R&B crooner Mario is currently prepping his 4th studio LP ‘And Then There Was Me’ for release later this year via J Records. Meanwhile, the set’s supposed first single ‘Break Up’ has surfaced. The gritty mid-tempo cut, which features Sean Garrett and Gucci Mane, is, to be frank, pretty awful; most especially when considering the high quality the 22 year old served up with his last LP ‘Go’. I’m wondering whether it’s a case of dumbing down his sound to sell records or whatever, but it certainly isn’t a good look. Irrespective of sales, Mario has always been held in high regard for arguably being one of R&B’s best talents – something this track definitely doesn’t show. No.

The projected sales of Keri Hilson’s debut ‘In A Perfect World…’ were released today by Hits Daily Double and shows the Atlanta native to have shifted 93,819 copies of the LP in its first week, landing at #4 on the Billboard 200.

Though not the biggest of debuts, this is definitely an achievement for Keri considering the push-backs, being a new artist, the fact she hasn’t been all that visible on television etc. I guess the touring and radio promotion (aka ‘foundation promo’) has helped her amass a core fanbase. Here’s hoping the record continues to sell.

That Grape Juice are pleased to announce that we will be interviewing R&B star LeToya Luckett later this week. 

You know the drill now; if you have any questions for the ‘Torn’ singer, please drop them in the comments section. Remember, only legitimate questions will be considered. Thanks!

Popular Mariah Carey fansite Mariah Daily Journal have shed light on the status of the singer’s forthcoming album:

As we all know, Mariah has been hard at work on her upcoming album which is reportedly set for release later this year. In her latest message on Twitter, she writes: 

MariahHBF: Hey! Getting ready to go to the studio in Miami. Very excited cos I haven’t worked w/”Big” Jim Wright in a while..remember “fly like a bird” 

Big Jim Wright has worked with Mariah for years. Most recently, he co-wrote and co-produced “Fly Like A Bird,” the Gospel-drenched song on Mariah’s best-selling 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi. The collaboration also produced two other tracks on the album, “Circles” and “I Wish You Knew.”

Both Mariah and Big Jim had worked together previously on tracks “Petals,” “Can’t Take That Away,” “Bliss” from Rainbow (1999); “Lead The Way,” “Twister,” “Want You,” “Reflections” from the Glitter soundtrack (2001); and “Through The Rain,” “Yours” from Charmbracelet (2002).

Meanwhile, in other album news, Jermaine Dupri (Y’all know who this is!) and Bryan-Michael Cox (“I Stay In Love,” “For The Record,” “We Belong Together,” “Shake It Off,” “How Much,” “The One”) in their recent posts on Twitter have revealed some information about a new Mariah song called “100 Percent.”

Jermaine Dupri: im on my to the studio to work on this new mariah record i no yall lambs wanna hear that

Bryan-Michael Cox: Still in with Adrienne in NY & JD is working on our joint with Mariah in ATL “100 Percent”. The General & The Ranger stay working!!!!

Jermaine Dupri: YO THIS MARIAH RECORD IS CRAZY

Bryan-Michael Cox: **** it was crazy when we did it!!!! I know it sounds crazy now!! Let’s get these damn Grammys like we always do…LOL!

Sounds promising. Here’s hoping the album is more ‘Emancipation of Mimi’-esque than the mediocrity that was ‘E=MC2’.

Following yesterday’s revelation that Kelly Rowland had been supposedly dropped by Columbia Records, both Rowland, 28, and Columbia have issued a joint press release. They confirmed that they fact that they have severed ties, yet stressing that it was a mutual decision – one, which if read between the lines, looks as if it was instigated by Rowland. Light is also shed on the future of Destiny’s Child, who are signed with Columbia: 

It’s good to see all has been cleared up. Three things are very evident from this statement; 1) Kelly clearly knows she’s worth more than what her solo success to-date shows   2) She is taking her career by the horns and making the moves to steer it in the direction she so deserves IMO – up! 3) Another Destiny’s Child project of some sort is pretty much a certainty. 

After a lengthy hiatus from the music scene, R&B singer Ginuwine is back with ‘Last Chance’, the first release from his forthcoming LP ‘A Man’s Thoughts’ (due June 2nd). The video for the Bryan Michael Cox song, which sees Lisa Raye and Tyrese make cameos, isn’t bad at all. My only gripe is that the choreography scenes come across kinda ‘1999’. Still a decent effort. 

Grammy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson made an appearance on the Ellen Degeneres Show recently to talk about her tour with Robin Thicke which starts today, her engagement to former I Love New York 2 contestant David Otunga, her new album and more. Jennifer also performed current single ‘If This Isn’t Love’, which you can watch below:

For those who haven’t been able to keep up with the latest season of Making The Band 4, peep the vid above to see the drama that has been ensuing among the members of Day26. This is quickly looking to be Da Band / Danity Kane all over again. SMH…

Speaking of Danity Kane, let me first apologise for taking a short while to drop the D. Woods and Dawn interviews. They will both be ready to post no later than tomorrow (meaning anytime from now!). As I’m sure our loyal readers will know, That Grape Juice prides ourselves on serving up the very best interviews from your favourite Urban artist. Hence, unfortunately, sometimes it’s a case of if it’s not ready to roll out, it’s not ready. That said, the interviews will be ready to post quicker than you can say ‘Sam, the man, the Kelly Rowland stan’. Thanks for being so patient…I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading them.

Reports are pouring in on the information highway that Kelly Rowland has been dropped by Columbia Records, her recording home since the start of her career. Check out the report below:

Wow! I guess this really does mean all ties are severed with her and the Music World / Columbia labels. Say what you will but I see this being a good thing for Ms. Kelly; a fresh start elsewhere and a definite break-away from the camp she’s been a part of for pretty much the whole of her career. I’m more than sure many a label will be knocking at her door (that’s if she’s not signed elsewhere already), looking to turn her into the next big thing. How this all plays out in the months ahead will be very interesting. For the time being, official word is that Kelly is currently recording her new Project Runway-type TV show for Bravo in the States.

As Kelly Rowland continues work on her 3rd solo album, her collaboration with renown French DJ David Guetta has surfaced. The track, ‘Love Takes Over’, is very much a Dance cut, which is a departure from the sound we’re used to hearing Kelly feature on. That said, while the song (and the genre generally) is a bit too ‘busy’ IMO, Kelly’s vocals sound great and she’s ‘singing singing’ like we know she can. Here’s hoping we hear more of this kind of delivery with her next LP.

After being serially delayed due to internal label re-structuring, LeToya Luckett’s sophomore LP  ‘Lady Love’ had been finally set for a May 19th release date. However, it has been confirmed that the album has been pushed back once again and will now arrive in stores on June 16th, avoiding a chart battle with Eminem (who is releasing ‘Relapse’ on May 19th) and giving way for the release of another single. 

Luckett, 28, has gone on record to confirm that the Tank produced ‘Regret’ will be the follow-up to ‘Not Anymore’ (which isn’t exactly setting the charts alight). Word has it the song is the business. I guess we’ll know in time…

According to reports, Michael Jackson may be joined by some familiar faces at his comeback shows at London’s 02:

Michael Jackson has reportedly asked Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake to join him on stage for some of the dates at his sell-out O2 concerts.

The star is said to be concerned that the performances could lose their “wow factor” due to the length of his 50-date residency, thelondonpaper reports.

An insider said: “Michael knows that stretching out all those shows and keeping it fresh is going to be hard, and one way to do this is to collaborate with some other big stars that he admires.

“The idea would be for them to do five dates each with him. As well as Britney and Justin, he’s in talks with producer Timbaland about doing some of the dates too.” {Source}

This is by no means far fetched, as Michael has taken to the stage with both in the past. That said, Beyonce and Kanye West, both of who will be in the country around the time, are much more exciting prospects IMO.