Real Music People

Can you say pathetic? I can understand love struck but this is just dumb. Amy Winehouse has cancelled her UK tour and all promotional appearances through 2008 because she’s too upset about her husband Blake Fielder-Civil being in jail. Professionalism is definitely not in her vocabulary.Wino released a statement on Tuesday saying “I can’t give it my all onstage without my Blake. I’m so sorry but I don’t want to do the shows half-heartedly; I love singing. My husband is everything to me and without him it’s just not the same.”

The few shows she has done have been slammed by critics and fans. It at least saves everyone else and they get refunds too.

Baby Boom

There appears to be congratulations in order for singer Usher and his wife; as their first child arrived into the world at 9.30pm on Monday (26-11-07). Originally, they named baby son, Usher. Usher Raymond V to be precise.

So is that like calling him Junior? Well, if so, little Jr. was a healthy 7lb 9oz; and the couple are overjoyed. “We are so happy and proud of our beautiful son. What a blessing!”

I have to say it’s lovely and refreshing to not be writing about crazy stars doing drug related, alcohol related or generally weird related things for once. I have already mentioned this week the planned wedding of Kanye West and his girlfriend; and now the happy family here. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy… until tomorrow when someone is bound to have done something stupid. Again.

The 80’s nostalgia ends up tragically as the lead sing of Quiet riot has been found dead in his home.
Police discovered his lifeless body after performing a search once they got phone calls announcing he was missing. Friends and family are devastated, and former band members show their grief.

The band was currently active, singing from time to time and releasing albums once in a while, so the relationships between him and his colleagues were still good. No one seems to know what happened, but as in most cases when it comes to musicians, I suspect it was a suicide. As police didn’t reveal many details about his death, or the causes, I can’t assume anything or imagine the circumstance. But I think that if they would have found signs of unusual presences in his home or burglar steps they would have announced that.

After a rollercoaster ride of emotions, rapper Kanye West finally buried his mother, Dr. Donda West, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma earlier this week.

The ceremony was held at the True Vine Ministry church which could hold up to 2,500 people. The funeral was attended by members of the music industry as reported by AccessHollywood.com. Beyonce and Jay-Z attended the services where John Legend and Anita Baker performed in honor of Donda.

Kanye reportedly broke down inside the church as he was giving his eulogy and talking about his mother. He said, he wanted her to not “rest in peace, but rest in paradise.”

Apparently rapper T.I. likes to play with guns - even though he’s been told not to many times.T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, is currently facing federal charges in relation to his October 13 arrest. He was arrested in Atlanta, just a few hours before he was scheduled to perform at the BET Hip-Hop Awards. He was allegedly attempting to purchase unregistered machine guns and silencers.

His official charge is possession of unregistered guns and silencers and possession of firearms by a convicted felon. He managed to make bond and is currently serving under house arrest.

Convicted felon, you ask? Well, let’s review the laundry list of T.I.’s previous run-ins with the law. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, he was involved in three other instances of unlawful possession of guns.

The first incident was on December 22, 2001. He was carrying a concealed 9mm pistol and told police his name was Douglas Morgan. He managed to get out of this one without a criminal conviction.

The second time was November 1, 2002, less than a year later. He was carrying a 10mm pistol. Guess he hadn’t learned his lesson yet.

The third incident occurred when a search warrant was issued for his Fulton County home on December 18, 2004. Police found a gun with attached silencer, ammunition, and pictures of T.I. holding weapons. Again, this incident did not bring a criminal conviction.

Part of this newest charge is possession of firearms by a convicted felon. Seems T.I. was arrested for selling crack in Atlanta when he was just 17 years old. He was given seven years of probation for that offense, which he violated, so he was then sent to jail.

It seems to me that his problem isn’t just playing with guns; it’s listening to authority.

Bobby Brown may be going through a career change by trying to make it in country but did you ever fathom that Beyonce could do that same?

In a surprising move, Beyonce put a sweet country twist to her massive hit ‘Irreplaceable’ and even brought in Sugarland country crusaders Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush at the 2007 American Music Awards.

Beyonce was also recognized with the International Artist Award of Excellence. It’s a huge achievement because not only is she the first female artist to ever receive it but she also joins a list of legends including Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, the Bee Gees and Aerosmith.

Out of four albums released over the span of her career, all four have debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. Her most recent album was released last week, entitled As I Am.

A #1 debut is not her only Thanksgiving blessing this week, though. Keys has already sold 742,400 copies and is her highest performing debut yet. Her first album Songs in a Minor (2001) sold 235,800 copies while her sophomore album The Diary of Alicia Keys sold 618,300. Unplugged (2005) sold approximately 196,000 copies. This year, her closest competition was Josh Groban’s Neel, a Christmas themed album, which hit #2 with around 223,000 copies.

This recent increase in album sales has shown us that it is indeed beginning to look at a lot like Christmas. And a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised to find a copy of the R&B songster’s latest gift in their stockings!

If you’re anxious to see the 2007 American Music Awards, here’s a sneak peek at the rehearsals. From the looks of things, it’s going to be an awesome show.

The Jonas Brothers, Chris Brown, T-Pain, Mary J. Blige, Daughtry and Maroon 5 were all caught as they run through their respective sets. It looks like we’re in for a treat when Chris Brown takes the stage with his gravity-defying performance.

And it seems like the Jonas Brothers even brought their own set of groupies. I can already hear fan girls screaming. Careful ladies, one of them happens to be a minor.

Well it seems there is a little R&B artist rivalry going on. Just one week into R Kelly’s ‘Double Up’ tour, Ne-Yo has been relieved of his duties as opening act. Now the statement from his label would not elaborate, but if you ask the artist about the reasons behind this it’s a simple case of “I’m better than he is” school boy type chant.

What he will actually tell you is the reviews came back after the first week and raved more about Ne-Yo than they did about R Kelly, creating the theory our Mr Kelly doesn’t like being upstaged so has sacked the reason…What Kelly’s spokespeople will say is that the cause was due to “contractual agreements not being met”.

Children, children can we please play nice together? What do we believe folks? After all R Kelly is said to be the nicest guy in the R&B business, but no one ever said he might be a bit petty, maybe a little jealous of the younger, more successful artists. Or maybe, like his label insists, Kelly is confident enough in himself to happily share the stage with such talented acts as Ne-Yo; and maybe the latter truly just screwed up.

It’s always annoying when a rapper says that he’s retired then comes back only to retire again and then come back again. But in Jay-Z’s case, no one should care as long as he’s number 1.

The rapper may have flashed two fingers when he passed paparazzi on his way to TRL on Monday. But as of the middle of the week, he hit number 1. As it was projected by music insiders last week, his American Gangster-inspired album took the top spot on the Billboard charts and knocked the Eagles down a notch.

Congratulations to Jay-Z. This is his 10th #1 album!

Eminem is refusing to embark on any future U.S tour in fear of upsetting his young daughter, according to rapper 50 Cent. The In Da Club hitmaker says his pal’s daughter Hailey, six, dislikes him being away from home - and Eminem is adamant fatherhood comes before his career. Now isn’t that such an inspirational thought from a cult singer and doesn’t it inspire the likes of David Beckham and Brad and all the other’s to give up a little on the hectic lifestyles to spend some time with their kids and if this speak doesn’t then I don’t know what will. Man come on after you have the millions in your bank account what is there that is stopping you from taking a early Christmas break and going on a vacation with the family. What are you all filthy rich dads waiting for, till when you retire at that time the kids would have left the nest and shall be free birds. This is the time to enjoy with the kids. Eminem has his priorities all right and this makes him my idol.

In addition to listening to this album in it’s entirity, I was also fortunate enough to hear Laura Critchley perform some of the songs live at the album launch last Wednesday. I did not envy the poor girl, having to perform to a room full of music industry people, but she pulled it off brilliantly before heading off to another gig in her home town of Liverpool. The album is a good mixture of upbeat songs and ballads with a pinch of rock and jazz/funk thrown in. Laura co-wrote all the songs on the album, and is obviously responsible for the great lyrics throughout. She opened her set with the second song on the album, “What Do We Do?”, which was also released as a single on 5 November. This is a break up ballad, which she does so well, as is “I’ll Be Ok” , which is the fourth track on the album. “Lullaby” was beautiful but happy while the title track is a very commercial love song which is coming out as a single in January. The rest of the album includes jazzier entries like “Shoulder To Lean On” and “Don’t Say” , rocky ones like “That Kind Of Love”, and “Superstar (Song For Karen) dedicated to Karen Carpenter. If you like good songs, well written and passionately sung, this album is a must for your collection. Furthermore, I can confirm that she is just as good live as she is on CD.

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If you were looking for a truly impressive night out then you are going to want to see what you can do about getting yourself tickets to take in the “Cover Your Eyes” Tour which is sure to be a great night out whether you decide to attend with family or with friends. Featuring such acts as Kenotia and City Sleeps as well as Bedlight for Blue eyes, this tour promises to be an amazing night out that you are not going to want to miss so make sure you see what you can do about getting yourself tickets to catch these great bands and more in action.
Highlights of this tour include stops at such venues as Jaxx in West Springfield, Virginia on November 15, The Brewery in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 16, Soapbox in Wilmington, North Carolina on November 17, The 7 Venue in Douglasville, Georgia on November 18, The Pit in Jacksonville, Florida on November 19, Island Oasis in Winter Park, Florida on November 21, Dark Room in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on NOvember 24, Fat Daddy’s Sound Shack in Lewisville, Texas on November 25, White Rabbit in San Antonio, Texas on November 26 and The Blue Goat in Salina, Kansas on November 28 as well as The Foundry in Joplin, Missouri on November 29 and The Cellblock in Mesa, Arizona on December 4. There are also a slew of other performances that you know you aren’t going to want to miss out on!

Emo dudes vary the heartbreak guitars with string ballads and a faux show tune for years, say anything leader Max Bemis has had to deal with bipolar disorder, but judging by his band’s third album, he’s got something else to gripe about — namely, bad, bad love. Loosely based on one of Bemis’ own relationships, the album mostly sticks to serrated emo but ranges from big, string-laden ballads (”Plea”) to a faux show tune (”That Is Why”). When Bemis is on –shuffling between a touching Latinate melody and an ace, bloodletting chorus on “Hangover Song,” delivering the sugar-rush pop of “Shiksa (Girlfriend)” –his songs are tuneful and invigorating. “Retarded in Love” is sort of like a Springer episode: You don’t want to watch someone fall apart before your eyes, but you don’t want to look away, either. Lyrics about his love interest, a “slender slave with sluttish, sleepy eyes,” should have stayed in Bemis’ journal. Still, it’s hard not root for him — if he could only handle ladies with the same ease with which he turns out good melodies, he’d be all right.

James Blunt, that English crooner, is touring and you had better believe that you are going to love having this chance to see him perform live onstage! Whether you want to attend his concert with your friends or your family in tow, you know there is nothing like seeing a great performer live while you are surrounded by your loved ones. Additionally, performers like James Blunt are wonderful to see in concert because concert-goers are surrounded by the performers’ other loyal fans which is always a wonderful experience to have.
Highlights of James Blunt’s tour include stops at such locales as Carling Academy Glasgow in Glasgow, United Kingdom on January 9, Edinburgh Corn Exchange in Edinburgh, United Kingdom on January 10, Carling APollo Manchester in Manchester, United Kingdom on January 11 and on January 12, International Centre in Bournemouth, United Kingdom on Janaury 17 adn Plymouth Pavilions in Plyamouth, United Kingdom on January 18 as well as the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham, United Kingdom on January 19. Other highlights of Blunt’s extensive tour include gigs at the Hallenstadion Zurich in Zurich itself on March 9, Zenith Paris in Paris, France on March 10, Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands on March 17, Hovet in Stockholm, Sweden on March 23 and Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany on March 30 as well as Alcatraz in Milan, Italy on April 2 and a slew of other venues.
You know you don’t want to miss out on this chance to see such a talented performer do his thing live.

“There are times where I’ll walk upstairs after the show, and my mom will be sitting on the couch with Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day, drinking a pint of beer. She’s totally cool.” Nice guy.. love your mother.. Forget about troubles from the evil world. That’s absolutely so cool man, when you are a successful singer and your concerts go house full jam packed you can have any one by your side to flaunt off your success and things to your girl friend but to take your mom on tour and take her to the concert and have her watch your performances and then get her some beer all sounds extremely cool, I would always love to take my mom with me where ever I go, you know sometimes you feel like catching your mom’s hand and telling let’s go to the mall and have some fun, buy ice creams and see some cool gadgets that I like to buy this Christmas and ask her if she like them too so that there is a consensus on the purchase I make. Well all in all nice to hear that his mom and he get along well.

Reggae covers and dub-wise improvising are regular features of Gov’t Mule’s marathon shows. Mighty High focuses on that heavy Jamaica in singer-guitarist Warren Haynes’ modern-Dixie redesign of classic British blues rock. Actually, there is as much Free as Lee Perry in the opening detonation of “I’m a Ram” — from Al Green’s 1971 album Gets Next to You — while drummer Matt Abts’ New Orleans backbeat under the Band’s “Shape I’m In” affirms the mix of Crescent City and funky Kingston in the original. The Rolling Stones’ “Play With Fire” is overstuffed with weed-whacked production, and the suite of dub versions in the second half of the album could use more jolting drama. But the closing remix of “I’m a Ram,” titled “Plasticine Era,” is a hip minefield of wah-wah-guitar bark, snare-drum crack and singsong bravado by Jamaican vocalist Willi Williams, whose 1978 single “Armagideon Time” is a Mule cover waiting to happen.

The embattled rapper T.I., real name Clifford Harris, is currently under house arrest for weapons charges. But since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, he has asked a judge to allow him to host Thanksgiving at his Atlanta home.

T.I. is currently out on bond but a judge has ordered him to home confinement and that he can only have no more than three visitors at a time. Said visitors must also be approved by the court.

On Tuesday, the rapper’s lawyers asked that a list of family members be granted ‘approved visitation to have dinner with the defendant’ on turkey day.

Radiohead isn’t signed to any major record label right now but in the end, it works out for the best. The band decided to release their album via the internet and letting fans pay whatever they wanted for it.

On average, more than 6 out of 10 people who downloaded their new album ‘In Rainbows’ downloaded it for free. Of the people that decided to pay even just a bit for it, the average price paid was around $6. Close to 1.2 million people downloaded the album and if you’re quick with the numbers, that’s a total of $2.736 million.

It may not be as much had they released the album normally but when you take away the money they would have to fork over to a record label, they’d probably make even less than that. It’s a very smart move on their part.

Keith Sweat, the celebrated master of the slow jam, unwraps his first-ever holiday music collection, proving there’s no one better qualified to deliver a Yuletide disc titled A Christmas Of Love. The R&B and soul superstar’s new album of newly recorded contemporary Christmas songs will be available November 20 at all retail outlets and online.

The album’s nine songs spotlight the Harlem-born singer’s signature mix of smooth vocals coupled with warm, supple groove. Sweat puts his unmistakable mark on the classic “The Christmas Song,” as well as “Under The Tree,” “Once A Year” and “It’s Christmas Again”– a trio of songs Sweat cowrote. With “Point Of Christmas,” the religious artist pays tribute to the “reason for the season.”

He has sold more than 14 million records and garnered five #1 R&B albums, 15 Top 10 R&B singles, six #1 hits, four Top 5 pop singles, three multi-platinum and three platinum albums, two platinum and three gold singles, widespread critical acclaim and a rabid international following. Today, Sweat hosts his own syndicated radio show, The Sweat Hotel, in 19 markets.

The coast is clear for Diddy in New York for the mean time. The hip hop mogul is not going to be charged by the Manhattan DA for allegedly punching someone in a nightclub with said someone being his so-called friend.

Diddy’s attorney Benjamin Brafman has released a statement regarding the matter saying “I’ve been informed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office that after a thorough investigation, they have made a decision not to authorize any arrests in connection with the incident involving Mr. Combs and Steven Acevedo on October 13. I want to commend the DA’s office and the New York City Police Department for conducting a thorough and very fair investigation into this incident and not allowing this private disagreement between two acquaintances to turn into a criminal charge.”

If you are a fan of R. Kelly, and let’s face it, he does have a wide array of fans located all throughout the world, then you are undoubtedly going to want to take this chance to see R. Kelly perform live as he tours all throughout the United States and beyond.

Highlights of this hip-hop performer’s tour includes stints at such locales as the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia on November 14, Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on November 15, The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 21, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York on November 23, American Airlines Center in New Orleans, Louisiana on November 30 and Sprint Center in Kansas City, MIssouri on December 7 as well as Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana on December 8 and FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee on December 9. OF course these dates are merely a handful of the slew that R. Kelly is embarking upon for this tour of the United States.

You know you aren’t going to want to miss out on the fun that these concerts will be sure to bring to life

“Deja Vu” suffered from being a bit too familiar and a frenetic accompanying video that turned off more than a few fans. “Ring the Alarm,” tricked out with sirens and a video of Beyonce conjuring memories of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, failed to maintain attention for more than a few listens. However, “Irreplaceable” could change all that.

“Irreplaceable” was co-written by Ne-Yo and produced by StarGate, one of the most potent hitmaking teams of the year. They have collaborated on Ne-Yo’s own “So Sick” and Rihanna’s “Unfaithful,” to name just a pair of successful hits. “Irreplaceable,” with its instantly memorable melody and irresisible “to the left” hook should follow in those songs’ footsteps.

An element that makes “Irreplaceable” resonate deeper after hearing it multiple times is that the subject matter of female strength and independence is at the core of the entire B’Day enterprise. This song will remind many listeners of concepts central to Terry McMillan’s Waiting to Exhale which remains a cultural touchstone 14 years after its release. Look for “Irreplaceable” to help Beyonce regain her pop momentum just in time for her end of the year starring role in the film version of Dreamgirls.

The 17-year-old MC known as Sean Kingston got put on the 21st-century way–through his myspace page. On his impressive self-titled debut full-length, Kingston blends elements of contemporary R&B, dancehall reggae, and radio-friendly pop over 14 tracks, all the while flowing with hungry, upstart energy.

The stand-out track and debut single, “Beautiful Girls,” quickly became the summer jam of 2007, with its infectious beats and clever sampling of Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me.” The rest of the album’s thump comes courtesy of West Coast producer J.R., and with a tracklist light on guest stars (Paula DeAnda, Vybz Kartel, and Kardinal Offishal), SEAN KINGSTON heralds the coming of an assured young artist brimming with potential.

It’s big, bold and brassy just like Christina Aguilera herself. “Candyman” takes us back to 40’s USO shows featuring the Andrews Sisters and a crowd ready to jitterbug. Primarily due to possessing some of the strongest vocal chops in the music business, Christina Aguilera pulls it all off with no hint of karaoke or parody.

The entire song amounts to a sexual double entendre. As stated elsewhere on the album Back to Basics, she is “still dirty.” The “Candyman” of the title is identified as “a one stop shop who makes my cherry pop!” Fortunately, the energy in the song is so focused on dancing and hooks that the sexual content comes off sounding more like a wink than a wallow.

We will be watching the pop radio response to “Candyman.” Christina Aguilera’s songs are so big in sound and approach that they sometimes are difficult to slot comfortably in with a contemporary pop playlist. Songs like “Hurt” are produced in showstopper mode leaving them difficult to program as radio music meant to be in the background. However, “Candyman” will impact the charts and Christina Aguilera continues to demonstrate she is one of the top female artists in the business.

Meet the new king. Not the same as the old King.Garth Brooks, who edged out Elvis Presley in 1999 for the title of best-selling solo artist of all time, only to lose it five years later, reclaimed the crown from the King Monday, according to the tab keepers at the Recording Industry Association of America. Ok, now I will admit that Garth Brooks has definitely made his mark in country music, and he’s won every kind of award there is…and once upon a time I drooled everytime I saw his face… but dethrone Elvis??? GET SERIOUS, PEOPLE!!! NO ONE, least of ALL Garth Brooks, could ever dethrone Elvis! I don’t care if he sold a million copies of cd’s every day for the rest of his life…he’ll NEVER come CLOSE to Elvis on ANY level. My advice to the writers of these kinds of articles… PLEASE choose your words more carefully!! Stats are for real but yet could be misleading. Garth could be great but certainly not the greatest and still not greater than that man called Elvis.

While Nelly Furtado won her own award and should get an award for being fabulous with her red carpet look, I can’t say the same for Avril Lavigne. Honestly, I would never say it even if she looked like Charlize Theron. She looked like a wannabe prom queen from the 80s.

The 23-year old ‘Girlfriend’ singer picked up the award for Most Addictive Track at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007 in Munich, Germany on Thursday. Avril accepted the award and said “This is amazing. I’d like to thank the fans for voting for me.”

It’s not that they wanted to. It just so happens that the song is so annoying and was stuck in their heads during the whole voting process.

Amy Winehouse gave one of her usual bombed-out performances at the MTV Europe Music Awards. She was even booed off the stage when she could barely say the word “Thanks” after receiving her Artists’ Choice award. However, the new drug-free Pete Doherty says that Amy is on “the straight and narrow,” Holy crap…I was going on and on about how freaking ugly she is (all the time when I see her pics on the internet and music news sites)…then I got a look at her husbands teeth! Sweet mother of Jesus! Can you imagine kissing that thing! It looks like he’s never brushed a day in his life. Bet it smell reals nice, jack! He wouldn’t be a bad looking guy though if he wasn’t so messed up on drugs and hadn’t messed up his body. Yipes; these 2 are obviously not good for each other. I bet there’s some serious mental & emotional abuse going on, in addition to the drug abuse. Hope she gets out of that situation alive.

This week, Dwight Yoakam releases Dwight Sings Buck, a tribute to his idol that recalls Buck Owens’ very own excellent songbook albums, 1961’s Buck Owens Sings Harlan Howard and 1963’s Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins. Sings Harlan Howard arrived early in Buck’s career: it was only his second album, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that his classic sound hasn’t quite gelled yet — he’s relying heavily on steel guitar and fiddle instead of electric guitars, bringing this closer to the vibe of barroom country. Part of the reason this doesn’t quite sound like classic Buck is that he was still getting the Buckaroos off the ground. His right-hand man Don Rich was aboard, yet he’s only on three cuts, playing fiddle (plus a lead acoustic guitar), not his trademark electric guitar, which doesn’t give this album the twangy snap of Buck’s best-known hits, yet it’s possible to hear that sound beginning to take shape here.Dwight’s new offering, do exactly what a songbook album should do: they’re affectionate tributes but they’re thoroughly entertaining in their own right. Plus, they perform a valuable service in turning listeners onto music they may have missed. It’s hard to imagine any Dwight fan that hasn’t listened to a bit of Buck, but after hearing Dwight Sings Buck, they might want to dig deeper into Owens’ catalog and they could bypass those hits comps and start with either of these albums. There might be some hits you’d miss, but you’d get the greatness of the man. Then, after you’re done, you can follow Buck’s lead and dig into Harlan Howard (his lone 1965 LP, All Time Favorite Country Songwriter, a boast that was largely true) and Tommy Collins (start with 2005’s The Capitol Collection), another pursuit that is thoroughly rewarding