Making The Band 3 winners Danity Kane were spotted Friday night at a Diddy-thrown party at Mansion Night Club in Miami. I’m feeling some of the girls’ new looks; Shannon actually looks like she has a personality now and Dawn’s darker do suits her. D.Woods has had better days lol….

The group are currently in the studio recording their sophomore effort (due next year). Word has it that the girls will be featured in a joint season of Making The Band with season 4 winners (pictured at the party, below).

The ‘From The Vault’ video chosen for this week’s installment is Joe’s ‘All The Things (Your Man Won’t Do)’. Lifted from the singer’s 1997 album ‘All That I Am’ (which also featured the hits ‘Good Girls’ and ‘Don’t Wanna Be A Player’) , the song has long stood as one of my all-time favourite R&B tracks. Check it out:

Singing legend Whitney Houston kick-started her ‘comeback’ campaign in front of a 10,000 strong crowd at Malaysia’s Live & Loud music festival yesterday (December 1st). Reviews of the 44-year old star’s set have been generally very positive. You can listen to some of her set below and make your own judgments. I, personally, thought she did very well considering the circumstances, which has me optimistic about her new album.

Def Jam’s Rihanna continues to crank out singles from her current effort ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’. According to Billboard, the 5th confirmed song to be lifted from the album is fan-favourite ‘Breakin’ Dishes’. It’s unknown, at present, if a video will be shot for the release, however the track has already impacted on the Hot Dance Club Play chart at #40. To date, Rihanna has scored 7 #1 songs on that chart.

Having initially not understood the hype around the song, I’ve actually grown to like it. Yet I can’t help but think that it may have lost much of its appeal, as she went ahead and released several sub-par songs before it. Anyway, it seems her label are going to milk everything they can get out of this album – which has yet to sell as many copies as its ‘platinum’ status would have you believe.

‘Me & U’ singer Cassie recently sat down with the team over at AllHipHop.com to discuss her forthcoming sophomore album. As well as revealing that she is working with hit-makers Brian Michael-Cox, Danja and Kanye West, she had the following to say of the new CD:

AHHA: Let’s get into the new album. What do you want people to feel once they have heard it?

Cassie: It’s a more vulnerable album; it’s a little bit stripped down as far as vocally and the content in the songs. Like I did a song last night called “That’s Not What Love Is” and it’s about a very, very real situation that a lot of people can relate to. It has a lot of emotion behind it. I really hope people get it and they see me in a different light – without the makeup, the hair and the clothes…just me, by myself. My album artwork is going to be really intimate. I want people to see me, how my boyfriend would, if I had a boyfriend that is. The way the music is coming together; I sound like I feel it.

As reported back in October, Kelly Rowland recorded a track with Gym Class Heroes front man Travis McCoy. The full song, titled ‘Daylight’ (a Bobby Womack cover), surfaced today and I am pleasantly surprised. Upon hearing the snippet earlier this month I wasn’t too optimistic, but listening to the mid-tempo track in its entirety has made me like it more.

‘Daylight’ is to feature on the soundtrack of French film ‘Asterix’. What’s unknown, at present, is whether the song will be on (or be the first single) from the previously announced ‘Ms. Kelly’ re-release – due early next year. A tidbit: ‘Work’ has been re-scheduled for release in the UK on 28th January 2008 meaning the long-awaited video should be premiering soon. Anyway, ‘Daylight’…

With Ashanti prepping her 4th studio album ‘The Declaration’ for an early 2008 release, you can now listen to a lengthy preview of the set’s alleged 2nd single. The R&B star performed the track, the Babyface LT Hutton produced ‘The Way That I Love You’, during a recent concert at New York’s Nokia Theatre. I really think she’s struck gold with this one; though the album’s first single ‘Hey Baby’ is strong (stronger than many think IMO), this would have been a better choice for a lead single. A swap, perhaps? Anyway, you can listen to the track below…

R&B star Mary J. Blige features on the cover of the latest issue of Billboard Magazine. She looks great. I’m guessing we’ll be seeing Mary everywhere in the coming weeks – as the release of her new CD ‘Growing Pains’ draws nearer (December 18th).

Check out this trailer for the movie ‘Single Black Female’ which stars former Destiny’s Child member Farrah Franklin (you remember her, right?):

Kinda random, I know, but I wanted to see what you guys are listening to. So saying that, what 5 tracks have you got on constant rotation at the moment? Doesn’t have to be limited to urban music, could be something new, throwback etc. Drop a comment in the comments section. Mine are:

As reported, Kelly Rowland has hit the road for select dates to support her sophomore effort ‘Ms. Kelly’. Check out videos from her Atlantic city tour stop last week:

R&B singer Akon is set to be charged in connecton to the much-publicized fan-tossing incident back in June. Check out the report via PEOPLE magazine:

The YouTube clip of Akon tossing a 15-year-old fan into the crowd of a concert has come back to haunt him: Police are slapping the hip-hop star with criminal charges after a fan said she suffered a concussion in the incident.

Akon is due in a Fishkill, N.Y., courtroom Monday to be arraigned on misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and second-degree harassment, the Associated Press reports.

During the June concert, Akon threw the audience member from the stage into the crowd. According to AP, the boy landed on another fan, Abby Rosa, who told the Poughkeepsie Journal that she suffered a concussion.

There was no immediate comment from Akon’s camp.

I’m glad. It’s about time some of these artists started taking responsibility for their actions and, by that, I don’t mean making wack ‘Sorry’ songs.