Sade - Discography


When Sade first came on the recording scene in the '80s, her record company, Epic, made a point of printing "pronounced shar-day" after her name on the record labels of her releases. Soon enough the world would have no problem in correctly pronouncing her name. Born Helen Folasade Adu in a village 50 miles from Lagos, the capitol of Nigeria, she was the daughter of an African father and an English mother. After her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London.

WHAM! - Last Christmas (1992)


I love this christmas song. The album only has 3 songs. I thought it would have all the songs from the video they made. I couldn't find the video, so this will have to do.

Bloodhound Gang : One Fierce Beer Coaster


Originally released on the independent label Republic, the Bloodhound Gang's second album, One Fierce Beer Coaster, was picked up by DGC about two months after its release, allegedly because it had great word of mouth. And listening to the single "Fire Water Burn," it's possible to hear why -- the group's smarmy, smirky alternative funk metal, complete with junk culture references and "ironic" musical allusions, fits into the cycle that dominated modern rock during the mid-'90s.

Pulp Fiction

pulp fiction soundtracks

01. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - Misirlou (Pumpkin And Honey Bunny) (2:29)
02. Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta - Royale With Cheese (1:45)
03. Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie (3:07)
04. Al Green - Let's Stay Together (3:17)
05. Tornadoes - Bustin' Surfboards (2:29)
06. Ricky Nelson - Lonesome Town (2:15)
07. Dusty Springfield - Son Of A Preacher Man (2:28)
08. Centurians - Bullwinkle Part II (Zed's Dead, Baby) (2:31)
09. Chuck Berry - You Never CanTell (Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Contest) (3:14)
10. Urge Overkill - Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon (3:10)
11. Maria McKee - If Love Is A Red Dress (Hang Me In Rags) (4:57)
12. Revels - Comanche (Bring Out The Gimp) (2:12)
13. Statler Brothers - Flowers On The Wall (2:25)
14. Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta - Personality Goes A Long Way (1:03)
15. Lively Ones - Surf Rider (3:20)
16. Samuel L. Jackson - Ezekiel 25:17 (0:52)

Brandy - Afrodisiac

album review:
I’ve given up trying to figure out Brandy. She’s hid out in the spotlight for too long, never tip-toeing outside her role as a teen diva-in-training, never catching flak for being a manufactured urban princess like Ashanti either. Ten amazing and terrifically impersonal years into her career, we don’t know any more about Brandy than we did in 1994, when she was a 15 year old newcomer who just desperately wanted to be down.

And that’s exactly the way she likes it, at least if Afrodisiac is any indication. Brandy wrote barely any of the lyrics herself, but the story she tells is still revealingly oblique. Afrodisiac’s being marketed as a coming-of-age record, but this isn’t the kind of “all growns up” we’re used to seeing from our female pop stars, all newly unwrapped sexuality prepackaged for maximum male hormonal meltdown—dams bursting, speeding trains, shooting fireworks, the previously coquettish young innocent dead and buried, completely eradicated so you don’t feel bad for leering at Moesha or a Mouseketeer, replaced by a brand-new fully-formed sex symbol.

Brandy briefly tries on that bare-all ensemble for “Come As You Are”, but it never quite seems to fit. Tellingly, she’d rather reminisce than stake out brazen new sexual territory—one of the album’s best and brightest cuts, “Turn it Up”, finds Brandy waxing nostalgic for Kid 'N Play's House Party, of all things.

Scarface - The Diary

album review: With the dissolution of the Geto Boys far behind him, Scarface follows the epic overreaching of The World Is Yours with The Diary, a refreshingly modest album with a few really strong moments and little filler. Never short on ideas, Scarface had nonetheless gone a little too far with the 70-minute The World Is Yours. There was plenty of brilliance there, including the stunning "Now I Feel Ya," but you had to do some sifting to find it. That's less the case with the 43-minute Diary, which doesn't overextend its ambitions. Scarface here once again offers a laid-back gangsta ballad, "I Seen a Man Die," that's as thoughtful and somber as the style gets and also perhaps the album highlight. Elsewhere, he teams up with fellow gangsta veteran Ice Cube on "Hand of the Dead Body" and reprises his best-known song, "Mind Playin' Tricks 94." Not counting the interludes, there's only ten songs here, and they're nearly all produced by the team of N.O. Joe and Mike Dean. It may make the album a short listen, yet it also makes The Diary one of Scarface's most solid efforts, one where you rarely, if ever, feel inclined to skip a song. And that's something you can't say about the work of most rappers, particularly ones as creative as Scarface.

Los Lonely Boys - Sacred


Tex Mex Rocks
Great new long anticipated album from LLB. I dont think its a s good as their first album, but anything these guys do is great. Highlights are 'Oye Mamacita', 'My Lonliness' 'Orale'. Something here for everyone, country, rock, soul. Well Done!!

Michael Franks - Rendezvous in Rio

As one of the prime movers in that select sub-group of white folk-pop singers who have found a home in Brazilian style (Kenny Rankin is a "similar urban AOR rival," to quote a customer review), contemporary jazz artist Michael Franks has aged pretty well--if not all that gracefully. As a guy who resorts to couplets like "The clothes on my back/Are too Pasternak," he probably shouldn't be waxing philosophical about how "feeble" and "pedantic" critics are ("The Critics Are Never Kind," a musical-derived number on which Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Degas commiserate). Franks also makes music his subject too often for his own good, celebrating "The Cool School" in self-congratulatory fashion and the first time he heard "Take Five"--he says Dave Brubeck's beloved version, though his use of bleating smooth jazz saxist Eric Marienthal to evoke the great Paul Desmond makes you wonder. But his vocals are breezy and intimate, and the instrumental settings provided by a cast including guitarist Chuck Loeb and keyboardist David Sancious are attractive without being too slick. Fans whose "inner harmony always turns blue in the end" won't be able to resist the wistful pull of the songs.

Cypress Hill - Till Death Do Us Part

B Real: "Throw it on the wall/See if it sticks/If it don't work/Take another hit." Sen Dog: "Take another hit!" Those are not quotes. However, if Cypress Hill were to take the lead from every other MC who has declared honesty to be the only policy, the group might've included lines like that somewhere near the beginning of their eighth album. More restless than ever, fleeting flirtations with Jamaican music of most stripes -- dancehall, dub, and ska included -- are handled clumsily. The results are as mixed as the approaches. The most problematic moment of all is the missed opportunity that is "What's Your Number?," where Rancid's Tim Armstrong is drafted in to help replicate the dubby lope of the Clash's "Guns of Brixton"; though it would've been more fitting to hear B Real spit another grimy rhyme in this setting, he chooses instead to spin a tale of picking up a woman. The highlights all take place when the group sticks to what it does best, though the pro-weed moments keep on getting increasingly dire. The Alchemist-produced and Tego Calderón-assisted "Latin Thugs" is one example of the group retaining its strengths, since it's full of fire and swagger. All points aside, the album is strictly for the devout fan base.

Mary J. Blige - No More Drama


In the past, that voice has conveyed untold worlds of pain and anguish, but on Blige's fifth studio album, No More Drama, it's put to good use mining the foreign terrain of happiness, contentment, and other emotions seemingly antithetical to the soul singer's tragedy-filled milieu.

Jennifer Rush - Heart over mind


album review: I first heard of Jennifer Rush when her duet with Elton John, "Flames Of Paradise" hit the Top 40, and I was taken by the resonant, deep but exotic voice that accompanied Elton. The rest of the album is a combination of fiery guitar rock and heavy synthesizers, not like Ron Nevison's brand. Four producers cooked the broth that became Heart Over Mind, along with well-known songwriters and session musicians, and the differing styles make a symphonic mlange of 80's synth/rock guitar music.

The intense keyboards and crunchy rock guitars, the latter done here by Bon Jovi's Ritchie Sambora demonstrate that sound in "I Come Undone" which has the intensity of Cutting Crew's "I Just Died In Your Arms." Ellen Shipley, well known for her association with Belinda Carlisle's solo albums, wrote and did backing vocals for here.

Desmond Child produced and co-wrote "Down To You" call it a power keyboard ballad, highlighted by sheets of synths over which Jen's voice rises in its glory.

Rilo Kiley

It's fairly safe to say Jessica Simpson fans aren't going to dig Rilo Kiley: The production is tinny, the lyrics are hyper-literate, and they just haven't got around to covering that ballad from Top Gun--which just leaves more for rest of us to enjoy. Part new-wave keyboards, part folky acoustic guitars, the music on More Adventurous is unexpectedly beautiful. "Does He Love You" and "I Never" are odd pop songs, filled out with soft verses and sweet choruses. "We could be daytime drunks if we wanted...All of your failures are training grounds." singer Jenny Lewis intones on "The Absence of God." Oh, and it's not all that uppity. But still, it's a major source of refreshment for anyone feeling parched by the mainstream creative drought.

Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds 2006


notes: America's funkiest white boy puts even more distance between his boy-band past and his present career with FUTURESEX/LOVESOUNDS, the follow-up to his 2002 smash JUSTIFIED. The album is set for a September 12 release and features a slew of money-in-the-bank producers including Rick Rubin, Timbaland, and Will.i.am.

Diana Ross - The Definitive Collection

notes: Recording information: 1970 - 2006. At a mere 20 songs, a Diana Ross collection claiming to be 'definitive,' is immediately suspect. Is it possible to define one of pop music's most iconic divas in the space of a single CD? Motown's DEFINITIVE COLLECTION tackles the problem first by excluding Ross's work with the Supremes and focusing only on her solo endeavors. The album also opts for singles over choice album cuts, and while the selection might not pass muster with diehard Ross fans, it provides a solid introduction to the singer's peak moments. Naturally, the #1's are here: "Touch Me in the Morning," "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)," and her duet with Lionel Richie on "Endless Love," among others. Ross's pop-funk hits are faithfully represented ("Upside Down;" "Love Hangover"), as is her essential duet with Marvin Gaye on "My Mistake (Was to Love You)." In short, while the album may be too brief, every song here is a glittering gem, underscoring the Motown diva's rightful place in pop music history.

Shania Twain - Man! I Feel Like A Woman

review: Since the release of Shania Twain's 12-times-platinum Come On Over in 1997, this track has been among the most obvious single choices among the steady stream of releases to both pop and country radio. Already a hit at her home base (It peaked at No. 4 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks in June), there's no reason that "Man!", with its coquettish turn of phrase, shouldn't have the same kind of appeal as her earlier "That Don't Impress Me Much". There are plenty of tasty ingredients that radio traditionally searches out here-great tempo, attitude, a hook that sells like ice cream in summer (including a guitar riff that conjures the ubiquitous "Spirit In The Sky"), and the instantly recognizable vocals of a woman who is a fond acquaintance of so many millions out there now. This is country crossover at its best and that little something different that radio says it is always after, remixed gently to add a pop touch without stripping it of its vital twang. And wait until you catch this videoclip, which features Twain imitating Robert Palmer in his groundbreaking 1986 clip for "Addicted to Love," complete with buffed and blank-eyed male models in the background. Hilarious. This is all good; go for it.

Christina Aguilera - Best Of

bio:After Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera was the most popular female singer of the late-'90s teen pop revival. Unlike many of her contemporaries, Aguilera was a technically skilled singer with a genuinely powerful voice, belting out her uptempo dance numbers and ballads with a diva's panache. Born Christina Maria Aguilera on December 18, 1980, on Staten Island, her parents were of Irish and Ecuadorian stock and her father's military career meant the family moved quite a bit during her childhood. They eventually settled in Pittsburgh, PA, where Aguilera began performing in talent shows at age six, with considerable success. She appeared on Star Search in 1988 (though she didn't win) and in 1992 joined the cast of the Disney Channel's The New Mickey Mouse Club, which also included Spears, future *NSYNC members Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, and Felicity star Keri Russell. ..

Tori Amos - Tales of a Librarian

album review: When Tori Amos appeared in the early 1990s with Crucify and the subsequent album Little Earthquakes, she reawakened an interest in the art of the female singer / songwriter. Indeed it's doubtful the likes of Alanis Morissette would have enjoyed quite so much exposure without the pioneering efforts of the Newtonian ice-maiden.

That's not to say that everything touched by Tori has turned to gold - some of her lyrics still raise many a quizzical eyebrow, and the infamous suckling pig shot that adorns Boys For Pele wasn't exactly a great piece of animal rights publicity. The overall impact though is one of the last decade's most important solo artists, which is caught in this handsome collection of 20 songs, four of them new.

Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair

Granted, we haven't heard her new album yet (read: it hasn't leaked yet), but it seems like everyone is doing Janet Jackson better than Janet these days (here's looking at you Cassie). The title track from Jessica Simpson's new album A Public Affair, may sport a guitar riff lifted straight from Madonna's "Holiday," but the rest of the song—breathy vocals, cheery, almost sickeningly sweet melody, mid-song giggle, Diana Ross reference—is classic Janet. Ironically, though, the tracks on A Public Affair produced by Janet's longtime collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, aren't dance-pop at all; the duo's three contributions are, surprisingly, country-inspired, the ostensible influence of Simpson's acting debut in last year's The Dukes Of Hazzard.

George Michael - Listen Without Prejudice

Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 is the second solo album from Greek-British pop star George Michael. Following the massive worldwide commercial success of his first album, Faith, this album found Michael trying to create a new image for himself as a serious-minded artist, while still generating sales. The title is a clear indication of his desire to be taken more seriously as a song-writer.

The album was released in 1990 but was not nearly as successful as his debut solo album, selling around 7 million copies compared to 14 million for Faith. However, it did outsell Faith in the musician's UK homeland, and produced several notable hits, including "Cowboys and Angels", "Freedom '90", "Praying for Time", "Waiting for That Day", and "Heal the Pain". "Praying for Time" reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

Michael refused to appear in many of the music videos that accompanied the singles released from this album. As a result, the little-seen video for "Praying for Time" simply consists of the song lyrics against a dark, ambient background, while the video for "Freedom '90" featured several famous "supermodels" lip-synching to the track instead of the absent Michael. It featured the literal destruction (by fire and explosions) of several icons from the artist's Faith period and was directed by David Fincher, an acclaimed promo director. Fincher would later go on to become a high-profile and critically acclaimed mainstream "Hollywood" film director.

The expected following album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 2, was scrapped for reasons unknown, although it could quite possibly be due to Michael's subsequent legal battles with Sony Music. Three of the tracks intended for the album appear on the charity album Red Hot + Dance, while a fourth (Crazyman Dance) turned up on the B-side of the single Too Funky.

George Michael - Older

Older is the third solo album from George Michael, released May 14 1996 (see 1996 in

music). The album's US and Canada release was particularly notable as it was the first album released by the now-defunct DreamWorks Records (the first DreamWorks album released internationally, however, was Beautiful Freak by Eels).

Following the release of Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, Michael accused his record company, Epic Records, of failing to promote the album as well as lacklustre support for his charity recordings

Whilst essentially holding true to his word, Michael wasn't completely absent from the recording world during the six years between Listen Without Prejudice and Older, contributing several tracks to the charity album Red Hot + Dance in 1992 (see 1992 in music), as well as performing at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium.

Beyonce - B ' Day

In the US, new music is released on Tuesdays, but internationally, Mondays are the day that new CDs arrive in stores. And on Monday, Sept. 4 (Sept. 5 in America) Beyonce will have two reasons to celebrate; not only is Sept. 4 her 25th birthday, but her sophomore album, appropriately titled B'Day, will hit store shelves. B'Day is Beyonce's first solo album since her multi-platinum 2003 solo debut, Dangerously In Love. The new album's first single, "Deja Vu," features Jay-Z and production by Rodney Jerkins. Other producers on B'Day include The Neptunes and Swizz Beatz.

  • In related news, it was announced a couple of weeks ago that the sophomore album by Beyonce's former Destiny's Child groupmate, Kelly Rowland, was being pushed back from July to next year, apparently so that it wouldn't compete with Beyonce's album.

Audioslave - Live in Cuba


"The members of Audioslave has not only survived many years of sadness,desperation,and struggle in music decades.They all have survived and won the respect of many fans throughout the world.They have just recorded two great albums and now this little masterpiece. This video recollects mostly all of his songs in live.I personally think they are better live than in studio.Cornell maybe have some flaws singing live,because of a small injury he had in his throat.But Morello plays better live than in studio.The bass player and the drummer are very happy,because they thought they will leave music business after their singer Zach left Rage Against the Machine.Just Be yourself…and get a copy of this graceful Live in Cuba.”

Timo Maas - Loud


LABEL: Kinetic
RELEASE DATE: 19 March 2002
DISCS: 1 disc
GENRE(S): Electronic

Maas' forays into more conventional song structure tend to falter, thanks mainly to weak vocals and corny lyrics that overshadow some interesting instrumental arrangements.... Fortunately, half of Loud is vocal-free, and it's here that Maas' music really shines.

Whitney Houston - I'm Your Baby Tonight

"I'm Your Baby Tonight" (Babyface, L.A. Reid) - 5:00
  1. "My Name Is Not Susan" (Eric Foster White) - 4:40
  2. "All the Man That I Need" (Michael Gore, Dean Pitchford) - 4:11
  3. "Lover for Life" (Sam Dees) - 4:49
  4. "Anymore" (Babyface, Reid) - 4:23
  5. "Miracle" (Babyface, Reid) - 5:42
  6. "I Belong to You" (Derek Bramble, Franne Golde) - 5:31
  7. "Who Do You Love" (Hubert Eaves III, Luther Vandross) - 3:56
  8. "We Didn't Know" (Stevie Wonder) - 5:31
  9. "After We Make Love" (Gerry Goffin, Michael Masser) - 5:06
  10. "I'm Knockin'" (Rhett Lawrence, Ricky Minor, Benjamin Winans) - 4:58
Whitney Houston indulges few quirks, follows few agendas. When, after much planning, she sprang her mega-successful 1985 debut, Whitney Houston, on the world, Houston's Manhattan-soul stylings, dance-pop workouts and Dior ballads seemed as poised for mass favor as the tunes of Michael Jackson or Madonna. The difference was that this silver-toned child of roaring gospel and streamlined pop – she's Cissy Houston's daughter, Dionne Warwick's cousin – had no covert ambitions to redirect America's cultural appetites. She may have in 1982, when she recorded, auspiciously, with Bill Laswell and Material, who always had one hell of an agenda. But that was before she signed with Clive Davis and Arista and determined to become a sovereign pop singer – and to go septuple platinum.

Madonna Escapes German Crucifixion Bust

Madonna is a woman who knows her rights. And Madonna knows that it's every woman's right to be able to sing a sad song about AIDS while dressed up like DiscoJesus on a big mirrored cross.

And nobody can stop Madonna performing this fundamental duty - especially not German prosecutors. Before Madonna took her tour to Germany there were claims that she might be banged up for insulting all the German Christians with her crucifixion act, but the prosecutors have now decided that they won't investigate Madonna's stunt. And who can blame them - it's a foolish organisation that messes with the gnarled hands and deplorably unsuitable leotards of Madonna.

It's strange what going on tour can do to a person - just look at Madonna. Before she set off on her Confessions tour, Madonna was the hernia-ridden old lady who lied to her children about being gay and pretended to be a member of the English gentry in between being all barmy and religious. But since Madonna set off her new world tour, she's been dipping her claws in bronze, making all kinds of weird toilet demands and possibly stealing another woman's hands. Oh yeah, and pretending to be Jesus.

Even though the part of her concert that should be attracting all the outrage is the bit where Madonna dresses up in all that purple spandex - or the bit where people realise they've paid £150 to see a 48-year-old woman sing songs from her rubbish new album - the segment of Madonna's Confessions world tour that has stoked up the most anger so far has come when Madonna goes and puts on a thorny crown and sings Live To Tell on a giant crucifix backed by AIDS statistics. The Church of England hated the stunt, even though Madonna thought that Jesus would be cool with it, and even Italy's Catholics, Jews and Muslims joined forces to condemn Madonna.

Germany went the whole hog, though, and threatened to prosecute Madonna if she did the big crucifixion thing in the country. Only threatened to, mind you - on Sunday Madonna played her first show in Dusseldorf, complete with scary crucifixion bit, and there wasn't even the slightest whiff of prosecution from the Germans. The big wusses.

German spokesman Johannes Mocken said that Madonna couldn't be prosecuted because a) Madonna was covered by German artistic freedom legislation and b) dressing up as Jesus, climbing aboard an enormous silver cross and singing a lyrically vague song while pictures of sad Africans flash up behind you isn't actually against the law. Even though it probably should be.

Babyface - Tender Lover


I was 8 years old when my family had the original vinyl album in the late 80's and it recently got thrown away along with other old albums in late may 2005. Having purchased this title on cd and listening to all the original tracks for the fist time since the 1980's when this album was very popular, it can surely bring back some memories for those who enjoyed this album back when it came out in 1989. All the great hits from this album such as "it's no crime", the title track "tender lover", "whip appeal", "my kinda girl", "where will you go" really help this ablum gain absolute success. In many ways this ablum is still great to listen to any time practically. This might end up on a compilation of a 2 classic albums on 1 cd, which is something that is being done for artist and or bands that released albums that are made to be classics such as babyface's "tender lover" album.

Top 40 Singles USA August 2006

VA - Top 40 Singles USA August 2006 (192 KBPS VBR MP3)
Size - 177 MB
01 nellyfurtado ft timbaland - promiscuous
02 gnarls barkley - crazy
03 Cassie - Me & U
04 beyonce ft jay - z - deja vu
05 fergie - london bridge
06 yung joc - its goin down
07 shakira ft wyclef jean - hips dont lie
08 the pussycat dolls feat snoop dogg - buttonz
10 Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair
11 Cherish Feat. Sean Paul - Do It To It
12 afi - miss murder
13 sean paul - give it up tome
14 young dro - - shoulder lean
15 the fray - over my head
16 kenny chesney - summertime
17 rihanna - unfaithful
18 ne - yo - sexy love
19 john mayer - waiting on the world to change
20 daniel - powter - bad day
21 lil jon - snap yo fingers
22 Field Mob Featuring Ciara - So What
23 paris hilton - stars are blind
24 Busta Rhymes - I Love My Bitch
25 shawnna - Gettin' Some
26 rodney atkins - if you're going through hell (before the devil even knows)
27 E40 - u and dat
28 chamillionaire ft krayzie bone - ridin
29 kelis - bossy
30 paula deanda feat. baby bash - doing too much
31 chingy - pullin me back
32 nickelback - far away
33 chris brown - gimme that
34 dixie chicks - not ready to make nice
35 red hot chili peppers - dani california
36 snow patrol - chasing cars
37 taylor hicks - do i make your proud
38 rascal flatts - life is a highway
39 Fort Minor - Where'd you go
40 steve holy - brand new girlfriend

'Beyonce: ‘Eating Only Syrup Is A Bit Mental’

After describing how she managed to lose a stone in ten days by eating only maple syrup, gyrating popster Beyonce has urged her fellow ladies not to follow her diet.

Millions of chubby gals, you see, have been hankering after Beyonce's secret, so they can all lose weight 'the easy way' rather than anything involving any of that pesky exercise nonsense. But - after criticism from numerous health experts - Beyonce came over all shame-faced and regretful, announcing that:

"I would never recommend it (the diet) to anyone unless you are doing a movie and it's necessary, and you have proper help. There are ways to lose weight healthily if you want to lose weight, but this was for a film."

The film in question was the rubbish-sounding Dreamgirls, in which Beyonce stretches her limited acting chops to portray the role of a 'sixties soul diva'.

Still - does the filmic side of things make any difference? If Beyonce wants to exist on a diet of 'maple syrup mixed with water, lemon juice and cayenne pepper, which is drunk instead of meals', then why the bloody hell can't the rest of us?

WHY?

Ah. Let Beyonce explain all:

"It was no-one's suggestion I lost weight for the film, it was me who wanted to make a physical transformation. In Dreamgirls, [my character] Dina starts at 16 and then 20 years pass. Normally they'd change your make-up or your clothes but I wanted to go the extra mile. Back in the Sixties, models like Twiggy were popular and I knew Dina would have been thin then. So even though I really love eating, it was necessary to lose weight really fast because we shot Dina at 16 and Dina at 36 two weeks apart. My nutritionist suggested the only way to do that was the fast. As soon as it was over I gained the weight back."

Beyonce says that she is back to normal now, and really happy with her curves (odd part of the female vernacular, that - men usually tend to refer to their own 'curves' as 'flab'). Oddly she goes on to claim that it feels fantastic being 'voluptuous' again… strange, because even after the weight gain, Beyonce still looks so thin she could hula-hoop with a polo mint.

Still, why should people want to lose weight anyway? Wouldn't it be a boring world if we all looked the same? Besides, if there were no more large ladies left, there'd be no more opportunities for brilliant Channel 4 documentaries like last week's Fat Beauty Contest - montage after montage of catwalk-strutting Calorie-wolfers that made hecklerspray laugh like a monkey in a Tickling Booth.
And that just simply wouldn't do.

Jamiroquai - Travelling Without Moving


TRAVELLING WITHOUT MOVING was nominated for a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Pop Album. "Virtual Insanity" won the 1998 Grammy for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal. Hailing from the same neo-R&B scene that spawned Soul II Soul and Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai continues to filter 1970s soul through a sieve of '90s acid jazz on its third album. Sounding remarkably like Stevie Wonder, singer Jason Kay's airy vocals float over fat bass lines, disco rhythms and lush strings on "Cosmic Girl." "High Times" takes more of a bottom-heavy, P-Funk-meets-the-EWF-horns approach. Other up-tempo jams include "Use The Force," with its Afro-Cuban beat, and the equally funky, scratch-laden title track. Jamiroquai's eclectic bag of influences includes reggae (the loping "Drifting Along") and world music. Two instrumentals center on the otherworldly sounds of a didjeridoo. "Didjerama" is an ambient track that accentuates the instrument's hollow timbre with chirping birds and assorted percussion. "Didjital Vibrations" is quiet-storm music. An unlisted, drum-and-bass collaboration with M-Beat, "Do You Know Where You're Coming From," wraps up this vibrant package of Brit-soul.

T.I - King


From the thumping energy of the Just Blaze beats and fiery rap rhetorhic of "I'm Talkin' to You" to the smoothed soulful Khao Cates beats on the "miss you girl" narrative of "Hello," Atlanta's self-proclaimed king wears many different crowns and they all seem to fit him well.

Craig David - Slicker Than Your Average


1. Slicker Than Your Average
2. What's Your Flava
3. Fast Cars
4. Hidden Agenda
5. Eenie Meenie
6. You Don't Miss Your Water ('Til The Well Runs Dry)
7. Rise and Fall
8. Personal
9. Hands Up In The Air
10. 2 Steps Back
11. Spanish
12. What's Changed

This guy has alot to offer - true talent will shine through!
Craig David is one of those artists that can go away for a while and come back with a slamming album. “Slicker Than Your Average” is the right title for this album because that is exactly what he is. This whole album is excellently produced and it shows off a lot of maturity in his songs for example “Personal” makes you want to get really personal with someone. “Fast Cars” & “What’s Your Flava” is great club & car tunes to get you going or play at a party. I hope that his next album is just as good if not better because he is a great performer and he deserves to achieve a lot of success in this world. Craig David has a lot to offer and I just hope that we as true fans give him the respect he deserves. Enjoy people – Enjoy.

VH1 Top 100

Great songs of Vh1.If you like to create a playlist these songs will be great.My recommendations are Soft Cell,Devo and Dexy's midnight Runners.
track list

001 - Los Del Rio - Macarena (1996)
002 - Soft Cell - Tainted Love (1982)
003 - Dexy’s Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen (1983)
004 - Right Said Fred - I’m Too Sexy (1992)
005 - Toni Basil - Mickey (1992)
006 - Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out (2000)
007 - Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby (1991)
008 - Ah Ha - Take On Me (1985)
009 - Gerardo - Rico Suave (1991)
010 - Nena - 99 Luftballoons (1984)
011 - Debbie Boone - You Light Up My Life (1977)
012 - Sir Mix A Lot - Baby Got Back (1994)
013 - Van Mccoy - The Hustle (1975)
014 - Deee - Lite - Groove Is In The Heart (1990)
015 - Question Mark & The Mysterians - 96 Tears (1966)
016 - Sugarhill Gang - Rapper’s Delight (1980)
017 - Twisted Sister - We’re Not Gonna Take It (1984)
018 - Sinead O’connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (1990)
019 - Iron Butterfly - In A Gadda Da Vida (1968)
020 - Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science (1983)
021 - Gary Numan - Cars (1980)
022 - Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music (1976)
023 - Chumbawamba - Tubthumping (1997)
024 - Devo - Whip It (1980)
025 - Kajagoogoo - Too Shy (1983)
026 - Suzis Quatro - Stumblin’ In (1979)
027 - M - Pop Musik (1979)
028 - Rob Base - It Takes Two (1988)
029 - Musical Youth - Pass The Dutchie (1983)
030 - Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun (1974)
031 - Emf - Unbelievable (1983)
032 - Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot (1987)
033 - Cheryl Lynn - Got To Be Real (1979)
034 - Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight (1976)
035 - Meredith Brooks - ~censored~ (1997)
036 - The Vapors - Turning Japanese (1980)
037 - Modern English - I Melt With You (1982)
038 - Billy Paul - Me & Mrs. Jones (1972)
039 - The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony (1998)
040 - Big Country - In A Big Country (1983)
041 - Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Relax (1985)
042 - Nick Gilder - Hot Child In The City (1978)
043 - The Heights - How Do You Talk To An Angel (1992)
044 - Falco - Rock Me Amadaeus (1986)
045 - The Cardigans - Lovefool (1996)
046 - Bobby McFerrin - Dont Worry Be Happy (1988)
047 - Gary Glitter - Rock & Roll Part 2 (1972)
048 - Spandau Ballet - True (1983)
049 - Vicki Sue Robinson - Turn The Beat Around (1976)
050 - The Divinyls - I Touch Myself (1991)
051 - The Proclaimers - I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (1995)
052 - Tom Tom Club - Genius Of Love (1982)
053 - Rockwell - Somebody’s Watching Me (1984)
054 - David Naughton - Makin’ It (1977)
055 - Weathergirls - It’s Raining Men (1982)
056 - Minnie Riperton - Lovin’ You (1975)
057 - Brownsville Station - Smokin In The Boys Room (1973)
058 - Haddaway - What Is Love (1993)
059 - Tommy Tutone - 867 - 5309 Jenny_ 1982)
060 - Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (1976)
061 - Ratt - Round & Round (1984)
062 - Timbuk 3 - The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)
063 - House Of Pain - Jump Around (1992)
064 - New Radicals - You Get What You Give (1998)
065 - Mary Jane Girls - In My House (1985)
066 - Lou Bega - Mambo No 5 (1999)
067 - Faith No More - Epic (1990)
068 - Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (1995)
069 - Lipps, Inc. - Funkytown (1980)
070 - Vicki Lawrence - The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia (1973)
071 - Omc - How Bizarre (1997)
072 - Michael Sembello - Maniac (1983)
073 - C. W. McCall - Convoy (1975)
074 - Digable Planets - Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) (1993)
075 - Charlene - I’ve Never Been To Me (1982)
076 - Jermaine Stewart - We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off (1986)
077 - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians - What I Am (1989)
078 - Crash Test Dummies - Mmm Mm m Mmm Mmm (1994)
079 - Taco - Puttin’ On The Ritz (1983)
080 - Quiet Riot - Cum On Feel The Noize (1983)
081 - Biz Markie - Just A Friend (1990)
082 - Waitresses - I Know What Boys Like (1982)
083 - Men Without Hats - Safety Dance (1983)
084 - Des’ree - You Gotta Be (1994)
085 - Norman Greenbaum - Spirit In The Sky (1970)
086 - Young M.C. - Bust A Move (1989)
087 - Thelma Houston - Don’t Leave Me This Way (1977)
088 - Aqua - Barbie Girl (1997)
089 - Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart (1992)
090 - Jane Child - Don’t Wanna Fall In Love (1990)
091 - Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue (1983)
092 - T’pau - Heart & Soul (1987)
093 - David Soul - Don’t Give Up On Us Baby (1977)
094 - 4 Non Blondes - Whats Up (1993)
095 - Jeannie C Riley - Harper Valley Pta (1968)
096 - Bow Wow Wow - I Want CAndy (1982)
097 - Tag Team - Whoomp! There It Is (1993)
098 - Stacy Q - Two Of Hearts (1986)
099 - Blind Melon - No Rain (1993)
100 - Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting (1974)




















.

Hecklergigs: Tobias Froberg

'Singer-songwriter.' As bastardised terms go, it's an innate high-flyer. Kind of like 'attitude' or 'customer relations' or people who misuse the word 'literally' (Sports commentators take note. 'He literally shook the earth with that penalty'? No he fucking didn't).

Anyway. What hecklerspray is trying to say - in a ludicrously roundabout way, such is our teasin' style - is that such a term can inspire shudders akin to hearing phrases such as "Darling I'm pregnant". Think about it: James Blunt. K T Tunstall. Jamie Cullum. Or actually don't think about them. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself.

Anyway. What we're STILL trying to say - in even more of a ludicrously roundabout way, such is our even more teasin' style - is that it would be a real shame if new Poptones signing Tobias Froberg found himself lumped in with that generically unsavoury crowd.

Froberg is a mite different from the usual legions of folk-based strummers that populate the Radio 2 schedules. This is for two main reasons - a) he's actually rather good, and b) he hails from Sweden; a place which - having given birth to the sadly-departed Concretes - has proven itself capable of exporting some of the best pop music around.
Froberg's music isn't going to change the world. It will, however - if you let it - lilt the world gently by in a summer-bliss Joy-Zippery kinda way, which to be quite frank is absolutely fine with us.

You'll probably have already heard When The Night Turns Cold on the new Panasonic advert, but there's also a certain emotional rawness that is present in a lot of Froberg's less 'immediate' stuff. God's Highway - introduced this evening as "the greatest song ever written" (surely Snooker Loopy wins that accolade) - is a good example.

In short - if Ryan Adams (pre-Cardinals), Damien Rice, certain Neil Young moments and early Paul Simon float your boat, you're going to have a good time getting acquainted with young Toby. Hecklerspray caught sight of him in an intimate cramped venue. Chances are the gigs are going to be getting bigger by the day…

U2 - The Joshua Tree

review: There is within music an ability to tap into the raw, revelatory power of beauty; music can give itself to the unknown whisper of the eternal in ways that other forms of art only hint at. The collage of sounds communicates something deep to the heart and, when combined with the presence of the voice, can be downright liberating. Few individuals, let alone bands, ever really reach a point where they are that open to the Unknown that it can give itself so freely through their music. U2 has done so time and again, but never with the level of directness and sincerity as they accomplished on the Joshua Tree.

A joshua tree is a real tree that thrives despite the dry environment it lives in. The image - the icon - of life amidst its seeming absence, embodied in the joshua tree, is one that is fully appropriate to U2 - particularly at the end of their first decade. U2, like the joshua tree, stood in stark contrast to its environment: ascetic, prophetic and disarmingly (some would say "naively", but let the tension stand) sincere. (Their foray into the realm of post-modern sampling, irony and sarcasm was an identity crisis fully in line with where they stood in the 80s: cynicism is frustrated optimism.)

Janet Jackson Exclusive


Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, dancer and actress. She is the youngest child of the Jackson music family; the sister of legendary pop icon Michael Jackson. Jackson is well known for her detailed dance choreography and music videos. Jackson initially stepped into the limelight as a young actress, appearing in television shows. Upon her father's insistance, she released two studio albums; neither garnered much attention nor success.

After a brief marriage to James DeBarge, Jackson set out to find her own identity. She collaborated with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and the trio created Jackson's breakout album, Control (1986) and the socially-focused follow-up, Rhythm Nation 1814_Part2 (1989). In the early 1990s, Jackson signed a record-breaking recording deal with Virgin Records for the sexually-charged album janet_part2. (1993) which proved to be a larger success than its two predecessors. Jackson also returned to acting, starring in Poetic Justice (1993). By the end of the 1990s, Jackson's relationship with Rene Elizondo Jr. had begun to come to an end and by early 2000, the couple announced their divorce; Jackson and Elizondo had kept their marriage a secret for nearly a decade. While filming Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), she continued to work on All for You _part2(2001), which became successful on the Billboard charts.

Pet Shop Boys - Performance


01. The Alpine Symphony Op 64
02. This Must Be The Place I Waited Year
03. It's A Sin
04. Losing My Mind
05. What Have I Done To Deserve This
06. My October Symphony
07. I'm Not Scared
08. We All Feel Better In The Dark
09. So Sorry I Said
10. Suburbia
11. So Hard
12. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots Of Mo
13. How Can You Expect To Be Taken Serio
14. Rent
15. Where The Streets Have No Name (I Ca
16. West End Girls
17. Jealousy
18. Always On My Mind
19. Your Funny Uncle

Madonna Gets The Pope All Huffy With Crucifixion Act

Madonna's ability to shock is matched only by Madonna's ability to star in films that make us want to kill ourselves and Madonna's ability to freak everyone out with her minuscule leotards.

Remember ages ago, when Madonna decided that hopping up on an enormous mirrored cross to crucify herself while singing a song on her latest tour? Remember that all kinds of religious leaders went bananas at Madonna for doing it, and then everyone sort of forgot about it? Well, now Madonna is plying her wares around Europe and the Pope has got wind of this mirrory crucifixion malarkey. And he's reportedly not very happy about it, which he finds somewhat disappointing since was a big fan of Hanky Panky era Madonna.

We're assuming that The Pope doesn't read hecklerspray all that much. That's a shame, because we're certain he'd have come up with a brilliant Mel Gibson Haiku, and because he wouldn't be getting his knickers in a twist so much about Madonna larking about on a cross.

Back in May, Madonna kicked off her new world tour in America. Knowing full well that she'd already done the graphic gynotard thing and the kissing girls thing to death, she needed to to think up a new way to drum up publicity. And what better than her old friend religious outrage. In the past, Madonna has annoyed religious types by getting off with Black Jesus in the Like A Prayer video and writing a song which will officially stop her getting into heaven so - to continue the theme - Madonna hopped onto a giant crucifix and sang a song in the face of exactly the type of moral outrage she was expecting, even though Jesus himself didn't really mind.

Now, though, Madonna is touring Europe in a whirlwind of claw-dipping and Swedish clothes-wearing. And the Vatican is responding to the crucifixion stunt as if it's only just heard about it. Cardinal Ersilio Tonini told an Italian newspaper on Wednesday:

“To crucify yourself in the city of the pope and the martyrs is an act of open hostility. It’s a scandal created on purpose by astute merchants to attract publicity.”

Whew, good job Christians are legally obliged to be forgiving isn't it? At least Madonna hasn't upset the Jews and the Muslims? What's that? She has? Jewish spokesman Riccardo Pacifici says:

“We express solidarity with the Catholic world. It’s a disrespectful act, and to do it in Rome is even worse.”

While Muslim bigwig Mario Scialoja says:

“It’s not the first time Madonna stages such an act. We deplore it, we feel it is an act of bad taste.”

But, hey, let's look on the bright side. Madonna's dead-eyed cynicism and opportunistic publicity-seeking seems to have forced the Jews and the Muslims into common agreement, and could possibly be the catalyst for world peace for ever and ever. Maybe Madonna actually is Jesus after all…

No, that's a stupid thing to think. Jesus could stay on a horse, for one.

Guns N' Roses - Use Your Illusion I & II


1. Right Next Door To Hell
2. Dust N' Bones
3. Live And Let Die
4. Don't Cry (Original)
5. Perfect Crime
6. You Ain't The First
7. Bad Obsession
8. Back Off Bitch
9. Double Talkin' Jive
10. November Rain
11. The Garden
12. Garden Of Eden
13. Don't d@mn Me
14. Bad Apples
15. Dead Horse
16. Coma

Many people will say that Appetite For Destruction is Guns N' Roses best album, but I prefer UYI2 by far. The opening track, Civil War, is the second best song the band ever wrote. 14 Years is very good, as is Yesterdays. Knockin' On Heaven's Door is the best cover song ever, it is even better than Dylan's version, and Dylan's version rocked. Get In The Ring and Shotgun Blues give the album a bit of a lull, because Axl basically tells everyone "F**k off" over and over, and this wrecks the songs. Breakdown is okay, and the first few minutes of Pretty Tied Up are good, too, but both songs bore me a little. Locmotive is alright, but it's too long. I heard So Fine and thought the CD was really sucking now, and that the band had run out of ideas before they had even started recording the UYIs (I didn't like much of the first album, except November Rain, Don't Cry, and Right Next Door To Hell). Holy crap, was I wrong. Estranged is the greatest song ever written by G N' R, or almost any other band for that matter. It is the perfect rock song, and I never get tired of listening to it. This song IS Use Your Illusion. Plus, it's followed by You Could Be Mine, one of G N' R's best hard rockers. The alternate version of Don't Cry is pretty sweet, but the original is better. I consider this the real end of the CD, despite the fact that their is a fourteebth song, My World. Axl wrote it; it is basically a minute and a half of distorted vocals, effects, and porn sounds. It's the only song on the CD that I hate. Shotgun Blues is better because it's fun, So Fine is better, even though it's too quiet for my taste. Even the profanity-laden Get In The Ring is better than this song. And no, I'm not one of those censorship freaks. F**k you, ;). In closing, this is, in my opinion, the best Guns N' Roses album, and is necessary to any fan of the band, or rock/metal music in general. Don't bother with the first half of UYI. It's okay, but only for fans of the band. But if you aren't a fan, just buy the horrible Greatest Hits CD released in 2004.

The Rolling Stones - Big Hits


1. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
2. The Last Time
3. As Tears Go By
4. Time Is On My Side
5. It's All Over Now
6. Tell Me
7. 19th Nervous Breakdown
8. Heart Of Stone
9. Get Off Of My Cloud
10. Not Fade Away
11. Good Times, Bad Times
12. Play With Fire


After reading the post of Al4321 in Minneapolis, MN I'd like to add the following. In the making of these SACD Hybryd remasters the producers looked for the best master production copies available due to the bad condition of some original master tapes; in others cases, the master tapes of some songs are simply lost!. What they have assembled here is all what we have from now on. Many of the mixes included in the old LPs are unavailable, maybe are lost forever!. So, these releases deserves all my approval as Stones Fan. This compilation is great, nice stuff for listening while driving my car if coupled with BIG HITS 2 (Through The Past darkly).

Shakira - Grandes Exitos


After Shakira's international breakthrough with her first English-language album, her record company decided to release Grandes Exitos, targeted at Spanish-speaking audiences. This record gathers her hits from Pies Descalzos, Dónde Están los Ladrones?, and MTV Unplugged, as well as some Spanish versions of hits from Laundry Service (previously edited on the same album in Spanish-speaking countries). The smash hit "Whenever, Wherever" here is "Suerte," while "Objection" is "Te Aviso, Te Anuncio." Even though Shakira is usually compared to other Latin stars like Thalía or Paulina Rubio, she has more to offer and you can hear it on this album. She manages to make the sound her own, mixing pop, rock, and some oriental sounds (such as on "Ojos Así"). For those who are looking for all of her hits in Spanish, this is the disc to start with.

DMX - The Industry (UNRELEASED CD)


01 - Stop Being Greedy
02 - It's A King Thing (~censored~ DJ KeySley)
03 - Bust Money In The Head
04 - Yeah (Remix)
05 - Go For Dat
06 - 24hrs To Live
07 - On & On (Unreleased Demo Track)
08 - Born Loser
09 - Tales From The Hood (Unreleased)
10 - Tear It Up
11 Freek-A-Leek (Remix)
12 - Shut 'Em Down
13 - Bow Wow (Remix)
14 - Three Stories
15 - In The Air Tonight (Remix)
16 - What It Be
17 - Some X ~censored~
18 - Ghetto Superstar (Remix)
19 - Pull It
20 - Let's Get Crazy

PRINCE - DISCOGRAPHY (26 ALBUMS)


Few artists have created a body of work as rich and varied as Prince. During the '80s, he emerged as one of the most singular talents of the rock & roll era, capable of seamlessly tying together pop, funk, folk, and rock. Not only did he release a series of groundbreaking albums, he toured frequently, produced albums and wrote songs for many other artists, and recorded hundreds of songs that still lie unreleased in his vaults. With each album he released, Prince has shown remarkable stylistic growth and musical diversity, constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures, and genres. Occasionally, his music can be maddeningly inconsistent because of this eclecticism, but his experiments frequently succeed; no other contemporary artist can blend so many diverse styles into a cohesive whole....

Bonnie Tyler - Bitterblue


01. Bitterblue
02. Against the Wind
03. Careless Heart
04. Whenever You Need Me
05. Where Were You
06. Save Me
07. He's Got a Hold on Me
08. Keep Your Love Alive
09. Tell Me the Truth
10. Heaven Is Here - Giorgio Moroder, Bonnie Tyler
11. Love Is in the Love Again
12. Till the End of Time - Dan Hartman, Bonnie Tyler
13. Too Hot
14. Why

biography
and Before her well-known collaborations with Meat Loaf producer Jim Steinman, Welsh-born singer Bonnie Tyler (born Gaynor Hopkins) performed off and on in her homeland with the R&B band Mumbles; nodules on her vocal cords prevented her from singing full time until 1976, when she underwent an operation to have them removed. The surgery left her with a raspy, husky voice that proved an effective instrument and drew notice from writers/producers Ronnie ScottSteve Wolfe, who became her managers. Tyler scored a number three hit with their "It's a Heartache" in 1978, but became dissatisfied as the two attempted to steer her into country music. When her contract ran out, she signed with CBS and sought Steinman out, hoping for material with his trademark epic sound. She got it with the ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart," which was recorded with E Street Band members Max Weinberg...

Brandy - Afrodisiac

Afrodisiac is the fourth album by American singer Brandy, released in the United States on

June 29, 2004 (see 2004 in music) on Atlantic Records. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production from Warryn Campbell and Kanye West. It reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 charts and included three singles: "Talk About Our Love", "Afrodisiac" and "Who Is She 2 U".

"Talk About Our Love" and "Where You Wanna Be", both produced by Kanye West, were eleventh-hour additions to the album, commissioned after West's success in 2004 with tracks by artists such as Twista and himself. When "Talk About Our Love" became Afrodisiac's lead single instead of its title track, Timbaland and Brandy herself protested the decision in several magazine interviews. "Talk About Our Love" barely made it to the U.S. Top 40, peaking at #36. Unfortunately, the album fell off the charts quickly and was a commercial failure. The album was eventually certified Gold.

Lou Bega - A little Bit of Mambo


A great party starter
Over all, this is a good album. The standout track is Mambo No. 5, which (on this album) is the original hit version. Lou puts more feeling into singing this song than in the remade version. It is subtle but noticeable. As for the rest of the album, there is a certain sameness to most of the songs and it gets a little boring toward the end. There is incredible bass on several tracks and if you have a stereo that can reproduce the lower two octaves without distorting, crank it up and enjoy! Buy this album for Mambo No. 5 and consider the rest as gravy.

Paul McCartney Divorce Gets Vaguely Nasty

Paul McCartney is getting on a bit, so as his marriage to Heather Mills McCartney fell apart, he probably just wanted to end things with a quick, quiet divorce and then watch Countdown in his comfy old chair.

However, it looks as if Heather Mills McCartney has a slightly different idea. Paul McCartney has finally decided to file for divorce against Heather, but she's responded with counterclaims in both England and America. This means that the Paul McCartney divorce is anticipated to become kinda nasty in the near future, though hopefully not as nasty as Heather Mills McCartney's hair in those pictures where she's laying on the floor kissing a German man's bondage whip.

Paul McCartney used to live in a happy little world where he was content to waggle his thumbs about in any situation, including the time he was beamed into space, the time he got ticked off at everyone in China or any of the thousands of times he's closed a concert by making the crowd sing the end of Hey Jude for upwards of six hours. But when Paul McCartney decided to split up with Heather Mills McCartney, his monoped wife of four years, Paul McCartney realised that not everything in life could be solved with a cheeky bob of the head and an anecdote about how brilliant John Lennon said he was once.

Now Paul McCartney has filed for divorce from Heather Mills McCartney citing 'unreasonable behaviour,' but Heather is said to want to fight Paul until she has so much money that she can build a giant golden statue of herself, a defiant look in her gleaming eye as another statue of a German man licks golden cream and cherries off of her knockers. Heather Mills McCartney is planning on filing counterclaims to the divorce in both England and America.

What this means is that, because Paul McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney didn't sign a pre-nuptial agreement, Heather is setting out to get a giant slice of Paul's £800 million fortune. A long-term friend of Paul McCartney is quoted as saying:

"It's a battlefield and it has become mind-boggling, not just because of Paul's fame but because of the constant stream of stories. But now with Heather announcing she is prepared to fight, things are just going to get uglier."

But we're not sure how ugly the Paul McCartney/ Heather Mills McCartney divorce is going to get. An ugly divorce is the David Hasselhoff divorce, where things start with claims of a husband calling a wife a "whore cunt bitch slut drug addict" and ends with the husband apparently wetting himself while staggering around an airport at 7am. Or the Charlie Sheen/ Denise Richards divorce, which features implied paedophila and a cast that includes dead porn stars and the bloke from Bon Jovi. A one-legged woman chasing a Beatle's cash, now how ugly could that possibly get?

George Michael To Sue ‘Everyone’ Over Gay Hedge Fumble

This hasn't really been George Michael's week; a few photos of him emerging froma bush after apparently doing something gay with a van driver have spiraled out of control and - boy oh boy - is George Michael ever angry.

It's hard to imagine George Michael angry, since most of his songs show roughly the same amount of emotion as a shop dummy with intimacy issues, but all this talk of his gay cruising seems to have sent him over the edge. George Michael has sensed that phoning up Richard And Judy for a bit of a whinge hasn't really done the job, so he's launched an angry attack on the media during an interview with ITV news where he threatens to sue "pretty much everybody," which probably includes you for reading this with your eyes right now.

George Michael has had his fair share of problems in the past few months. Falling asleep in his car with a bunch of drugs on him was one of them, and crashing into a load of cars before driving off was another, but they've been completely overshadowed by the news that George Michael saunters down to Hampstead Heath now and then to feel up men in some shrubbery. That's not really news - George Michael has been open about doing that in the past - but the reports that George's boyfriend Kenny Goss had called off their forthcoming wedding because of his public indiscretion have made George Michael get his knickers in a twist.

First George Michael called Richard And Judy to tell them the wedding was still on, and reaffirm that he wasn't ashamed about gay cruising, but now he's decided to put his case to people who aren't students or unemployed, and has given an interview with Nina Hossain from ITV News to tell the world exactly how he feels:

"I have been doing this on and off since I was a teenager and never once seen violence. If I want to see violence or what I call shameful behaviour, the idea that women that in clubs these days have to hold their hand over their drink for fear of being drugged… Please don't tell me as a member of the straight community that I am taking risks. I know what I do and I am sorry but we should not be taking questions like this, from straight women in particular."

And, speaking about his future, George Michael told Hossain that:

"When media starts to put slurs on my relationship and indicate that my partner - who is perfectly happy with the way I live my life and the way we live our life together - that my partner is calling off our registered partnership and that I am having to buy him back with money: these kind of things are just unacceptable to me. I am really just here to say I have had enough really and I am going to have to take legal action against pretty much everybody involved."

Yeek! At this point, we were planning on saying something snippy about leaving George Michael alone so much that you all stopped buying his singles, but it looks like you've been doing that for eight years anyway. Still, there's always the haikus.

Norah Jones - Come Away With Me

Absolutely Breath Taking...
There are simply not enough words to describe how intelligent and wonderful Norah Jones' debut album, Come Away With Me, actually is. 8 million people must agree, because to date, Come Away With Me, has gone 8 times platinum, giving Norah Jones the honors of having the second biggest selling debut of all time (placing only one spot behind 50 Cent, whose album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin', has sold 11 million records to date.) At such a young age, Norah Jones has such a beautiful, intelligent voice, which could be described as both soft, and scratchy at the same time - the combination is simply breath taking. Norah Jones backing band, The Handsome Band, is nothing short of spectacular on this offering. All songs are in perfect harmony, and the instruments are played beyond well - good musicianship is so hard to find these days. Norah Jones' paino skills are unbelieveably good - some have suggested that Norah's style could be compared to that of fellow platinum female artist, Alicia Keys. Although I've said it 100 times before, this is without a dobut the best CD that I own - everytime I listen to it, I fall in love with it all over again. A music lovers must have!

Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

Like most projects having to do with Grey Album producer Danger Mouse, this new Gnarls Barkley album is highly anticipated...on the Internet. Also, it may or may not be really popular in the UK. From what I understand, the first single "Crazy" was the first song ever to hit #1 in that country having only been released in online music stores.

But then I remember reading similar shit about Las Ketchup and whatever that Axel F ringtone bullshit was, so I'm not sure what to think.

GO GO GADGET GOSPEL

Reminds me of whatever the single was from the Cee-Lo's first solo album, with the horns and what have you.

CRAZY

The 2006 version of [insert the name of something that became inexplicably popular on the Internet and also in foreign countries]. Or am I missing something?

ST. ELSEWHERE

Cee-Lo seems to indulge in all of his worst impulses on this title track. Like that thing he does where he sort of sing-rambles about god-knows-what. For his part, Danger Mouse's beat could've provided the song with more structure. As it is, it's just sort of a mess.

GONE DADDY GONE

A sort of New Wave thing. Like "Turning Japanese" or something. Cee-Lo might not be as cut out for this sort of thing.

SMILEY FACES

And it may take being Asian or something to appreciate Cee-Lo as a vocalist. He's not completely untalented, but bottom line is the guy's just not that good of a singer. Whatever attendant irony there is in that fact is mostly lost on me.

THE BOOGIE MONSTER

You know what would be really ironic? An R&B singer that could actually sing. I'd bust my gut laughing at that shit. Bwahahaha.

FENG SHUI

Cee-Lo actually does a little rapping here. The beat might be going for a sort of Asian thing, but it mainly comes off as a jumbled mess.

JUST A THOUGHT

An ill-advised attempt at something a bit heavier in subject matter. I don't believe for a minute that Cee-Lo has considered suicide a day in his life. Fuck him.

TRANSFORMER

Danger Mouse gets a bit too wacky for his own good with this track.

WHO CARES

To its credit, the chorus to this isn't quite as lazy as the last several tracks here. Cee-Lo still mostly rambles through his verses though. Usually, you wish he'd either rap or sing - preferably rap.

ON-LINE

Was this meant to be a skit? I couldn't make out most of what Cee-Lo was saying here.

NECROMANCING

Why is Cee-Lo rapping about fucking corpses? Fag!

STORM COMING

DM cranks the BPM's, on some JJ Fad shit. But not so high that you don't notice how retarded this is.

THE LAST TIME

I've told you once and I've told you twice. But you never listen to my advice. Well this will be the last time.

Duncan Sheik - White Limousine


This is not a new direction for Duncan, so if you are hoping to see a fit of artistic growth, well, go buy "29" by Ryan Adams. What you get here from Duncan is exactly what we have come to expect: lovely melodies, interesting and sometimes truly poetic lyrics, and --above all--craftsmanship in the production of his songs. For White Limousine, he kept some of the incisiveness of Humming, the intimacy of Phantom Moon, and even a bit of the commentary that bubbled under the surface (and sometimes boiled over) on Daylight. The strings and warmth that marked his first album have never been as lovely as they are here.

There is no standout song on this album, no obvious single, which I think is a strength. It seems that Duncan was focused on writing a collection of songs that worked well together. In this ambition, he has succeeded singularly. The structure of each song is perfectly supported by its arrangement, its production. There are a number of agreeable sonic surprises here, including some very nice effects on his voice and guitar.

Speaking of Duncan's voice, allow me to say that it has never sounded warmer. Time has done lovely things to his depth, his intonation, and even his power. The reedyness is still there when he pushes, but now he uses it instead of being trapped by it. The gentle lower ranges of his voice have become truly beautiful.

If you have enjoyed Duncan's past albums, this is one that will seem, almost instantly, as if you have heard it before. And that is perhaps one of the highest complement that you can give to an artist that has never been strikingly original, but who is always deeply consistent, highly thoughtful, and above all, capable of producing genuinely effective music listenable over the long term. Definitely recommended.

Avant - Director


Best known for his visually exciting lyrics and scintillating vocals, Avant eschews the trite sexuality common in most contemporary R&B for a timeless salute to romance in the tradition of classic soul musicians like Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and Donny Hathaway. His music expressly respects women and honors relationships while still providing a sexy and explicit listening experience. For the past six years, Avant (born in 1978) has seduced audiences with soulful slow jams like Separated (the remix to which featured Kelly Rowland), My First Love, Makin' Good Love and Read Your Mind. The singer/songwriter wrote Separated based on his feelings following a failed romantic relationship. Emotional lyrics won the singer instant acclaim. When not stealing hearts with solos, the multi-platinum artist has stayed in the mix with cameos on Lloyd Banks' Karma and the Ying Yang Twins' Bedroom Boom, to name a few. He also appeared in the 2004 feature film Barbershop 2: Back in Business. On Avant's fourth and most fulfilling collection of music to date, the aptly titled Director, the smooth tenor brings us back to his private room to share thoughts of ecstasy.