The Roots show a different side with 'The Seed'

 

What I've always liked about The Roots is their diversity and truth towards music. They take an approach to the medium that's very honest and refreshing which is what sets them miles apart from other rap acts out there now. Case and point is the follow up to their smash hit 'Break you off' and current single 'The Seed (Pt. 2) featuring Cody ChestnuTT'.

The song was originally performed by Cody and what other rap act you know of could pull off such a track but The Roots. To be frank, it's a rock/alternative song performed very well (I might add) by a rap band. Instrumentation and production is precise and Cody's deep baritone is reminisce of Lenny Kravitz (one might consider them brothers at first listen).

I'm sure that they won't get as much love from Urban radio stations on this one but alternative radio and colledge stations across the country should give this one a permanant slot in their rotation. A bit different but isn't that what music is all about - being different?

 

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James Brown donates concert tickets to military

The Godfather of Soul, the hardest working man in the music industry can only attain to one man and that's superstar James Brown Mr Brown donated 400 tickets to military personnel for his concert last Saturday night (March 29) in Houston. Brown said the free tickets for the show were intended to give a boost to military workers as the U.S.-led war with Iraq continues into it's 2nd week.

"I grew up as a poor boy and was able to rise up and be an entertainer and help others," Brown said through a spokesperson. "I wanted to do what I could do to help our nation in this time of need."

Backed by the Soul Generals, Brown performed his signature songs, including "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine)," and "Make it Funky."

Source: ap.com.

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Mariah Carey's 2nd calling could beckon again

Everyone deserves a second chance and pop diva Mariah Carey is no exception. With the success of the movie version of the broadway play 'Chicago' which won 6 Oscars last week including the Oscar for best picture, it seems that musicals are in right now and it looks like producers are hunting for real-life singers to cast on the big screen.

 

Mariah is now being considered for the big screen again regardless of her track record. Her first outing 2001's 'Glitter' (which she starred in) bombed at the box office with the soundtrack following suit. It led to her demise with former label Virgin which brought out the remainder of her contract due to poor record sales.

According to the New York Post, Mariahmight get a chance to redeem herself for Glitter. Says Carey's publicist, "Producers are calling Mariah now because they all want to do musicals. They figure they can help her with the acting if she sings the songs right."

Source: Launch.com

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LSG returns after 6 year hiatus

Gerald Levert. Keith Sweat. Johnny Gill. Each is a superstar in their own right, who has sold millions of records and has dozens chart-topping hits between them. In 1997, these three stars got together to form LSG (Levert Sweat Gill) with an album of the same name. It sold more than two million copies on the strength of the platinum-plus #1 smash hit 'My Body'. Now these three stars are rejoining forces for what promises to be one of the music world's best sets this year, the new album called LSG-2.

 

As you would expect from these three artists, the album is a modern masterpiece -- virtually every track is a potential hit single, with Gerald, Keith and Johnny trading soaring leads and coming together in honey-smooth harmonies. The album features the production talents of Mike City (Carl Thomas, Brandy), Stephen Russell, Darrell 'Delite' Allamby (producer of 'My Body'), and, of course, the members of LSG themselves. The first single is 'Just Friends," featuring Bad Boy rapper Loon, produced by Delite. LSG-2 will be in stores June 24. In related news, Gill has also recorded new material with New Edition. The group is now signed to Sean "P. Diddy" Combs's Bad Boy Entertainment and is slated to release a new album this year in conjunction with its 20th anniversary.

 

Source:spotlightonR&B.com