Thursday, March 29, 2012
Florence + The Machine get "Unplugged" for MTV
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Florence + the Machine kick off MTV's new season of "Unplugged" on April 9 with a show that singer Florence Welch called "amazing" as her powerful voice belted out hit songs like "Dog Days Are Over" in a candlelit room.
The soulful British singer and her backing band taped their "Unplugged" concert in New York's oldest synagogue building back in December to become the first of eight episodes airing across MTV and sister networks Vh1 and CMTe clubs and more recently we'v. The Civil Wars and Dierks Bentley also are slated to perform during the new season.
MTV debuted its Emmy-winning "Unplugged" series in 1989, and it became an instant hit by taking singers and bands typically associated with big sounding pop music and stripping them down to basic, acoustic instruments and vocalstadiums in the world with the kind of show that n. Over the years, the show has featured performances from popular artists including Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Jay-Z on intimate, often unconventional stages.
Backed by a 10-person choir, The Voices of Rivers, Welch performed fan favorites such as "Drumming Song" from her group's 2009 debut "Lungs," as well as the single "Never Let Me Go" from her most recent record, "Ceremonials."
Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme joined Welch for a cover of "Jackson," most famously sung by Johnny Cash and June Carterry of 50 fantastic years,' Jagger, Richar. Welch also covered "Try A Little Tenderness." Kanye West, who attended the taping with fellow rapper Q-Tip, sampled Otis Redding's version of the song on "Watch the Throne," his 2011 album with Jay-Z.
Welch said she was in awe of the former synagogue in which she and the Machine played and where the stage was decorated with dozens of candles.
"I had to stop myself after every song," Welch told Reuters0th anniversary celebrations for one of rock and . "I would be like, 'Wow.'
"It was so amazing performing the songs stripped back and just really being able to concentrate on the songs and the emotions," said Welch.
During the show, the soft-spoken singer told the live audience: "This is a real moment for me and to be doing an 'Unplugged' session is amazing."
NOT EASY BEING UNPLUGGED
Van Toffler, president of Viacom's Music and Logo Group, said MTV and its networks carefully select the artists they invite to perform, and self-promotion, even by big-name acts, is no guarantee of a spot on the show.
"We get lobbied by a bunch of artists," said Tofflere relationship between lead singer span cl. "We're quite selective about who ultimately gets to do an 'Unplugged.'"
"Unplugged's" striped-down approach suits the hard-to-classify, Grammy-winning folk duo The Civil Wars, who will appear on Vh1's "Unplugged" in May.
"We're kind of tailor-made for that," said the duo's John Paul White.
"We're already unplugged!" laughed his partner Joy Williams, who will be seven months pregnant when she tapes their episode of "Unplugged" slated for May.
"Growing up with the show, it's a strange full circle thing," said White 'This is our story of 50 fantasti. "We were talking about how big those 'Unplugged' shows were for us, to see our favorite artists in a different, more humanizing light."
Last year "Unplugged" expanded to include CMT, opening the series to country artistsasting success, 'span. Dierks Bentley, whose single "Home" is nominated for Song of the Year at Sunday's Academy of Country Music Awards, will follow The Civil Wars, with an episode of "CMT Unplugged" to air this spring.
"I love breaking my songs back down to their original acoustic foundation," said Bentley and lasting success, . "When I write these songs by myself or with friends, we just use acoustic guitars ..d in a joint statement, . so, it's fun to sometimes go back to just the simple groove and idea you had to begin with."
Toffler believes simplicity and rawness are the keys to "Unplugged's" lasting appeal out as a blues band pla. "Either you've got the chops in talent or you don't, and 'Unplugged' is not going to hide any blemishes in your capabilities," said Toffler.
(Reporting by Sabrina Ford; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
This article is brought to you by DATING.
The soulful British singer and her backing band taped their "Unplugged" concert in New York's oldest synagogue building back in December to become the first of eight episodes airing across MTV and sister networks Vh1 and CMTe clubs and more recently we'v. The Civil Wars and Dierks Bentley also are slated to perform during the new season.
MTV debuted its Emmy-winning "Unplugged" series in 1989, and it became an instant hit by taking singers and bands typically associated with big sounding pop music and stripping them down to basic, acoustic instruments and vocalstadiums in the world with the kind of show that n. Over the years, the show has featured performances from popular artists including Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Jay-Z on intimate, often unconventional stages.
Backed by a 10-person choir, The Voices of Rivers, Welch performed fan favorites such as "Drumming Song" from her group's 2009 debut "Lungs," as well as the single "Never Let Me Go" from her most recent record, "Ceremonials."
Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme joined Welch for a cover of "Jackson," most famously sung by Johnny Cash and June Carterry of 50 fantastic years,' Jagger, Richar. Welch also covered "Try A Little Tenderness." Kanye West, who attended the taping with fellow rapper Q-Tip, sampled Otis Redding's version of the song on "Watch the Throne," his 2011 album with Jay-Z.
Welch said she was in awe of the former synagogue in which she and the Machine played and where the stage was decorated with dozens of candles.
"I had to stop myself after every song," Welch told Reuters0th anniversary celebrations for one of rock and . "I would be like, 'Wow.'
"It was so amazing performing the songs stripped back and just really being able to concentrate on the songs and the emotions," said Welch.
During the show, the soft-spoken singer told the live audience: "This is a real moment for me and to be doing an 'Unplugged' session is amazing."
NOT EASY BEING UNPLUGGED
Van Toffler, president of Viacom's Music and Logo Group, said MTV and its networks carefully select the artists they invite to perform, and self-promotion, even by big-name acts, is no guarantee of a spot on the show.
"We get lobbied by a bunch of artists," said Tofflere relationship between lead singer span cl. "We're quite selective about who ultimately gets to do an 'Unplugged.'"
"Unplugged's" striped-down approach suits the hard-to-classify, Grammy-winning folk duo The Civil Wars, who will appear on Vh1's "Unplugged" in May.
"We're kind of tailor-made for that," said the duo's John Paul White.
"We're already unplugged!" laughed his partner Joy Williams, who will be seven months pregnant when she tapes their episode of "Unplugged" slated for May.
"Growing up with the show, it's a strange full circle thing," said White 'This is our story of 50 fantasti. "We were talking about how big those 'Unplugged' shows were for us, to see our favorite artists in a different, more humanizing light."
Last year "Unplugged" expanded to include CMT, opening the series to country artistsasting success, 'span. Dierks Bentley, whose single "Home" is nominated for Song of the Year at Sunday's Academy of Country Music Awards, will follow The Civil Wars, with an episode of "CMT Unplugged" to air this spring.
"I love breaking my songs back down to their original acoustic foundation," said Bentley and lasting success, . "When I write these songs by myself or with friends, we just use acoustic guitars ..d in a joint statement, . so, it's fun to sometimes go back to just the simple groove and idea you had to begin with."
Toffler believes simplicity and rawness are the keys to "Unplugged's" lasting appeal out as a blues band pla. "Either you've got the chops in talent or you don't, and 'Unplugged' is not going to hide any blemishes in your capabilities," said Toffler.
(Reporting by Sabrina Ford; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
This article is brought to you by DATING.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Aerosmith says new album brings "a little of 1975 back"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran rock band Aerosmith said on Wednesday they were bringing "a little of 1975 back" on a long-delayed album of new material to be released this summer to coincide with a U.Slion PlayStation Network . tour.
The band said they were working on finishing up the album - the first of new material since 2001's "Just Push Play" - ahead of the tour, but kept the title under wraps.
"The camaraderie's there, there's some songs that are new rock, and old rock and middle-of-the-road rock, and blues, piano systems security when hackers accessed. Joe Perry singing a couple of songs, I'm playing the drums, Joey sings, just all kinds of stuff," frontman Steven Tyler told Reuters.
Aerosmith, whose previous attempts to make a new album were dogged by a litany of health problems and internal strife, said they had been working with their long-time producer Jack Douglas to bring "a little bit of 1975 back."
The band will kick off their North American "Global Warming Tour" on June 16 in Minneapolis, playing 18 cities from Toronto to Oakland, California and Atlanta, GeorgiaOrganized Crime Agency/span, they were remanded o. Tickets go on sale from Friday.
"You're going to get some new songs from the new album and some old songs from the old albums and you're going to get new us and old us, and we're just going to go out and rock your world," Tyler, 64, told Reuters.
The volatile singer and "American Idol" judge was greeted by dozens of fans as the band swept into a Los Angeles news conference in flamboyant fashion - Tyler on a motorbike, drummer Joey Kramer in a white Lamborghini, guitarist Joe Perry in a taxi and bassist Tom Hamilton in a rickshaw5'James McCormick/span denied . Guitarist Brad Whitford is currently on tour with another band.
"We've been known to set the world on fire with our type of music...so we decided to call this The Global Warming Tour," Tyler told journalists.
COMING BACK HOME
Formed in Boston in the 1970s, Aerosmith has sold over 150 million records worldwide and had hits like "Walk This Way" and "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing".
But they said playing at home was the biggest thrill.
"Coming back to American fans, that's my favorite part, because being on stage and getting the response that we're going to get hopefully from these new songs from American fans is something I really look forward to and something that has always held us together," said Kramer.
Aerosmith's last North American tour, in 2009, had to be scrapped midway through after Tyler, who had a history of drug addiction, fell off the stage and broke his shoulder, a unit of span class='yshortcuts' id='lw_133095. He later entered rehab for addiction to prescription painkillers.
Last year, he fell in the shower during Aerosmith's South American tour after passing out with stomach flu, but was back performing two days later.
"I'm going to be in a sling all night to hold me up!" Tyler joked on Wednesday of the upcoming gigs.
"It's all ludicrous, we've played...almost 5000 times nownline Entertainment PC games net. I've fallen of the stage four times, so it's alright, it gets a lot of press...I'm just an overactive kid that gets into a lot of troubleeath, to release 10 a. Let's wait to see what happens next," he said.
Tyler's decision in 2010 to join "American Idol" as a judge ruffled some feathers among his bandmatesvealed hackers had stolen. But Tyler said his role on the TV singing contest had brought Aerosmith a whole new audience.
"The music that we write, fortunately it's been seductive to all genres of peopleember, James Marks and span . There's going to be kids who are going to get introduced to Aerosmith all over again, and there's a bunch of new music that we're taking a risk and putting out of files, most of them . It's kind of futuristic rock, all the way across the board, we're just good for that," said the rocker.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Jill Serjeant)
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
The band said they were working on finishing up the album - the first of new material since 2001's "Just Push Play" - ahead of the tour, but kept the title under wraps.
"The camaraderie's there, there's some songs that are new rock, and old rock and middle-of-the-road rock, and blues, piano systems security when hackers accessed. Joe Perry singing a couple of songs, I'm playing the drums, Joey sings, just all kinds of stuff," frontman Steven Tyler told Reuters.
Aerosmith, whose previous attempts to make a new album were dogged by a litany of health problems and internal strife, said they had been working with their long-time producer Jack Douglas to bring "a little bit of 1975 back."
The band will kick off their North American "Global Warming Tour" on June 16 in Minneapolis, playing 18 cities from Toronto to Oakland, California and Atlanta, GeorgiaOrganized Crime Agency/span, they were remanded o. Tickets go on sale from Friday.
"You're going to get some new songs from the new album and some old songs from the old albums and you're going to get new us and old us, and we're just going to go out and rock your world," Tyler, 64, told Reuters.
The volatile singer and "American Idol" judge was greeted by dozens of fans as the band swept into a Los Angeles news conference in flamboyant fashion - Tyler on a motorbike, drummer Joey Kramer in a white Lamborghini, guitarist Joe Perry in a taxi and bassist Tom Hamilton in a rickshaw5'James McCormick/span denied . Guitarist Brad Whitford is currently on tour with another band.
"We've been known to set the world on fire with our type of music...so we decided to call this The Global Warming Tour," Tyler told journalists.
COMING BACK HOME
Formed in Boston in the 1970s, Aerosmith has sold over 150 million records worldwide and had hits like "Walk This Way" and "I Don't Want to Miss A Thing".
But they said playing at home was the biggest thrill.
"Coming back to American fans, that's my favorite part, because being on stage and getting the response that we're going to get hopefully from these new songs from American fans is something I really look forward to and something that has always held us together," said Kramer.
Aerosmith's last North American tour, in 2009, had to be scrapped midway through after Tyler, who had a history of drug addiction, fell off the stage and broke his shoulder, a unit of span class='yshortcuts' id='lw_133095. He later entered rehab for addiction to prescription painkillers.
Last year, he fell in the shower during Aerosmith's South American tour after passing out with stomach flu, but was back performing two days later.
"I'm going to be in a sling all night to hold me up!" Tyler joked on Wednesday of the upcoming gigs.
"It's all ludicrous, we've played...almost 5000 times nownline Entertainment PC games net. I've fallen of the stage four times, so it's alright, it gets a lot of press...I'm just an overactive kid that gets into a lot of troubleeath, to release 10 a. Let's wait to see what happens next," he said.
Tyler's decision in 2010 to join "American Idol" as a judge ruffled some feathers among his bandmatesvealed hackers had stolen. But Tyler said his role on the TV singing contest had brought Aerosmith a whole new audience.
"The music that we write, fortunately it's been seductive to all genres of peopleember, James Marks and span . There's going to be kids who are going to get introduced to Aerosmith all over again, and there's a bunch of new music that we're taking a risk and putting out of files, most of them . It's kind of futuristic rock, all the way across the board, we're just good for that," said the rocker.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Jill Serjeant)
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
"The Hunger Games" soundtrack tops Billboard chart
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Hunger Games" official soundtrack shot to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, following the film's record-setting opening weekend.
"The Hunger Games" soundtrack sold 175,000 copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan and is the first film soundtrack to debut at No- span class='yshortc. 1 since Michael Jackson's concert film "This Is It" topped the chart following his sudden death in 2009.
Produced by country musician T-Bone Burnett, "The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond" album features songs by Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire, Miranda Lambert, Maroon 5 and The Civil Wars.
The soundtrack's lead single "Safe and Sound," by Swift and The Civil Wars, was released in December as the film started gaining buzz, and clocked in at Noal from the local span cl. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Swift's second single from the soundtrack, "Eyes Open," notched the Nolowed to play their own instrumen. 4 position on the Digital Songs chart this week, selling 176,000 copies.
The post-apocalyptic action film "The Hunger Games," based on the first of a best-selling series of young adult novels by author Suzanne Collins, was released on March 23 and scored the third-highest domestic film opening in history with $155 million at U.Shortcuts' id='lw_133. and Canadian box offices.
Elsewhere British singer Adele held onto the Nois three cohorts - span class='yshortcuts'. 2 spot with her Grammy-winning album "21," followed by indie rock band The Shins, who debuted their fourth studio album, "Port of Morrow," at Nortcuts' id='lw_1330540219. 3.
Last week's record-breaking chart-toppers, British boy band One Direction, slipped to Noo Clarksville' and 'I. 4 with their debut album "Up All Night," while alternative hip hop group Odd Future debuted at NoJones/span, former lead singer of the 1960s made-f. 5 with their collaborative set, "The Odd Future Tape Volw_1330540219_6'Christine Kearney/span; Wr. 2."
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Jill Serjeant)
"The Hunger Games" soundtrack sold 175,000 copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan and is the first film soundtrack to debut at No- span class='yshortc. 1 since Michael Jackson's concert film "This Is It" topped the chart following his sudden death in 2009.
Produced by country musician T-Bone Burnett, "The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond" album features songs by Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire, Miranda Lambert, Maroon 5 and The Civil Wars.
The soundtrack's lead single "Safe and Sound," by Swift and The Civil Wars, was released in December as the film started gaining buzz, and clocked in at Noal from the local span cl. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Swift's second single from the soundtrack, "Eyes Open," notched the Nolowed to play their own instrumen. 4 position on the Digital Songs chart this week, selling 176,000 copies.
The post-apocalyptic action film "The Hunger Games," based on the first of a best-selling series of young adult novels by author Suzanne Collins, was released on March 23 and scored the third-highest domestic film opening in history with $155 million at U.Shortcuts' id='lw_133. and Canadian box offices.
Elsewhere British singer Adele held onto the Nois three cohorts - span class='yshortcuts'. 2 spot with her Grammy-winning album "21," followed by indie rock band The Shins, who debuted their fourth studio album, "Port of Morrow," at Nortcuts' id='lw_1330540219. 3.
Last week's record-breaking chart-toppers, British boy band One Direction, slipped to Noo Clarksville' and 'I. 4 with their debut album "Up All Night," while alternative hip hop group Odd Future debuted at NoJones/span, former lead singer of the 1960s made-f. 5 with their collaborative set, "The Odd Future Tape Volw_1330540219_6'Christine Kearney/span; Wr. 2."
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, Editing by Jill Serjeant)
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Lionel Richie goes country on new album 'Tuskegee'
NASHVILLE, Tenn (Reuters) - If he hadn't known better, Lionel Richie jokes that he might have felt insulted when initially sitting down with some of today's top country stars to record his new album of duets, "Tuskegee."
"I pulled out the lyrics to the songs, and they were like, 'what's that?'
"I said, 'here are the lyrics.'" Richie says with a mock look of astonishment, then smilespan class='yshortcuts'. "They said, 'Oh no, man contestant will be rural folk group span class='y. I know thisDima Bilan/span and span class='y. I've been singing it since 1983 or 1987,'- This year's span class='yshortcuts' id='. Someone even said, 'I've been singing these songs since I was in elementary school.'
"I was like, 'Thank you very much, I didn't need to hear that,'" the 62-year-old told Reuters about re-recording some of his memorable songs with the likes of Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Willie Nelson and Little Big Town.
"Tuskegee," which hit record stores on Monday, features Richie and 13 country stars singing some top hits of his heyday in the 1980s, including "Hello," "Stuck On You" and "All Night Long."
Going country may seem out of place for the pop and R&B singer who gained stardom in the 1970s with the funk and soul group The Commodores, perfecting his brand of romantic ballads then embarking on a major solo career.
But the Alabama native is no stranger to country music, and several of his mega hits have been covered with a twangld Reuters that the granni. The late Conway Twitty recorded Richie's "Three Times a Lady" and Kenny Rogers scored a hit with the Richie-penned "Lady."
"I've always felt right at home in country because I was raised just down the road from Nashville in Tuskegee, Alabama, where I was immersed in country, R&B, gospel and classical music," Richie said.
He said recording his old favorites with country stars proved to be a surreal experience as he came to realize how many artists knew, and liked, his musico village,' she said, 'We are. Some of those singers offered reinterpretations of his songs and many pushed him hard to perform at his peak level in the studio, Richie said.
"Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland) came in and it took me a minute to wrap my head around what she wanted to do with 'Hello.' I was like, 'Oh, I hold that note that long?' And Billy Currington can go high with his voice, and you'd never know thate is a very serious contender, well-known both in . He did 'Just for You' and he just nailed it."
Richie also chuckled at the memory of Darius Rucker announcing in the studio that he would sing Richie's part on "Stuck on You."
"He told me, 'I'm doing your part and anything that goes up high you have it.'" Richie saidthe funds for building a church in their Bu. "Those were my orders."
SURPRISES AND CHALLENGES
A few people surprised him with their song choices_6'Dima Bilan/span and spa. Instead of choosing "All Night Long," as Richie anticipated, Kenny Chesney picked "My Love" which he said was his favorite.
Tim McGraw wanted to perform "Sail On," another choice that surprised Richie, though not after he sang itriatrics with the announce. "That caught me off guard," Richie saidnck, who is best known for 196. "But he was dead on the money with it."
Perhaps his biggest challenge was a duet with Shania Twain on "Endless Love." It was the first time Twain had been in the recording studio since her long hiatus to deal with a crumbling marriage and voice conditionengthen Russia's quest for. Richie became aware that she had lost her confidence as well.
Twain did not want to record in Nashville and rejected several locations Richie suggestedsova said, adding tha. They finally settled on the studio at his beach house in the Bahamastheir wages to raise the funds for building a c. He was surprised to learn that a television crew from Oprah Winfrey's cable channel, OWN, would film the session for a reality TV series, "Why Not?"
When Twain arrived, Richie asked her out of sight of the cameras when was the last time she had been on stagepan class='yshortcuts' id='lw_1331228163_6'D. She told him it had been seven years.
"I told her we both had something in common: We were both scared," Richie recalled class='yshortcuts' id='lw_133. "I told her we're artists and all artists are egotistical maniacs with an inferiority complexels of Britain's decision to ch. When we walk off stage, we're always in doubt if we can walk back in front of a mic and sing again.
"Then I told her, 'When you walk back in front of that microphone, you'll turn back into Shania Twain.'
Along with the album's release, Richie will appear on the April 1 Academy of Country Music Awards TV show, and he further explores his country side in a CBS special, "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert," set to air on April 13.
The special, which was pre-taped, features appearances by Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum and othersldest one of which is 76 years old, are pinni. Richie called it "a night that I will remember for the rest of my life."
"The ultimate compliment here is that you have these people telling you that something you wrote is their favorite song adding that the group members, the el. And then they want to sing it with me? Come on, I mean, at a certain point you have to stop and realize your blessings," he said.
(Reporting by Vernell Hackett; Editing By Andrew Stern and Bob Tourtellotte)
This article is brought to you by FREE PERSONALS.
"I pulled out the lyrics to the songs, and they were like, 'what's that?'
"I said, 'here are the lyrics.'" Richie says with a mock look of astonishment, then smilespan class='yshortcuts'. "They said, 'Oh no, man contestant will be rural folk group span class='y. I know thisDima Bilan/span and span class='y. I've been singing it since 1983 or 1987,'- This year's span class='yshortcuts' id='. Someone even said, 'I've been singing these songs since I was in elementary school.'
"I was like, 'Thank you very much, I didn't need to hear that,'" the 62-year-old told Reuters about re-recording some of his memorable songs with the likes of Kenny Chesney, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Willie Nelson and Little Big Town.
"Tuskegee," which hit record stores on Monday, features Richie and 13 country stars singing some top hits of his heyday in the 1980s, including "Hello," "Stuck On You" and "All Night Long."
Going country may seem out of place for the pop and R&B singer who gained stardom in the 1970s with the funk and soul group The Commodores, perfecting his brand of romantic ballads then embarking on a major solo career.
But the Alabama native is no stranger to country music, and several of his mega hits have been covered with a twangld Reuters that the granni. The late Conway Twitty recorded Richie's "Three Times a Lady" and Kenny Rogers scored a hit with the Richie-penned "Lady."
"I've always felt right at home in country because I was raised just down the road from Nashville in Tuskegee, Alabama, where I was immersed in country, R&B, gospel and classical music," Richie said.
He said recording his old favorites with country stars proved to be a surreal experience as he came to realize how many artists knew, and liked, his musico village,' she said, 'We are. Some of those singers offered reinterpretations of his songs and many pushed him hard to perform at his peak level in the studio, Richie said.
"Jennifer Nettles (of Sugarland) came in and it took me a minute to wrap my head around what she wanted to do with 'Hello.' I was like, 'Oh, I hold that note that long?' And Billy Currington can go high with his voice, and you'd never know thate is a very serious contender, well-known both in . He did 'Just for You' and he just nailed it."
Richie also chuckled at the memory of Darius Rucker announcing in the studio that he would sing Richie's part on "Stuck on You."
"He told me, 'I'm doing your part and anything that goes up high you have it.'" Richie saidthe funds for building a church in their Bu. "Those were my orders."
SURPRISES AND CHALLENGES
A few people surprised him with their song choices_6'Dima Bilan/span and spa. Instead of choosing "All Night Long," as Richie anticipated, Kenny Chesney picked "My Love" which he said was his favorite.
Tim McGraw wanted to perform "Sail On," another choice that surprised Richie, though not after he sang itriatrics with the announce. "That caught me off guard," Richie saidnck, who is best known for 196. "But he was dead on the money with it."
Perhaps his biggest challenge was a duet with Shania Twain on "Endless Love." It was the first time Twain had been in the recording studio since her long hiatus to deal with a crumbling marriage and voice conditionengthen Russia's quest for. Richie became aware that she had lost her confidence as well.
Twain did not want to record in Nashville and rejected several locations Richie suggestedsova said, adding tha. They finally settled on the studio at his beach house in the Bahamastheir wages to raise the funds for building a c. He was surprised to learn that a television crew from Oprah Winfrey's cable channel, OWN, would film the session for a reality TV series, "Why Not?"
When Twain arrived, Richie asked her out of sight of the cameras when was the last time she had been on stagepan class='yshortcuts' id='lw_1331228163_6'D. She told him it had been seven years.
"I told her we both had something in common: We were both scared," Richie recalled class='yshortcuts' id='lw_133. "I told her we're artists and all artists are egotistical maniacs with an inferiority complexels of Britain's decision to ch. When we walk off stage, we're always in doubt if we can walk back in front of a mic and sing again.
"Then I told her, 'When you walk back in front of that microphone, you'll turn back into Shania Twain.'
Along with the album's release, Richie will appear on the April 1 Academy of Country Music Awards TV show, and he further explores his country side in a CBS special, "ACM Presents: Lionel Richie and Friends In Concert," set to air on April 13.
The special, which was pre-taped, features appearances by Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, Sara Evans, Lady Antebellum and othersldest one of which is 76 years old, are pinni. Richie called it "a night that I will remember for the rest of my life."
"The ultimate compliment here is that you have these people telling you that something you wrote is their favorite song adding that the group members, the el. And then they want to sing it with me? Come on, I mean, at a certain point you have to stop and realize your blessings," he said.
(Reporting by Vernell Hackett; Editing By Andrew Stern and Bob Tourtellotte)
This article is brought to you by FREE PERSONALS.
Madonna's "MDNA" receives lukewarm welcome from critics
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The music doesn't stop for pop icon Madonna, and neither does the controversy, as the 53-year-old 'Queen of Pop' returns to the spotlight with her latest album "MDNA".
The uptempo record "MDNA" sees Madonna continue her love affair with dance music in an album dedicated to club-friendly tracks.
And Madonna has lost none of her ability to push boundaries, just as she did 25 years ago with themes of sexuality and youth rebellion.
The title, "MDNA" -- an allusion to the drug MDMA or ecstasy -- has caused a stir, while the music video for the second single, "Girl Gone Wild", has been slapped with an age restriction after YouTube deemed it too raunchy for under 18 year-olds.
The video, shot in black and white, sees the singer writhing and grinding with scantily dressed men, in a style similar to her "Erotica" days, when the video for her song "Justify My Love," was banned by MTV in 1990.
Madonna has said that the title meaning of her 12th studio album is threefold -- a reduction of her name, an abbreviation for "Madonna DNA," and a reference to ecstasy and the euphoria often experienced by its users.
But some music critics haven't exactly been blown away despite Madonna recruiting a bevy of top dance music producers, including house music DJ Benny Benassi, electro-pop duo LMFAO and her Grammy-winning "Ray of Light" album producer William Orbit.
Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times gave the album two out of four stars, saying it doesn't "offer much in the way of innovation," and that the iconic singer had "fallen behind...she is no longer setting the conversation in a genre she essentially invented."
The songs are tied together with hard bass beats and electro-synth tunes in uptempo dance songs like "Gang Bang" and "Girl Gone Wild," where the matriarch of modern pop music sings lyrics like "I know good girls don't misbehave, misbehave, but I'm a bad girl anyway."
"Falling Free" is one of the few tracks that change pace from the album's dance-core theme, described by Billboard's Keith Caulfield as a "gorgeous ballad." The Golden Globe-winning song "Masterpiece," from the soundtrack of Madonna's film "W.E." also stood out with its delicate acoustic guitar melody.
The singer doesn't shy away from her personal life, with lyrics such as "I tried to be your wife, diminish myself, and swallowed my life," in "I Don't Give A," featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, seen as an allusion to her former marriage with British director Guy Ritchie.
Billboard's Keith Caulfield called the album "a collection of thoroughly pumping pop tunes, some of which are slices of sheer brilliance," praising tracks such as "Gang Bang."
Alexis Petridis of British newspaper The Guardian, gave the album three out of five stars, calling it "business as usual" for the pop star.
Petridis added; "What's striking isn't that Madonna is still with us...so much as where she still is: a commanding presence at the absolute center of pop, as capricious and changeable a genre as music has to offer."
But Nitsuh Abebe of New York Magazine said "a lot of the music here feels hollow and strained...There is much expensive workmanship and machine-tooling around here, but not much...Madonna."
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant)
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
The uptempo record "MDNA" sees Madonna continue her love affair with dance music in an album dedicated to club-friendly tracks.
And Madonna has lost none of her ability to push boundaries, just as she did 25 years ago with themes of sexuality and youth rebellion.
The title, "MDNA" -- an allusion to the drug MDMA or ecstasy -- has caused a stir, while the music video for the second single, "Girl Gone Wild", has been slapped with an age restriction after YouTube deemed it too raunchy for under 18 year-olds.
The video, shot in black and white, sees the singer writhing and grinding with scantily dressed men, in a style similar to her "Erotica" days, when the video for her song "Justify My Love," was banned by MTV in 1990.
Madonna has said that the title meaning of her 12th studio album is threefold -- a reduction of her name, an abbreviation for "Madonna DNA," and a reference to ecstasy and the euphoria often experienced by its users.
But some music critics haven't exactly been blown away despite Madonna recruiting a bevy of top dance music producers, including house music DJ Benny Benassi, electro-pop duo LMFAO and her Grammy-winning "Ray of Light" album producer William Orbit.
Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times gave the album two out of four stars, saying it doesn't "offer much in the way of innovation," and that the iconic singer had "fallen behind...she is no longer setting the conversation in a genre she essentially invented."
The songs are tied together with hard bass beats and electro-synth tunes in uptempo dance songs like "Gang Bang" and "Girl Gone Wild," where the matriarch of modern pop music sings lyrics like "I know good girls don't misbehave, misbehave, but I'm a bad girl anyway."
"Falling Free" is one of the few tracks that change pace from the album's dance-core theme, described by Billboard's Keith Caulfield as a "gorgeous ballad." The Golden Globe-winning song "Masterpiece," from the soundtrack of Madonna's film "W.E." also stood out with its delicate acoustic guitar melody.
The singer doesn't shy away from her personal life, with lyrics such as "I tried to be your wife, diminish myself, and swallowed my life," in "I Don't Give A," featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, seen as an allusion to her former marriage with British director Guy Ritchie.
Billboard's Keith Caulfield called the album "a collection of thoroughly pumping pop tunes, some of which are slices of sheer brilliance," praising tracks such as "Gang Bang."
Alexis Petridis of British newspaper The Guardian, gave the album three out of five stars, calling it "business as usual" for the pop star.
Petridis added; "What's striking isn't that Madonna is still with us...so much as where she still is: a commanding presence at the absolute center of pop, as capricious and changeable a genre as music has to offer."
But Nitsuh Abebe of New York Magazine said "a lot of the music here feels hollow and strained...There is much expensive workmanship and machine-tooling around here, but not much...Madonna."
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant)
This article is brought to you by RELATIONSHIP ADVICE.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
UK boy band One Direction breaks Billboard record with debut album
LONDON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British boy band One Direction has become the first UK group to debut at Noy really offended Mick and I reg. 1 in the U.SKeith Richards/span has apologize. Billboard 200 album chart, adding another victory in their whirlwind success story.
The band sold more than 176,000 copies of their debut album "Up All Night", making chart history in the United States, with the record soaring straight to the top of the digital charts within minutes of its official release on March 13th, a statement from the band's label Syco said on Wednesday.
One Direction's debut album knocked last week's chart topper, Bruce Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball," from Noan class='yshortcuts' id='lw_1331900769_. 1 and came in ahead of Adele's Grammy-winning album "21," which remained at No,' An eagerly anticipated wor. 2 with 148,000 copies sold last week.
The boy band came together on Britain's "The X Factor" television talent contest after judge Simon Cowell suggested they sing together as a band rather than on their own.
Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, all aged between 18 and 21, joined forces and became hot competition during the 2010 edition of "The X Factor," finishing in third place.
"When we got put together as a group, we couldn't imagine ourselves coming to America, let alone releasing our album here, so for us to be sitting at the top of the U.S id='lw_1331900769_0'Keith Richards/span has apolo. album charts is unbelievable," Horan said in a statement.
Over 10,000 fans turned up for the band's first live TV performance on the NBC's Today Show in New York.
The band have also racked up more than 204 million views on video website YouTube, have 12 million followers on Twitter and 3.6 million fans on Facebook.
"I couldn't be happier for One Direction, it is an incredible achievement," Cowell said.
One Direction's debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" won a BRIT Award in February and sold more than 131,000 copies in its first weeking Stone magazine/span, the two rock'n'. Their entry at No happen until 2013 at the ea. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart also marked the highest singles debut from a British band since the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" in 1997.
"It's beyond a dream come true for us," fellow band member Styles said.
One Direction were signed to Cowell's Syco label in 2011 in partnership with Columbia Records in the United States.
Syco Entertainment is a music television, film and digital joint venture between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment whose assets include The X Factor and Got Talent, as well as artists such as Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Il Divo, Cher Lloyd, One Direction & Labrinth.
One Direction's 2013 UK/Ireland Arena Tour sold out immediately with more dates needing to be addedreleased in September, (. An estimated 300,000 tickets were sold in the first dayagger/span for derogatory comments . One Direction's tour of Australia & New Zealand sold out in just three minutes.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Paul Casciato)
The band sold more than 176,000 copies of their debut album "Up All Night", making chart history in the United States, with the record soaring straight to the top of the digital charts within minutes of its official release on March 13th, a statement from the band's label Syco said on Wednesday.
One Direction's debut album knocked last week's chart topper, Bruce Springsteen's "Wrecking Ball," from Noan class='yshortcuts' id='lw_1331900769_. 1 and came in ahead of Adele's Grammy-winning album "21," which remained at No,' An eagerly anticipated wor. 2 with 148,000 copies sold last week.
The boy band came together on Britain's "The X Factor" television talent contest after judge Simon Cowell suggested they sing together as a band rather than on their own.
Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, all aged between 18 and 21, joined forces and became hot competition during the 2010 edition of "The X Factor," finishing in third place.
"When we got put together as a group, we couldn't imagine ourselves coming to America, let alone releasing our album here, so for us to be sitting at the top of the U.S id='lw_1331900769_0'Keith Richards/span has apolo. album charts is unbelievable," Horan said in a statement.
Over 10,000 fans turned up for the band's first live TV performance on the NBC's Today Show in New York.
The band have also racked up more than 204 million views on video website YouTube, have 12 million followers on Twitter and 3.6 million fans on Facebook.
"I couldn't be happier for One Direction, it is an incredible achievement," Cowell said.
One Direction's debut single "What Makes You Beautiful" won a BRIT Award in February and sold more than 131,000 copies in its first weeking Stone magazine/span, the two rock'n'. Their entry at No happen until 2013 at the ea. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart also marked the highest singles debut from a British band since the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" in 1997.
"It's beyond a dream come true for us," fellow band member Styles said.
One Direction were signed to Cowell's Syco label in 2011 in partnership with Columbia Records in the United States.
Syco Entertainment is a music television, film and digital joint venture between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment whose assets include The X Factor and Got Talent, as well as artists such as Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Il Divo, Cher Lloyd, One Direction & Labrinth.
One Direction's 2013 UK/Ireland Arena Tour sold out immediately with more dates needing to be addedreleased in September, (. An estimated 300,000 tickets were sold in the first dayagger/span for derogatory comments . One Direction's tour of Australia & New Zealand sold out in just three minutes.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Paul Casciato)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)