With the release of Timbaland’s highly anticipated ‘Shock Value II’ on the horizon, a new song from the LP has surfaced. The track, entitled ‘Meet In The Middle’, features the multi-talented Brandy who unleashes her rapping alter ego, Bran’ Nu. Brandy guests on two songs on ‘Shock Value II’ which hits stores on December 8th.

The production on this one is c-razy! The piano and the beat mix perfectly or should I say ‘meet in the middle’. Additionally, this track shows how dynamic Brandy can be as an artist. In fact, she spit her verse better than Timbaland did! This only makes me even more excited to hear what she is going to put forward on her next release which will supposedly hit stores sometime in 2010. Great stuff.

Hit or Miss?

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Vocal power-house Rihanna (lol) took to the stage on the X-Factor a few moments ago to perform current single ‘Russian Roulette’. In being the fair site we are, vocally Ms. Fenty live did sound very similar to the track (take from that what you will…) However, I am sorry I just cannot agree with that voice. For much of the performance, I was wondering why she was holding the mic to her mouth when she was clearly singing out her nose.

Tidbit: Was anyone else thinking “when is she gonna get off that damn chair?” Ironically, the chair was more interesting she was on stage!

What do you think of the performance?

R&B star Alicia Keys performed a medley on the X-Factor a few minutes ago (see how quick we got you covered lol). The singer delivered a stellar live offering of ‘Empire State of Mind’, ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’ and ‘No One’. As host Dermot O’Leary pointed out, Ms. Keys really gave us much bang for her buck…wasn’t expecting a medley at all. Great performance!

What do you think of the performance?

It would appear Mariah Carey isn’t the only established act struggling on the UK album chart; Rihanna‘s much hyped ‘Rated R’ entered the chart at #16, with dismal sales of 32,000. Unlike Carey though, the 21 year old’s project was promoted heavily, with a Nokia sponsored launch event here in London, as well as healthy rotation of songs and videos on UK TV and radio.

Regular visitors will already know my stance on Ms. Fenty, but we want to ask you…

Why do you think folks aren’t checking for Rihanna?

Despite a high-profile appearance on the X-Factor last week, Mariah Carey’s 12th studio album ‘Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel’ has flopped in the UK, entering the official album chart at a disappointing #23. Meanwhile,  ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’, the record’s lead single in UK after ‘Obsessed’ release was cancelled, barely scrapped the top 20 on the singles chart – debuting at a lowly #19. Ouch.

All pantomime banter aside, I actually feel a little sorry for ol’ Mimi. While nowhere near her best offering, ‘Memoirs’ – at the very least – deserved to perform better than some of her other poorly charting material (see: ‘Glitter’ and ‘Charmbracelet’). Instead, it stands as the lowest selling album of her career.

As reported, it wouldn’t surprise us in the slightest if Mariah’s next LP – whenever it drops – isn’t released under the Def Jam umbrella. I mean, at this point, it’s even doubtful this ‘Memoirs’ remix album will ever see the light of day either. For,  from a business standpoint, pumping money/promotion into an already dead and buried project makes no sense at all. At best, I envision an iTunes-only/for-the-fans type release for any kind of remix LP. I wouldn’t hold my breath though. Oh Mimi…

Your thoughts?

Alexandra Burke gave a rousing performance of her smash ‘Bad Boys’ at T4’s Stars of 2009 event today at London’s Earls Court Arena. Sung entirely live and performed with much zeal, Ms. Burke is proving with each performance, not only why she won the X-Factor, but why she’s one of best talents to emerge on the music scene in long while. Great performance.

What do you think of the performance?

The new-look Sugababes took to the stage a few minutes ago at T4’s Stars of 2009 extravaganza at London’s Earls Court Arena. Put simply, their live big-spectacle showing of ‘About A Girl’ was probably their worst performance I’ve seen all year. I BS you not. Sloppy, sluggish and a sore sight, the performance really drove home of the fact that it really is curtains for this once credible group. Amelle looked like she’d rather be smoking a cigarette somewhere, Heidi was…Heidi (take from that what you will) and Jade didn’t come anywhere near as hard as she usually does – especially on the vocals. The addition of dancers to their act made the whole shabang even worse, as they only served to highlight how awful the ladies were at moving…

Hot Mess!

What do you think of the performance?

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While 2009 brought us much in the way of good music, it also served up great additions to the television spectrum – none more so IMO than ‘The Cleveland Show’.

A spin-off from popular Fox show ‘Family Guy’ (which I ironically have never watched a full episode of), ‘The Cleveland Show’ centres on the adventures of Peter Griffin’s neighbor Cleveland Brown. Many years ago, Cleveland (voiced by Keith Michael Richardson) made a promise to his old high-school sweetheart, Donna (voiced by Saana Lathan). After divorcing his wife, Cleveland, along with Cleveland Junior, move to Stoolbend, VA to start a new life with Donna and her two children – Roberta (voiced by Nia Long) and Rallo.

The show really is a must watch. Check out the series’ most recent episode above and let us know what you think. Would you like to see future episodes on That Grape Juice?

Your thoughts?

R&B force Beyonce was recently interviewed by The Observer’s Caspar Llewellyn Smith where she answered questions concerning a myriad of topics. Amongst the items discussed, the entertainer spoke about the possible direction of her next studio project. Peep an excerpt from the interview below:

Is there anyone left you’d still like to record with?

Oh, where do I begin? There’s so many people I’d like to work with still, but I’d like to maybe go outside of the box. My sister [Solange] has put me on to bands like [indie group] Of Montreal and some other different types of artists. I would love to do something like that on my next album. {Source}

To say that I didn’t expect this would be a blatant lie. Beyonce is one of the few artists who always manage to revamp their appeal with each record; capturing the attention of new audiences with each LP. Undoubtedly, she has the voice to adapt to almost any arrangement, hence further experimentation with acoustic instruments would be a  more than manageable feat for her. If the productions sound anything like ‘Disappear’, ‘Irreplaceable’, ‘Satellites’ or ‘Stop Sign’, I would be all ears.

Sam Edit: Hmm…I’m all for artistic experimentation, however some of the slower/stripped-back offerings on ‘I Am…Sasha Fierce’ are among the most boring material Bouncy has ever recorded IMO (2nd only to the added tracks on the ‘B’Day’ re-release). If there’s one thing Ms. Knowles-Carter has established since the start of her career, it’s the epic, grandeur that accompanies her songs (see: ‘Halo’, ‘Listen’, ‘Dangerously In Love’, as well as most of her upbeat cuts). I’d much prefer a building on that, instead of a potentially contrived take on Indie music.

Thoughts?

High energy performer Chris Brown called in to DJ Whoo Kid’s ‘Shade 45’ yesterday. The singer discussed his decision of putting popular model Cassie in his video, his relationship with Jay-Z, his album cover, his thoughts on Rihanna’s recent press interviews, and a possible mixtape. Brown’s new album ‘Graffiti’ hits stores on December 8th.

I must admit that for the first time, I am actually eager to get my hands on a Chris Brown album. Thus, I was a bit disappointed that the discussion didn’t delve deeper into the nature of the record or the concepts behind individual tracks. Either way, it was a very interesting interview indeed.

Sidebar: Did anyone else catch how Brown’s tone changed when Whoo asked him if he would ever get back with Rihanna? Sorry, but that was hilarious!

Thoughts?

Your favourite ‘model’ and mine Rihanna poses it up in this exclusive shoot for the New York Times. Though I’m sure some will disagree, I’m actually feeling this look.

What do you think of her look?