Trey Songz recently released a new remix video for his hit single ‘Can’t Help But Wait’ – featuring rapper Plies. The track will appear on the forthcoming ‘Step Up 2′ soundtrack.’ Video aside (it’s really not that great), I’m hoping Trey gets the recognition he deserves this year. The guy is overly talented, yet so slept on.
With Usher hard at work on his forthcoming, as-yet-untitled, album, a snippet of new material has surfaced. It’s rumored ‘Moving Mountains’ was produced by man-of-the-moment Timbaland. In any case, the track has me real amped for Usher’s LP. The mid-tempo cut sounds like a mesh of Timbo’s ‘Apologize’ and your vintage Bryan Michael Cox piano-ballad. I’m surmising from this, that Usher has kinda taken the sound from the last album ‘Confessions’ and upped it to the next level.
Check out this video of R&B songstress Kelly Rowland performing her UK smash ‘Work’ (Freemasons Mix) – on BBC’s Sound show, here in the London. As a big fan of the original version of the track, I’ve also come to really like the Freemasons mix – which is set to climb into the top 3 on the Official single chart tomorrow. About the performance, Kelly did a great job…vocals, sass and all the rest. Good stuff.
Though it seems Ciara has wrapped up the promotion for her most recent project ‘The Evolution’, she isn’t heading out of the limelight just yet. The ‘Goodies’ singer laid down new vocals for a remix to Janet’s ‘Feedback’, as well as Missy Elliott’s ‘Ching-A-Ling’.
Despite Janet not recording new vocals for this (possibly official) remix, Ciara has injected a new life into this already-storming track. Often likened to Janet, Ciara’s voice, delivery, everything fits the song really well. With all the comparisons and whatnot, would I be alone in thinking a live performance of this remix would be unmissable?
As with the ‘Feedback’ remix, it’s Ciara’s delivery that stands out on Missy’s ‘Ching-A-Ling’ remix – which also features Jay-Z. It’s well-known C’s vocal prowess leaves a lot to be desired, but her swagger on this can’t be denied IMO.
These kinda have me thirsty for what she’ll be serving up on her new album, which she is reportedly working on now.
Hit-maker Jermaine Dupri posted this new video of him working with superstar Mariah Carey at the singer’s in-house studio. Listen out around the middle for a very small snippet of a new track from Mariah’s ‘That Chick’ album rumored to be ‘Thanks For Nothing.’ Stephen Hill, the Senior VP of Music Programming and Talent at BET and Rachel McIntosh, Mariah’s choreographer (lol lol lol) also make an appearance in the vid. Tidbit: Is it me or was Mariah’s obsession with ‘the right lighting’ kinda annoying?
R&B star Ashanti strutted her stuff on the runway at Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection fashion show in New York City yesterday. She’s looking on-point and, looking at the pics, she knows it too lol.
Since winning MTV’s popular reality show ‘Making The Band 4’ last summer, the group- consistent of Mike, Quanell, Brian, Robert and Willie – have been without a collective name to go by. However, during an appearance on radio station Power 99 in Philadelphia yesterday, the guys revealed that the group’s official name is Day26. No explanation was given, so I’ll reserve my judgement until then.
It had been announced previously that fans should hit up Janet Jackson’s official website today at 1pm (US) / 6pm (UK) for a surprise of some sort. It turns out the ‘surprise’ was two new tracks from Janet’s highly anticipated ‘Discipline’ album – ‘Rock With U’ & ‘LUV’.The first, ‘Rock With U’ is a futuristic techno-esque cut. Fans of the Kylie Minogue sound, will eat this up, as will the European market. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the song is the fact that it’s produced by Jermaine Dupri. Very alternate to the sound we’ve come to expect from the hit-maker. Not the best Janet track, but satisfying, all the same.
‘WOW’ is the what came to mind after listening to the Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins produced ‘LUV’. I’m actually still playing it as I type. The beat goes HARD. The vocal arrangements are on-point too, with Janet’s harmonies complimenting the gritty production. My gut told me Darkchild’s involvement with the project would yield great results – case example, this and ‘Feedback’.
If these are indicative of the rest of the album, Ms Jackson is onto a winner.
Peep rapper Lil’ Kim arriving at the screening for ‘Marc Jacobs & Louis Vuitton’ in this aptly designed Marc Jacob outfit. If you place your hand over her head, the pic looks kinda good; but what the hell is going on with her face. She looks a complete different race. Kim, get it together!
As some of you know, Mariah Carey’s new single, the lead from her upcoming ‘That Chick’ album, has confirmed as ‘Touch My Body’. Originally set to debut last Tuesday, then bumped to this week and then the next, AllAccess.com is reporting that the track will now impact radio on February 19th – nearly three weeks from now. I’m assuming it’s all strategising on the part of the label; I mean, the album doesn’t drop until April.
The official tracklisting for Janet Jackson’s much-hyped new album ‘Discipline’ has surfaced via Walmart and HMV Japan. With word being that the album has been completed, mixed and mastered, I would assume the tracklisting is concrete:
01. I.D. (Interlude) 02. Feedback (by R. Jerkins) 03. LUV (by R. Jerkins) 04. Spinnin (Interlude) 05. Rollercoaster (by R. Jerkins) 06. Bathroom Break (Interlude) 07. Rock With U (by J. Dupri / Ne-Yo) 08. 2nite (by Stargate) 09. Can’t B Good (by Ne-Yo) 10. 4 Words (Interlude) 11. Never Letchu Go (J. Austin / J.Dupri) 12. Truth Or Dare (Interlude) 13. Greatest X (by The Dream / T. Stewart) 14. Good Morning Janet (Interlude) 15. So Much Betta 16. Play Selection (Interlude) 17. The 1 feat. Missy Elliott 18. What’s Ur Name (by J. Dupri) 19. The Meaning (Interlude) 20. Discipline (by Ne-Yo) 21. Back (Interlude) 22. Curtains
Japanese Bonus Track 23. Let Me Know (by Ne-Yo) 24. Feedback (Ralphi Rosario Electro Shock Radio Edit)
I’m thinking the Janet fans can breathe a sigh of relief, after many assuming she’d done away with her trademark interludes. The tracklisting was pretty interesting on a number of other fronts too; the Missy Elliott collabo seems to have come out of nowhere and Janet really seems to have found a formular that (hopefully) works with a select few producers and stuck with it. Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins has a lot of material placed on the record, as do rising stars The Dream & Tricky Stewart. ‘Discipline’ drops February 26th.
Check out this new promotional pic for the second season of Salt-N-Pepa’s hit VH1 reality show – ‘The Salt-N-Pepa Show.’ The ladies, both in their fourties, are looking great. US visitors, you can catch the season premiere on February 11th at 10pm.