Search Results for: soul glo

Chris Blackwell knew he wanted to be a part of the documentary 1 Giant Leap as soon as musicians Jamie Catto (Faithless) and Duncan Bridgeman played him the rough demos of songs they’d written for the program. The same man whose gut feeling led him to sign Bob Marley and U2 to his Island Records imprint heard what the two musicians had to offer and gave them the green light. “I loved the music of it,” says Blackwell of the documentary due out in March. “I loved the way the music was put together. I loved the different influences of… Read more »

Self-proclaimed “king of pop” Michael Jackson will dust off a 13-year-old hit song during the American Music Awards Wednesday night – even though it might jeopardize his chances of performing at the more prestigious Grammys seven weeks later. Grammys boss Michael Greene, who is being sued for $10 million by American Music Awards producer Dick Clark for allegedly blackballing acts who appear on the earlier show, said Tuesday he would see what the Gloved One does during the ceremony before deciding whether to send him an invite. “We have 980 nominees and only 14 performance slots. So who in their… Read more »

Before the Grammy nominations were announced, pundits had already determined what the big story would be – a certain soulful female singer with a critically acclaimed debut would score multiple nominations, including record, song and album of the year. That scenario played out Friday – just not quite the way many expected. India.Arie, whose “Acoustic Soul,” received glowing reviews but achieved moderate commercial success, scored seven nominations, while the year’s most celebrated new artist, Alicia Keys, got six. Veteran Grammy winners U2 led all nominees with eight, including an album of the year nomination for “All That You Can’t Leave… Read more »

Dave Matthews Band proved nearest and dearest to the hearts of fans, as their votes gave the Virginia group the bulk of the glory at the My VH1 Music Awards Sunday. Matthews and violinist Boyd Tinsley, accepting on behalf of their bandmates, left Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium with three awards – My Favorite Group, Must Have Album for Everyday and Damn I Wish I Wrote That! (Song of the Year) for “The Space Between.” The group was also honored via a win for their fan site nancies.org in the Coolest Fan Website category. DMB and U2 had a pack-leading six… Read more »

Radiohead was named the world’s best band at a major music awards ceremony in London on Monday. The Oxford-based quintet beat U2, R.E.M., Stereophonics and last year’s winners, Travis, at Q magazine’s music awards. Radiohead has evolved from recording gloomy rock to soaring epics in a career spanning 14 years and five albums. Irish rocker band Ash won the best single award for “Burn Baby Burn,” taken from its No. 1 album “Free All Angels.” Travis, the Glasgow quartet fronted by Fran Healey, picked up the best album award for “The Invisible Band,” which features hits including “Sing” and “Side.”… Read more »

No Doubt began as a good-time ska-party band, full of California sunshine. But in the last few years, that’s been obscured by smog: bruised egos within the band, gloomy lyrics and weak record sales for last year’s Return of Saturn. The bad times are all gone on their upcoming album, Rock Steady, reports singer Gwen Stefani. “We’re not taking ourselves so seriously,” she says. “It’s like, get over it. We’re a fucking band and we’re really lucky to be doing what we do.” Rock Steady, out December 18th, is a sweet pop confection, made with arrays of keyboards, a dance-floor… Read more »

Once a punk rock outcast who was locked up in a psych ward, Iggy Pop is now a celebrity, a Reebok model who rubs shoulders with the cream of society. But his elevated status does not stop him from noticing the absurdity of the situation, as he told Reuters in a recent interview: the kid raised in a Michigan trailer park is often the center of attention at various phoney-baloney shindigs. “Occasionally I’ll go to one of these VIP affairs or parties, and I always sorta look around thinking, ‘My God, how shallow and crass these people are! Not like… Read more »

Just standing still Monday night in Central Park, you couldn’t help but feel suffocated by the 85-degree wet heat that blanketed the city. So imagine how Erykah Badu felt as she danced around and sang her emotional ditties for the crowd at the park’s SummerStage venue. She was so hot she had to take off her dress in the middle of her set. “Thank you God for this breeze,” Badu said during a breakdown in her performance of “Didn’t Cha Know” early in the show. Dressed in a peach dress, matching headdress and gloves that came to her elbows, the… Read more »

A day after MTV’s 20th anniversary celebration, some people were nursing hangovers, but Busta Rhymes was feeling the kind of pain a cup of coffee wasn’t going to cure. Apparently old Bussa Bus injured his right leg during the show’s hip-hop medley. Gone was his usual regal swagger as he limped badly into Manhattan’s Hit Factory to play his new album, The Genesis, for a small group of guests that included his manager, Chris Lighty, and another of Lighty’s clients, Jo Jo Peligrino. “I feel so good right now,” Busta said with his usual animation. “This is the first album… Read more »

Hot on the heels of new releases from such established superstars as Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey, Virgin Records America is releasing seven key albums from developing artists the label hopes will follow in those multi-platinum footsteps. Ranging an eclectic musical spectrum from Pop-R&B to Urban-Alternative Rock to World Music, these artists reflect Virgin’s commitment to unique yet accessible music for which the label has become known. Forming the all-star rookie line-up are: Nikka Costa – All ears piqued when Tommy Hilfiger’s slick commercial hit TV screens last year, featuring that funky, rhythmic bassline from Nikka’s debut single “Like A… Read more »