Earth, Wind and Fire pushes back 'Illumination'
One of the best R&B groups ever in my opinion is Earth, Wind & Fire and the band that has been giving us materpiece music for the last 4 decades has a new CD called 'Illumination' that was scheduled to be in shops this week but has decided to hold off the release of the new album.
The set (which was supposed to drop last year) was scheduled for release tomorrow (February 22nd), but now it will be released on April 5th according to their record label Sanctuary Urban Records Group (SURG). The project has just been completed and includes guest appearances by Floetry, Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child, Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas, and Sleepy Brown. The set features multiple top name producers including Organized Noize, Raphael Saadiq, Brian McKnight, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and of course Maurice White, the groups leader and founder. Can't wait for this one so look out for it in April.
source: spotlightonR&B.com
__________________________________________________________________Singer Tyrone Davis is dead at the age of 66
He's probably best known for the classic track 'Turn Back The Hands Of Time' and my personal favourite 'In the Mood' but veteran R&B singer Tyrone Davis died February 9th, in Chicago .
The 66-year-old soul singer had been hospitalized since last September after suffering a stroke that had left him in a coma. Davis had begin undergoing rehabilitation at the time of his death.
Davis who was born in Greenville , Mississippi and raised in Saginaw,
Michigan began performing in Chicago clubs in the early 60s and made his first recording in 1965 as 'Tyrone The Wonder Boy'. He charted R&B Number One with 1968's 'Can I Change My Mind' and 1970's 'Turn Back The Hands Of Time' for the Dakar label.
He continued to record for the label through the '70s and scored another R&B Number One in 1975 with 'Turning Point' and followed that with the Number Two hit 'Give It Up (Turn It Loose)' in 1976. Davis switched to the Columbia label in the late '70s and released several more albums and singles, including the now popular rare groove soul ballad 'In the Mood'.
He last charted a top-five single in 1982 with 'Are You Serious' on the Highrise Record label. Davis then record for Ichiban Records and later the soul blues label Malaco Records through the '90s which saw him tour regularly. Davis is survived by his wife, Ann, and several children and grandchildren
- Source: billboard.com
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Singer Brian McKnight a Late Night Talk show host?
Singer Brian McKnight has been himself very keeping busy since releasing his new album Gemini. He's been working as a correspondent for the entertainment news show Extra and now the singer is looking to developing his own late-night talk show.
"In the last seven or eight years since Arsenio has been
off the air, there's been a real void. I know they tried the Vibe thing.
They tried the Keenan thing. They tried some other things but for us
there's really not a late night talk venue or avenue for different types of music."
The singer added: "You can't get on Dave (The Late Show With David Letterman), can't get on Jay (The Tonight Show With Jay Leno), can't get on Conan (Late Night With Conan O'Brien), or can't get on Jimmy Kimmel (Live), you know, night time is done for you. Very few of us get to do that, and to come up with a show that would make sense to have sort of the Brian McKnight Show late night is what we're shooting for." McKnight says. More to ccome I'm sure so keep an ear open to the musicscene
- Source: spotlightonR&B.com
Sophomore set already on the cards for John Legend__________________________________________________________________
He's blowing up big at the moment and R&B singer John Legend is wasting no time in getting material together for his sophomore set.
The singer just released his debut album, Get Lifted, a few months back in December but he's already begun working on a new album. The singer told MTV.com, "I've started writing for the new album. I don't really plan my albums out in advance. I just kind of keep writing until everything comes together. And I wrote one of my best songs ever. It's a song called 'Again.' I love it so much I might even call the album Again, as it's my second album. I'm speaking way into the future now, (but) I really love this song, and I think I'm really growing as a lyricist and as a writer. It's becoming a little more complex and interesting."
The acoustic singer performed with Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards last week and was off the hook. The singer has also been tapped to open for Alicia Keys on her upcoming tour. The tour kicks off in Miami on February 25th and ends in New Jersey on April 23rd.
- Source: mtv.com