09.30.05 (MusicPortal.com) In honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of THE BEATLES' classic album, "Rubber Soul," Razor & Tie Records is proud to announce "This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute To The Beatles' Rubber Soul." The 14-track album hits stores on October 25th, and will mirror the sequencing of the original UK release of "Rubber Soul." The new tribute features some of today's hottest artists including Sufjan Stevens, Ben Harper, Dar Williams, Mindy Smith, THE DONNAS, THE FIERY FURNACES, and more. Of the importance of "Rubber Soul," guitarist Allison Robertson of THE DONNAS commented: "They got a little more folky, they got a little more funky and more rocking. It was so different - it was like heavy and light at the same time." "This Bird Has Flown" has been produced by Jim Sampas (producer of 2002's "Badlands: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska"). On choosing the line-up of artists on the record, Sampas stated: "As we looked toward artists we would approach, we felt they should be kindred spirits whose gifts for singing and arranging lend themselves to these melodies and themes. Each artist on this album brought their own fascinating interpretations and have extracted new meanings from 'Rubber Soul.'" Originally released in the United Kingdom on December 6th, 1965, the George Martin-produced "Rubber Soul" is considered to be an extraordinarily important album in THE BEATLES' catalogue, the first flowering of the complex songwriting and production techniques of their later releases. The album features the now-ubiquitous songs 'Nowhere Man,' 'Drive My Car,' 'Michelle,' and 'In My Life,' among others. It held the #1 position on the British album charts for eight weeks, and remained on the chart for a total of forty-two weeks. In 1966, 'Michelle' won John Lennon and Paul McCartney the Grammy award for "Song Of The Year." To date, "Rubber Soul" has been certified sextuple platinum. "This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute To The Beatles' Rubber Soul" Track Listing: 1. Drive My Car - The Donnas • 2. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - The Fiery Furnaces • 3. You Won't See Me - Dar Williams • 4. Nowhere Man - Low • 5. Think For Yourself - Yonder Mountain String Band • 6. The Word - Mindy Smith • 7. Michelle - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals • 8. What Goes On - Sufjan Stevens • 9. Girl - Rhett Miller • 10. I'm Looking Through You - Ted Leo • 11. In My Life - Ben Lee • 12. Wait - Ben Kweller (featuring Albert Hammond Jr.) • 13. If I Needed Someone - Nellie McKay • 14. Run For Your Life - Cowboy Junkies
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09.29.05 (MusicPortal.com) DemonVISION is slated to release a live DVD featuring THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH entitled "The Beautiful South - Live In The Forest" on November 14th. Filmed live in front of a sold-out audience in the UK at Dalby Forest, Yorkshire in June of this year, the new DVD contains an impressive performance by one of Britain's most enduring music groups. Their Dalby Forest performance was one of six special outdoor sold-out shows during the Summer, where the band played on greenfield sites around England, promoted by the UK Forestry Commission. No strangers to the music charts, THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH have notched up countless hit singles, with their greatest hits album, "Carry On Up The Charts," debuting at #1 and staying there for several months, becoming became one of the most popular in UK music history. "The Beautiful South - Live In The Forest" features live performances of all the group's hits including 'Perfect 10,' 'Rotterdam,' 'Don't Marry Her, and 'A Song For Whoever.' In addition, viewers are also treated to an exclusive interview with founding member of THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH Paul Heaton in a behind-the-scenes featurette and a bonus track from the soundcheck. Heaton formed the band with fellow member David Hemingway after the breakup of the HOUSEMARTINS, who were one of the most popular and well-reviewed British guitar Pop bands of the mid-'80s. That group had earned a reputation for being somewhat downbeat Northerners, so the duo chose the name THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH sarcastically. To complete the lineup, the pair hired former ANTHILL RUNAWAYS vocalist Briana Corrigan, bassist Sean Welch (formerly a HOUSEMARTINS roadie), drummer David Stead, and guitarist David Rotheray, who became Heaton's new collaborator. In the Summer of 1989, they released their first single, 'Song For Whoever,' on the HOUSEMARTINS' old record label, "Go!." 'Song For Whoever' climbed to number two, while its follow-up, 'You Keep It All In,' peaked at number eight in September of 1989. A month later, the group's debut album, "Welcome To The Beautiful South," was released to positive reviews. 'A Little Time,' the first single from the group's second album, "Choke," became THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH's first number one single in the Fall of 1990. The band released their third album, "0898," in 1992. Following the release of "0898," Briana Corrigan left THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH, reportedly upset over some of Paul Heaton's ironic lyrics. She was replaced by Jacqui Abbot, who made her first appearance on the band's fourth album, 1994's "Miaow." "Blue Is The Colour was released in the Fall of 1996, followed by "Quench" three years later, then "Painting It Red" in 2000. For their 2003 album "Gaze," Alison Wheeler replaced Jacqui Abbot. THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH's ninth studio album, "Golddiggas, Headnodders & Pholk Songs," was released this year.
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09.27.05 (MusicPortal.com) The UK's Sony BMG Music Entertainment Limited have announced what's positioned to be one of that company's most extensive album reissue campaigns to date, with one of Britain's most influential and successful recording duos in music history, EURYTHMICS. The duo's eight original studio reissue albums will coincide with the CD release "Eurythmics Ultimate Collection," a "Best Of" compilation of all EURYTHMICS hit singles which have all been digitally remastered. "Eurythmics Ultimate Collection" will also include the brand new single 'I've Got A Life,' and the song 'Was It Just Another Love Affair?,' both recorded in 2005. EURYTHMICS are the UK's most successful musical duo ever. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart have sold over 75 million records and had over 20 international hits worldwide. They have achieved unparalleled global commercial and critical success with No. 1 singles and albums on both sides of the Atlantic and all over the world - the holy grail of any UK act. On top of the sold out world tours, EURYTHMICS have won innumerable awards and played a large part in shaping the landscape of 80's and 90's music - their influence spread much wider than being just innovators of the Synth Pop genre they are often credited for. In August, post a critically-acclaimed and emotive Live 8 appearance, Lennox and Stewart returned to the studio for the first time in five years to record new material together since the 1999/2000 album "Peace" and the tour of the same name, which they dedicated to Greenpeace and Amnesty International, to whom they donated the tour's profits. 'I've Got A Life' will be released as a single on October 31st, with "Eurythmics Ultimate Collection" as well as all eight original Eurythmics studio albums slated for simultaneous release on November 7th. Each EURYTHMICS studio album will feature the original track listing, plus between 4-7 bonus tracks per album. Over the eight reissued albums, a grand total of 44 bonus tracks have been digitally remastered, 11 of which are songs that have been previously unreleased. As with the studio tracks, the bonus tracks have also been digitally remastered by Dave Stewart and engineer Ian Cooper at Metropolis Studios in London. The final bonus track featured on each reissue album is a cover performed and recorded by the band, some of which are previously unreleased on disc, or in some cases, into the commercial market. 1983's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" album features a rare cover of Lou Reed's 'Satellite of Love', while 1983's "Touch" album includes a previously unreleased version of David Bowie's 'Fame,' with 1988's "Savage including a moving rendition of THE BEATLES' 'Come Together.' All eight albums will also be released in deluxe 6-panel digipak packaging, with each reissue having been been meticulously redesigned by Laurence Stevens of LSD Studios - the same creative design agency responsible for all the original EURYTHMICS album and singles covers since the release of the group's debut album, 1981's "In The Garden."
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09.27.05 (MusicPortal.com) Flip/Atlantic Records recording artists STAIND have weighed in with the announcement of a major headlining U.S. tour, dubbed the "Fall Brawl." The cross-country trek will find the band joining forces with Atlantic labelmates P.O.D. and TAPROOT, plus Texas Rockers FLYLEAF, for what looks to be one of this season's more entertaining events. The itinerary is slated to kick off November 11th in San Jose, California and run through mid-December. The "Fall Brawl" tour will see the three Atlantic bands supporting new releases: STAIND's "Chapter V" and TAPROOT's "Blue-Sky Research" -- both of which are in stores now -- and P.O.D.'s eagerly awaited new album, "Testify," which is slated to arrive in January of 2006. Prior to the kick-off of the "Fall Brawl," STAIND will play a string of dates across Canada, running from October 29th through November 6th, as well as shows in Seattle and Spokane with TAPROOT & FLYLEAF opening. In addition, interspersed with the "Fall Brawl" shows, STAIND will play several radio-sponsored events (dates TBA) as well as a couple of special headlining shows. "Chapter V," the band's fifth album, recently made its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200, marking the Massachusetts-based quartet's third consecutive chart-topper. The album follows 2003's "14 Shades Of Grey" and 2001's quintuple platinum "Break The Cycle - both of which also entered the Billboard 200 in the #1 spot. STAIND have spent the summer supporting the release of "Chapter V" with a series of concert dates alongside 3 DOORS DOWN. That tour wrapped up on September 11th in Charlotte, North Carolina. Meanwhile, 'Right Here,' the first single from "Chapter V," stands as yet another multi-format radio smash for STAIND. The track is in its fourth consecutive week in the #1 spot at Rock radio nationwide, hits the #1 spot this week at Active Rock, and has climbed to #2 at Alternative outlets. The song is now crossing over to the Hot AC format, where it has bulleted into the top 30. 'Right Here' marks the band's fourth #1 radio track to date, following 'or You,' 'It's Been A While' and 'So Far Away.' As previously mentioned, P.O.D. are currently putting the finishing touches on "Testify," their fourth Atlantic release and first new music since 2003's "Payable On Death." The album -- produced by the band in collaboration with Glen Ballard (Dave Matthews Band, Aerosmith, Van Halen) -- looks to be the San Diego-based band's most provocative and powerful work to date, with the album's first single set to impact Rock and Alternative radio in mid-November. With a 13-year career under their belts, P.O.D. have logged a remarkable array of achievements, including worldwide sales exceeding 7 million units, sold-out international concert tours and a series of top-charting Rock radio hits. Supported by a passionate fanbase known as "The Warriors," P.O.D. have created what they describe as "a catalog of music that we want to respect and honor with each step into the future." For a complete list of "Fall Brawl" tour dates, go to www.fallbrawltour.com.
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09.26.05 (MusicPortal.com) 2005 has been a special year for singer TONY CHRISTIE, with his massive number one Comic Relief single '(Is This The Way To) Amarillo' comfortably being the biggest selling single of the year in the UK, as well as having a number one album in "The Definitive Collection." Still riding high after a 25-year performing hiatus, TONY CHRISTIE will embark on a major concert tour of the UK this Fall starting on November 16th at the New Theatre in Oxford with a date booked the following month at London's Royal Albert Hall on December 5th, finishing up in his home county of Yorkshire, where Christie plays Sheffield's City Hall on December 6th. The revival of one of the UK's most popular artists continues to astound critics, with TONY CHRISTIE performing some of his favorite recordings including '(Is This The Way To) Amarillo,' 'Avenues And Alleyways,' 'I Did What I Did For Maria,' 'Las Vegas,' plus the Jarvis Cocker-penned 'Walk Like A Panther' that Christie performed on Top Of The Pops. TONY CHRISTIE was born Anthony Fitzgerald on April 25th, 1943 in Conisborough, South Yorkshire. He started his musical career by fronting various bands, the most notable being TONY CHRISTIE AND THE TRACKERS. The success of that group led to him being scouted performing in a club in Wales, after which he embarked on a solo career. In 1966, TONY CHRISTIE recorded his first single, 'Life's Too Good To Waste,' followed by 'Turn Around' and 'My Prayer' in 1968. The following year In 1969, Christie signed an exclusive deal with MCA Records, 1971 bringing him his first international hits in 'Las Vegas,' 'I Did What I Did For Maria,' 'Don't Go Down To Reno' and '(Is This The Way To) Amarillo.' More hits followed with the likes of 'Avenues And Alleyways' and 'Drive Safely Darling.' In 1976, TONY CHRISTIE was approached by now-legendary writing team Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice to sing the part of Migaldi in their original concept album of "Evita." In 1979, Christie had a massive continental hit with 'Sweet September,' triggering a resurgence of TV and concert appearances that would keep TONY CHRISTIE busy through the early 80's bringing his live show to fans around the world. 1990 brought Christie together with producer Jack White, the result being a hit single in 'Kiss In The Night,' as well as an album which went Platinum in a matter of weeks. UK Tour Dates: 11/16 Oxford, UK [New Theatre] • 11/17 Birmingham, UK [Symphony Hall] • 11/20 Harrogate, UK [International Centre] • 11/21 Liverpool, UK [Empire] • 11/23 Glasgow, UK [Clyde Auditorium] • 11/24 Newcastle, UK [City Hall] • 11/26 Edinburgh, UK [Usher Hall] • 11/28 Bristol, UK [Hippodrome] • 11/29 Nottingham, UK [Royal Centre] • 11/30 Manchester, UK [Bridgewater Hall] • 12/02 Bournemouth, UK [Pavilion] • 12/04 Cardiff, UK [International Arena] • 12/05 London, UK [Royal Albert Hall] • 12/06 Sheffield, UK [City Hall]

09.23.05 (MusicPortal.com) Long-time singer/songwriter CYNDI LAUPER has cooked up fresh versions of some of here biggest hits on her 9th album, "The Body Acoustic," which will be released via Daylight/Epic Records on November 8th. When CYNDI LAUPER first emerged on the music scene twenty five years ago as the vocalist for Pop/Rock hopefuls BLUE ANGEL, it was a defining moment for music. And since then, Lauper's contributions have never stopped. Throughout the eighties, CYNDI LAUPER delivered several huge hit songs that literally comprise the soundtrack of our lives. On "The Body Acoustic," Lauper revisits songs from that era like 'Time After Time,' 'True Colors,' 'She Bop,' 'Shine' and more, giving them a modern day extreme makeover. Adding fresh flavor, rich textures, rawness and unexpected twists and turns - along with special guests like Sarah McLachlan, Shaggy, Kelly Osbourne, Ani DiFranco, Jeff Beck and Vivian Green - CYNDI LAUPER shows her singing, producing and writing talents at an all-time high on the new album. On 'Money Changes Everything' Lauper is joined by Adam Lazzara of TAKING BACK SUNDAY, who gives the song a twangy, earthy quality. 'Time After Time' features the angelic voice of McLachlan, who brings a new tenderness to the gem. Reggae/Pop superstar Shaggy lends his trademark voice on the newly funky 'All Through The Night,' while Kelly Osbourne joins in on the fun on 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun.' Other highlights include 'Sisters Of Avalon' with Ani DiFranco & Vivian Green, and 'Water's Edge' (from the 2002 EP, "Shine") with Sarah McLachlan. With her unique vocals, CYNDI LAUPER continues to spice things up with fresh versions of such hits as 'Shine,' 'Fearless,' 'She Bop' and 'True Colors.' The album also contains two brand new songs co-written by Lauper - 'Above The Clouds,' featuring guitar legend Jeff Beck and 'I'll Be Your River' with Vivian Green. "The Body Acoustic" was produced by CYNDI LAUPER along with renowned producers Rick Chertoff ("She's So Unusual") and William Wittman ("At Last"), and the result is nothing short of very impressive. In 1983, as many artists do, Lauper decided to depart BLUE ANGEL and take on the world as a solo artist. It was in 1984 with the release of her debut album, "She's So Unusual," that CYNDI LAUPER scored massive success -- 9 million copies sold worldwide -- and quite literally became an overnight success. "She's So Unusual" was also the first debut album and the first debut album by a solo artist to garner four top five singles in 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun,' 'All Through The Night,' 'She Bop' and 'Time After Time.' "She's So Unusual" also earned CYNDI LAUPER a Grammy Award for "Best New Artist." From there, Lauper went on to release and co-produce "True Colors," from which came it's #1 title track and another Grammy nomination. Three years later in 1989, "A Night To Remember" was released, on which Lauper wrote or co-wrote eight of the eleven tracks and co-produced most of the album herself. "A Hat Full Of Stars," "Sisters Of Avalon," "Merry Xmas Have A Nice Life," "Shine," and her most recent release, 2003's "At Last," all followed suit.
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09.23.05 (MusicPortal.com) After a chilly excursion into the artscape, Iceland's SIGUR ROS have come in from the cold to talk about their latest release, "Takk...." "There is nothing clever about Sigur Ros and how we write songs, it's just mucking about really. It's all very spontaneous," says SIGUR ROS keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson. Easy for him to say - most musicians could muck about for millennia and never come up with anything even remotely approaching the elegance and depth of "Takk...," the fourth album from Iceland's glacially cool Art Rock quartet. In Iceland, "Takk" translates to a simple "thanks" - which begs the question: What are SIGUR ROS thanking us for? Perhaps it's for sticking by them during what for many fans has been the band's baffling excursion into the far-distant realms of sonic art. In 2002, SIGUR ROS confounded admirers of their breakthrough LP, "Agaetis Byrjun," (voted by the UK's Q Magazine as "the last great record of the 20th century") with a grimly atmospheric third album, "( )," a chilly compendium of titleless songs that sold over 600,000 copies but one suspects is not often played by people in a positive frame of mind. Writing music for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, The Danish Royal Ballet, and composing a 70-minute orchestral work called "Odin's Raven Magic" didn't exactly enhance their reputation for easy listening, either. Looking back, the members of SIGUR ROS see "( )" as a retreat from the intense heat generated by their success. In the time between "Agaetis Byrjun"'s appearance in Iceland and its final release in Japan, the group toured relentlessly for three years. "( )" simply reflected their mindset. It was also a struggle to record, with the band chasing live-sounding versions of its darkest soundscapes in their newly built recording studio, a converted swimming pool 10 kilometers outside of Reykjavik. "This album sounds much more optimistic than the previous one," says Kjartan Sveinsson. "When we were doing the previous one, there was so much going on you know with us, as a band and as people. Things were going quite fast, and we were really tired. After we did 'Agaetis Byrjun,' everything went so fast - signing record deals and meeting all these new people in different countries. It was a scary thing really. (With) this album we had more time just to play around in the studio." "'Agaetis Byrjun' is sort of like a fairytale record and we really enjoyed (making) that," adds SIGUR ROS bassist Georg Holm. "But the last record was more like a Grimm fairytale -- very dark. So, yeah, I think we wanted to do it again, because it feels happy. I think we were a bit sick of this depression." A 65-minute suite of 11 linked pieces, "Takk..." came together relatively quickly, with recording starting in earnest in December of 2004 and mixing completed just six months later. According to the band -- with Icelandic tongue firmly wedged in Icelandic cheek -- "This is our rock 'n' roll album." True, on occasion they play loud and fast, but few of the cliches of the Rock genre emerge recognizably intact after being filtered through SIGUR ROS.
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09.22.05 (MusicPortal.com) Explosive singer, songwriter, and pianist JAMIE CULLUM -- whose breakout album "Twentysomething" was a worldwide smash last year -- has finished work on his newest release, "Catching Tales," confirmed for U.S. release on October 11th via Verve Forecast Records. Recorded in London and Los Angeles between April and June of this year and produced by "Twentysomething" producer Stewart Levine, the album showcases both Cullum's raw energy and insatiable musical curiosity and creativity. "Catching Tales" kicks off with a bang -- literally -- with the lead-off track 'Get Your Way,' a strutting backbeat-driven collaboration with Dan The Automator. Other highlights include the wistful 'London Skies,' the easy groove of 'Mind Trick' and the lyrical touchstone 'Photograph.' Consisting primarily of originals (plus a few choice standards like the smoky 'I Only Have Eyes For You' and a cheeky cover of 'Our Day Will Come'), the songs on "Catching Tales" were borne of the introspection and spontaneity that is the twenty-six-year-old's trademark. "Songwriters often talk about how songs are caught, or grabbed out of the ether" says Cullum of the writing process. "This was clearly the experience for me during the first three months of this year. What solidified this was the way the album was recorded. It was done quickly. We caught the tracks in a net and trapped them in a CD - live." The release comes on the heels of a remarkable run for JAMIE CULLUM. Released in the U.K. in the fall of 2003 and in the U.S. in mid-2004, Cullum's "Twentysomething" marked the "the American debut of a major talent, a young man we will be hearing from for a long time," said Downbeat. At every turn, JAMIE CULLUM proved a success with fans and critics alike, and his debut notched over two million units in sales (including almost 400,000 in the U.S.) and garnered a Grammy award nomination. Highlights range from a perfect four-star review in People to "Best Singer Of The Year" honors in Vanity Fair, from dazzling concert reviews in The New York Times and Variety to rave reviews in Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ and Interview, and from a sweep of major late-night shows to slots on "The Today Show" and "Austin City Limits." Having weathered a non-stop, whirlwind schedule for the past two years, JAMIE CULLUM could have easily taken some well-earned time off in 2005. But instead of cooling his jets and catching some ZZZs, Cullum kept doing what he loves best: Making music, and recording a new album in "Catching Tales." "I was so ready for it," Cullum recalls of crafting his sophomore set for Verve Forecast. "The only way you get the energy to tour the world and do all the hard work is to love the music you make. I'd had two mad years but I was back at the place I remembered the best, which was just really wanting to do my music." The new album took shape at a brisk pace, reflecting his high levels of enthusiasm and inspiration: Cullum wrote enough material for nearly two albums in four months, then set to recording the album. The fourteen-song set begins with 'Get Your Way,' a strutting number featuring celebrated hip-hop DJ and producer Dan The... [full story]
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09.21.05 (MusicPortal.com) As vocalist NATALIE MERCHANT looks back on 15 years as a solo artist after a run as the original singer for 10,000 MANIACS, Rhino Records is paying tribute to her powerful singing and vivid songwriting with "Natalie Merchant: Retrospective 1990-2005," slated for release next week on September 27th at regular physical and digital retail outlets and at www.rhino.com. The new collection will be available in a standard version (one disc, $18.98) and a Limited Edition Deluxe Version (two discs, $29.98). Compiled by Merchant, the first disc spotlights her favorite songs remastered from all four of her studio albums - "Tigerlily," "Ophelia," "Motherland," and "The House Carpenter's Daughter." The linen-bound Deluxe Edition has all the solo singles plus 15 additional rare tracks including unreleased recordings, acoustic versions, album out-takes, soundtrack contributions, B-sides, and out-of-print tracks recorded for benefit albums. Opening with a trio of hits from "Tigerlily," NATALIE MERCHANT's 1995 solo debut, "Natalie Merchant: Retrospective 1990-2005" includes 'Carnival,' which reached #10 on Billboard's Pop chart, plus the single versions of 'Wonder' and 'Jealously' - both of which cracked the Top 25 of Billboard's Pop chart. The anthology also includes 'Kind & Generous,' a song from "Ophelia" that peaked at #18 on Billboard's Pop chart. The second disc of the Limited Edition Deluxe Version of "Natalie Merchant: Retrospective 1990-2005" dips below the radar for hard-to-find and unreleased music. 'She Devil,' a last minute deletion from "Ophelia," makes its debut here, as does 'Cowboy Romance,' which was recorded during the sessions for "The House Carpenter's Daughter." Also included are Merchant's collaborations with THE CHIEFTAINS, R.E.M. and Susan McKeown, plus three duets with Billy Bragg. Two new versions of previously released songs -- 'Thick As Thieves' from "Ophelia" and 'Tell Yourself' from "Motherland" -- were recently recorded this Summer for the new collection. "Natalie Merchant: Retrospective 1990-2005" also includes a track-by-track commentary penned by Merchant, who reveals the inspiration behind many of her songs and how her memories are inextricably tied to music. "I tend to remember the events in my life and the people who have participated in them through the context of album cycles: writing, recording and performing," she writes. "They are my little epochs." "Natalie Merchant: Retrospective 1990-2005" Track Listing: Disc One: 1. Wonder (single version) • 2. Carnival • 3. Jealousy (single version) • 4. San Andreas Fault • 5. Kind & Generous • 6. Break Your Heart • 7. Life Is Sweet • 8. The Living • 9. Build A Levee • 10. Not In This Life • 11. Motherland • 12. Owensboro • 13. Sally Ann • Disc Two: 1. She Devil • 2. Cowboy Romance • 3. Children Go Where I Send Thee • 4. Birds And Ships (with Billy Bragg) • 5. The Lowlands Of Holland (with The Chieftans) • 6. One Fine Day • 7. Photograph (with R.E.M.) • 8. Party Of God (with Billy Bragg) • 9. Thick As Thieves (2005 version) • 10. Bread And Circuses (with Billy Bragg) • 11. Because I Could Not Stop For Death (with Susan McKeown) • 12. Tell Yourself (2005 version) • 13. But Not For Me • 14. I Know How To Do It • 15. Come Take A Trip In My Airship
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09.20.05 (MusicPortal.com) Following a successful showcase at this year's South By Southwest Music Festival, FILM SCHOOL will release debut single 'On and On' in the UK through Beggars Banquet Records on September 26th, with their self-titled debut album following in January of 2006. The creative strategy behind FILM SCHOOL is that of collective writing and self-production. It's a process of experimenting with sounds, taking as much time as needed and getting the best outcome possible. It's a process that began when the band first worked together on the 2003 "Always Never" EP. On such early recordings, you can hear the rumblings of the sound that comes full-fledged on this new album. An infectious guitar haze glides effortlessly through the tracks with winding melodies wrapping around their legions of layered chords Ð at times a gentle atmospheric purr, then in sudden infectious bursts it builds to something powerful and angular. Drums veer from the softly brushed and sublimely rhythmic West Coast style to a pounding force directing the songs. The keyboards add a melodic diversity to the music that other straight guitar bands lack. It's the synth led sound that simultaneously recalls early eighties alternative bands like ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN, while delivering something unique and unequaled among their contemporaries. Regarding FILM SCHOOL's forthcoming full-length debut, 'On and On' -- the first track and single from the album -- is nothing short of hypnotic. It's a continuous ascending spiral both musically and vocally, while also remaining introverted, locked in it's own contained world. It's a darkly brooding, emotive track yet also somehow uplifting in it's passion. Reminiscent, not so much in sound, but in effect, to JOY DIVISION's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart': at once bleak and optimistic, intelligently self-contained yet soaring to atmospheric heights above and beyond the music itself. A song so powerfully emotive it should leave the listener low, but yet it exhilarates and inspires with every listen. 'Like You Know' is the softer side of FILM SCHOOL. Distorted, twisted sounding guitars take center stage, weaving in and out - as bewitching as something from MY BLOODY VALENTINE. Other tracks such as 'Harmed', 'Pitfalls' and 'Breet' show a jauntier side of the band. Faster, captivating pounding drum and guitar led tracks recalling some of the finest early eighties Alternative bands -- RIDE, THE STONE ROSES, CHAPTERHOUSE -- who, like FILM SCHOOL, could make infectious music that played with a Pop aesthetic, while still remaining layered, powerful and sophisticated. The immediate and unforgettable '11-11' offers a perfect verse-chorus-verse, evocative of THE CURE at the height of their classic songwriting period. Deliriously Pop while retaining an obvious edge and distinction, FILM SCHOOL's debut rocks, it's memorable, and yet it sounds somehow familiar. These qualities by themselves would be outstanding traits, but together they transcend Pop music into a place inhabited by very few bands: FILM SCHOOL have cultural resonance.
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09.20.05 (MusicPortal.com) "Voices," a collection of new and classic duets from vocalist GERALD LEVERT will be released at the beginnig of October via Rhino Records. A gifted singer, songwriter, producer and romance facilitator, GERALD LEVERT has collected an impressive string of hits that scored on the charts and helped countless others score in the bedroom. Rhino salutes the Soul and R&B icon on "Voices," whose dynamic and lusty baritone voice always brings people together, with the first-ever compilation of Levert's duets, available October 4th at regular physical and digital retail outlets and at www.rhino.com for a suggested list price of $18.98. "Voices" brings together a trio of newly recorded tracks -- including a reunion with LEVERT -- with 10 songs from GERALD LEVERT's solo albums, the veteran superstar's guest appearances on other artist's albums, and his work with Soul super group LSG, which featured Levert, Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill. 'I Like It' reunites LEVERT for the first time since the trio -- Levert, his brother Sean and Marc Gordon -- released their last album, "Whole Scenario," in 1997. Going back to the beginning of GERALD LEVERT's solo career, "Voices" includes the singer performing the number four Billboard single, 'That's What Love Is' with vocalist Miki Howard. The collection also features Levert singing 'It Hurts Too Much To Stay' with Kelly Price from 1999's number eight pop album, "G," and 'My Side of the Bed' from LSG's 1997 album, "Levert.Sweat.Gill." "Voices" also includes his version of 'Wind Beneath My Wings,' performed with his father and O'JAYS founder Eddie Levert Sr., 'All The Times' featuring the all-star line-up of LSG, Faith Evans, Coko and Missy Elliot, plus 'Written All Over Your Face' from THE RUDE BOYS' 1990 debut, "Rude Awakening. Along with duets with MEN AT LARGE, Teena Marie and Yolanda Adams, "Voices" also features the newly recorded tracks 'Last Time I Saw You' with Vanessa Williams and 'Storm Has Passed' with Sherena Wynn. GERALD LEVERT got his start in 1985 founding the trio LEVERT. The successful group recorded five number one singles, seven Top 10 singles and four Top 20 singles on the Billboard R&B chart. GERALD LEVERT has released nine solo albums since his 1991 solo debut, "Private Line," whose title track reached number one on Billboard's R&B chart. "Voices" Track Listing: 1. I Like It (with LeVert) • 2. All The Times (LSG with Faith Evans, Coko and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott) • 3. Storm Has Passed (with Sherena Wynn) • 4. It Hurts To Much To Say (with Kelly Price) • 5. Wind Beneath My Wings (with Eddie LeVert Sr.) • 6. Written All Over Your Face (with The Rude Boys) • 7. The Last Time I Saw You (with Vanessa Williams) • 8. That's What Love Is (with Miki Howard) • 9. A Rose By Any Other Name (with Teena Marie) • 10. All I Want Is You (with Kelly Price and K-Ci) • 11. I Believe I Can Fly (with Yolanda Adams) • 12. My Side Of The Bed (with LSG) • 13. So Alone (with Men At Large)
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09.19.05 (MusicPortal.com) British Popsters SIMPLY RED will follow up the worldwide success of "Home" (2003) with "Simplified," to be released in October in the U.S. on Verve Forecast Records. The 12-song album is simultaneously a stripped-down "unplugged" performance, a hit-packed retrospective, and a dynamic recasting of the group's sound. The set presents some of SIMPLY RED's best-loved songs in inventive, daringly intimate new arrangements that showcase the emotionally nuanced, sublimely expressive vocals and distinctive songwriting of frontman Mick Hucknall. Over the past 21 years -- during which time the band has sold upwards of 50 million albums around the world -- SIMPLY RED have built an extraordinary body of work that's produced a series of indelible hits and won them a large and devoted international fan base. "Simplified" finds the Manchester-bred singer and his ever-evolving lineup revisiting various phases of the band's lengthy career. Hucknall delivers deeply evocative reinterpretations of such essential SIMPLY RED standards as 'Holding Back The Years,' 'Something Got Me Started,' 'Fairground,' 'Your Mirror' and 'Sad Old Red,' adding a distinctive Latin lilt while touching upon elements of Jazz, R&B and Reggae. In addition to its nine reworked songs, "Simplified" features three new ones. Along with the infectious new Hucknall originals 'Perfect Love' (featuring an appearance by Cuban singer Danae) and 'Smile,' the album features an impassioned take on Leon Russell's 'A Song for You,' which continues a longstanding SIMPLY RED tradition of inspired cover versions. The initial impetus for making an album of re-imagined SIMPLY RED favorites occurred when Hucknall had occasion to perform some of his tunes with spare piano accompaniment, and was struck by how well the material worked in that context. "I wanted all the songs I've chosen here to be re-presented in a timeless way," Hucknall explains, "rather than their being snapshots from the time in which they were first put together. By taking away the production values contemporary to their first recordings, and adding some truly inspired new arrangements and musicianship, I think we've achieved that." "For example," he notes, "the original version of 'Your Mirror' was dominated by this very plunky-sounding '80s keyboard. This version makes it sound like a completely different song, so much more open and eventful. It's the same with 'Fairground'; here it's so ethereal, almost like something by Weather Report. It's been a real joy to open the material up in this way, and give it a new identity. 'Home' won us a lot of support from people who found themselves just as tired of the general music industry as we were," Hucknall observes. "I found all of that incredibly liberating. My interpretation of that reaction was that from then on, we could make the kind of music that we wanted to make, without looking to market forces or trying to second-guess popular taste." "It couldn't be better," Hucknall enthuses. "I feel that this is the time when I can show people just what I'm capable of doing, aided by this awesome band I have with me. t's taken me a long time, but I really feel I've almost reached perfection with the band, not just musically but in terms of the complementary personalities within it."
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09.19.05 (MusicPortal.com) THE DANDY WARHOLS have released their fifth album, "Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars." A full U.S. tour to support the album will kick off in November, with confirmed dates to follow soon. The band performed lead single 'Smoke It' earlier this month on "Live With Regis And Kelly," with THE DANDY WARHOLS confirmed to be the musical guest on Fox's "Mad TV" in October. NME called the single "Bob Dylan joining forces with the Stones on a wacked-out trip down Route 66 with enough Jack Daniels to sink a ship." Named (at least partially) after the band's infamous Portland studio headquarters, "Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars" finds the band venturing beyond the synthesized Pop/Rock of 2003's "Welcome To The Monkey House" into expansive new musical terrain, while frequently revisiting the stripped-down sound of their earlier years. "Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars" was produced by frontman Courtney Taylor-Taylor with longtime band collaborator Gregg Williams and mixed by Tchad Blake (Elvis Costello, Latin Playboys, the Bad Plus) and Taylor-Taylor. Opening with a tongue-in-cheek introduction from A&E host Bill Kurtis, "Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars" is full of THE DANDY WARHOLS' trademark heady mix of seamless Rock hooks and sonic experimentalism, spanning turned-on drone Rock, Country, Blues, Electronic Pop and deep Psychedelia -- all spun through the band's kaleidoscopic musical palette. 'Love Is The New Feel Awful' is a psyched-out mini-symphony of squalling guitars, whispered harmonies, tribal drums and intercepted satellite transmissions, while 'The New Country' is, yes, a countrified stomper with dreamy layered vocals and a deep-space hootenanny full of banjos, harmonicas, picking and -- quite likely -- grinning. 'Down Like Disco' sets off in a CRAZY HORSE-worthy gale of unbridled electric guitars and peaks with a sun-soaked chorus and a twisted trail of feedback, while lead single 'Smoke It' is THE DANDY WARHOLS at their classic best -- part classic Brit rave-up, part VELVET UNDERGROUND comedown, part blacklight Psychedelia, part workman-like Country/Western, and yet all their own. The song's video, viewable below, features the band performing 'Smoke It' in Odditorium Studios for 40 visibly impressed dogs. Prior to their November U.S. tour, THE DANDY WARHOLS will be playing the following scheduled live dates in Europe: 10/08 Brussels, Belgium [Rock Ternat Festival] • 10/09 Berlin, Germany [Columbia Club] • 10/11 Trondheim, Norway [UKA-05] • 10/12 Oslo, Sweden [Rockefeller] • 10/15 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg [Den Atelier] • 10/16 Munchen, Germany [Muffathalle] • 10/17 Vienna, Austria [Arena] • 10/19 Zurich, Switzerland [Xtra] • 10/20 Koln, Germany [Prime Club] • 10/22 Dublin, Ireland [Ambassador] • 10/23 Glasgow, Scotland [Academy] • 10/25 Manchester, UK [Ritz] • 10/26 London, UK Hammersmith [Palais] • 10/27 Paris, France [Elysee] • 10/29 Amsterdam, Holland [Max]
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09.16.05 (MusicPortal.com) A new album from vocalist SINEAD O'CONNOR, "Throw Down Your Arms," is scheduled to be released on October 4th. Thirteen years after she stepped back from the brink of superstardom, O'Connor has finally made the disc toward which she has been building her whole career. In April of this year, she traveled alone to Kingston, Jamaica to record "Throw Down Your Arms" at world famous Tuff Gong and Anchor Studios. A collection of roots songs which have inspired SINEAD O'CONNOR in her life and work for the past fifteen years, the legendary Reggae rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare produced the album, and many of the musicians who played on the original album were enlisted to give added authenticity to the sound. The title comes from one of the tracks on the disc, originally written and performed by Studio One legend Winston Rodney, a.k.a. "Burning Spear," who also contributes four other cuts: 'Jah Nuh Dead,' 'Marcus Garvey,' 'Door Peep' and 'He Prayed.' Burning Spear's recurrent themes - the living God on earth, the role of pan-Africanist Marcus Garvey, and personal and social redemption - were a huge influence on O'Connor, and echoes of his earthy delivery can be heard in her own vocal style on "Throw Down Your Arms." However, the tracks are tributes - not imitations. Just as the Irish songs on "Sean Nos Nua" were subtly "Jamaicanized," so SINEAD O'CONNOR has added in her own Irish style to certain tracks on the album. While staying true to the composer's vision, O'Connor has also stamped each of the tracks with that distinctively soulful roar that has electrified her fans all over the world for nearly two decades. As Robbie Shakespeare observed to nobody in particular after hearing O'Connor lay down a particularly goose bump-inducing vocal: "forget the originals baby, these ARE the originals." O'Connor will put out "Throw Down Your Arms" this October on her own label. That's why there's Chocolate and Vanilla (a favorite expression of her deceased manager Steve Fargnoli). As she pulls together the threads from over a decade of work, SINEAD O'CONNOR will -- for the first time in eight years -- tour North America this Fall. "The shows are the whole point," she says. "I can't wait to be onstage with Sly and Robbie. I want to pass on the teachings of the Rastafarai movement, sing the songs and have fun. It will be better than mass." Since she first came to prominence as a teenager in the late 80s, the world had never seen or heard anything like quite like SINEAD O'CONNOR. In the midst of so many big-haired Pop ingenues that made their name in that decade, she stood out: a shaven-headed waif with bambi eyes, bovver boots and a soaring, acrobatic voice. Her daringly eclectic debut album, "The Lion And The Cobra" (1987), blended influences from Hip-Hop, Punk and traditional Irish music, and won her widespread critical acclaim and an international following. It should have been the most joyous small-town-girl-makes-good success story. Before many of her peers had left school, SINEAD O'CONNOR had... [full story]
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09.15.05 (MusicPortal.com) Long-time British Electronic Rockers NEW ORDER are set to release the 2-disc "New Order: Item" DVD set on September 20th via Rhino Records. A 23-video collection that includes the hit singles 'Bizarre Love Triangle,' 'Blue Monday' and 'True Faith,' plus rare alternate versions and new videos for 'Temptation' and 'Ceremony' that have been created exclusively for this release on the first disc, the second disc in the "New Order: Item" set is a two-hour documentary with personal interviews, and interviews with musicians such as U2's Bono on the effect NEW ORDER's music has had over the band's 25-year career. After the demise of JOY DIVISION due to original band member and vocalist Ian Curtis' suicide in May of 1980, the three remaining members (guitarist/vocalist Bernard Sumner [guitar, vocals], bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris) moved forward collectively as NEW ORDER. Sumner took over vocal duties, and the trio embarked on a low-key tour of the U.S., intent on continuing as an entity independent of the massive reputation JOY DIVISION had achieved shortly before their demise. Later that same year, NEW ORDER recruited Morris' girlfriend Gillian Gilbert on keyboards and guitar, after which the quartet wrote and rehearsed their debut, "Movement," which was released the following year. Having already cemented a solid place in Rock history with JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER had very little left to prove. However, their influence was far from over. With their uninhibited use of Electronics, the group changed the way audiences forever would view Electronic music and its integration into traditional Rock genres. Over two decades later, their footprint is all the more palpable, as current bands like THE KILLERS, THE BRAVERY and BLOC PARTY consistently cite NEW ORDER's music as a key influence. NEW ORDER have also always treated the photography and video elements of packaging and promotion as an equally integral part of what they do. So, having continually turned to some of the brightest names in film and photography when working on videos to accompany their songs, a litany of photographers, choreographers, directors and producers have also contributed to "New Order: Item." Included in the collection is director Jonathan Demme's video for 'The Perfect Kiss,' famed photographer William Wegman and animator Robert Breer's vision for 'Blue Monday '88' and painter Robert Longo's personal vision of 'Bizarre Love Triangle.' Michael H. Shamberg, producer of many NEW ORDER videos, also contributes liner notes on "New Order: Item."
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09.15.05 (MusicPortal.com) The cherished recordings that music legend JOHNNY CASH made at the historic Memphis Sun Studios in the mid-1950s have been meticulously restored to their original versions and compiled into a 61-song box set, "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958," due for release on November 8th. The three-disc set chronicles the singer's early days and the birth of what became his unmistakable performance style. Timed to reach stores just as a new biopic, "Walk The Line," (starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon) hits movie theaters nationwide, "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958" is the first elaborate box set from the newly revamped retail music division of Time Life. Sun Studios was home to innovative producer Sam Phillips, whose staunch reputation for refusing to churn out assembly line-sounding records like so many Nashville studios were doing at that time drew JOHNNY CASH in. Fresh from his sessions with a new singer named Elvis Presley, Phillips boldly decided to make Cash's voice the most important instrument on his songs; deep, warm, and larger than life. It was within the Sun Studios walls that the "Man In Black" was born. With Nashville's slick Country sound dominating the music charts, the Sun recordings were shocking in their simple purity - mistakes and all. It was Phillips who recognized the true talents of JOHNNY CASH and dared to let the singer be himself, embracing the powerful barebones voice that resonated with honesty. 'Cry, Cry, Cry' was the first song to break, cracking the country charts for a week in 1955, but it was 1956's 'I Walk The Line' that would propel him into musical history. "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958" includes the original JOHNNY CASH Sun Recordings gems 'Folsom Prison Blues,' 'Give My Love To Rose,' 'Cry, Cry, Cry' and 'I Walk The Line,' set alongside Rockabilly classics such as 'I Love You Because' (Leon Payne), 'Oh Lonesome Me' (Don Gibson), 'I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow' (Hank Williams), and 'Blue Train' (Billy Smith). In his final days with Sun, JOHNNY CASH also recorded songs written by others, including Gene Autry ('Goodbye Little Darlin''), Roy Orbison ('You Tell Me'), and several by Hank Williams ('You Win Again,' 'Cold Cold Heart,' 'Hey Good Lookin',' 'I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow,' 'I Can't Help It'). "Time Life will continue to carefully craft and deliver to the consumer genre-defining compilations that appeal to collectors and the everyday music lover," says Mike Jason, the newly appointed Senior Vice President of Audio & Video Retail at Time Life, regarding future projects like "Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Recordings 1955-1958." "However, I very much look forward to combining the powerful Time Life brand with high quality multi-disc sets as well as creating audio and video offerings in some newer genres." The Cash project is the first of hopefully many such offerings."
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09.14.05 (MusicPortal.com) On November 14th, Warner Home Video will celebrate the life of JOHN LENNON with the long-awaited DVD debut of "Imagine: John Lennon Deluxe Edition." Narrated by Lennon himself, the release of this revealing and personal documentary is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the performer's untimely death on December 8th, 1980. Although he was best known as a founding member of perhaps the 20th century's greatest entertainment phenomenon, JOHN LENNON today still maintains a strong influence as a musician, artist, writer, philosopher, peacemaker and poet that transcends even the awesome celebrity he achieved as one of THE BEATLES. "Imagine: John Lennon Deluxe Edition" was created with the cooperation of Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and produced by multi-award winning producer David L. Wolper and critically-acclaimed documentarian Andrew Solt (partners on "This Is Elvis"). Backed by a monumental 36-song soundtrack, the film draws from a treasure trove of material, including the musician's own collection of more than 240 hours of film and videotape, much of it never publicly seen. It was Ono who approached Wolper, announcing it was time to open JOHN LENNON's personal archives of films, writings and photographs in order to make the definitive movie of his life. Wolper agreed, but not before he requested full control over the project. Ono agreed, and what resulted was an unprecedented look into the public and private life of the superstar. "The great tragedy of John Lennon is a personal one," said Wolper. "That he left a musical and artistic legacy to be valued and cherished is undoubted. But he also had to move through some extremely difficult periods in his life before finding the perfect balance point. That any man should then have his life destroyed so shortly thereafter has to be regarded as the greatest of losses. One can only wonder what Lennon might yet have given us, had he had the chance." With bandmate Paul McCartney, Lennon wrote and recorded most of THE BEATLES' legendary song hits, including 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand,' 'She Loves You,' 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band,' and countless others. After THE BEATLES disbanded in 1970, JOHN LENNON continued to make his mark in music history as a solo artist, producing some of his most enduring work, including 1971's album "Imagine." Considered one of the most popular of his solo works, the title track reached #3 on Billboard magazine's Pop Singles chart in 1971. 'Imagine' became an anthem for the anti-war movement, and has come to embody JOHN LENNON's legacy as both a musician and activist. In Lennon's own words, "I still believe in love, peace. I still believe in positive thinking... I consider that my work won't be finished until I'm dead and buried, and I hope that's a long, long time." Together, Ono and Lennon staged a series of conceptual events to promote "world peace" during the volatile Vietnam era - the most famous of those being the "bed-in" held in an Amsterdam hotel room during the couple's honeymoon in 1969.
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09.13.05 (MusicPortal.com) One of RAY CHARLES' final requests before his passing in 2004 was that the songs he recorded in 1998 for an album of superstar duets be completed and released. Rhino Entertainment fulfills Charles' final artistic vision with "Genius & Friends," due for release September 20th - three days before Charles would have turned 75 years old. Charles is in stellar form and so are his partners as they trade lines from memorable originals and covers on this collection of 14 new and previously unreleased duet recordings, a birthday gift of sorts from RAY CHARLES to his fans. Produced by Phil Ramone and overseen by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, the album features beautifully crafted 1990s RAY CHARLES master recordings, completed by some of the most acclaimed singers spanning three generations. Among the album's highlights are Charles singing the poignant ballad 'It All Goes By So Fast' with Mary J. Blige and the sound of THE ANDRAE CROUCH SINGERS joyfully raising their voices alongside Charles and Patti LaBelle on the gospel original, 'Shout.' Charles teams up to cover two very different classics on the upbeat swing version of 'You Are My Sunshine' with Chris Isaak and the powerful Funk/Rock groove of 'Compared To What' with neo-Soul vocalist Leela James. "Genius & Friends" also includes RAY CHARLES' collaborations with Alicia Keys in her stirring rendition of 'America The Beautiful,' from the 2005 Super Bowl, Soul legend Gladys Knight on 'You Were There,' as well as 'Touch,' by rising star John Legend. Idina Menzel, from the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Wicked" and the motion picture and original Broadway production of "Rent," joins Charles on 'I Will Be There.' Additionally, George Michael lends his vocals to the Stevie Wonder/Syreeta Wright-penned 'Blame It On The Sun,' while RAY CHARLES' longtime friend Willie Nelson joins him on 'Busted' from the 1991 "Ray Charles - 50 Years In Music" television special. The album also showcases international star Laura Pausini on 'Surrender To Love' and music icon Diana Ross on 'Big Bad Love.' Angie Stone opens the CD with the seductive 'All I Want To Do,' while Ruben Studdard covers the John Lennon classic, 'Imagine.' RAY CHARLES' legacy reached new heights last year with the release of the movie "Ray," the lauded film biography, which has grossed more than $70 million since its release. The film's soundtrack also went platinum, and "The Very Best Of Ray Charles" went gold. In addition, "Genius Loves Company -- an album of duets Charles recorded shortly before his death in June of 2004 -- sold more than three million copies and earned eight Grammy Awards, including "Best Album Of The Year" and "Best Record Of The Year."
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09.09.05 (MusicPortal.com) As part of his long-term commitment to music education, BILLY JOEL has recently launched an ongoing initiative to provide gifts of seed money, musical scholarships, and endowments to a variety of East Coast colleges, universities, and music schools. Awards, scholarships and endowments granted by the Billy Joel Endowment Fund will be announced at the discretion of the individual institutions. A longtime advocate for music education, Joel first began holding "master class" sessions on college campuses more than 20 years ago, giving sessions at colleges across the country and around the world. In addition, he has held classes as a benefit for the STAR Foundation ("Standing For Truth About Radiation") and to establish the Rosalind Joel Scholarship For The Performing Arts at City College in New York City. Having sold more than 100 million records over the past 35 years, BILLY JOEL ranks as one of most popular recording artists and respected entertainers in the world. He has had 33 Top 40 hits and 23 Grammy nominations since signing his first solo recording contract in 1971. Joel entered the charts for the first time in 1974 with his signature 'Piano Man' single and album. "Fantasies & Delusions - Music For Solo Piano," an album of BILLY JOEL's Classical piano pieces released in October of 2001, spent 18 weeks at #1 on the Top Classical Albums chart. Meanwhile, "Movin' Out," Broadway's dance musical conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp and based on 30 classic songs by BILLY JOEL, opened on BroadwayÊ to critical and popular acclaim. In 2003, BILLY JOEL won his first Tony Award for "Best Orchestrations." Joel's "Face To Face" Tours with Elton John also broke box office records around the world. In 1990, he was presented with a Grammy Legend Award. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1992, BILLY JOEL was presented with the Johnny Mercer Award, that organization's highest honor, in 2001. In 1999, he was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and has received the Recording Industry Association Of America Diamond Award. BILLY JOEL has also earned three Awards For Cable Excellence and has received numerous ASCAP and BMI awards over the years, including the ASCAP "Founders Award" and the BMI "Career Achievement Award" and, in 1994, was given the 1994 Billboard "Century Award." Among his many other awards and honors, BILLY JOEL has been given a Doctor Of Humane Letters from Fairfield University (1991), an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College Of Music (1993), an Honorary Doctorate Of Humane Letters from Hofstra University (1997) and a Doctor Of Music from Southampton College (2000). For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian, BILLY JOEL was honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person Of The Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy Of Recording Arts & Sciences.
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09.08.05 (AP) MARIAH CAREY, DESTINY'S CHILD, Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott were the big winners at the 2005 Lady Of Soul Awards, but because none of the performers attended the ceremony, Aretha Franklin stole the show. The legendary singer received the Lena Horne Award for outstanding career achievements and gave two rousing performances - 'Until You Come Back To Me' with Stevie Wonder on piano and a pumped-up version of her hit 'Respect.' Sweating and slapping her thigh, Franklin pounded out high and low notes, holding her microphone out to the audience on the song's famous chorus. "I don't think I can carry it, but I am absolutely thrilled to be receiving this award," she said. Meanwhile, MARIAH CAREY won awards for best solo single and album for "The Emancipation of Mimi." "I've got a great place on the mantle, so call me Mariah," joked presenter and "Charmed" star Dorian Gregory, who accepted the best single award on Carey's behalf. DESTINY'S CHILD nabbed awards for best group single for 'Soldier' and best album for "Destiny Fulfilled." Keys won best song of the year for 'If I Ain't Got You,' while Elliott won best music video for 'Lose Control' featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop. Ciara, Brian McKnight and Toni Braxton hosted the ceremony at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, which will be syndicated for broadcast later this month. For the first time, Franklin presented the Aretha Franklin Award for entertainer of the year in person. The winner was Amerie, whose bouncy song, '1 Thing,' became a summertime hit. Amerie thanked her parents, her sister and longtime "Soul Train" host Don Cornelius for "supporting me throughout my brief career, which will hopefully become a long one." Earlier, she performed "1 Thing" dressed in black lace with a bevy of dancers. Ciara won awards for best new artist and dance cut for her thumping '1, 2 Step.' The crunk-and-R&B-influenced singer changed from a sleek black pantsuit to a bra-skimming top and again to a modest blue sweater during the show. "It's such a blessing just to be acknowledged as an artist," she said. "We didn't get any sleep on this video, so thank you."Even as they honored musical accomplishments, guests and award recipients said their thoughts were with victims of Hurricane Katrina. Wonder, in a patchwork blue jacket, touched his chest and said "my heart is heavy" for Katrina survivors."I've been asked by a few networks to give back. More than anything, I want to devote time," Ciara said. "You can feel the hurt, but you can't feel it really unless you're there." An emotional visual tribute was also made to famed R&B singer Luther Vandross, who died July 1st, two years after suffering from a stroke. In other show highlights, Dorothy Norwood clapped and danced her way to the stage to accept the best Gospel award. "This is my first major win, to be on national television. I'm just overwhelmed. I thank God for this," Norwood said.
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09.08.05 (MusicPortal.com) QUEEN & PAUL RODGERS will issue a 2-disc CD set entitled "Return Of The Champions" September 19th via Hollywood Records. Pairing with legendary vocalist, songwriter and founding member of FREE and BAD COMPANY, Paul Rodgers, QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor surprised many earlier this year with the announcement that they were returning to 'business as usual' and taking on more than 32 live dates throughout the UK and Europe. A low-key warm-up date at London's Brixton Academy back in March silenced the cynics and defied the doubters, after which there was no stopping May, Taylor and Rogers, as the QUEEN & PAUL RODGERS powder-keg rolled through Europe touching over a dozen countries in seven weeks, coming to rest finally at London's Hyde Park on June 15. Along the way, Over half a million people had seen and celebrated the return of the mighty force that was QUEEN, and realized the added Blues/Rock edge that Rodgers had brought to one of Rock's best-loved bands. The energy, the extraordinary musicianship, and the return to form for QUEEN with the added presence of Paul Rodgers, which marked every one of those European dates, is evident in the 27 tracks which make up the "Return Of The Champions" CD set. The recording, captured live during the band's sold out Sheffield Hallam Arena show back in May, delivers a virtual greatest hits collection from both the QUEEN and Paul Rodgers song catalogs, mixing perennial crowd pleasers such as QUEEN's 'Tie Your Mother Down,' 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions' with Rodgers' own million sellers 'Feel Like Makin' Love,' 'Wishing Well' and 'All Right Now.' Here also for the first time are live versions of some of the classic hits recorded after QUEEN stopped performing in 1985 and have never been available before on disc, among them 'The Show Must Go On', delivered in a scorching version by Rodgers. The album serves also as a reminder of what fine stand-alone musicians and vocalists Brian May and Roger Taylor are. Taylor roars his way through 'I'm In Love with My Car' and adds new poignancy to the Mercury latter-day signature tune, 'These Are the Days of Our Lives.' Taylor also provides the one brand new song on the set, his thought-provoking 'Say It's Not True,' a song especially written to help highlight the message behind Nelson Mandela's "46664 Aids" campaign launched by Brian May and Roger Taylor along with EURYTHMICS' Dave Stewart in 2003. Meanwhile May delivers Rock to make you smile on '39,' and delivers the mother of all guitar solos, which segues seamlessly into the haunting riffs of the delicate-guitar work on 'Last Horizon.' As a companion piece, the same Sheffield show also comes to DVD next month on October 24th.
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09.07.05 (MusicPortal.com) TRISHA YEARWOOD's new album, "Jasper County," is set for release next week on Tuesday, September 13th via MCA Nashville Records. A collection that comes from a period of re-evaluation, introspection, reinvigoration and self-reflection, the multi-Platinum, multi Grammy-winning star has never before given as much consideration and concern to a recording project. "I've never taken this long to make a record," comments Yearwood. "I've never recorded as many songs. I'd never completely started over on an album like I did on this one. Overall, it was a two-year process to make this record." Reunited with her original producer Garth Fundis, TRISHA YEARWOOD seems to dig deeper into her expressive powers on "Jasper County" than ever before - the 11 resulting soundscapes all being intense listening experiences. After 12 years of non-stop touring and career building, Yearwood decided to take a break following 2001's Gold-certified "Inside Out" album and its top-10 single, 'I Would've Loved You Anyway.' "I planned to take a year off. I just thought it was a good time to take a break for a lot of reasons. A year goes by really quickly, even if you're not doing anything. Then I started getting ready to make a record and listening to songs. I think I was just so anxious to get back into the studio that Garth Fundis and I just went in and cut a bunch of stuff. Then, for the first time, I stopped and reevaluated: 'These songs are good, but are they the right ones?' At that point, we had to say, 'You know what? It's OK to start over.' Once we did that, we were able to get to the next layer of songs, to dig a little deeper. When we got into the second set of sessions, it felt instantly right. That's when I knew. You could just feel that it was special. It's been such a long road to get here, and there've been so many road blocks along the way. You feel really protective of your music. You don't want to just throw it out there. You really want everybody on board and focused. So now the timing seems right. I think there were probably reasons for it to have taken the time it did." In the interim, the radio landscape has changed profoundly. So has the live-performance business. She says she's eager to embrace the Country industry's evolution. "How can they miss you if you don't go away?" Yearwood says with a chuckle. "It wasn't intentional to be gone this long, and a lot has changed in four years. But the response I've had to the new music has been just so nice. Radio people were saying, 'We're just really happy to hear your voice again.' The new people at MCA who don't know me very well are on board. There's a momentum. The more things roll along, the more optimistic I am. It's just like coming home," says Yearwood. "Everything is in the best perspective of my life, both professionally and personally. I feel wiser. I am just very, very happy. I consciously took a break, but I am not finished. I miss performing, and I do love the applause."
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09.06.05 (MusicPortal.com) 16-year-old Pop hopeful HOPE PARTLOW releases her debut album "Who We Are" today via Virgin Records. There are a myriad of ways to become a Top 40 siren these days, it seems -- starring in a reality show or a movie, chief among them -- but possessing a unique and natural vocal ability is often the least of the prerequisites. Which is why, when a homegrown singer like HOPE PARTLOW comes along, the world can't help but sit back and notice. Though the phrases "plucked from obscurity" or "straight off the farm" do not do justice to the richness of Partlow's background, it is an inescapable fact that just two short years ago, the precociously talented young singer was getting up at 5 a.m. to pick peas on her family's farm in the tiny town of Drummonds, Tennessee. It was in that simple rural setting that HOPE PARTLOW's talent first began to bud. By day, she and her three siblings worked the land. By night, Partlow pursued her goal of becoming a singer, heading down to the Strand Theater in nearby Millington to sing Country songs while her Dad played guitar. "The first time I got onstage, I was five years old, and I sang 'Folsom Prison Blues,'" she says, chuckling at the memory. "Actually, I made the train sounds, and my father sang the song. People tipped based on how much they liked you -- I made twenty-five dollars that night." Together, she and her father learned hundreds of Country and Gospel songs, all of which became part of their live repertoire over the years. It didn't take long for the young girl with the deep, rich voice to gain a devoted following. "I knew I could sing well," she says, "and people were always coming up to my Dad saying, 'She's unique, she's different. You need to try to get some record company people to hear her.'" With the help of her aunt, a songwriter in Nashville, HOPE PARTLOW and her parents decided to write and record her first demo. One thing led to another, and it wasn't long before Partlow found herself performing an impromptu gig in the offices of Virgin Chairman and CEO Matt Serletic. By then a seasoned performer, the singer clinched her very first record contract -- at the tender age of 14. Though Partlow spent her early years singing Country and Gospel, her musical tastes now veer more toward Pop and Rock. "I love country music," she says, "but I feel that I am at a place in my life where I can better express myself through pop music." The songs on HOPE PARTLOW's debut album demonstrates a singer with a remarkable sense of self-possession who long ago learned the art of conveying the most heartfelt emotion through song. And though the scenery has changed for this homegrown talent, the roots of her Tennessee upbringing will always run deep. "I loved being in New York working on my album," she says. "But I always miss my home. I miss the sunlight and the open space. When I'm home, I often take a walk to the Mississippi River to just sit and relax."
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09.06.05 (MusicPortal.com) Critically-acclaimed 90s band THE CATHERINE WHEEL's frontman ROB DICKINSON will be releasing a new solo album, "Fresh Wine For The Horses, next week on September 13th via Sanctuary Records. If ever a slice of modern Rock music deserved the adjective "deep," "Fresh Wine For The Horses" is it. From a conversation with Venus on 'My Name Is Love' to the whimsical heartbreak of 'Oceans' to the confessional despair of 'Bad Beauty' to the emotional highs of 'Towering and Flowering' and dark magnificence of 'The Night,' ROB DICKINSON's "Fresh Wine For The Horses bristles with beauty, wit, power and romance, but still keeps its manly charm. And all of it held together with sincerity in both delivery and thought that is rare in these post-modern times. "As a listener you have to believe it, don't you?" says Dickinson, "otherwise you never feel it. For me, music becomes interesting when it's truly revealing and I believe it - which of course means you gotta be sincere. We can all spot a fraud a mile off. You have to tell it like it is and trust that others will connect with it. The thing is, you just have to wait until you have something to say and that's the hard part -- waiting -- and that's most people's problem. We all wanna rock and we're all impatient - the result usually being another shite record," Dickinson says. Regarding his songwriting over the past five years since the breakup of THE CATHERINE WHEEL, Dickinson added: "These songs also span a wide time-frame, during which I learned some new ideas and a few home truths. It's a personal record. It's about surrounding yourself with good souls - people from whom you can learn. The song 'Inteligent People' is about that. I was living in downtown New York on September 11th, and the song 'Bad Beauty' was born of that experience. This record is about recognizing and accepting the sometimes-ugly truth. It's about love, devotion, and enlightenment. It's taken me five years and they've been five years well spent. The time for this record is now and the time for me is now." In 1976 Peter Gabriel, the lead singer of GENESIS, left that band to pursue a solo career, transforming himself as both a songwriter and performer. There seem certain parallels between ROB DICKINSON and Gabriel - whether it be their quintessential Englishness, the lush musical landscapes in which they roam, or the quality of the influential bands they once steered. Whatever the similarities, "Fresh Wine For The Horses" is destined to make an emotional impact.
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09.01.05 (MusicPortal.com) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN has added an extensive third leg to his North American tour with seventeen newly announced Fall concerts. Kicking off October 6 in Rochester, NY, the additional dates for the solo acoustic tour will stretch through November 21st, spanning eleven states, where Springsteen will perform in arenas modified to theater format. "We're coming back to some of our favorite cities to make sure the fans get a chance to see how this tour has evolved over the course of the last 50 shows. Bruce just keeps stretching the boundaries of his performance night after night, and the result has been some of the very best concerts of his entire career," says long-time manager Jon Landau. With ever-changing set lists and a seemingly inexhaustible repertoire, the performances have functioned as an acoustic retrospective of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's entire career. This year, Springsteen has performed such classics as 'Blinded By The Light,' 'Racin' In The Streets,' 'The Rising' and 'Bobby Jean,' as well as selections from his new album, "Devils & Dust." Many unexpected rarities have also appeared on the tour. Springsteen has brought out 'Open All Night' and 'Used Cars' from "Nebraska" - each played for the first time in nine years. He also played 'Nothing Man' from "The Rising," performed only three times before this year. From "Tracks, he has also performed 'Sad Eyes' and 'Iceman,' neither of which had ever seen a stage before, while "Tunnel Of Love's 'Valentine's Day' saw its live premiere in 2005 as well. As an encore, Springsteen has also dramatically reinterpreted SUICIDE's 1980 song, 'Dream Baby Dream,' for the pump organ. In other BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN news, on September 6th, Columbia Music Video will release an expanded and completely re-edited DVD version of his historic solo "VH1 Storytellers" concert. The stunning solo performance is now nearly two hours long, and features a total of eight complete Springsteen songs including 'Devils & Dust' and 'Jesus Was an Only Son' from the "Devils & Dust" album. New Tour Dates: 10/06 Rochester, NY [Blue Cross Arena] • 10/07 Hartford, CT [Hartford Civic Center] • 10/09 Nassau, NY [Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum] • 10/12 Minneapolis, MN [Northrop Auditorium] • 10/13 Chicago, IL [United Center] • 10/15 Madison, WI [Dane County Arena @ Alliant Center] • 10/20 Worcester, MA [DCU Center] • 10/21 Providence, RI [Dunkin' Donuts Center] • 10/24 Richmond, VA [Richmond Coliseum] • 10/28 Boston, MA [T.D. Bank North Garden] • 11/03 Fort Lauderdale, FL [Office Depot Center] • 11/04 Tampa, FL [St. Petersburg Times Forum] • 11/08 Philadelphia, PA [Wachovia Center] • 11/11 Norfolk, VA [Constant Convocation Center At Old Dominion University] • 11/13 Atlantic City, NJ [Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall] • 11/16 East Rutherford, NJ [Continental Airlines Arena] • 11/21 Trenton, NJ [Sovereign Bank Arena]

[ Pop News: August 2005 ]
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