Third album is tentitive for Ruben Studdard
Larger than life singer Ruben Studdard has set a tentative fall release for his third album, which he's calling The Return Of The Velvet Teddy Bear. According to music magazine Billboard.com, the former American Idol winner is currently in an Atlanta studio working on as many as 20 songs with several different producers, including Mario 'Yellowhead' Winans.
Studdard is looking forward to releasing the new CD, explaining, "It's coming along really, really well and it's turning out like I wanted it to, so I'm excited."
The 26-year-old singer has a few dates lined up this summer and is expected to announce a full-length tour for the fall to coincide with the release of the album, saying "I like to work and I just try to keep it moving." Studdard's last album, I Need An Angel, was released late last year and despite its inspirational spin, Studdard denies that it was a gospel album: "It's R&B. I never went gospel. That was just a holiday release. I never made an announcement that I was becoming a Christian artist."
source: spotlightonR&B__________________________________________________________________
Whitney Houston is released from rehab centre
R&B Diva and songstress Whitney Houston is reported to have left rehab for the second time. The singer was taken to Eric Clapton's Crossroads Clinic in Willoughby Bay, Antigua by court order on March 23.
The former head of Whitney's Arista Records, Clive Davis, who first discovered Houston in the mid 80s, told the US TV show 'Access Hollywood': "Whitney is out of rehab, and we are meeting in about 10 days. There is no-one like Whitney. If you go to the writers, the producers, the arrangers, they can't wait for her to come back."
The BMG boss added: "She has been through a battle, but she is the best singer, so I cannot wait to be in the studio with her." Lil' John is one of the artists reported to be working on new material for Houston. Her last studio album was 1998's "My Love is Your Love".
- Source: divaplanet.de
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It's been reported that actress turned singer Kylie Minogue has been struck with cancer. The 36-year-old Australian songbird was diagnosed with breast cancer while visiting her family at home in Melbourne, her management confirmed.
The Australian leg of Minogue's Showgirl tour, scheduled to kick off Thursday in Sydney, was postponed indefinitely upon the diagnosis to allow her to begin treatment immediately.
"Whilst at home in Melbourne with her family this week prior to her Australian Showgirl Tour, Kylie was diagnosed with early breast cancer," Minogue's tour company, Frontier Touring, stated. "She will undergo immediate treatment and consequently her Showgirl tour will not be able to proceed as planned."
The 'Love at First Sight' singer expressed disappointment about canceling the tour but remained hopeful about her prognosis.
"I was so looking forward to bringing the Showgirl tour to Australian audiences, and am sorry to have to disappoint my fans," Minogue said in a statement on kylie.com. "Nevertheless, hopefully all will work out fine and I'll be back with you all again soon."
Frontier Touring head Michael Gudinski told an Australian television station that he was "hoping and praying" for Minogue's recovery. "She is a pretty fit, strong girl. I'm hoping and praying because the doctor found it so early that everything will be okay, our thoughts, and I'm sure all the legions of Kylie's fans, will be with her all the way."
Minogue was also scheduled to headline England's Glastonbury Festival on June 26 but was forced to cancel the appearance."It's really sad news for Kylie. Our thoughts are with her and her family at this very difficult time," festival co-organizer Emily Eavis told the BBC. "It's much too early to speculate who may replace Kylie in the program."
Minogue rose to fame in the 1980s as a star on the hit Australian soap opera Neighbours and later launched her pop career with bubblegum hits such as 'I Should Be So Lucky' and her remake of the 60s classic 'The Loco-Motion'.
Minogue has raised money in support of breast cancer research in recent years and worked to raise awareness of prostate cancer after her father was diagnosed with the disease.
- Source: divaplanet.de
Marcus Miller includes Luther tribute on latest project__________________________________________________________________
Bassist, composer, and producer Marcus Miller's latest project, Silver Rain, is an array of covers from several pop and R&B tunes.
Among them is a version of 'If Only For One Night', a tune made popular by long time friend and collaborator - vocalist Luther Vandross, who continues to undergo rehabilitation therapy after his April 2003 stroke.
Miller produced several of Vandross' best-known albums of the '80s and '90s, and says that he wanted to include a tune to pay tribute to his friend despite the fact that the tune he picked wasn't written by Vandross. In fact, 'If Only For One Night' was a song both Miller and Vandross heard when the two were part of the backing band for singer Roberta Flack. Miller told LAUNCH: "I do a Luther song on the Silver Rain album but I did 'If Only For One Night' which is a Brenda Russell tune, who's an amazing songwriter herself. But you know I was just looking for a song that you know instantly when you play the first five notes -- there's that Luther song. And it's funny with Luther because he wasn't the first to record that song. Brenda Russell had done it on her own, and then Roberta Flack did it. Luther and I were actually in Roberta's band back in the early '80s when Roberta was singing that song."
Miller adds that he had mixed feelings at first about last year's smash Forever, For Always, For Luther album simply because he was involved in so many of Luther's original recordings. He adds that he's happy longtime friend and frequent tour guest Lalah Hathaway has had a chart hit with the title 'Forever, For Always, For Love'. He said: "The Luther album, you know the tribute album that they did? It's a trip for me to listen to it because I remember when we recorded those things. It didn't seem that long ago and now people are doing like tributes, it's freaky. I'm praying for Luther, I know everybody's praying for Luther so he can come back and sing his own songs. But I'm really happy for Lalah and pulling for Luther."
- Source: VH1.com