New Releases, March 27: Tim McGraw, Good Charlotte, Stevie Nicks
Tim McGraw "Let It Go"
The country-music superstar is set to unveil his first new studio collection since 2004's "Live Like You Were Dying." The first single from the new album, which directly follows 2006's "Reflected: Greatest Hits V. 2," is "Last Dollar (Fly Away)."
McGraw stands to rack up plenty of dollars during the next run of the Soul2Soul tour, which also features his wife, fellow singer Faith Hill. The duo's 2006 outing was the highest-grossing country tour in history.
This edition, dubbed Soul2Soul Tour 2007, launches in early June and is currently scheduled to hit arenas and amphitheaters in 34 cities throughout the US and Canada.
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Good Charlotte "Good Morning Revival"
The pop-punkers unveil their fourth studio set, which follows 2004's platinum-selling "Chronicles of Life and Death." The new album was produced by Don Gilmore, who was at the controls for the band's self-titled debut in 2000.
"Good Morning Revival" features the leadoff single "The River," the music video for which was directed by Marc Webb, who previously worked with the group on the video for "Festival Song."
The band is expected to embark on a world tour to support the album. Details should be announced soon.
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Stevie Nicks "Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks"
The influential rock vocalist is ready to drop a career-spanning greatest-hits package that will include both solo material and tracks from her time with Fleetwood Mac.
"Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks" will feature original recordings as well as concert takes and dance remixes. A DVD component contains 13 Nicks videos (with voice-over commentary by the artist) and an audio interview.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will support the package during a national tour with Chris Isaak. Dates for the outing are expected to be announced shortly.
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Kaiser Chiefs "Yours Truly Angry Mob"
British New Wave-revivalists Kaiser Chiefs deliver the follow-up to their 2005 debut, "Employment." The album's first single, "Ruby," was released to radio in early January.
The Chiefs, who won three Brit Awards last year, will support "Yours Truly Angry Mob" with a North American tour that kicks off April 6 in Philadelphia. The trek will include an April 29 set at the Coachella Festival in Indio, CA.
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Jennifer Lopez "Como Ama una Mujer"
The multimedia queen releases her first-ever Spanish-language album. The first single from the set is "Que Hiciste."
Lopez, of course, has many irons in the fire. Besides being a successful recording artist, she continues to be an in-demand actress in Hollywood. She is married to Latin-music sensation Marc Anthony.
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More new releases:
John Butler Trio, "Grand National" (Atlantic)
Clutch, "From Beale Street to Oblivion" (DRT)
Mark Ford, "Weary and Wired" (Blues Bureau)
Macy Gray, "Big" (will.i.am/Geffen)
Jack Ingram, "This is It" (Big Machine)
Lil' Flip, "Lil' Flip" (Asylum/Warner)
Machine Head, "The Blackening" (Roadrunner)
Mika, "Life in Cartoon Motion" (Casablanca)
Grant-Lee Phillips, "Strangelet" (Zoe/Rounder)
Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) "Return of the Mac" (Koch)
Tha Dogg Pound, "Dogg Chit" (Doggystyle/Koch)
Third Day, "Chronology 1" (Essential)
Various Artists, "British Beat: Best of the 60s" (Shout)
Various Artists, "Disneymania 5" (Disney)
Various Artists, "Now 24" (Capitol)
Mary Weiss, "Dangerous Game" (Norton)
Warren Zevon, "Envoy" (Rhino)
Warren Zevon, "Excitable Boy" (Rhino)
Warren Zevon, "Stand in the Fire" (Rhino)
Young Buck, "Buck the World" (G-Unit/Interscope)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Meet the Robinsons" (Disney)
Bagpipes, Trumpets Enliven New White Stripes CD
Bagpipes and trumpet work from a previously unknown Latin musician are among the new sounds to be heard on the White Stripes' "Icky Thump," due in mid-June via Third Man/Warner Bros. The 13-track set was produced by frontman Jack White and follows 2005's "Get Behind Me Satan," which debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200.
"Icky Thump" runs the gamut from arena rock to blues to a spoken-word prayer to Saint Andrew. "Conquest" is set to a hot tango rhythm, featuring a trumpeter that White discovered playing a Mexican restaurant in Nashville. The song describes a reversal of roles in a relationship, where "the hunted became the huntress / the hunter became the prey / she with all her female guile / led him helpless down the aisle."
Bagpipes and a rollicking Scottish dance structure are applied to "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn," capped by the refrain of "lai-de-lai-de-li-oh." Drummer Meg White's voice can be heard a number of songs, including her banter with Jack on the playful "Rag and Bone" and on the aforementioned spoken-word track "St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)."
There is no piano on "Icky Thump" despite the instrument's significant presence on "Get Behind Me Satan," though several tracks are punctuated with synths and Wurlitzer. Cuts like "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues" and "Catch Hell Blues," as suggested by their titles, are a return to the garage-blues that underscored the band's earlier records.
As previously reported, the album was recorded at Nashville's Blackbird Studio over the span of three weeks. According to the group's Web site, an upcoming tour "will include all 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada, as well as the remaining 16 states of the United States the band have yet to play. A few major markets that have been journeyed to in the past will also be included."
Here is the "Icky Thump" track list:
"Icky Thump"
"You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)"
"300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues"
"Conquest"
"Bone Broke"
"Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn"
"St. Andrew (This Battle Is in the Air)"
"Little Cream Soda"
"Rag and Bone"
"I'm Slowly Turning Into You"
"A Martyr For My Love For You"
"Catch Hell Blues"
"Effect and Cause"
Timbaland gets ready to 'Shock'
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Timbaland is used to causing double takes with his music. Now he's hoping to make a few jaws drop, as well.
The producer, who in the past year helped put Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado atop the pop heap with platinum albums and torrid singles, strives for a new level of creativity April 3 with his genre-busting album Timbaland Presents Shock Value. After more than a decade of flooding the airwaves with hip-hop and R&B hits, the adventurous beatmaker blends rap, rock, R&B, punk and world music in his constant quest to stay ahead of the curve.
For first single Give It to Me, he calls in favors from Timberlake and Furtado, and he also collaborates with 50 Cent, Björk, The Hives, Elton John, Fall Out Boy, She Wants Revenge, Dr. Dre and Sri Lankan rapper MIA.
Timbaland does some rapping himself, but his boundary-busting ambitions will be realized in the soundscapes he masterminds.
"This is just me showing my versatility," says Timbaland (Tim Mosley), 36, aboard his tour bus in back of the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena.
"I like being mainstream. There is nothing wrong with hip-hop, and I do a lot of it on my album. But I want to make global music that reaches everybody.
"It's shocking when you hear all the different types of music. It's pretty intense. When people hear it I want them to go, 'Hmmm. I would have never thought of that.' "
Shock Value is his first album since 2003's Under Construction: Part II, the third album he did with longtime friend and rapper Magoo. While his previous albums have usually been well received critically, they've never been big commercially. His current hot streak and tour with Timberlake, however, have changed things.
"It's different because my stardom level has gone up," says Timbaland, who always has been low-key compared with other celebrated producers. "The way people look at me is totally different, and I have a whole new fan base."
Industry observers think he could be right. Timbaland, who has at times said he was bored with hip-hop, could skirt the sales doldrums besetting the genre by expanding his horizons.
"The climate for music is so bad right now, it will depend on whether pop radio picks up on it and whether he is seen as a pop star," says Chuck "Jigsaw" Creekmur, co-owner of Allhiphop.com. "Historically, his albums haven't fared well, but he's put himself in a different light with the groundwork he's laid with the work he's done recently. It will be interesting to see if he gets the same attention as Justin or Nelly Furtado."
Vibe associate music editor Sean Fennessey says Timbaland always has been innovative as a hip-hop and R&B producer, but he has probably gone as far as he can creatively go. Working with other kinds of artists is a natural step for Timbaland, who appreciates a broad variety of sounds.
"I think he is genuinely a fan of rock music," he says. "He is an Elton fan, he is a Fall Out Boy fan, and that is why he wants to work with these people. I don't think he thinks of things in genres, either. He just thinks this is hot or not hot.
"What he does is universal music. It's very smart music, and at the same time, it's very danceable."
Furtado says Timbaland knows how to bring out the best in an artist. She says his enthusiasm for the music is infectious.
"When I work with Timbaland in the studio, I feel elevated and electric," she says. "He has an innate musical knowledge and sense of groove that cannot be quantified. Tim has been blessed by God with an incredible sense of rhythm. His production is full of primal energy. This energy really empowers me in the studio."
Timbaland has been on the road on Timberlake's Future Sex/LoveShow World Tour since January, and he has been previewing bits of Shock Value during a 20-minute DJ set in the middle of the pop star's two-hour concert. It's his first real tour, and he says he loves creating beats on stage.
He was not surprised when Timberlake asked him to join the tour.
"We're the best of friends, and we look at it as a team package," says Timbaland, who adds the singer also helped him during the album's production by providing a different perspective on the music.
The 38-stop tour hasn't kept him from his busy production schedule. He has a fully equipped recording studio on the bus — sort of a recording home away from home from his 5,000-square-foot facility in Virginia Beach. (He also has a residence in Miami.)
Chris Brown, 50 Cent and Rihanna are among the stars he has connected with while traveling. He says that whenever he has to, "we just pull over and go to work."
The Norfolk, Va.-born artist/producer has been putting in work since the early '90s, working as DJ Tiny Tim and collaborating with Missy Elliott and rapper Melvin Barcliff (Magoo). They got their first break when Elliott's girl group, Sista, was signed by Jodeci member/producer DeVante Swing to his Swing Mob label. That's where he was nicknamed Timberland, after the popular boots.
He was also a part of a production group, S.B.I. (Surrounded by Idiots), which included another star producer in the making, the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams.
Timbaland worked on several projects at Swing Mob, but by 1995, most of the acts, including Elliott and R&B singer Ginuwine, had moved on.
A year later, Timbaland produced the latter artist's debut album, Ginuwine … The Bachelor, which included the hit Pony. The song's complex drum patterns, stuttering bass lines and quirky sound effects became a Timbaland trademark and spawned numerous imitators.
He teamed with Elliott to write and produce Aaliyah's double platinum One in a Million. That success raised all of their profiles, and he had hits with the likes of Destiny's Child, Nas, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson and SWV. The bulk of his work, however, was concentrated on albums for his closest associates, including his own solo album and one with Magoo.
By 2001, he was still churning out hits. He introduced his new Beat Club imprint with rapper Bubba Sparxxx's Dark Days, Bright Nights and worked with such new acts as Tweet, Ms. Jade and Petey Pablo. Tragedy struck late that year when Aaliyah died in a plane crash. He keeps a portrait of her on his tour bus.
In 2002, he collaborated with star producer Scott Storch on several tracks on Timberlake's solo debut album, Justified. He has maintained a steady presence on the radio since then with hits for Xzibit, Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, Elliott, Tweet, LL Cool J, Pussycat Dolls and The Game.
During this time, his infusion of Asian and Middle Eastern rhythms into productions once again had other urban beatmakers scrambling to catch up.
"I listen to some of everything, and the rhythms come from me studying the world and seeing what's really out there besides us," Timbaland says. "I'm not stuck on one thing. That's just me."
He formed the Mosley Music Group in 2005 after his Beat Club deal folded. Furtado was his first signee and her smash Loose its initial album. Shock Value is next, and he plans to put out albums by alternative rock band OneRepublic and singer/songwriter Keri Hilston (who has written tunes for Mary J. Blige, Chingy, Chris Brown, Omarion, Usher, Letoya Luckett and others) later this year.
Other acts signed to the label include his brother Sebastian (Garland Mosley) and production partner Nate "Danja" Hills.
Currently, he's embroiled in a feud with Storch. Timberlake's Grammy-winning hit Cry Me a River, from Justified, was one of their joint efforts. Storch is credited with playing piano on the track but not as a co-producer, as Storch says he should have been. Timbaland disses Storch without mentioning his name on Give It to Me; Storch fired back at him on a song called Built Like That.
"Scott is not really in my league," Timbaland says. "I don't dislike him. I like him, but as a producer he can't see me. He don't have a fan base like I've got."
Storch has produced hits for Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Beyoncé and many others.
Timbaland says he has several high-profile collaborations in the works, but he's sworn to silence about them. Reports have him working with Duran Duran, Nicole Scherzinger and possibly Madonna. He has broached the idea of recording with troubled pop princess Britney Spears, although nothing is in the works.
"All I've said is that I was tired of people talking about her," he says. "I like Britney as a person. People should leave her alone and let her get her life in order and not write about her every five minutes. That doesn't show that you care about her. It just shows that you build a person up so that you can tear them down."
Nothing seems likely to tear him down soon. He already has done songs this year for the likes of Omarion, Bobby Valentino, Redman and Fabolous, thus satisfying his core fans' need for "dope beats to step to" while constantly finding new ones.
He says isn't sure why his music lately has had such broad appeal. He just shrugs his shoulders and says, "I don't know what I've tapped into. I'm just enjoying life and having fun."
New NHL deal keeps Hockey Night in Canada on CBC
The CBC and NHL announced a new television deal Monday that will keep Hockey Night in Canada on the air until 2014.
The six-year broadcast deal, which includes national English-language broadcast and multimedia rights to NHL games in Canada, will begin when the current agreement between the CBC and the league expires after the 2007-08 season.
"Can you imagine seven more years of me?" Don Cherry told CBC Sports Online Monday after the CBC announced a new six-year broadcast deal with the NHL.
"I'm very happy. [Hockey Night in Canada ] should be on the CBC: it's been on the CBC [since the 1950s] and this is where it belongs."
The CBC and NHL made the official annoucement during a news conference at the network's Toronto broadcast centre with the Stanley Cup trophy present.
"Some parts of my job never grow old — one of the fun parts in having the honour of presenting this magnificent trophy each year to the captain of the team that wins the Stanley Cup," NHL comissioner Gary Bettman told reporters.
"Another [fun part] is the being able to play a role in carrying on the tradition that is vitally important to Canadians, namely to bring Hockey Night in Canada to over one million hockey fans in Canada each Saturday night."
The CBC will maintain exclusive Canadian coverage of NHL games on Saturday nights, including traditional doubleheaders and more regional telecasts.
The CBC also retains exclusive Canadian coverage of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL All-Star Game and the annual NHL Awards, and continued coverage of Canadian teams in the playoffs, ensuring national coverage of all Canadian clubs involved in the post-season.
Also, a multimedia package including live and on-demand video streaming of all CBC's hockey broadcasts will be available online at CBC.ca in the near future. That means fans in Canada will be able to watch any Hockey Night in Canada broadcast on CBC.ca, regardless of what game is being aired in their area of the country.
"This is the first day of a very exciting future for us and the NHL," said Richard Stursberg, the executive vice-president of CBC Television.
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada is currently in its 54th season on television.
Monday's announcement was a big win for the CBC because the public broadcaster suffered some setbacks in negotiations for key television properties the past few years.
In December 2006, the Canadian Football League announced a new five-year television contract with TSN, a deal that leaves the CBC watching from the sidelines once its current agreement with the league expires after the 2008 season.
CBC also lost the rights to Canadian Curling Association properties, such as the Brier and Tournament of Hearts, to CTV-TSN in 2006.
In 2005, a Bell Globemedia-Rogers Communications consortium won the rights to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. CBC had held Olympic broadcast rights since 1996.
CBC Sports responded to those losses by signing an eight-year agreement with FIFA that includes the rights to the next two World Cups, a four-year deal for alpine skiing and an eight-year contract for the World Curling Tour's Grand Slam events.
Rush announces tour dates
Canadian rock legends Rush have announced dates for their upcoming tour, and it includes six Canadian stops.
The 62-date stint will begin on June 13 in Atlanta, and will make its way to Calgary on July 18, London on September 12, Quebec City on September 14, Montreal on September 15, Toronto on September 19, and Ottawa on September 21.
The tour will wrap up in Helsinki, Finland on October 29.
Tickets for the Canadian portion of the trek will go on sale on April 20 and April 21. There will also be a presale through Rush's official site.
The tour is in support of their new studio album "Snakes & Arrows," which hits stores on May 1.
Here's the list of tour dates:
13-June Atlanta, GA HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
15-June West Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre
16-June Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
18-June Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless
20-June Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
22-June Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
23-June Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion
25-June Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
27-June Boston, MA Tweeter Center
29-June Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion
30-June Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC
2-July Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
4-July Buffalo, NY Darien LakeApril 14
6-July Camden, NJ Tweeter Center
8-July Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
9-July Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
18-July Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
20-July Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
21-July Portland, OR The Amphitheatre at Clark County
23-July Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
25-July Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
27-July Phoenix, AZ Cricket Pavilion
28-July Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
30-July San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre
1-Aug. San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
3-Aug. Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion
4-Aug. Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
6-Aug. Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
8-Aug. Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
11-Aug. Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Centre
12-Aug. San Antonio, TX Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
14-Aug. Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
23-Aug. Kansas City, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
24-Aug. St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
26-Aug. Indianapolis, INVerizon Wireless Music Center
28-Aug. Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
30-Aug. Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Centre
1-Sept. Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
2-Sept. Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheater
6-Sept. Milwaukee, WI Marcus AmphitheaterSaturday,
8-Sept. Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
9-Sept. St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
12-Sept. London, ON John Labatt Centre
14-Sept. Quebec City, PQ Colisee de Quebec
15-Sept. Montreal, PQ Bell Centre
19-Sept. Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
21-Sept. Ottawa, ON ScotiaBank Place
3-Oct. Glasgow, Scotland SECC
5-Oct. Newcastle, England Metro Radio Arena
6-Oct. Sheffield, England Hallam FM Arena
9-Oct. London, England Wembley Arena
10-Oct. London, England Wembley Arena
11-Oct. Birmingham, England NEC Arena
14-Oct. Manchester, England MEN Arena
16-Oct. Rotterdam, Netherlands Ahoy
17-Oct. Rotterdam, Netherlands Ahoy
19-Oct. Oberhausen, Germany Arena
21-Oct. Mannheim, Germany SAP Arena
23-Oct. Milan, Italy Forum Arena
26-Oct. Oslo, Norway Spektrum Monday,
27-Oct. Stockholm, Sweden Globe Arena
29-Oct. Helsinki, Finland Hartwell Arena