&B.

Either way it’s a given we’re in for a tasty treat whenever she’s ready to embark on the next phase in her career.

Your thoughts?

For one reason or another, the success of its individual members have gone some way to overshadow the impact Destiny’s Child made as a collective.

Shifting 17.5 million units in the US alone, reports of the trio’s forthcoming ‘Superbowl 2013‘ reunion reached fever pitch with the release of a new single, ‘Nuclear’  and confirmation of a new release, billed ‘Love Songs‘.

Both of which, if the iTunes UK is anything to go by, has seen the group enjoy a substantial sales spike in the market- securing them a number of Top Ten  digital spots.

Details below…

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As flop albums go, Nelly Furtado is re-writing the “rule book”.

For, despite her latest LP selling just 6000 copies first week in the US last year, the Canadian star is pressing on with promotion. A commendable decision, yet one which is seeing her confronted with blunt questions about her commercial relevancy – to her face.

One such instance is a new interview with Gig City, who quizzed ‘The Spirit Indestructible’ singer on “why she’s not famous any more”.

What did the 34 year old say in response? Her answer awaits after the jump…

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She’s the Pop icon holding records not even Adele can boast of, with a catalogue of sons just as impressive now as they were upon release.

Now, in what will undoubtedly mark another milestone in her career, Britney Spears is reportedly on the verge of inking a Celine Dion esque Vegas residency deal, worth over a reported $100 million.

Details below…

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As reported, the BET Honors 2013 took place last night at the Warner Theater in Washington DC.

Set to air on February 13th, the show paid homage to the ilustrious careers of Halle Berry, Chaka Khan, basketball star Lisa Leslie, among others.

Tapped to provide the night’s performances were R&B priori Brandy, Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, and many more.

Peep more pics below and be sure to tune into the show next month…

Your thoughts?