Search Results for: MAX

Recording a song with boyfriend Justin Timberlake as a co-producer made Britney Spears “a little nervous,” she says. The song, “What It’s Like to Be Me,” was recorded during sessions for Spears’ third album, due November 6. A track listing for the still-untitled album is starting to shape up, as are plans for a tour, which is set to begin October 26 in Miami. At least three songs have made the cut and and are “definitely making the album,” according to Spears’ spokesperson at Jive Records. They include the first single, “I’m a Slave 4 U,” written and produced by… Read more »

Once a hip-hop artist achieves any semblance of success, expect to hear about it from his friends. More than simply brag about their platinum-selling homie, though, chances are they’ll rap with him on their own album. Within the last two months, collections from the Nelly-backed St. Lunatics and the Eminem-featured D12 have stormed into record stores. The Lunatics’ Free City debuted on the Billboard 200 albums chart at #3 on June 13, while D12 earned the #1 slot with Devils Night two weeks later. Many other hip-hop acts have turned the same trick, piggybacking a new act on the strength… Read more »

Having met their goal of writing and recording an album in less than a year, No Doubt will release Rock Steady on December 18. While their 1995 breakthrough, Tragic Kingdom, and last year’s Return of Saturn both spent years in the making, the band kept the tape rolling for its fifth album, working with a mix of producers ranging from Dr. Dre and former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek to reggae duo Sly & Robbie. The result finds the foursome exploring their dancehall-reggae and new wave tendencies in greater depth than before. Songs slated for the LP include the title track,… Read more »

It is Friday night in the San Fernando Valley and the regulars at Paladino’s, a tiny biker bar, are out in full force. Hell’s Angels gun their engines in the parking lot while lines of leather-clad rock fossils straighten their acid-washed jeans, run combs through their mullets and get ready to rock. Most of the crowd has come to catch the Atomic Punks, a blue-ribbon Van Halen tribute band. But there’s another contingent on-hand. Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk, actor/singer Jack Black, and porn queen Jenna Jameson are in the house, and it’s unlikely they made the trek… Read more »

ROCK STEADY, No Doubt’s fifth album and second release in as many years, is scheduled for release on Trauma/Interscope Records on December 18, 2001. Recorded in LA, Jamaica, and London, ROCK STEADY runs the stylistic gamut, incorporating dancehall-reggae, classic new wave, and R&B with the band’s signature, high-energy sound. Featuring such key tracks as “Hella Good,” “Hey Baby,” “Detective,” and “Making Out,” ROCK STEADY is named for one of the last songs to be included on the record. Says Gwen Stefani, “ROCK STEADY is where we are as a band right now. Stay the course, keep focused. Like the song… Read more »

In an effort to avoid going to trial, the recording industry has asked a federal judge to rule that the song-swap company Napster Inc. is liable for copyright infringement damages. The recording industry insisted Napster had direct knowledge of the copyright infringement aided by its network of users, according to the request for summary judgment filed late Tuesday with U.S. District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel. The documents were made available Wednesday. “Napster’s Web site advertised the piratical nature of the system by bragging that, ‘With Napster, you’ll never come up empty handed when searching for your favorite music again,”‘ attorneys… Read more »

Bjork has confirmed an initial set of dates for a world tour of theaters and opera houses in support of her latest album Vespertine, which will be released August 28th. The specific venues were chosen after her request that the sites have “the best acoustics possible.” A September 23rd date at the English National Opera will make Bjork the first pop music act ever to perform at the venue. The U.S. leg will kick off with a two-night stand at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on October 4th and 5th. Accompanying Bjork on her first tour in three… Read more »

Eagle-Eye Cherry is preparing for a fall club tour to major U.S. cities. Cherry, whose MCA debut, Present/Future, is to be released domestically on October 30, will be joined by special guest Leona Naess, whose sophomore MCA album, I Tried To Rock You But You Only Roll, is set for an October 9 release. The son of legendary jazz trumpeter Don Cherry and the brother of singer Neneh Cherry, Eagle-Eye Cherry grew up in Sweden and New York City, playing drums, attending Manhattan’s School of Performing Arts, and touring frequently with his father. He began writing songs in 1994 and… Read more »

When they were making Celebrity, ‘NSYNC weren’t fretting about how to follow up a sales record – they were too busy staking out a new sound to carry them into a future far beyond first-week figures, says Justin Timberlake. And besides, he said, it’s just the economy that’s to blame if the album’s opening week comes shy of the 2.4 million copies No Strings Attached sold last year in its first week on shelves. “People probably don’t think we think about this kind of stuff, but if you really wanna get technical about it, the whole country, the economy, is… Read more »

Former American trance golden boy BT (Brian Transeau) and ‘NSync may seem like odd bedfellows but according to BT, it was all very natural for the two seemingly divergent acts to work together on “Pop,” the first track on ‘NSync’s most recent album, Celebrity (Jive). In fact the love fest was so mutual between the teensters and the Los Angeles based dance producer that BT is now working with Justin Timberlake’s girlfriend, Britney Spears, to help produce her new album – better watch out Justin, BT’s a charmer. If you’ve heard BT’s version of “Pop” you know it sounds a… Read more »