Today marks the release of albums from T.I., Duffy, and Charlie Wilson. T.I.’s No Mercy, whose sales will no doubt be affected by his incarceration, is a solid effort. Here he’s apologetic at times. But more often than not, he’s the brash rhymer we know him to be. R&B icon Charlie Wilson returns with another EW-revered effort, rife with smooth tunes and a few bouncy dance tracks as well. While Duffy’s Endlessly finds her teaming up with ’60s writer Albert Hammond for some more retro stylings.
Which albums are you looking out for this week? Let us know.
Daft Punk‘s latest video is a throwback to the original 1982 sci-fi classic Tron. The duo scored Tron Legacy, which hits theaters Dec. 17, and this morning released its lead video–featuring several nods to the past. As MTV notes, it opens at Flynn’s Arcade, owned by Tron‘s lead character who’s a game designer for Encom. In the video, the two play a game called “Derezzed.” There’s no game with that title in the movie. But “Derez” is a term used referring to dying in battle during a game.
Next, they begin their one-on-one fight in the game. The graphics are a fittingly a bit more video gamey than what we’ve seen in the movie’s trailer. Check it out after the jump to find out who the winner is.
Image Credit: Joseph Anthony BakerTaylor Swift is unstoppable. Shocker! The Grammy-winning album-sales Goliath is owning sales on the stadium-tour circuit, too. In fact, she sold out two “Speak Now” shows set for August at L.A.’s massive Staples Center in two minutes (two additional shows were quickly added!) and tickets for her June 25 pit-stop at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (it seats a whopping 68,000!) were gone in just five minutes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Apparently, seven more sellouts followed. As you might remember, Swift’s third studio album, Speak Now — which this same-named tour is promoting — sold more than 1 million copies in its first week out. So maybe this is no surprise? Still, it’s quite a feat. Swift’s full tour schedule runs through early October of next year.
Did you secure your T-Swizzle tix yet? If not get on it fast… before they’re gone!
T.I. sits somewhere between remorseful and irritated in the video for his new album’s title track, The-Dream-assisted “No Mercy.” Sitting in a church, the now-incarcerated rhymer blames poor school systems, poor upbringings, and hypocrite haters for his current issues with the law, while taking some of the blame for possibly blowing amazing opportunities afforded to him by his talent. He also likens himself to slain rapper Tupac Shakur, who also had numerous run-ins with the law before being shot.
“Could it be possibly the second coming of ‘Pac is me?” he asks in the song. “Remember that? When he was here? And when he died you realized you need him here? God with me, partner. Ain’t no one for me to fear.” T.I. also says the money and success he’s earned just make it harder to believe that his life is still a rough one. “You can be for certain ain’t nobody perfect. But when you’re rich, nobody gives a s—, no mercy.”
True as that may be, it’s difficult to feel for a person as gifted and [seemingly] financially well off as T.I. when he makes so many ill-advised, potentially career-ending mistakes. If he’s to be held at the same regard as his peers, then he has to be able compete with them. And that can’t be done from jail. Jay-Z, an admitted former drug dealer, has been on the up and up for more than a decade now. And for all the bonehead moves Kanye West is criticized for, he’s at least managed to avoid the revolving door that sometimes appears to vacuum rappers into jails and courthouses.
Watch T.I. plead his case after the jump and let us know what you think of the video.
Image Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesAnother day, another country-music prize. Last night, Carrie Underwood doubled down on her industry’s highest honor, country music artist of the year, by taking it once again at the inaugural American Country Awards some eight months after she won the same title at the Academy of Country Music Awards last April. This time, though, she may have needed help hauling her loot to the car; the reward is not a trophy but a full-size Fender Stratocaster guitar.
She also took home five additional prizes—allotted, like the Peoples Choice Awards, by fans, not industry insiders—including Album of the Year, Female Single of the Year, Touring Headline Package of the Year and Female Music Video of the Year. Lady Antebellum did nearly as well in the Group honors, winning overall Group of the Year, Group Video of the Year, and Group Single of the Year.
Toby Keith, for one, is a fan of the public-vote concept, according to People.com: “I railed for years, when I had the energy, against the machine. You got 1,500 people voting and they all have agendas,” said the winner of the Video Visionary of the Year Award. “If you’ve had the biggest year, ticket sales, album sales, radio play and you get shut out at award shows because of agenda stuff, then the fans are like, we don’t understand, and it takes credibility away from the organization.”
Other stars with new take-home guitars included Blake Shelton for his “Hillbilly Bone” video, Easton Corbin for Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Josh Turner for Male Single of the Year, Alan Jackson for the Greatest Hits Award, and Rascal Flatts with the Decade Award.
On the heels of T.I.‘s No Mercy release, VH1 will air their latest edition of Storytellers–featuring the Atlanta rap star this Friday (Dec. 10) at 11 pm. Recorded months ago when Mercy was still entitled King Uncaged and T.I. was still a free man, the show mostly focuses on the stories behind his biggest hits as well as old cuts he’s hardly performed, rather than even a few songs from his new offering. In this EW exclusive clip, he explains what inspired his chart-topping 2006 single “What You Know.” It was recorded while he was filming ATL, his first movie and, well, I’ll let him explain it himself. Check out the clip after the jump.
Image Credit: Amy Graves/WireImage.comFefe Dobson draws a lot of comparisons. When she came onto the scene in 2003 with “Bye Bye Boyfriend,” people compared her to Joan Jett. She was asked to (and did) play rock & roll queen Tina Turner on American Dreams, and many fans have made connections between Dobson’s and Rihanna’s offbeat, punk-inspired images (the two artists share a label, and both recently had songs featured on an episode of the CW’s Hellcats).
When Dobson performed at the Entertainment Weekly Lounge in West Hollywood last night, it was clear that she’s as ecclectic as ever. When we talked to her backstage before her set, she said that when she’s making music now, “I’m just feeling it. It’s still rock & roll, but you have to add elements sometimes … to make it speak to what music is at this point.”
Dobson’s latest album, Joy, experiments with some different sounds. The title track has an unmistakeably country swing to it, and “Stuttering,” the current single, features some awfully familiar-sounding staccato hooks and club beats. It reminds me of Jason Derulo’s ‘Whatcha Say’ – which is unsurprising, as J. R. Rotem produced both tracks.
She’s not a fan of AutoTune though: “I really try to fight it as much as I can, and sometimes I’ll beg the producer, like, ‘Please don’t use it on me!’ I’ll just re-sing it over and over until I get it.”
Dobson clearly still celebrates her rock heritage – her rendition of Guns N Roses’s “Welcome to the Jungle” was the most energetic performance of the night, and featured more hip thrusts, hair tosses, and high kicks than most Olympic-level floor routines. Dobson says the physicality comes naturally. “It honestly just happens. I can’t control it. Something comes out of me.”
As for living up to Joan Jett’s legacy, Dobson says she is flattered by the comparison, but mostly, she’s glad to be making music again. “It just feels so good.”
Vh1 Divas Salute the Troops is coming to you this Sunday, but to tide you over until then, the cable network has posted a preview of the opening number, which features pop stars Katy Perry, Keri Hilson, and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland performing WWII-era hit “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” It’s inspired! The show, as you can tell from the title, is a twist on the old Divas formula, in that its—you guessed it!—saluting the troops, so this retro, Andrews Sisters throwback is a super-appropriate opening. And although she isn’t featured in the clip (which you can watch below), VH1 says that the number will also feature an appearance by rapper du jour Nicki Minaj.
Check out the clip now, and don’t forget to tune in this Sunday at 9 p.m. to see the whole show:
Image Credit: Sandrine LeeIt was late Wednesday night when Esperanza Spalding‘s cell phone began buzzing. “Everybody and their mother-law started texting me and saying, ‘Oh my God!’” says the jazz bassist-singer, 26. They were congratulating her for scoring a Best New Artist nomination in this year’s Grammy race. “I certainly did not expect to even be considered for that type of nomination, me being a little old jazz musician and everything.”
Spalding is both pleased and bemused by the attention. “I mean, for jazz musicians, usually the recognition comes from your peers,” she says. “If someone that you really respect artistically likes your record, that’s all the award you need. But it is meaningful, and I don’t want to act like it’s nothing, that someone outside of my little jazz circle knows about me and wanted to acknowledge me.”
Her fellow nominees this year are Drake, Justin Bieber, Florence + the Machine, and Mumford & Sons. Although Spalding is only well versed in one of those artists’ music (“I think Drake is really incredible”), she’s no snob. “A lot of musicians who consider themselves intellectual artists sometimes look down their noses at people who have a lot of commercial success,” she notes. “They don’t remember how much really hard work it is to be a commercially successful entertainer. So even if I’m not familiar with their music, I respect their hard work. Now I have to go check them out some more.” READ FULL STORY »
When Ke$ha announced her new album Cannibal that hit stores last week, she told EW about how her lead single “We R Who We R,” saying that it was an anthem to inspire people to be themselves, especially in light of all the gay bullying that was going on at the time. Well, the song’s music video has hit the internets, and it doesn’t so much inspire self esteem as much as it inspires just a plain ol’, trashy, Ke$ha-ed out good time. Code word: party! See: A riot-dance party in a tunnel with drag racing! Gold-studded eyebrows! Then a rooftop party! Product placement: Revolucion tequila and Plenty of Fish’s dating website! Ke$ha falling from said rooftop! More dancing! There’s not much to it. But do we still love it? In a direct quote from Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R,” “yes, of course we does!”
Today marks the release of albums from T.I., Duffy, and Charlie Wilson. T.I.’s No Mercy, whose sales will no doubt be affected by his incarceration, is a solid effort. Here he’s apologetic at times. But more often than not, he’s the brash rhymer we know him to be. R&B icon Charlie Wilson returns with another EW-revered effort, rife with smooth tunes and a few bouncy dance tracks as well. While Duffy’s Endlessly finds her teaming up with ’60s writer Albert Hammond for some more retro stylings.
