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Music

18th Apr

According to Billboard, Jennifer Hudson’s long-awaited debut album will be released on September 30th via Arista.

Granted it’s commendable that they didn’t rush the album out to capitalize on her Oscar success, this date really has to stick this time, so as for people not to lose interest. What’s more, the longer it’s held back, the higher the expectations – something that may count against her. Here’s hoping she delivers with this album.

In related news, industry veteran Clive Davis – the man behind Whitney Houston’s success and more recently Jennifer Hudson and Leona – has been replaced as chairman over at Sony BMG (the parent label of J Records etc). Davis has been appointed a creative role in another part of the company (click here to read the full story). I wonder what implications this may have for Jennifer’s project – considering Davis has been overseeing it since signing the ‘Dreamgirls’ star in 2006?

Any thoughts?

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Music

18th Apr

Usher – ‘Here I Stand’ Cover

R&B star Usher is gearing up for the release of his much-anticipated new album ‘Here I Stand’ – the official cover for which surfaced today. Originally scheduled to drop in the June, the album’s release date was pushed up following the chart-topping success of its first single ‘Love In The Club’.

What do you think of the cover?

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Music

18th Apr

Competition: Kelis & Mariah Carey CD Give-Away Winners

Thanks all those who entered the ‘Kelis – The Hits’ and the ‘Mariah Carey – E=MC²’ CD Give-Away competitions. The winners are listed below:

Kelis

The correct answer to the question:

Which popular rapper is Kelis married to?

b) Nas

The following are the winners – who were chosen at random (email confirmation has also been sent out) :

* Jillian Jackson

* Yolonda Smith

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Mariah

The correct answer to the question:

Which of the following is Mariah’s 1997 #1 Album ?

b) Butterfly

The following are the winners – who were chosen at random (email confirmation has also been sent out) :

* Nisha Luggah

* Josue Almodovar

* Danielle Atkins

Congratulations to the winners! Remember to keep it locked on That Grape Juice for future competitions.

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Music

17th Apr

Ashanti – ‘The Declaration’ Cover

The official album cover for Ashanti’s new LP ‘The Declaration’ surfaced today via UrbanBridgez.com. What can I say? She looks stunning. I see Ashanti as more ‘girl next door’ as opposed to a grand diva, so the cover was initially kinda surprising. Still, I can’t fault this at all. Here’s hoping what’s most important, the music, is just as good.

What do you think of the cover?

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Music

17th Apr

‘The Relativity Of Mariah’ Performances

With ‘Mariah Week’ in full swing, the diva’s BET special ‘The Relativity of Mariah’ (taped back in March) aired today. Check out performances of ‘Migrate / Touch My Body’, ‘Love Story / Shake It Off’ and ‘We Belong Together’ below:

Migrate / Touch My Body

Love Story / Shake It Off

We Belong Together

Wow! She sounded great. Watching this kinda has me thinking she either had a few extra days “vocal rest” or that she’s only capable of delivering live vocals like that in front of her fans. Whatever the case, the performances were on-point. More of this, please.

What do you think of the performances?

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Music

17th Apr

Mary J. Blige – ‘Stay Down’ Video

After months of next-to-no word on the status of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Growing Pains’ project, the video for the album’s 2nd single, ‘Stay Down’, premiered today. While the song is a personal favourite, I can not defend this mess of a video. The cheap, uninspired vid, which was directed by Hype Williams, has me thinking the budget for the whole project must be drying up fast. Odd, considering she’s only released one single from the record prior to this. On a more positive note, Mary looked great.

What do you think of the video?

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Music

17th Apr

New Song: Nelly – ‘Body On Me (ft. Akon)’

With the release of Nelly’s latest LP ‘Brass Knuckles’ drawing nearer, a brand new track from the set has surfaced. The Akon-assisted ‘Body On Me’, finds Nelly in familiar radio-ready territory. Though this isn’t as promising as his current single ‘Party People’, it’s a pretty decent effort.

Hit or Miss?

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Music

17th Apr

Angie Martinez Interviews Ashanti

R&B star Ashanti stopped by New York’s HOT 97 radio station earlier this week for an interview with Angie Martinez. The singer spoke on a number of things including her current status with The Inc, Nelly and, of course, her new album ‘The Declaration’. Check it out:

Great interview; she came across really well. Saying that, she needs to be honest about the whole situation with The Inc. After all, if it was all good Irv Gotti and Ja Rule wouldn’t be speaking of her negatively to anyone that will listen.

Any thoughts?

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Music

17th Apr

New Song: Michelle Williams – ‘Hello Heartbreak’

Former Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams is really surprising a lot of people with her new material; and judging by the sound of this new track, ‘Hello Heartbreak’, she will continue to do so. The club-destined cut, as with the other tracks we’ve heard, is very much an Urban/Pop/Dance fusion. Michelle’s album ‘Unexpected’ really is shaping up to be one of my most anticipated LP’s of 2008.

Hit or Miss?

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Music

17th Apr

Keyshia Performs ‘Heaven Sent’ On Regis & Kelly

R&B songstress Keyshia Cole performed her current single ‘Heaven Sent’ on Regis and Kelly yesterday. I really enjoyed this performance. As I’ve said many-a-time, ‘Heaven Sent’ stands as my favourite Keyshia Cole track and seeing her nail it live was real satisfying. Vocally there’s no denying she has stepped up remarkably compared to some of her earlier showings. Great performance.

What do you think of the performance?

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Music

17th Apr

New Song: R. Kelly – ‘Touch My Body’ (Remix)

As reported, R&B veteran R. Kelly is currently prepping his new LP for a summer release. In what I’m sure is a move to drum up interest in the project, Kelly has jumped on Mariah Carey’s ‘Touch My Body’ – offering his own spin on the #1 single. I must say I’m really liking this one; the vocal arrangement was great.

Hit or Miss?

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Music

17th Apr

Danity Kane Perform ‘Damaged’ On TRL

R&B/Pop collective Danity Kane stopped by TRL earlier this week to perform their hit ‘Damaged’. The brief downtime seems to have worked; this stands as the best performance of the song thus far IMO. From the vocals to the choreography to the stage presence, the girls were on-point. Good stuff.

What do you think of the performance?

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