Preparing for the upcoming release of his ‘Raymond vs. Raymond’ album, new material has surfaced from the Usher. The piano-driven ‘Foolin’ Around’ was co-written and produced by Jermaine Dupri and Brian Cox. ‘Raymond vs. Raymond’ hits stores on March 1st.

The typical Cox/Dupri affair, Usher delivers his swift lyrics over the piano melody with prowess. However, the composition sounds strikingly similar to Mariah Carey’s ‘I Stay In Love’, framed around the previous Usher hit, ‘Burn’. Furthermore, the vocals at the end are strained at best. Hopefully this will be included only as an album filler because Usher is certainly capable of a lot better.

Hit or Miss?

The music industry is on the brink of oblivion. With album sales reaching all-time lows in recent years and  established artists struggling to remain commercially viable, it is evident that the music market is in disarray. What is the root cause of this sudden collapse in sales? The answer is simple: illegal downloads.

At the break of the new millennium, record sales soared to new heights with artists such as Britney Spears, Eminem and N’Sync debuting on the charts with album sales easily surpassing the 1 million mark. Indeed, labels enjoyed their booming profits while continuing to charge exorbitant prices for their products. However, even the most astute industry pundits could not have foreseen the almost catastrophic decline that was perched on the horizon.

The advent of file sharing services including Kazaa, Limewire and, of course, Napster, ignited a shift in the balance of power. Consumers were now the bearers of discretion; allowed the freedom to download their favourite tracks without cost. This increased audience power has since broken the monopolistic grip of  labels on the music industry thus leading to a substantial decline in sales. In fact, the last album to be certified diamond in the US was Usher’s ‘Confessions’ LP of 2004. Undeniably,  artists now find themselves struggling to sell records; incapable of matching the successes of their predecessors.

Coincidentally, this chaos has led to the revival of quality. As acts face stiff competition from not only the contemporaries but also music pirates, they have been forced to fight for their stake on the charts. Performers such as Beyonce and Kanye West are being pushed to continuously evolve in an effort to remain relevant. Indeed, Usher himself has felt this pressure with his ‘Here I Stand’ album selling substantially less than his preceding release. Therefore, it has become increasingly apparent that there is absolutely no room for error.

Hence, with an embattled music market and the incessant demand for new material that was created by the arrival of the ‘Digital Age’, artists are being mobilised to improve their crafts. As Susan Boyle and Taylor Swift have recently demonstrated, consumers are indeed willing to purchase albums. However, the presence of several mass media outlets (most notably the Internet) has increased their demand for not just quantity, but also quality.

Do you think that any good has come out of the

illegal downloading phenomenon?

Rihanna clearly seems to be over her controversial relationship with Chris Brown, if these pictures are anything to go by. The Bajan model snapped getting ‘close’ with Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Matt Kemp while on vacation in Mexico yesterday. After dodging rumours about their apparent romance, it’ll be more than hard to after the surfacing of these pics. {Source}

…wait…there’s more

Your thoughts?

Peep this new Michelle Williams promotional shot, said to have been shot by noted photographer Derek Blanks. Ms. Williams looks H-O-T! Work!

What do you think of the pic?

Vocal powerhouse Christina Aguilera has finally opened up about her next studio release. Entitled ‘Bionic’, details about the LP were revealed to Marie Claire magazine during a rather informative interview. Track titles revealed during the conversation with the fashion magazine include the Hip-Hop ‘Glam’, ‘Lullaby’ and the ‘electronic’ title track, ‘Bionic’. The  record hits stores in Spring this year. Check out an excerpt from the interview here.

This is certainly some interesting news. ‘Glam’, which is rumoured to be the first single, stands out as the most interesting title because of it’s reported similarity to Madonna’s classic ‘Vogue’, which was one of the songs that defined an era in Pop music. Whether or not Aguilera has what it takes to make a major splash on the charts remains to be seen but with such noted variety in her material, it seems that she is bringing her best to the table this time around.

Sidebar: What were the chances of this news surfacing on same day as this article? Freaky stuff indeed…

Thoughts?

A couple months ago, That Grape Juice debuted a new promotional pic of Ciara. Now, one of the sexy songstress’ most popular fan networks, UltimateCiara.com, has provided us with the full collection. The shoot was conducted by famed photographers Steven Gomillion and Dennis Leupold. The images will be featured in the French magazine L’Officiel Magazine later this month. Peep all of the hotness below:

What do you think of the pics?

As Omarion gears up for the release of 3rd studio album, ‘Ollusion’ (due January 12th),  the record’s next official single ‘Speedin” premiered. Unsurprisingly, with Omari resting the annoying talk-singing  of his last few singles on the bench, ‘Speedin” easily serves as his best single in a LONG while. The mid-tempo ballad, which was produced by 253, sees the 25 year old turn in an emotionally-charged and mature sounding vocal, which really compliment the song’s lyrics (the notion of racing to the side of the one you love). A great track and an even better single choice.

After having had a few choice words about Omari’s recent material, the former B2K star undeniably has a winner on his hands with this one. Here’s hoping it’s chart performance reflects its quality.

Hit or Miss?

Christina Aguilera was once the darling of the Pop charts; one of the crown jewels of the industry’s musical diadem. Wielding a voice that rivaled many of music’s greats, the singer was once hailed by critics as “the voice of her generation”. Without a doubt, the rampant success that Aguilera enjoyed in her early career was out-paced by only a few of her contemporaries. Nevertheless, it seems that the singer has since been ousted from her position at the top of the Pop roost.

Having taken the time to establish herself as a both a wife and mother, Aguilera’s dominance of the Billboard charts has become but a distant memory. Where she once garnered #1 hits around the world, she has now been placed on the back burner of public interest. In fact, her last widely successful studio release was the ‘Stripped’ LP of 2002 which was certified 4x platinum in the US, a far cry from the relatively mediocre sales of ‘Back To Basics’ which struggled to achieve platinum status in her native market. Indeed, many would consider the young star to be a diva in aging.

Moreover, where her only rival in the industry was once only considered to be Britney Spears – who has since managed to continue her Pop music supremacy despite her many personal issues – Aguilera has now been replaced at the top of the charts by a flurry of new artists including Rihanna, Beyonce and Lady GaGa. Interestingly, she once denounced GaGa’s presence entirely, claiming not to have even known that the singer existed, a move that she may have come to regret as GaGa has now captured her market; erasing almost all memory of Aguilera’s former reign.

With that being said, the question is this: does the music  industry still have a place for Christina Aguilera? Or would she become a staple of the past like many of the songs on her ‘Back To Basics’ LP? Regardless of how talented she may be, one thing is certain: she no longer has the luxury of resting on her laurels like she has in recent times. If she does not have a major breakthrough with this release, it might be wise for her to consider motherhood as a full-time job.

Do you think that the industry has left Aguilera

behind?

‘Thong Song’ singer Sisqo thrust himself back into the limelight last night (relatively speaking) by entering the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother 2010. Joining the likes of Vinnie Jones, Heidi Fliess, Dane Bowers and Stephen Baldwin (aka largely the irrelevant), the former Dru Hill star made perhaps the grandest of entrances in the show’s history by actually performing ‘Thong Song’ enroute to the house itself.

While initially cringing watching this on TV, I can’t knock him for doing whatever need be to keep his name out there (this particular show really is scrapping the bottom of the barrel though). That said, I searched high and low for the video which had the ‘About Me’ part prior to the his actual performance; as I wasn’t sure which was more hilarious – the fact she show was billing him as a quote-on-quote “R&B superstar” or his dated performance itself.

In any case, I’m sure this will make for interesting (or potentially car-crash) TV.

Your thoughts?

According to our good friend Necole Bitchie, R&B star Ashanti is set to release her 5th studio album independently on her own label Written Entertainment. {Source}

Slated for release later this year, the as yet untitled record will hit stores some two years after the release of her criminally underrated LP ‘The Declaration’. A commercial disappointment, the latter saw her eventual departure from Universal Motown, as well as the severing of ties with Irv Gotti and The INC last year.

I still find it utterly baffling that, despite having stepped her game up significantly, folks still take shots at Ms. Douglas. Confused.com with that one. In any case, here’s wishing her much success with this new record 🙂

Your thoughts?

Comeback queen Whitney Houston will be the the receiptitent of the ‘Entertainment Honour’ at the 2010 BET Honours, it has been revealed. The show, which takes place on February 1st (ironically a day after the Grammys who snubbed her), will see Houston tribute performances from the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Patti Labelle and Mary J. Blige. {Source}

It’s awesome to see Whitney getting her props where they’re due. Should her team keep up the great work with the handling of her ‘I Look To You’ project, I’d imagine the ceremony will coincide with the release of a new single or singles (fingers strongly crossed for a ‘For The Lovers’ release).

Your thoughts?

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