Despite having been pushed back several times already, the release of Mary J. Blige’s new album ‘Growing Pains’ has been delayed once again. Instead of hitting stores on December 11th, the CD will now drop a week later on December 18th.

Though no reason for the delay was given, I’m guessing it’s one or both of the following; the so-so performance of current single ‘Just Fine’ and/or an attempt to capitalize on the Holiday sales period.

The pressure to deliver (both in sales and with her new material) is obviously immense. After the success of her ‘comeback’ album ‘The Breakthrough’ back in 2005, flopping (ala 2003’s ‘Love & Life’) just isn’t an option this time around. It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out…


Your thoughts?
Just letting you guys know that I’ll be conducting a phone interview with Mario on Wednesday (November 7th). The R&B star is gearing up for the release of his much-anticipated third album ‘Go!’ on November 27th. So, please drop any questions you may have for him in the comments section. Remember, only genuine and appropriate questions will be considered 🙂
In a recent interview with OK Magazine, singer/actress Jennifer Hudson spoke out about her much-debated body image:

“I have the height of a model, the breasts that people pay for and the lips that everybody wants, so why should I change?”
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More power to her…


Your thoughts?
Our friends over at SOHH Soulful caught up with LeToya during the HSAN (Hip-Hop Summit Action Network) event in Atlanta yesterday (November 3rd). The R&B star was there to give a speech on financial betterment – stopping to speak to the press before heading into the event. Check out the video below where the ‘Torn’ singer shares new info on her forthcoming album:

It seems her label Capitol are pulling out the stops for this project; with the likes of Ne-Yo and Brian Michael Cox now on board – it appears to be an A-list affair. Here’s hoping the album is as good as her debut.

Any thoughts

Rihanna performed on the French version of Star Academy last night. The Def Jam singer performed her hits ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ with contestants on the show. Check out the performance below:

Umbrella (With Lucie)


Don’t Stop the Music (With Claudia)

I actually enjoyed both performances – especially ‘Don’t Stop The Music’.

What do you think of the performances?

Alicia Keys performed her smash hit ‘No One’ on the Jonathan Ross Show here in the UK yesterday. As usual, she delivered with the performance.

What do you think of the performance?

With his hotly anticipated ‘American Gangster’ CD set to drop next Tuesday, Jay-Z hit the promo trail this week in support of the album. The rapper stopped by The David Letterman Show for an interview and to perform a track from the LP called ‘Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)’.

What do you think of the performance?

As previously reported, pop megastar Michael Jackson appears on the cover of the December issue of Ebony magazine – which celebrates the 25th anniversary of the worlds best selling album of all time ‘Thriller’. Say what you want about him, but Mike, in my opinion, is looking the best he has in a long time (lacefront and all lol).

Click here to see more pics from the shoot

Jackson is currently prepping a reworked anniversary edition of ‘Thriller’ for a first quarter 2008 release. The revamped set will feature four previously unreleased tracks and four remixed tracks by the likes of Akon, Kanye West and Will.I.Am.

What do you think of the cover?

Superstar diva Mariah Carey is set to release the DVD of her ‘The Adventures of Mimi’ tour on November 19th. The recording took place at the October 8th show at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Check out this preview of the DVD; Mariah performing her club hit ‘It’s Like That’. Great performance.

What do you think of the performance? / Will you be getting the DVD?

It’s well established that Amy Winehouse is a trainwreck-in-waiting, yet at the same time that’s part of why we like her so much. However, this mess of a performance at last night’s MTV Europe Music Awards cannot be excused. All the hollering and wailing just killed the song – making it almost unrecognisable from the CD version. Terrible.

What do you think of the performance?

The long-anticipated video for the Spice Girls comeback single ‘Headlines’ premiered tonight on the BBC1. For all the hype and whatnot, I think it turned out pretty decent.
What do you think of the video?
R&B songstress Tweet is prepping her third album ‘Love, Tweet’ for an April 8th 2008 release. Check out this behind the scenes look at the recording of the CD, as well as the photoshoot for the project:

I’m really anticipating Tweet’s new CD; her first ‘Southern Hummingbird’ rates among my favourite R&B efforts and the second was pretty solid too.

It turns out the previously posted first single ‘My Dear’ (ft. T.I.) was actually only a buzz track. The album’s first single is titled ‘Anymore’ Click below to listen to a snippet:

 

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Will you be checking for Tweet’s new CD?

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