A stunning looking Alicia Keys features on the cover of the March issue of Gotham Magazine. The 12-time Grammy winner’s look was put together by celebrity stylist June Ambrose, who donned the singer in a Catherine Malandrino ensemble.

Hands-down the most beautiful I’ve seen Ms. Keys look to date!

What do you think of the cover?

Brandy’s music career has come to a halt. As one of the rising stars of the 1990’s, she seemed primed to be amongst the most successful artists of the 2000’s. Yet, since the release of her ‘Full Moon’ LP in 2002, her music career has been on a steady decline, with her impact on the charts diminishing with each subsequent release. The root cause of this decrease in sales, however, remains a mystery.

Despite achieving critical success with her ‘Afrodisiac‘ and ‘Human’ albums, both records represent the lowest sales in Brandy’s entire career. Indeed, the latter of the two projects sold little over 200k units since it’s release on December 5th, 2008 although she made several major promotional appearances. It seems that regardless of how good her material may be or how hard she tries to promote it, the general public hasn’t paid attention.

There is no denying that Brandy will always have a presence on television, thanks to the massive success of her syndicated show ‘Moesha’ and her upcoming reality show, but her notable absence on radio continues to baffle both her fans and critics alike. Her brother Ray J offered his perspective on the issue, asserting that a lot of her problems result from her label conflicts. Nevertheless, many contend that EPIC Records gave her substantial support during her ‘Human’ campaign.

So what is real reason for the decline of Brandy’s chart success? Is it really her label situation? Or is it something else? Her material could certainly find a place on contemporary radio as ‘Human’ had all the elements of a mainstream hit. It’s anyone’s guess why people just aren’t interested.

What do you think is the problem with Brandy’s

music career?

The cover art for Lady GaGa and Beyonce’s ‘Telephone’ single has finally been released. The song has thus far peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. The video to support the record is set to be released any day now.

What do you think of the cover?

Following their double-win at the BRIT Awards this week, JLS have yet another reason to smile – they have received an endorsement from Hip-Hop superstar Jay-Z.

The boyband, the biggest to emerge from the UK in years, caught the 40 year old’s eye when he sat in the audience at the BRIT’s. Speaking to The Sun, Mr Carter said:

“I liked JLS, I watched them do their show. They’re a good band and remind me of ‘N Sync, a band who do the boy band thing well. They put on a class performance and I think they will go on to be as big as ‘N Sync.”

Erm…ok then…LOL.

I’m not quite sure where or how Jay would have come to such an off-the-mark conclusion, as based on their performance-ability alone, JLS are light-years behind what N Sync were serving up back in the day (and that’s me being extra nice). More than anything though, where N Sync boasted viable solo stars in the form of Justin and JC Chasez (still cheesed off things never popped off for him, then again the material was doo-doo), JLS – to put it simply – don’t.

Still, with the likes of Jay-Z backing them – even if only verbally, the guys have indeed got a much needed boast ahead of their debut in America.

With their Stateside label Jive having already started promo for their 1st single ‘Everybody In Love’, I can not wait to see how the US takes to them. I say this as the guys have been getting away with a hell of a lot here i.e. mediocre vocals, awful routines, and more. Yet with the US – from my observation, (more times than not) calling out the wackness from the jump, it’ll be interesting to see how the boys fare. That said, they are signed to an awesome label there, who will likely promote them to the high-heavens; so maybe, just maybe, we may be onto the next N’ sync….right?

Randomness: Strangely enough, though not taking to them musically, I’m internally glad to see a group like this doing so well (see: Obama effect). If only their talent matched up.

Your thoughts?

Check out this behind the scenes look at Rihanna‘s video for latest single ‘Rude Boy’ (directed by Melina). Credit where credit is due, this Bajan model was going for gold with the sass and overall confidence she exuded on this one. Granted great editing did her a lot of favours in terms of  making her mechanical whine less…well…mechanical, she gave it her all and deserves kudos for that. It’s just a shame that Ms. Fenty never seems to replicate such swagger when a mic and a live audience are given to her. Sigh…

Your thoughts?

Check out the official album commercial for the Sugababes‘ new LP ‘Sweet 7’ (due March 8th), which began running today:

Their label Island / Roc Nation are not playing when it comes to the promotion of this project! The ad is slick, and definitely sells the ladies as a premier act. Having listened through our preview copy of the album, it most certainly positions them in the  thick of what’s hot musically (Pop-meets-Urban-meets-Dance) and boasts awesome production. Whether or not that’s a good thing, when considering the sound and image the group etched out for themselves over the last 10 years, is up to individual interpretation.

Your thoughts?

The first single from singer/song-writer The-Dream‘s 3rd (and supposedly final) LP ‘Love King’ surfaced a few minutes ago. Also titled, ‘Love King’, the song finds the hit-maker in familiar territory with its witty lyrics, numerous catchy hooks, and playful production (courtesy of L.O.S Da Mystro)

Though a decent effort, the fact that the song would not sound out of place on either of his previous album’s (2007’s ‘Love Hate’ and 2009’s  ‘Love vs Money’), highlights a lack of artistic progression – if this is a taste of what the rest of his record will be serving up. While, I, for the most part, enjoy Dream’s offerings and his ‘trademark’, it’s somewhat problematic when much of your material sounds the same – despite there being a 3-4 year gap between when they were released. Still, I’m sure radio will eat this up. Take from that what you will…

Hit or Miss?

Grammy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson is the latest star to partake in the iconic ‘got milk?’ campaign. The J Records singer offered the following as to why she decided to feature:

“[Milk] was definitely a part of my upbringing for sure,” says the proud mother, whose sophomore album is due this May. “I definitely want to have that on my kitchen table.”

Kudos for Jennifer for continually upping her profile and featuring in a positive initiative.

Your thoughts?

After a ten year hiatus, Sade has shot straight to the top of the Billboard 200 with new LP ‘Solder of Love’, it has been confirmed today. The album, which is the band’s 2nd number one on the chart, sold through a whopping 501,665 copies in its first week on sale. In doing so, ‘Soldier of Love’ is already certified Gold – after just one week!

Recession? What recession?! It really goes to show that people will still buy music if they feel it worthy enough to pay for. Much congratulations to Sade on an amazing feat!

Randomness: I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about which artists are truly in the best position in today’s musical climate. Interestingly enough, we agreed it’s artists like the Sade’s and Whitney’s, who may not get much radio play, yet maintain an older audience who will go to the retail outlets in their thousands to buy a CD; an audience who aren’t a part of this ‘iTunes / downloading’ era. What do you think?

Your thoughts?

Sabrina Washington is back! The former Mis-teeq singer has kept a relatively low profile since the trio, the UK’s most successful Urban group, went their separate ways back in 2005. All that is set to change as Washington releases her awesome debut solo single ‘OMG (Oh My Gosh)’ on March 22nd.

That Grape Juice chatted it up with the bubbly Londoner about everything from launching her solo career, to the comparisons to Lady GaGa, the real reason Mis-teeq broke up, whether she is indeed signed with Cash Money Records…and much more!  A great watch, I must say. Enjoy! {Special thanks to: S. Leopold, Seye Iizsik, and Mr Damaje!}

Part 1

Part 2

Your thoughts?

In a show of sisterhood, Destiny’s Child stars Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams pose for the camera following Williams’ performance in Broadway’s ‘Chicago’ on Monday (February 15th). Rowland came out to support her former group member, who is receiving rave reviews for her role as Roxie Hart in the long-running musical.

Your thoughts?

Songstress Alicia Keys shined on the red carpet last night at the BRIT Awards 2010, which took place live from London’s Earls Court Arena. Check more pics of the 29 year old, as well as singing sensations Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke below.

Your thoughts?