That Grape Juice are pleased to announce that we have joined forces with Nokia to give you, the That Grape Juice faithful, the chance to see Rihanna perform live in London!
The ‘Umbrella’ singer has teamed up with the phone giant to launch her hotly anticipated ‘Rated R’ album, right here in London town on November 16th at a secret location. That Grape Juice will be in the house, and now so can you!
While the show will be broadcast live online (click here for more details), we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the show (yes you read right!). All you have to do is answer the following question correctly:
Rihanna’s 2007 smash ‘Umbrella’ was #1 in the UK for how many weeks?
a) 2
b) 6
c) 10
Complete the form below to submit your answer. All entries must be received by 5pm UK time tomorrow – November 11th….
It’s back! After being rested on the bench for almost a year, our much-loved Best You Never Heard feature returns this week. For new(er) That Grape Juice readers, The Best You Never Heard is a once weekly feature which showcases great songs which aren’t known (as much as they should be) to the masses. This week’s edition features little known gems by Madonna, Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis and R&Bquartet Metro City.
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Madonna – Dance 2night (ft. Justin Timberlake)
Lifted from Madonna’s 2008 effort ‘Hard Candy’, ‘Dance 2night’ is a lush throwback to her Madegesty’s 80’s heydey. The Justin Timberlake produced (and featured) cut boasts a thumping bassline over a funky Electro-Pop groove. Why this wasn’t a single in some capacity really baffles me, as it’s hand-down the album’s best song next to ‘4 Minutes’.
Listen:
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Mariah Carey – For The Record
Though Mariah Carey’s 2008 LP ‘E=MC2’ was argued by many to be a let-down (myself included), it’d be unfair to deny that it features a song or two which can be deemed some of her best work. Indeed, the Brian M Cox produced ‘For The Record’ not only serves as the album’s biggest highlight, it stands as one of my favourite Mariah cuts ever. A ballad with that ‘knock’, ‘Record’ easily completes the trinity of recent Mimi classic ballads (‘We Belong Together’, ‘Don’t Forget About Us’). From the lyrical content which makes you ‘feel’ what she’s singing, to her outstanding vocal delivery (I’m almost certain this was recorded during the ‘Emancipation’ era), this is – to it bluntly – the business. I’d certainly welcome more tracks in the vein of this for future Mariah releases.
Listen:
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Leona Lewis – Take A Bow
Singing sensation Leona Lewis has taken the world by storm since hitting the scene back in 2006. While I feel some of her released material has been a bit hit and miss, when the East-Londoner knocks it out of the park she knocks it all the way out! This is perhaps best evidenced on ‘Take A Bow’, which featured on her debut LP ‘Spirit’. An edgier ballad than we’re used to hearing from Ms. Lewis, this one exudes a real epic aura, which is bolstered by her progressively soaring vocals. Awesome track.
Listen:
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Metro City – Be Without You (Mary J Blige Cover)
Male R&B quartet Metro City, who I’m sure this is the first time you’re hearing of, delivered this stunning rendition of Mary J Blige’s ‘Be Without You’ in 2007. For the life of me, I cannot even remember how I stumbled upon this one, yet for a hot minute I played this more than the original. Unlike your typical cover version, this studio-recorded take on the song features tweaked lyrics, as well great (new) harmonies and arrangements. A winner.
R&B songstress Alicia Keys graces the cover Uptown Magazine’s Holiday issue. Ms. Keys, who I think you’d agree is serving up the D-I-V-A with this shot, is currently prepping the release of her eagerly awaiting 4th studio album ‘The Element of Freedom’, which hits stores December 15th.
Randomness: After being oh-so-disappointed with the snoozefest that was ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’, I cannot – on the flipside – stop playing (or poorly singing lol) second single ‘Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart’, which is effectively fire on a track. Go Ms. Keys!
Saucy Shakira stopped by the Late Show With David Letterman a few hours ago to perform ‘Give It Up To Me’, the 2nd US single to be lifted from her ‘She Wolf’ (awwooooooo lol…ok that was sad, but I’ve always wanted to do it LOL) LP.
Though I’m not sure if the song, which I’ve had on REPLAY for the last week or so, translated as well live, Shakira did a decent enough job here.
Tidbit: You’ll be seeing Shakira a lot more around That Grape Juice in the next few weeks (hint hint v.20. baby!)
Despite the dismal sales forecast for Amerie’s latest effort ‘In Love & War’, the singer continues to press on with her promotional attempts, most recent a trip to the Jimmy Kimmel Live show to perform new single ‘Heard Em All’.
Ms. Rogers delivered a pretty decent performance, yet you’d know never know judging by how dead the crowd were (can they be blamed, though? Probably their first time hearing the song!). I worry a little for what the future holds for this immense talent; when will she finally get her deserved kudos?
Check out the promotional ad for Janet Jackson’s eagerly anticipated sit-down interview with Robin Roberts on ABC’s‘In The Spotlight’, which airs on Novembr 18th. Can’t wait!
Super DJ David Guetta has enlisted Estelle for the 3rd single and title track of his widely successful 6th studio album, ‘One Love’. The video released to support the record can be seen above. The single was first released on BBC Radio 1 on October 28th and has thus far only managed to chart on the Australian Singles Chart at #81.
The song is catchy and would suit the car stereo quite well. However, the video is completely unoriginal and simply uninspired. From the rushing background lights a la Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light’ and the random dancing in the streets which can be seen in any cheesy advertisement for a new brand of shoes, I was left utterly unamused. After all the money that Guetta’s team made from his last two monster singles, I can’t fathom why this is the best material that they could develop. Either way, this song will be a hit because Dance music is hot right now and nobody is going to be watching the video while they’re busting a move in the clubhouse. Shame shame shame.
Hip-Hop/Soul Queen Mary J. Blige has dropped the second single from her forthcoming album ‘Stronger’. The song, entitled ‘I Am’, was written by hit-maker Johnta Austin and produced by Stargate. Blige’s LP will now hit stores on December 22nd after being pushed back from the last projected release date of December 15th.
I enjoyed the vibe of this song. The production was sound and her vocal delivery hit the mark. On the other hand, the almost cliche ”O O O’s” near the end of the track are reminiscent of something that The-Dream would have included on one of the many songs he did with Mariah Carey (see ‘Standing O’ and ‘Obsessed’). Either way, I foresee this song achieving respectable radio airplay figures, especially on the Hip-Hop/R&B charts.
The multi-talented Mya has been doing her thing on ABC’s ‘Dancing With The Stars’ for 8 straight weeks. Along with her partner Dmitry, she has managed to consistently remain on top of the judges’ scoreboards and maintain the audiences’ favour. Watch Mya and Dmitry completely slay the Quickstep (above) and the Samba (below)!
That Grape Juice can EXCLUSIVELY reveal that diva Whitney Houston will be taking to the stage to perform at the American Music Awards on November 22nd. As at writing the legend will be performing ‘I Didn’t Know My Own Strength’.
Houston joins Janet Jackson, Rihanna among others, as a performer at the event.
This serves as the beginning of a fresh promo push for Whitney’s #1 charting comeback effort ‘I Look To You’. Houston will also performing on the finale episode of Dancing With The Stars.
In terms of star-power, the AMA’s really are doing the damn thing this year. Cannot wait!
Randomness: I am posting from my Blackberry. The wonders of technology lol…
Update: For those somewhat confused, we received word about this DIRECTLY from Whitney’s team – and no where else!
Pop phenom Lady GaGa has just released the highly anticpated video for her latest single ‘Bad Romance’. The clip was directed by the acclaimed Francis Lawrence. ‘Bad Romance’ has so far peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stands as the first official single from her new album, ‘The Fame Monster’.
This is not a music video; this is art! Everything about the costume designs and the editing was on point. Add those elements to the well-placed choreography and you’ve got a hit in every sense of the word. I think this even rivals her clip for ‘Paparazzi’, which to date I considered to be the best video of the year. I didn’t even like the song but now that I have seen this, I can’t get it out of my head. Great work!
Tidbit: Did anyone else notice the bear rug dress she was wearing? FIERCE!
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Rihanna revealed that her new LP ‘Rated R’ is “so deep and personal” that she had to leave the studio to not burst out in floods of tears.
The jokes evidently write themselves here, so I’ll refrain from calling out the obvious.
‘Rated R’ hits stores November 23rd. Tissues at the ready…
