Tag: R&B (51-60 of 390)

Jan 3 2013 06:15 PM ET

The Roots, Talib Kweli, more to tribute Prince at Carnegie Hall

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Image Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage.com

Uptown Manhattan is about to get purified in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

Carnegie Hall has announced the lineup for their annual spring fundraiser for music education, which this year will come in the form of a Prince tribute concert. The venerable New York venue has recruited the likes of the Roots, Talib Kweli, and Booker T. to pay their respects to the Minnesota musician at the March 7 event, which will benefit a variety of charities aiding youth-oriented music programs.

“Prince is one of the most prolific songwriters in my collection,” said organizer Michael Dorf in a statement. “He makes my Top 10 when I think about the artists who have truly shaped modern music.”

Among the other artists who’ll help honor the Purple Rain maven are Living Colour, Blind Boys of Alabama, DeVotchKa, and Madeleine Peyroux.

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Dec 21 2012 11:07 AM ET

Best and Worst 2012: Carly Rae Jepsen, Taylor Swift, and the other best singles of the year

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One encouraging trend that ran throughout 2012 was the egalitarian nature of hit singles. Whether you were a Joni Mitchell-loving Canadian Idol survivor, an Australian with a bruised ego, or a bunch of Florida emo survivors high on Queen, the music world fully embraced you as long as your inescapable earworms continuously delivered thrilling results.

Check out EW’s list of the 20 greatest singles of the year below (as they appear in the current issue of EW, which is on newsstands now), and be sure to check out this specially-curated VEVO playlist that takes you through the year that was one glorious pop hook at a time.

BEST

1. Carly Rae Jepsen, ”Call Me Maybe”
Before the countless YouTube lip dubs, the nine weeks at No. 1, and the 1,000th time you heard it at a BBQ, there was just a song: a purple-ink love letter with a tiny voice whispering about wishing wells and ripped jeans like it was a secret she wanted you to keep forever. It might have been the soundtrack of your summer, or you might’ve rolled your eyes at parties but then secretly put it on your workout mix. But every time it played, life sounded just a tiny bit different. Better maybe. —Adam Markovitz READ FULL STORY »

Dec 18 2012 12:25 PM ET

Alicia Keys sued over 'Girl On Fire'

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Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/Film Magic

Alicia Keys’ single “Girl on Fire” already has five credited songwriters (including ’80s rocker Billy Squier, whose drum track for “The Big Beat” appears underneath “Girl on Fire”) — and now it may need to add a sixth.

Songwriter Earl Shuman is suing Keys over “Girl On Fire,” claiming it borrows elements from “Hey There Lonely Girl,” a song he co-wrote with Leon Carr for Eddie Holman.

“Hey There Lonely Girl” was a huge hit for R&B singer Holman in 1970, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Give a listen to both below and decide for yourself if Shuman has a case.  READ FULL STORY »

Dec 13 2012 08:09 AM ET

Bruce Springsteen, the Who, Billy Joel, and Beatlevana: On the scene at 12-12-12

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Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Wednesday night’s 12-12-12 benefit concert for Sandy relief was an unqualified success: Before even a single note was played on stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden, more than $30 million had already been raised for the Robin Hood Foundation through ticket sales, merchandise, and corporate pledges.

As a charity event, 12-12-12 was a slam dunk. As a musical entertainment endeavor, it was more of a mixed bag, full of plenty of glorious, triumphant moments for sure, but also bloated with curious choices and inexplicable performances.

Bruce Springsteen had the honor of kicking the show off, beginning his band’s brief set with “Land of Hope and Dreams.” As Jersey’s greatest ambassador for well over three decades, Springsteen sweated and howled through the opener’s anthemic refrain, only to raise the stakes on “Wrecking Ball,” a defiant anthem of hope from the album of the same name.

“Wrecking Ball” started a running theme of transformation through out the night: Familiar songs became re-packaged and recontextualized, and themes of renewal and rebirth crept up during the finest performances. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 6 2012 10:35 AM ET

Rod Stewart, John Travolta, Cee Lo Green, and the best (and best-worst) of the season's new Christmas music

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Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

For some of you, the focus on Christmas shifted roughly 20 minutes after swallowing the last bite of Thanksgiving pie and you set out to find the best spot for your Black Friday tent.

One of the great joys (or, depending on who you are, nightmares) of the holiday commerce season is the never-ending stream of Christmas music filling in all the empty airspace in your local shopping malls and department stores. But what if you’re shopping online, and somehow avoiding every other vestige of public-space holiday-music inundation?

To help you, here’s a rundown of some of the new stuff added to the yearly snowpile of Yuletide releases (and at the end of this post, a Spotify playlist to let you try out the wares like so many Costco samples.)

Rod Stewart, Merry Christmas, Baby
The undisputed champ of this season’s holiday music bonanza is Stewart, whose first holiday album is currently doing big business (it narrowly missed preventing Alicia Keys from being the top album in the country this week). His approach is very much “Over-Eggnogged Uncle Croons Hugs ‘Round the Tree,” but it’s still Rod-ily charming, and his original composition “Red Suited Super Man” will be an alternate-universe hit next Yuletide season.

Cee Lo Green, Cee Lo’s Magic Moment
The music world was half-expecting a new album from Green’s old hip-hop group Goodie Mob this holiday season, but instead we got The Voice favorite’s blast of red-velvet funk (and that’s red velvet like Santa’s suit, not the sexy cake kind). Its Motown bounce recalls all the great Stevie Wonder Christmas tracks of yesteryear, and the inclusion of the Muppets (on “All I Need Is Love”) is never not awesome. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 5 2012 11:42 AM ET

Beyonce prepping new music for Super Bowl, says The-Dream

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Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

If you’re a betting person, The-Dream has a hot Super Bowl tip for you: put your money on Beyoncé.

During a chat with Billboard, the producer also known as Terius Nash assured fans and onlookers that Bey would “definitely” have new music ready to go in time for her Super Bowl halftime performance, which will take place on Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

“She’s already gearing up to get ready to put stuff out,” he said. “I’m sure there will probably be a couple records you hear before the Super Bowl gets here.” READ FULL STORY »

Nov 29 2012 05:35 PM ET

Sia does 'Diamonds,' which she wrote for Rihanna: Watch the video here

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Rihanna is having a solid week, which means Sia Furler is too.

As you probably know, the Australian singer and songsmith actually wrote and produced Rihanna’s top Unapologetic single “Diamonds,” and now she’s actually singing the thing herself. She, along with Stargate, performed the No. 1 song at yesterday’s Norweigan-American Achievement Award ceremony in New York. (Stargate, it should be noted, was the night’s honoree.)

Sia, of course, has been on quite the streak lately, lending her talents to successful singles like Flo Rida’s “Whistle” and David Guetta’s “Titanium,” both of which also made the top ten of Billboard’s Hot 100.

Take a listen to Sia’s “Diamonds” rendition in the video below and let us know how you think it compares to Rihanna’s: READ FULL STORY »

Nov 28 2012 11:32 AM ET

Album sales: Rihanna wins her first No. 1 with 'Unapologetic,' Adele hits 10 million

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Image Credit: Simone Joyner/WireImage

Maybe all those topless tweets are working?

The first-week sales figures for Rihanna latest record are in, and the news is good: Billboard reports that Unapologetic has landed at No. 1 this week, a career first. The album — her seventh in seven years — brought the singer her strongest sales week ever, with 238,000 copies sold.

This breaks Rihanna’s streak of having the most No. 1 hit songs without a No. 1 album. (Last week, her latest single “Diamonds” became her 12th to top the Hot 100, passing Whitney Houston to become the artist with the fourth-most top singles.)

“We are so proud and happy to deliver Rihanna her first #1 album in the U.S.,” Island Def Jam president Steve Bartels said in a statement. “Taking an unusually short runway and turning it to an advantage — like the unprecedented 777 Tour — is a testament to the teamwork, ingenuity, ethic, and belief in the legacy of this artist that showed in every single hand that touched this project.”

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Nov 26 2012 02:17 PM ET

HBO gives 'intimate' Beyonce documentary a 2013 air date

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Game of Thrones, meet Throne of Bey.

News broke today that Beyoncé’s self-directed documentary about her own life and times has found a home on HBO. The “intimate feature-length” movie, which first came to light over a year ago, is set to air on Feb. 13, 2013. That puts it just ahead of Valentine’s Day and, probably not coincidentally, a mere ten days after her slated Super Bowl performance.

“HBO has a history of pushing every boundary with class and authenticity,” Beyonce said in a press release from HBO. “Some of my favorite shows are on HBO, so I am excited that my film will be part of its bold programming. This film was so personal to me, it had to have the right home.”

Nov 26 2012 01:23 PM ET

Cee Lo Green and the Muppets party with Santa in 'All I Need Is Love' video: Watch it here

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As we noted in our Christmas in October roundup, the Muppets helped Cee Lo Green’s intergalactically groovy Magic Moment album earn an impressive rating of 3 1/2 trees. Now their collaboration, titled “All I Need Is Love,” has a fancy music video with fun guests of its own.

In the festive new clip, Cee Lo rings his ol’ play’s Kermit’s doorbell after his Rolls Royce convertible breaks down during his drive to Hotlanta. (Bear with us.) Kerm invites him in, where they and the rest of the gang enjoy an evening full singing, mistletoe kissing, and gift opening. And lo, who should show up but Santa himself, played here by The Office‘s Craig Robinson. This leads Walter, the new Muppet from the movie, to say, “So Santa’s my homie!”

Watch the action yourself in the video below, and be sure to stick around to the end for one of Statler and Waldorf’s classic quips:

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