Archive: September 2011 (71-80 of 132)

Sep 16 2011 11:30 AM ET

Rihanna tweets about new album, promises fall release, closes up shop on 'Loud'

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Categories: In the Studio, Ladies, New Stuff, Pop, Rihanna, Twitter
rihanna

Image Credit: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Do you realize that Rihanna is only 23 years old, and has been teasing that her sixth album is going to hit store shelves before the calendar flips to 2012?

To bring up a totally reasonable analogue, John Lennon had only released his first album at 23. At this rate, she’s just about due for a Britney Spears-esque career retrospective at next year’s VMAs and will be passing Neil Young’s album output before a reasonable mid-life crisis can even set in.

In any event, RiRi has been letting her over seven million followers on Twitter that she has been in the studio working on the follow-up to 2010′s Loud, a fact originally reported on in Entertainment Weekly’s Fall Music Preview.

She promises that the new tracks, which fill her with excitement, will be out this fall, which essentially puts Loud to bed and will create a seamless transition from that album’s most recent single (the just-released “Cheers (Drink to That)”) and whatever new jam she’ll be dropping from the new one.

With that in mind, let’s unpack Loud, an album that left the post-Chris Brown survivalist instincts of Rated R in the dust in favor of a more traditional pop collection. There were seven official singles from Loud, which is pretty jaw-dropping considering there are only 11 total tracks on the whole thing. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 10:11 AM ET

'Glee' Exclusive: Hear New Directions' 'You Can't Stop the Beat' from the season 3 premiere here

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Categories: EW Exclusives

You have been very patient, young Gleeks, and your patience shall be rewarded.

Below, find an exclusive, only-on-EW stream of New Directions performing lead track, Hairspray‘s “You Can’t Stop the Beat” on the upcoming Sept. 20 season-three premiere.

(And to hear the rest of “The Purple Piano Project” episode tracks from the episode, click here.) READ FULL STORY »

Sep 16 2011 09:15 AM ET

Pearl Jam's drunken MTV debacle: Cameron Crowe looks back -- an EW Exclusive

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Categories: An EW Exclusive!, Attack of the '90s, Pearl Jam

Pearl-Jam

Image Credit: Tony Mottram/Retna UK

Twenty years ago, director Cameron Crowe decided to follow his much-loved debut, 1989′s Say Anything, with a romantic comedy set in the world of the Seattle music scene.

That movie was Singles (1992), and when Warner Bros. got first sight of it, just before the Seattle music scene exploded, they determined to shelve it. Then grunge went mainstream, and many of the bands featured in the movie, including Soundgarden and Alice in Chains, would go on to multiplatinum superstardom.

The biggest of these bands was Pearl Jam, the members of which were cast as Matt Dillon’s bandmates in the fictional Citizen Dick. The studio reconsidered, and then planned to release the movie to capitalize on the current hottest music trend with their “grunge movie.”

But not before they would ask Crowe to call in a favor from Pearl Jam. This would prove near disastrous, as Crowe — whose love letter to the band, the documentary Pearl Jam Twenty, opens Sept. 20 and includes the now infamous MTV footage — remembers…

“When Harry Met Sally… was the big hit as we were filming, I think. I think the studio saw Singles and thought, ‘What is this guy with the dreads, shaking?’ That’s Layne [Staley], man! From Alice in Chains! ‘Uh, where’s Billy Crystal? C’mon man, give us the thing we know.’ And it just kind of solidified into positions. They didn’t understand the movie at Warner Bros. They weren’t that happy they made it. We were editing it and trying to just finish it and fighting to finish it and no one wanted to put it out.

And then, ironically, Nirvana broke. Actually, Alice in Chains broke. Then Nirvana broke. Then the kind of zeitgeist story started to become Seattle. And then Pearl Jam broke and the studio was like, ‘Okay. Well, all right, the guy that shakes his head with the dreads, we like him now. But we need MTV to do a promotional party so we can kick the movie off to let people know they can see all this crazy popular Seattle music.’ READ FULL STORY »

Sep 15 2011 04:38 PM ET

Lady Gaga gets inked by Kat Von D: Watch the video here

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Categories: Ladies, Lady Gaga, YouTube Delights

File under: Things we maybe didn’t know about Lady Gaga. (And Lord knows that’s a short list at this point.)

In this vintage clip from 2008, we see a not-yet-fully-formed Gaga (Is she wearing pants? SHE IS!) hitting up LA Ink’s Kat Von D for some elaborate lower back art.

The two ladies chat about L.A., Gaga’s songwriting—she just worked with New Kids On The Block!—and her parents’ reaction to all those tattoos. Check it out after the jump: READ FULL STORY »

Sep 15 2011 04:01 PM ET

Daughtry releases new rock single 'Renegade': What do you think?

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Categories: American Idol, Daughtry, Rock
daughtry

Image Credit: Max Vadukul

Chris Daughtry may sell millions of records, but his band has always taken quite a bit of hate from music fans.

Not only did lead singer Chris Daughtry get his start on the oh-so-mainstream American Idol stage, but his band has tended toward lite, adult-contemporary singles like “Home” and “Life After You,” which have given the group an almost Nickelback-ish stigma.

So perhaps the band’s new song, “Renegade,” which was released today on their official website, is seeking to quiet that criticism. “Don’t you want to feel like a rebel?” Daughtry asks, “A renegade on the run?” The song, a straightforward hard rocker, makes me wonder if that sort of break-free mentality will permeate their new album, which arrives on November 21. Is Daughtry trying to rebel against the decidedly safe sound prescribed to them by the music industry?

Honestly, I hope so. Daughtry’s appealing howl ‘n growl sounds as strong here as it did on Idol, when he sang a different “Renegade,” (by Styx) and it would be nice for the band to step out as a real rock troupe.

Readers, what do you think of the new song?

Read more on EW.com:
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax crank and shred at Yankee Stadium
Daughtry tops the albums chart, outsells Michael Jackson
Evanescence returns with new music video ‘What You Want’: Watch it here!

Sep 15 2011 02:19 PM ET

Simon Cowell's five songs you shouldn't sing on 'X-Factor"

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Categories: Let's Argue!, Listmania!, X-Factor

Ian Derry/Fox

When X Factor premieres on Wednesday, there are five songs that the show’s contestants would be very unwise to bring their first auditions, Simon Cowell told reporters on Tuesday.

The main offenders?

- R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”
- Etta James’ “At Last” (“I’m allergic to that song,” he says.)
- The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” (“Everybody seems to think ‘Unchained Melody’ is my favorite song of all time. It is not.”)
- Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours” (“I cannot listen to that anymore.”)
- John Legend’s “Ordinary People” (“They always try to sing it like [Legend's] version. It’s never good.”)

We agree with Cowell, especially about “Unchained Melody,” a song that was originally written for an obscure prison movie and was revived, of course, for cinematic pottery sex.

And there are so many others to add! Take “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” especially the Israel Kamakawiwo’ole version that no one except actual Hawaiians and strict adherents of the “barefoot lifestyle” should ever attempt. And then there’s the Pussycat Dolls’ “Don’t Cha” (No, we don’t.)

And please, don’t ruin Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” (after hearing Collins talk about that song in this incredibly moving This American Life episode, we don’t want anyone to touch it) or Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” (so many key changes, so little Whitney-worthy talent!), or any of the other picks in our gallery American Idol: 20 Songs We’d Ban From the Show Forever.

So, what would you add to the list? Tell us in the comments.

Read more on EW.com
Simon Cowell on ‘X Factor’: Paula, Nicole, Getting the Audience Drunk
‘X Factor’ extended preview: Did it make you feel (like a natural woman)?
Well-juiced Simon Cowell talks ‘American Idol’ fatigue, ‘X Factor,’ orgasmic IV regimen

Sep 15 2011 12:20 PM ET

J. Cole drops new Jay-Z assisted single 'Mr. Nice Watch'

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Categories: Hip-Hop/Rap, J. Cole, Jay-Z, New Stuff
j-cole

Jay-Z has been tipping his hat to about-to-explode rapper J. Cole for quite a while — in fact, he was the first-ever artist signed to Jigga’s Roc Nation label back in 2009.

Now, he’s putting his money where his mouth is (or in this instance, his mouth where his money is), dropping in on Cole’s just-released new single “Mr. Nice Watch.”

Produced by Cole himself, “Mr. Nice Watch” is a twitchy, bass-heavy blast of computer funk that gives way to a weepy guitar line and seems cut from the same cloth as many of the tracks on Watch the Throne, which will probably lead to an excellent argument about who is influencing who in the Jay-Z camp. Give the song a spin below. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 15 2011 12:00 PM ET

On the scene at Yankee Stadium: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax crank and shred

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Categories: Anthrax, Concert Reviews, Megadeth, Metal, Metallica, On the Scene, Rock n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution, Slayer, Things That Are Loud
Metallica

Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Over the course of his band’s two-hour set to close out the Big 4 show at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, Metallica frontman James Hetfield repeatedly asked the assembled crowd of over 41,000 headbangers, “Can you feel it?”

He didn’t have to worry; the collective had no trouble feeling it. Or hearing it. In perhaps a grandiose feat of overcompensation for the outdoor venue and the noise from the adjacent subway line, everything was cranked up to 11 from the first note to the last bellow.

Of course, this is metal, which means the louder the better, and while everybody brought their best noise, Metallica reigned supreme above them all. The bands populating the under-card all fared well, with Anthrax picking up points for sheer enthusiasm — most of the members are from New York, they were celebrating the release of their new album, and there was a spry joie de vivre that infiltrated even their thrashiest material, especially on the set-closing “I Am the Law.”

Megadeth primed the crowd for the headliner with some early shout-alongs (the one-two punch of “Symphony of Destruction” and “Peace Sells” was surprisingly anthemic), and Slayer bowling over everybody with a solid hour of ritual eardrum destruction (“Mandatory Suicide” was especially savage).

But then Metallica emerged, and everybody was reminded exactly why they remain one of the biggest bands in the world. Aided by some well-orchestrated pyrotechnics, a healthy dose of theatricality, and a bucketload of massive songs, the members of Metallica spryly navigated the huge stage parked in the outfield and held heavy court. READ FULL STORY »

Sep 15 2011 11:18 AM ET

Demi Lovato lets loose on 'All Night Long' with Missy Elliott and Timbaland

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Categories: Demi Lovato, Missy Elliott, Timbaland
Demi-Lovato

Image Credit: Hilary Walsh

Dreams do come true! After a bit of a Youtube campaign, hit-making producer Timbaland can now say he’s worked with pop stars as varied as Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, and now… Demi Lovato.

At the top of the year, a tired Timbo posted a video praising the 19-year-old singer’s vocals and even played a song he crafted especially for her. Though it’s not the ballad he cued back then, his cut with her does sound like a winner.

Featuring hip-hop femme-C Missy Elliott, “All Night Long” is a lustful upbeat banger. In true Timbaland fashion, it’s a busy track with knocking bass, bouncing keys and synths stepping all over the hook.

“Don’t make plans/ Come on with me/ Let’s stay up all night long,” Lovato orders over it. You can listen to the track here.

What do you think of the Lovato-Missy-Timbo collab? Looking forward to her album, Unbroken (out Sept. 20)? Let us know.

Read more on EW.com:
Demi Lovato: Unbroken review
Demi Lovato refuses to be torn down in new ‘Skyscraper’ video
Demi Lovato opens up about her struggles: ‘I just was lying to everyone.’

Sep 14 2011 04:48 PM ET

Katy Perry announces new single, 'The One That Got Away' -- would it be your pick, too?

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Categories: Katy Perry, Ladies, Let's Argue!, Pop
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Image Credit: George Pimentel/Getty Images

It’s a California gurl’s prerogative, when she’s racked up a Michael-Jackson-matching five number-ones in one album, to pick any damn song she wants when it comes to single number six.

And indeed, the (actually twentysomething) Teenage Dreamer announced today that “The One That Got Away” will be the next album track to go for the six-times gold, with its official radio bow slated for October.

The song, a midtempo ode to a summer-after-high-school love with whom she recalls sharing Mustang makeout sessions to Radiohead and getting “matching tattoos” (like these?), may not seem like the most immediate choice.

After all, Perry did perform the pretty ballad “Not Like the Movies” way back at this year’s Grammys without releasing it as a single, and the naughty show-me-yours-maybe-I’ll-show-you-mine stomper “Peacock” managed to hit the no. 1 spot on Billboard’s U.S. Hot Dance Club Songs without ever being officially pushed by her label.

Plus, there’s always the guitar-heavy ex-boyfriend burn “Circle the Drain” (not a personal favorite, but I know it has its fans), as well as “Pearl,” “Who Am I Living For,” and “Hummingbird Heart.”

Readers, listen to “The One That Got Away” after the jump and tell us if it would be your own first (or fourth) choice for Katy’s sixth single — or if you’d rather have her quit while she’s five massive hits ahead: READ FULL STORY »

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