Music news

NEW YORK - If you’re wondering what was going through Britney Spears’ head during her erratic era, you are not alone — so does she.

“I sit there and I look back and I’m like, ‘I’m a smart person. What the hell was I thinking?’” Spears said in an interview to air on MTV on Nov. 30, two days before the release of her new album. “I’ve been through a lot in the past two or three years, and there’s a lot that people don’t know.”
The 90-minute special, “Britney: For The Record,” was executive-produced by Spears’ manager Larry Rudolph. It features behind-the-scenes footage of the singer and her talking about her life over the past two years.
She’s got a lot to talk about: In that time span, she has gotten divorced, been through a custody battle, gone to rehab, had very public meltdowns and had one memorably bad performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Now on the comeback trail, Spears is releasing her sixth album, “Circus,” on Dec. 2, her 27th birthday.
Spears says she’s hoping this TV special will “set the record straight” about her life.
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On the Net:
Britney Spears: http://www.britneyspears.com
MTV: http://www.mtv.com
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Los Angeles (E! Online) -
Can you picture it: Ne-Yo jammin' onstage with Marilyn Manson?

Well, it just may become a reality. The R&B crooner says he and the wackadoo rock star are totally serious about collaborating.

"It's going to be interesting," Ne-Yo said the other night at the L.A. premiere of The Secret Life of Bees. "I have no idea what we're going to do, what it's going to sound like. Just Ne-Yo and Marilyn Manson in the same room—we're going to figure something out."
Ne-Yo said he was approached by Manson's people after he boasted in a media interview that he's so flexible, he could even write a song for the rocker.

Meanwhile, Bees star Dakota Fanning said she's looking forward to Candace Bushnell's upcoming young-adult book series chronicling Carrie Bradshaw's high school years.

"Sex and the City is more for older women, but they're so much fun," says 14-year-old Fanning. "I'm sure they'll be great books."

Fanning would even welcome the idea of appearing in a likely movie adaptation. "That would probably be up to them," she says. "They'd have to choose who I'm most like."

She's certainly getting some on-the-job training. Fanning said she goes to school just like any other teen. She beamed, "I'm a cheerleader."

Also at the premiere were Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Sanaa Latham, Nate Parker, Tristan Wilds and Eva Pigford.

—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira

··· Watercooler 101: Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com
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NEW YORK - When it comes to members of the Beatles, even doodles are a treasure.

John Lennon’s doodles and drawings — some erotic — will be on display at a downtown Manhattan gallery starting Thursday evening, on what would have been Lennon’s 68th birthday.
More than 100 Lennon works at the Openhouse Gallery in SoHo form a show called “Imagine Peace.”
A controversial series of lithographs called “Bag One” — depicting scenes from Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s honeymoon — was once seized by Britain’s Scotland Yard while in another exhibit.
The SoHo show runs through Sunday.
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NEW YORK - A Finnish soprano returning to the scene of her greatest triumph. A Polish contralto back at the Met after 24 years. A Uruguayan bass bringing his trademark role to the house for the first time.

These were the highlights last week as the Metropolitan Opera got down to regular repertory after opening its 125th season Monday with a gala featuring Renee Fleming in four designer gowns and three acts of different works.
With no new productions on tap until mid-October, the company is relying mainly on star appeal to create buzz and fill its 3,800 seats each night.
And that worked just fine on Tuesday when the company revived Richard Strauss’s “Salome” with the same singer who created a sensation four years ago, Karita Mattila.
This opera, which tells in 100 uninterrupted minutes of Salome demanding — and getting — the head of John the Baptist on a silver platter, remains as shocking as it was at its premiere in 1905 (the Met even banned it for nearly 30 years).
It’s a rare soprano who can combine the vocal allure and power with the physical and dramatic believability required for the role. Mattila did it four years ago, and the ingredients were still there Tuesday — the silvery soprano cutting through the daunting orchestration, the emotional (and, briefly, literal) nakedness of her performance, the lithe body that allows her to impersonate a teenager moving from petulance to obsession to madness.
To be sure, some high notes early on sounded frayed, but this was an encouraging return to form for Mattila after last season’s hyperactive performance in Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut.”
Of her fellow performers in Juergen Flimm’s modern-day production, tenor Joseph Kaiser impressed as the soldier Narraboth, as did bass Morris Robinson in his brief scene as the First Nazarene. Baritone Juha Uusitalo, a Finn like Mattila, made a disappointing debut in the role of Jochanaan (John the Baptist), mustering neither much vocal power nor dramatic force.
Patrick Summers conducted more smoothly if less intensely than Valery Gergiev had four years ago.
No one was likely to be shocked by the next night’s offering, Ponchielli’s “La Gioconda,” unless it was surprise that this second-rate opera with a plot so ridiculous it’s beyond parody remains in the repertory at all.
It does so on the strength of a few moments of musical inspiration and a chance or two for six lead singers — one for each vocal category — to grab the spotlight.
All ears were focused on one of those singers — Ewa Podles in the role of La Cieca, blind mother of the title character. From the moment she opened her lips, she proved herself to be a force of nature, with a voice that seems to emanate from the depths of the earth but is capable of shaking the rafters. Her aria, “Voce di donna o di angelo” deservedly brought down the house, which included many fans who have bemoaned her baffling absence from the Met since 1984.
Unfortunately, La Cieca has almost nothing to do after Act 1, and the rest of the cast offered little to celebrate, except for luscious-voiced mezzo Olga Borodina, reprising her role as Laura, Gioconda’s rival in love, from the revival two years ago. Also back from 2006 were dancers Angel Corella and Letizia Giuliani, who brought a welcome spark to the “Dance of the Hours” ballet.
As Gioconda, soprano Deborah Voigt did not have her best night. The high notes were there, but they rarely sounded comfortable. Her tone, once so rock-solid, quavered at times, and she was unable to float the high pianissimos the part calls for.
Daniele Callegari kept things together as well as could be expected in his Met conducting debut.
The surprise of Saturday afternoon’s revival of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” turned out to be less about Erwin Schrott in the title role and more about the entire ensemble — one of the finest casts the Met has assembled in recent years for this masterpiece.
Mezzo Susan Graham, singing Donna Elvira for the first time, displayed her usual intensity and generous vocalism. The Bulgarian soprano Krassimira Stoyanova, one of the Met’s underrated assets, was splendid as Donna Anna, turning her soft-grained voice fiery when she needed to and hitting all the daunting coloratura in her aria “Non mi dir.” Mezzo Isabel Leonard was an unusually bright-voiced Zerlina.
Among the men, tenor Matthew Polenzani sang Don Ottavio’s two arias with ardent vocalism and stylistic purity; bass Ildebrando D’Arcangelo was a playful and sonorous Leporello, and debuting Australian baritone Joshua Bloom turned the often negligible role of Masetto into a display of impressive power and phrasing. Bass Phillip Ens intoned the Commendatore’s few lines imposingly.

Schrott himself showed off a handsome physique — going virtually shirtless in the opening scene — and his bass voice filled the house nicely, though it’s a serviceable rather than a strikingly beautiful sound. But his interpretation was one-note — he played the Don as a charming scoundrel, too ready to smile to win our sympathy, and capturing little of the dark compulsion that drive this serial seducer to destruction. Perhaps it was a lack of strong direction — or perhaps he’s fallen victim to the publicity machine that has made him part of opera’s hottest couple as the father of soprano Anna Netrebko’s new baby.

Conductor Louis Langree showed why he is much-admired as director of the Mostly Mozart Festival, with good pacing and support for the singers.

This week brings another notable role debut — German coloratura Diana Damrau starring in Donizetti’s “Lucia di Lammermoor.” The season’s first new production, John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic” directed by Penny Woolcock, premieres Oct. 13.

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http://www.metopera.org
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LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
Funny thing: Bob Ritchie avoided the family business of auto sales in Detroit, but as Kid Rock he's a super-salesman who'll get you into all sorts of musical vehicles — and he'll throw in those extras at no charge.

Thursday's show at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City was a multigenre blitz: thunderous rap-rock, Southern rock, classic rock, country music and old school hip-hop.

Dressed in white except for his trademark black fedora and backed by his 10-member Twisted Brown Trucker Band, Rock kicked off with the backbeat bash of "Rock N Roll Jesus." That's the Kiss-meets-Bob Seger title track from his album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 almost a year ago and has been in the top 10 for the past three months after falling as low as No. 82 in April. Like the rest of his recordings, it still isn't available on iTunes. Brilliant.

The set included the boisterous bravado of "You Never Met a Motherf***er Quite Like Me" — his best-selling T-shirt, judging from the crowd — and John Eddie's "Low Life," poking fun at his image as the king of stripper-loving white trash slimeball excess.

Early on, he pulled out his smash hit "All Summer Long," a breezy nostalgic glide borrowing from Warren Zevon and Lynyrd Skynyrd to become "Werewolves of Sweet Home Alabama." And as he pointed out, the music was all live, "no Pro Tools up here."

A few detours actually found him thinking more deeply, heading into Mellencamp heartland territory with "Amen," a song about tolerance and understanding. More simple-minded, however, was the flag-waving "Only God Knows Why," which needed a montage of soldiers in Iraq and other armed forces images to sell the message.

The crowd roared as Rock brought out Rev Run for a medley of Run-D.M.C.'s '80s classics that included "Rock Box," "It's Tricky" and "King of Rock," capped by a blowout "Walk This Way."

The main show could've ended there, but instead he shifted gears for the country crossover/pop ballad "Picture," the Sheryl Crow part filled in by 12-year-old up-and-comer Sacha Edwards, a Miley in the making. "She's a pistol, ain't she?" Rock said like a proud uncle.

After his long-standing shtick where he scratched on the turntables, played electric guitar (a snatch of ZZ Top's "La Grange") and hit the drums for a slice of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever," the crunch and bluster continued with the blatant sex lust of "Too Hott" and his onomatopoeia word scramble "Bawitdaba."

Kid Rock's move away from the limiting confines of rap-metal a few years ago to successfully trounce over other musical pastures was a sign of how smart he really is. If it wasn't for all the swear words and sex, the concert would've been almost a family show. And some people brought their kids anyway.

Despite his tabloid clippings, he's no mere party-pimp good' ol boy dolt; he just plays one onstage — and sometimes in videos — all the way to the bank.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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NEW YORK (Billboard) -
Best Buy will be the exclusive retailer for Guns N' Roses' long-in-the-works new album "Chinese Democracy" before year's end, sources close to the situation told Billboard.

Some details of the deal are still being worked out, including the release date.

The news brings a semblance of closure to the bizarre history of "Democracy," which Guns N' Roses has been working on since the mid-1990s. Since then, every original member, with the exception of vocalist Axl Rose, has left the once-mighty group, and millions of dollars have been spent working on the new material.

"Democracy" was most recently on the Interscope release schedule in March 2007. The endless delays encountered by the project reached comic levels this spring, when soft drink manufacturer Dr Pepper offered to send a free can of the beverage to "everyone in America" (excluding ex-GNR members Slash and Buckethead) if "Chinese Democracy" were to arrive during the calendar year 2008.

In June, nine purported "mastered, finished" tracks from the album were leaked online, prompting an FBI investigation into their source. A sign that "Chinese Democracy" was perhaps nearing release came in July, when the band agreed to debut new track "Shackler's Revenge" in the video game "Rock Band 2," which hit stores earlier this month.

Guns N' Roses is now managed by Irving Azoff's Front Line Management, and Azoff is a well-known proponent of issuing albums through exclusive deals with retailers. He released the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" through Wal-Mart in 2007, much to the chagrin of other merchants, but the album was a runaway hit, having sold 3.1 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Reuters/Billboard
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DETROIT (Billboard) -
Cover songs are hardly foreign to James Taylor's repertoire. In fact, the veteran troubadour's top 40 roster is populated with his distinctive versions of such songs as Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)," the Drifters' "Up on the Roof," Jimmy Jones and Otis Blackwell's "Handy Man" and Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," among others.

But with his appropriately titled "Covers," due September 30 on Hear Music, Taylor indulges himself entirely in interpretations of other artists' material.

"This is an album that needed to get made," he said. "It's something that I've had in mind for about the past 10 years or so."

Taylor recorded 20 songs for "Covers," from which 12 were selected. The recording sessions took place in January at a barn on the singer-songwriter's property in Lenox, Massachusetts, during a 10-day session with his 12-member Band of Legends. He said that the project was conceived as a set of R&B covers. But while it heads in that direction with such tracks as the Temptations' "It's Growing," the concept was expanded when the group decided to take on material like Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne," John Anderson's "Seminole Wind," Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" (written by Jimmy Webb) and a Big Mama Thornton-inspired version of "Hound Dog."

"A lot of them we just picked up on the spot," Taylor recalled. "They're 'head' arrangements, which means we didn't have (formal) charts or anything. It's an amazingly flexible group; we would do seven takes of a song like 'Wichita Lineman' or 'It's Growing' and, by God, there they were."

A special QVC edition of the album includes four more songs — Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour," Eddie Floyd's "Knock on Wood," the Silhouettes' "Get a Job" and "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from "Oklahoma" — which may also be made available as a digital EP for buyers of the regular version of "Covers."

"We just throw these things out there and take a run at them," Taylor said. "There's something about this band and the context in which we recorded (the songs), the sort of live energy that the thing had, that makes this very special. I think that translates into what people will hear."

Reuters/Billboard
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NASHVILLE (Billboard) -
It might seem a bit of a paradox that after winning the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music's male vocalist titles, Brad Paisley turned to mostly instrumental work on his new album.

But Paisley has developed a reputation as a multitalented maverick who always keeps things interesting, and he does just that on "Play," due November 4 via Arista Nashville.

"When we settled on Election Day for the release of the album, we realized we're taking a bit of a chance, but we're taking a chance with this record anyway, so why not?" he said.

"Play" comes on the heels of Paisley's 2007 album, "5th Gear," which has sold 1.2 million units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and spawned four No. 1 country singles. He recently scored his eighth consecutive No. 1 on Hot Country Songs with "Waitin' on a Woman," a song originally released on his 2005 album, "Time Well Wasted."

In recording "Play," Paisley worked with longtime producer Frank Rogers to record an album that would be palatable to fans who were not guitar aficionados.

"The last thing people want to hear is stuff that you have to have a music degree to enjoy. We made this record a little more relatable and commercial than expected," said Paisley, who won the Grammy Award for best country instrumental performance this year for "Throttleneck" from "5th Gear." "That's why we're taking six months and focusing on it instead of putting it out simultaneously with '5th Gear' or in the middle of any other record."

STARRY LINEUP

"Play" spotlights Paisley's prowess on the guitar and also includes duets with the late Buck Owens, B.B. King, Steve Wariner and Keith Urban. "Start a Band," which finds Paisley and Urban trading vocals and guitar licks, is the project's lead single.

"More Than Just This Song," co-written by Paisley and Wariner, is a tribute to their mentors. Wariner salutes Chet Atkins, and Paisley honors a hometown hero. "My guitar mentor was a guy named Hank Goddard, who was a great finger-style jazzy player somewhere between Les Paul and Chet Atkins in feel," Paisley said. "I studied with him, and he let me in his band when I was a teenager. On the record, Steve plays one of Chet's guitars, and I had Hank's old Gibson. Each of us tried to play not like ourselves but like our mentors."

The backbone of the project is Paisley's soulful guitar playing on such tunes as "Huckleberry Jam," penned for his son, and "Kim," inspired by his wife. "Sometimes in a song like that, the spaces can mean as much as any note, especially when it's a name like Kim. There's a part where it breaks down into a minor section and gets dark, and trust me, that happens in real life as well," he said with a laugh.

Paisley admitted that people frequently comment after his concerts that they were stunned by his guitar skills. "I think what has surprised people over the years about some of the things I've done probably could be credited to this instrument as much as anything, allowing me to open up my mind and go some places unexpected," said the artist, who began playing at age 8.

"Play" may be something of a departure from his usual studio albums, but Paisley thinks fans will enjoy the ride. "It is my love affair with this instrument," he said. "Hopefully, we won't lose momentum with this record. If we do, then I'll just have to work twice as hard to get it back, but it's worth the risk because it's such a labor of love for me."

Reuters/Billboard
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ed McMahon has an unexpected new job title: rapper. The 85-year-old former “Tonight Show” sidekick will star in two viral rap videos for FreeCreditReport.com, a financial Web site owned by credit bureau Experian.

The videos feature McMahon wearing a tracksuit, being chauffeured around Los Angeles in a Cadillac Escalade golf cart and waxing lyrical about his very public financial troubles.
“I knew I could sing the blues, but I didn’t know I could rap,” McMahon said Wednesday.
The videos will appear online in October.
Charles Harris, FreeCreditReport.com’s vice president of strategic marketing, said the company sought out McMahon to star in the humorous spots after seeing him openly discuss his finances on “Larry King Live.” Harris said McMahon represents “a man who is taking charge.”
In the first video, McMahon — who once pitched the American Family Publishing sweepstakes — and a bodyguard are cruising through a neighborhood looking for sweepstakes winners to ask for some money back, but McMahon doesn’t actually go through with it. In the second spot, McMahon dons a new suit after undergoing a financial and emotional makeover.
“When I retired, I was famous,” McMahon raps in the video. “I had money and glory/I bought a house for 6 mill/I thought nothing could touch me/Until my credit went south, and debt started to crunch me/Next thing I know, instead of playing gin rummy, I was scrambling just to make ends meet/It wasn’t funny.”
After being joined by two scantily clad women, McMahon continues: “Got a bump from the media chumps, but that was temporary/Wife with bad credit was scary, so I got wise/I may have fallen, but I got back up/Now I’m back on the attack, like a ninja swinging nunchucks/I told the haters, ‘Go on, take a hike’/It’s my show now, and I can do what I like.”
McMahon said he spent one day in the studio recording the rap. He said he hopes his participation will inspire viewers to learn from his mistakes and become more aware about their finances.
When asked if he would consider releasing a full-length rap album, McMahon said: “Not immediately.”
In June, the former “Star Search” host revealed he was fighting foreclosure after falling $644,000 behind on mortgage payments on his Beverly Hills home. Last month, he agreed to a deal with a private buyer. McMahon said Wednesday the deal has not been completed, and he’s not sure what he and his wife, Patricia, will do after the sale.
“We’re in this together,” said McMahon. “We’re a team. We’re going to solve it together. We’re going to work this out. I’m very optimistic. I’m an old Marine. I’ve been in two wars and have 85 combat missions under my belt. I’ve got a background of looking for the good stuff, going for the best way. My wife is with me 100 percent.”
It’s not the first job for McMahon following his money problems. In July, the former “Tonight Show” sidekick reprised his role as pitchman with commercial segments alongside talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” One of the spots featured McMahon teaching Kimmel how to sell a product. Another had the duo preparing for a road trip to Mexico.
Last week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled that McMahon’s lawsuit against Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and two physicians he claims failed to properly diagnose and repair his broken neck laid out adequate legal ground to pursue claims that include negligence, elder abuse, battery, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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Jay-Z, Stargate form label, publishing company
NEW YORK (Billboard) -
Hip-hop performer and entrepreneur Jay-Z and Norwegian songwriting/production duo Stargate have joined forces under the StarRoc banner, which will encompass a record label and music publishing company under Jay-Z's Roc Nation venture with Live Nation. According to the principals, "the focus is to find new talent and develop artists through mutually beneficial global partnerships which include music distribution, publishing, touring and merchandising."

Rapper T.I. back atop singles chart

NEW YORK (Billboard) - T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" returned to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Thursday for a fourth non-consecutive week. Rising from No. 2 to the top spot, the rapper's track traded places with pop singer Pink's "So What." "Like" is the fastest-growing track on radio and sold more than 202,000 digital downloads, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

MySpace Music launch disappoints excluded indie labels

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The launch of MySpace Music ran into controversy on Thursday after the leading independent music trade body complained that its small music label members had been shut out and treated like second class citizens. The new music site opened shop with millions of free songs for streaming and paid downloads, but without agreements covering hundreds of labels representing well-known artists like Franz Ferdinand, Tom Waits, Arctic Monkeys and Bjork.

Tiny Montenegro town gears up for Madonna's big gig

PODGORICA (Reuters) - More than 65,000 Madonna fans are expected to visit Montenegro's small coastal town of Budva for the pop diva's concert on Thursday, the biggest-ever event to be held in the small Adriatic republic. Media reports have revealed the singer's various requests, such as kosher food to be prepared by a Belgrade rabbi and her stay at a luxurious hotel's penthouse with a swimming poll on a balcony under banana and palm trees.

Metallica prevails over Ne-Yo to remain No. 1

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Metallica's "Death Magnetic" held tight Wednesday for a second week at No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. The hard rock band's first album in five years sold 337,000 copies in the United States during the week ended September 21, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The Warner Bros. release debuted with 490,000 the previous week after just three days of sales. (It was released worldwide on a Friday. Albums usually come out on a Tuesday in the United States, and a day earlier everywhere else.)

Hough's CD is Gramophone's most popular

LONDON (Reuters) - British pianist Stephen Hough's recording of Saint-Saens piano concertos was named most popular classical CD of the last 30 years on Thursday, but he wasn't expecting a run on the record stores. "Maybe more people will listen to Saint-Saens after this, I don't know," he said modestly, in an interview with Reuters.

MySpace finally rolls out music site with all labels

NEW YORK (Reuters) - News Corp's MySpace, the world's largest social networking site, on Wednesday unveiled a long-expected joint venture with all four major music companies in a bid to compete with Apple Inc's market-leading iTunes store. MySpace Music is designed to win fans with a mix of unlimited free music, comprehensive music catalogs, concert tickets, merchandising and other entertainment features.

Aerosmith's Tyler sues over blog impersonations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler on Wednesday sued unknown bloggers who the singer said impersonated him on the Web, writing about the death of his mother and other "intimate details" from his life. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles, Tyler, 60, said he didn't know the real names of those who have impersonated him and girlfriend Erin Brady on the Web, but he believes the same group was responsible for similar postings in 2007.

Metallica, Run-DMC up for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Hip Hop group Run-DMC, heavy metal band Metallica and musician/songwriter Bobby Womack are among nine nominees announced on Monday vying for five spots in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guitarist Jeff Beck, disco and R&B band Chic, rock and roll singer Wanda Jackson, doo-wop group Little Anthony and the Imperials, rock band The Stooges, and the California funk band War were also nominated.

Music groups agree online music royalties deal

(Reuters) - Record labels, music publishers, songwriters and online music services have reached an agreement on how to compensate music creators for online distribution of their content, they said. The agreement is designed to settle how the industry calculates royalty rates for limited downloads and music that is streamed online, including when it is provided by subscription and advertising-supported services.
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