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With Ashanti’s latest studio effort ‘The Declaration’ in US stores today, the singer stopped by BET’s 106 & Park to promote the project yesterday. A real interesting interview, I must say. She comes across very well. Ashanti really brought her ‘A Game’ this go round, so I’m hoping she does well with this record.

Your thoughts?

New Michelle Williams Promo ShotMichelle really is serving up the unexpected this go-round. This new promotional pic for her forthcoming LP ‘Unexpected’ (due August 12th) surfaced recently. She looks on-point!

What do you think of the pic?
Continuing along the promo trail in Japan, diva Mariah Carey performed her 1993 classic ‘Hero’ on the show Smap x Smap today. Check out the performance below:

Hmm. I guess she’s had worse performances this go-round, so this wasn’t that bad in comparison. Saying that, it really drove home the fact that her voice, as we knew and loved it, is done.

Mariah herself has stated in certain interviews that she has nodules on her vocal chords, which wear and tear over the years have strained. Surgery to repair the damage threatens her ability to hit her trademark whistle note. I say she go and has the surgery; for if she keeps turning in such sub-par performances (which seems to be the overwhelming majority these days), her legacy will be damaged way more than if she were to lose the whistle register. After all, her voice wasn’t only famed for being able to hit the odd high note – it’s power, purity and effortless delivery was what set her above her peers. In any case, it’s more than obvious that something needs to be done. {Thanks Stevie}

Your thoughts?

Leona Covers BlenderSinging sensation Leona Lewis appears on the July cover for Blender Magazine. Aside from the cover’s tag-line (‘Look out Mariah, Leona is Pop’s Next Megastar’), the magazine features this interesting quote from the UK born star:

“I don’t wear little miniskirts and low-cut tops. If you want to show your bits off, it’s up to you. When I was 18, I had a few glasses of Alcopop — they’re bubblegummy drinks with a bit of alcohol — and it was gross. I’ve tasted champagne, which is gross. And I tasted wine, which I don’t like.”

Hmm. Kudos to her for sticking to her guns if this is legit, but I’m wondering if this ‘wholesome’ image is a label construct. It’s funny they mention Mariah on the cover, as, for some reason, I can so see Leona having her ‘Mariah circa 1997 (‘Butterfly)’ break-free moment a few years down the line (sexed up image and the full works). I guess time will tell.


Any thoughts?
Nelly was joined on stage by Fergie to perform his current single ‘Party People’ over the weekend at the MTV Japan VMA’s. Check out the performance below:

Pretty decent, although the camera angles kinda made for a hard watch.
What do you think of the performance?
R. Kelly's Trial Heats Up; Star Witness Takes Stand As expected, things got pretty intense in R. Kelly’s trial today as the prosecution’s star witness took the stand to give evidence:

Van Allen said she had met R. Kelly at the video shoot for “Home Alone,” in which she appeared, in late 1997 or early 1998. Kelly’s cousin, “Blacky” invited her to join Kelly in Kelly’s trailer, she said. She talked with Kelly and ended up having “intercourse” with him in the trailer, she said. She was 17 at the time, she said.

In late 1998, she testified, Kelly took her to his former home on the North Side of Chicago, where she met the alleged victim in this case for the first time. Kelly taped them while they had three-way sex in his “log-cabin” room, she said. That’s the same room he’s alleged to have filmed the tape in this case. Kelly told her the alleged victim was 16, she said. {Source}

Granted the defence haven’t started arguing their case, it increasingly looking like R. Kelly’s going down. Still, I’m stopping short of saying it’s a certainty, as stranger things have happened.

Your thoughts?
Competition: 'The Great Debaters' DVD Give-Away (Reminder)Just a quick reminder to let you all know that today is the last day to enter our ‘Great Debaters’ DVD competition. If you’d like to be in with a chance of winning and haven’t entered yet, click here to do so now.
T-Pain - 'Silver & Gold' With T-Pain set to release his third studio album ‘Thr33 Ringz’ on September 30 (his birthday), the LP’s apparent first single ‘Silver & Gold’ has surfaced. It’s no secret that T-Pain likes to ‘sing’ (for the lack of a better word) about drinks, so it comes as no surprise that this cut is about mixing silver and gold Patron to make a new beverage. It’s typical T-Pain fare – so you’ll either love it or hate it. Can’t say this one does anything for me; still, it’ll probably be a hit. Is this what today’s industry has been reduced to?

Hit or Miss?

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Check out this on-stage skit Chris Brown participated in at last night’s MTV Movie Awards, with host Mike Myers:

Funny stuff. All jokes aside, Chris really is setting the standard for performance choreography. I’ve long been hearing murmurings about what I’m about to say, but I think I’m actually starting to believe it now: Chris Brown is a better dancer than Usher…
Your thoughts?
2008 MTV Movie Awards Pics The 2008 MTV Movie Awards went ahead as planned yesterday night, despite a fire that destroyed parts of Universal Studios in Hollywood, California (where the show took place). A host of stars made appearances at the show including Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith & son Jaden, T.I., Megan Good, Chris Brown and girlfriend Rihanna.

{Click pics to enlarge}
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What do you think of the pics?

The Pussycat Dolls performed their new single ‘When I Grow Up’ a few hours ago at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards. Check out the performance below:

Though the performance was overly on-point (IMO), the ladies will continue to have little credibility with me (as a unit) until they start switching on some of the other girls’ microphones. I mean, does Nicole even need a ‘solo’ career, after all she’s living it out within the group anyway.

What do you think of the performance?

The Best You Never Heard: Destiny's Child, 3LW, Jamelia & KandiThis week’s The Best You Never Heard serves up unknown to the masses cuts by Destiny’s Child, 3LW, Jamelia and former Xscape member Kandi. Do you have any suggestions for future instalments? Drop me an email at sam@thatgrapejuice.net

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Destiny’s Child – Gots My Own

 

Though a very solid effort, one thing that till this day puzzles me about Destiny Child’s 2004 LP ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ is that a sizable proportion of the bonus, international only etc tracks could easily have featured on the album – most especially considering it’s overly generous track list size (11 tracks). Perhaps, one of the best of these tracks is the Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins produced ‘Gots My Own’. The song, which is very much in the vein of DC’s ‘Independent Women’ stance, is great IMO primarily because its Old Skool feel is so far removed from your typical Darkchild production, and moreover the expected Destiny’s Child sound. Also, the ladies’ unmatched harmonies/vocal arrangements work particularly well here.

 

Listen: Gots My Own

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3LW – Feelin’ You (ft. Jermaine Dupri)

With new member Jessica in tow, 3LW looked set to make another attempt at hitting it big in 2006, under the label guidance of Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def imprint (which at the time was an off-shoot of Sony). For one reason or the other, their ‘comeback’ album ‘Point of No Return’ was shelved (See: The Cheetah Girls); the girls did, however, release ‘Feelin’ You’ as a single (albeit an under-performing one). With top notch production courtesy of JD himself, the song managed to blend the their soft vocals with a befitting beat that still possessed that trademark JD ‘knock’. Great one for the summer.

 

Listen: Feelin’ U (ft. Jermaine Dupri)

 

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Jamelia – Beware Of The Dog

 

 

Many in the industry were initially touting UK R&B star Jamelia as our answer to Beyonce. Indeed, as well as her imaging, videos (See: ‘Superstar’) etc, the fact she was doing it so BIG over here at the same time as the Destiny’s Child front-woman, no doubt further fuelled the comparisons. However, with her last LP, 2006’s ‘Walk With Me’, the mother of 2 switched things up radically sound-wise, serving up an album full of R&B tinged Pop/Rock/Dance tracks – one of the standouts being ‘Beware Of The Dog’. With it’s hard hitting, rousing feel, the song isn’t far removed from some of the better cuts on Rihanna’s ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ CD. Good stuff.

Listen: Beware Of The Dog

 

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Kandi – I Need
Some of you may remember Kandi as one quarter of 90’s R&B vocal group Xscape. Having gone on to pen smashes for the likes of TLC (‘No Scrubs’) and Destiny’s Child (‘Bills Bills Bills’), she launched an ill-fated solo career, which in all fairness to her, did spawn the moderate hit ‘Don’t Think I’m Not’. Fast forward to 2006 and with talk of a new album in the works (which has yet to materialize), she dropped ‘I Need’ as a buzz single. Detailing the stress of her day to day life (“Got my baby daddy talking to me sideways, got a stack of bills sittin’ that I ain’t paid”), there really is no other way to describe this other than R-E-A-L. Lyrically the track is as engaging as they come; the beat goes hard too.

Listen: I Need

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Your thoughts: Hit(s) or Miss(es)?

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