Prior to now, I haven’t been feeling much of Amerie’s material. However, after hearing her latest album ‘Because I Love It’, I must say that she really delivered. Many have questioned how good the album would be, seeing as she didn’t work with longtime collaborator Rich Harrison (‘1 Thing’, Why Don’t We Fall In Love’ etc). Yet, by switching things up, Amerie has managed to carve out a great new sound for herself.
Ne-Yo performed on the Jay Leno Show a couple of nights ago to promote his new album. He sang the album’s title track ‘Because of You’ with live instrumentation. I really enjoyed the performance; he’s a great live singer. The band were a nice touch too and enhanced the performance overall.
In more Ne-Yo news, his single ‘Because of You’ rockets from #39-#5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, giving the singer his third top ten on the chart and his biggest hit since ‘So Sick’. Hits Daily are also reporting the singer’s latest album, also called ‘Because of You’, is on course to sell 250,000+ in its first week out- making it a likely contender for the #1 spot.
Some of you may remember Raz-B as the member who never sang in teen R&B group B2K. I’m pretty sure the only B2K track I ever heard him on was ‘Girlfriend’ and even that was a measly two lines. Like many, I just assumed that he couldn’t sing and was simply there to make up the number. However, his new solo track ‘Fire’ has proven me wrong. The mid-tempo track, which debuted at #89 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart, is actually decent and proves that the guy CAN sing. Raz-B’s voice sounds alot like Marques Houston; it kinda makes me wonder why we never heard him sing before. Check it out…
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According to reports, Beyonce’s younger sister, Solange, is to take over as her manager once their father, Matthew Knowles, steps down in five years. The singer/songwriter has revealed that she is the heiress to her dad’s Music World empire – which also includes a music label. She has been quoted as saying “In five years I’ll be answering those calls. I’ll be the president and CEO.”I can imagine most of you are thinking ‘what the hell has Solange ever done?’…me too LOL. However, I can’t knock her hustle; she’s kept her name out there doing movies, presenting and songwriting. She’s probably more successful than she’s given credit for. Maybe it will work. I don’t get it though; isn’t she still trying to make it as an artist?
After a long silence, Andrea Kelly, the wife of singer R. Kelly, has spoken out about the sex-abuse allegations, their history and their upcoming divorce. See extracts from this interview with Essence below. You can read the full article by clicking here. It’s a very interesting read.On When The Allegations Broke:
Andrea was pregnant with their son when the news broke. Instead of breaking down, she blocked everything out. She said the couple worked hard to protect the family from the outside world, and the accusations forced her to become “a lioness” for her children
On ‘The Tape’ Itself:
She also doesn’t believe that R. Kelly is the man on the tape at the center of the criminal charges. “C’mon,” she said. “Who would believe all that? That’s why they call them allegations.” But at the same time, she also says she hasn’t seen the tape and never looked for it.
On Protecting Their Children:
Andrea does, however, shift uncomfortably when talking about the case against her husband; it’s a subject she’d rather leave alone. She does not allow her children to read the tabloids and will only permit them to be in the company of people she trusts. She keeps life for them as normal as possible: playdates with neighbors, parties and trips. But Andrea says she had to cut some people off who said nasty things about her husband, and surround herself with people who she believes care for her.
I really don’t know what to think. I must say, though, that I feel she is in denial about certain things.
What do you think?
It has been reported that Mya has again pushed back the release of her new album ‘Liberation’. The CD, which was scheduled to drop on June 26th along with Kelly Rowland and 50 Cent, will now be released on August 14th (…if it’s not pushed back again).
On one hand, I think it was smart to delay the release this time because she would have got crushed in sales by 50 Cent and Kelly. Having said that, the album has been pushed back so many times already, its like: does anyone really care about it anymore?
You still holding out for Mya?
R. Kelly – Same Girl (ft. Usher)
This track is apparently taken from R. Kelly’s upcoming ‘Double Up’ album (due May 29th). ‘Same Girl’ – which features Usher- is a great mid-tempo track, with an engaging storyline (kinda like a male version of ‘The Boy Is Mine’). The song has reignited my interest in the new album.
LISTEN: Same Girl (ft. Usher) {UPADTED LINK}
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Chris Brown – Wall to Wall
The Swizz Beats-produced ‘Wall to Wall’ is slated to be the first single from Chris Brown’s 2nd album ‘Exclusive’. It’s a decent club track but at the same time its kinda generic- any other standard R&B artist could have dropped this one. I’m sure it’ll be a hit for him, though.
LISTEN: Wall to Wall (HQ) {UPDATED LINK }
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Olivia – Missing You
After her departure from G-Unit, I didn’t think we’d be hearing much from Olivia any time soon. However she has, apparently, started her own label and is heading into the studio with Darkchild, Ne-Yo and Missy Elliott. This new track ‘Missing You’ has a very different vibe to anything I’ve heard from Olivia before and I’m liking it alot. The track has a real ‘grown R&B’ feel to it and her voice is well-suited to this kind of music.
LISTEN: Missing You
Usher has sent out a warning to all those ‘imitating’ his style and not acknowledging his influence. He told MTV News:
“You got your artists who find their way through the circuit and are following and are not giving the respect where the respect is due. “If you know (you’re) following and biting, then, hey, give the respect. You can’t come around here and think that you’re really starting the game. Understand, when I came up in the game and I found a trail, I was cool. “Bobby Brown went this way, Michael Jackson went this way, Marvin Gaye, he created his little profile and he held to it. I didn’t step on those toes. “What I did was find a way and my thing and created my thing. Now you have my thing being built. So I look up, and I’m like, ‘OK, I see you all. I see you all in the videos. I see you moving, I get it, but pay the respect.
He needs to go sit-down somewhere with that talk. Yes, he is very talented and set a standard for male R&B, but he’s yet to reach the levels of influence Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye have. If anything, I think he’s threatened by these artists he’s calling out. The careers of Ne-Yo, Chris Brown, Omarion etc are booming and I think Usher is worried his place is being taken.
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As Rihanna gears up for the release of her third album ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ (due June 5th), new promo shots for the CD have hit the net. She’s looking good…I’m liking the ‘look’ she’s gone for; it compliments the album title (which I still think sounds like a joke)….
In other Rihanna news, the official tracklist for ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ has been released:
1. Umbrella f/ Jay-Z
2. Push Up
3. Don’t Stop the Music
4. Breakin’ Dishes
5. Shut Up and Drive
6. Hate That I Love You f/ Ne-Yo
7. Say It
8. Sell Me Candy
9. Rehab
10. Question Existence
11. Good Girl Gone Bad
12. Lemme Get That
It’ll be interesting to see how these end up sounding. To be honest, I’m not expecting it to be anything special; I’m not really feeling ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Hate That I Love You’ sounds too much like a mix of Irreplaceable/Sexy Love. I’m still giving her a chance though, as the production credits are pretty impressive- Timbaland, Stargate and Ne-Yo. ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ drops June 5th.
Thanks very much Jay for passing this one along; I didn’t have any idea about it. It’s great to be getting some mainstream exposure. As I said before, we have some major features in the pipeline so keep it locked on That Grape Juice.
There are a few major changes that have been made to the site recently:
1) You can now also reach us via our new web address: www.thatgrapejuice.net
2) Any comments, submissions, questions etc should be emailed to: sam@thatgrapejuice.net
In addition, there are available positions in areas such as reporting, reviews and design. Please feel free to email me if your interested.
Watch this space for some upcoming big features, not all of which I can speak about now. Keep it locked on That Grape Juice…
Chingy Re-Joins DTP
MTV News is reporting that rapper Chingy has squashed his beef with Ludacris and reunited with the Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP) family. The move comes as a surprise considering the reason the St Louis rapper left the group in late 2004 –alleged money/deception issues. Although it’s unknown whether Chingy will re-join DTP at Def Jam (he’s been signed with Capitol since his departure), he is definitely back in the fold.You had to know this was gonna happen. Since leaving DTP, Chingy has had two albums flop back-to-back; despite the moderate success of some of his singles. I’m wondering if this will make any difference to the success of his future releases?
R. Kelly New Album Cover
I know R. Kelly has stated that his upcoming album ‘Double Up’ is 60% R&B and 40% Hip-Hop, but this cover is a joke. The man is 40 years old and looks like a fake thug. I’m getting the vibe that this is the direction the album is going in; I’ve heard the 2nd single ‘Blow It Up’ and it’s a mess. I know his music has always had some Hip-Hop influence, but this is coming across like a big gimmick. ‘Double-Up’ hits stores May 29th.
Ne-Yo: “Mariah’s Comeback Should Inspire Whitney”
R&B singer/songwriter Ne-Yo has described new songs by Whitney Houston that he has heard as ‘impressive’. However, Ne-Yo, who is currently writing songs for Houston’s album, wants to avoid creating songs that scream ‘I am Whitney Houston and this is my triumphant comeback. Instead, he suggests that Whitney takes inspiration from Mariah Carey’s comeback; not singing about her drama, but just everyday situations.
I think he kinda has a point; most of the albums that are too message-driven often fall flat e.g. Whitney’s last album ‘Just Whitney’. Let’s just hope his tracks for the album are good.
Durand Bernarr Blazes With Must-See Performance
Watch Now
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