RECORDS THAT'LL ROCK THE REST OF THE YEAR
September 9, 2007 -- THE MUSIC business may be staggering blindly into the digital era, but musicians just keep doing what they always have - writing great songs that capture our imaginations and fill dance floors. Compared to recent years, this fall stands out as a potential blockbuster season.
Kanye West and 50 Cent are just a luscious first course in this fall's diverse banquet of delectable music. There are sophomore discs from youthful chartbusters Chamillionaire, KT Tunstall and Carrie Underwood. Rockers Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, Eddie Vedder and Matchbox 20 all have new albums. And geezers like Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge, Barry Manilow and John Fogerty are all offering new work.
Even Britney Spears, Alicia Keys and J.Lo are getting back in the game after a few years off.
Fans were thrilled to hear rumors of new records from Whitney Houston and Gnarls Barkley, but they've been pushed to next year. Still, there'll be plenty of new tunes to download onto your now-massive 160 gigabyte iPod (which holds 40,000 songs). From a field of thousands, here are the hottest 40 albums, in chronological order, coming out this fall.
SEPTEMBER
1.CHAMILLIONAIRE
"Ultimate Victory"
The Houston rapper returns with his second album after conquering the ringtone world. Not only did last year's "The Sound of Revenge" go platinum and win a Grammy for the single "Ridin'," but it generated more than 4 million rigntone sales. He even got RIAA certification for it. "Ultimate" boasts cameos from Lil' Wayne, Krazyie Bone, Pimp C, Famous and Devin the Dude. (Tuesday)
2.KENNY CHESNEY
"Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates"
Country superstar Chesney, who's quietly sold more then 25 million albums with rock-saturated country, is back with his lucky 13th studio record. The grammatically challenged first single, "Never Wanted Nothing More," has topped the country charts for 5 weeks. Guest twangers include Dwight Yoakam, George Straight and Joe Walsh. (Tuesday)
3.JAMES BLUNT
"All the Lost Souls"
Mr. "You're Beautiful" follows his multi-platinum "Back to Bedlam" with more smooth, acoustic-pop balladeering. The first single, "1973," surprises with disco-flavored jams and Bee Gees references. (Sept. 18)
4.BARRY MANILOW
"The Greatest Songs of the Seventies"
Sounds like a perfect storm forming: Barry on the mike, singing "The Way We Were," "My Eyes Adored You" and, as a duet with Rosie O'Donnell, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." He even covers himself with "Mandy" and "Copacabana." (Sept. 18)
5.KT TUNSTALL
"Drastic Fantastic"
The Scottish singer, whose soulful pop tunes got a big boost from "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Idol," follows her platinum debut, "Eye to the Telescope," with an album on which she plays lead guitar, piano and ukulele. The first single, "Hold On," takes inspiration from the dance hall rhythms of her London 'hood. (Sept. 18)
6.EDDIE VEDDER
"Into the Wild"
The Pearl Jam frontman scores movie music for Sean Penn's upcoming film. Originally a pure instrumental disc, the grunge vocalist couldn't help himself, and sings on nearly every track of this pretty, string-jam record. (Sept. 18)
7.STEVE EARLE
"Washington Square Serenade"
The controversial folk, rock, outlaw-country artist left Nashville for New York, and this is an ode to his new home. The deluxe edition will include a DVD documentary. (Sept. 25)
8.MELISSA ETHERIDGE
"The Awakening"
A collection of confessional songs dealing with her cancer battle and her life as a mother, "Awakening" is Etheridge's first album in four years. "The album is my story and my journey, but I hope that it will ring universally," she says. Umm, OK - we just hope it rocks. (Sept. 25)
9.FOO FIGHTERS
"Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
For their sixth album, Dave Grohl and company combine big, arena-rock songs with acoustic ballads for a disc that reflects the Foo's loud-soft concert tour this year. Grohl, the one-time Nirvana drummer who turned to the guitar when he went Foo, plays piano for this record.
(Sept. 25)
10.JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
"In Our Nature"
The Swedish singer drew a cult following when his song got hitched to a fab Sony Bravia spot featuring a 250,000 brilliantly colored superballs spinning through San Francisco. That helped his debut, "Veneer," go on to sell 700,000 copies worldwide, which isn't so cult-y after all. (Sept. 25)
11.PJ HARVEY
"White Chalk"
Polly Jean Harvey, poster child for alt-rock chicks, wrote her eighth disc on the piano. Check the first single, the ballad "When Under Ether." She performs at the Beacon on Oct. 10. (Sept. 25)
12.IRON AND WINE
"The Shepherd's Dog"
Sam Beam's cover of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" on the "Garden State" soundtrack brought his one-man band to the attention of the national indie scene. Now he expands his hushed folk sound, lending "Lovesong of the Buzzard" soul organs, slide guitars and upbeat rhythms, and layering "House by the Sea" with positively psychedelic guitars. (Sept. 25)
13.QUEEN LATIFAH
"Trav'lin Light"
The follow to 2004's "The Dana Owens Album" takes the former rapper farther from hip-hop, bowing deeply to jazz, soul and blues standards. (Sept. 25)
14.VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino"
The roster of classic-rock royalty contributing covers of Fats' best known songs is nearly as incredible as the man himself. The double disc features Elton John ("Blueberry Hill"), Neil Young (Walkin' to New Orleans"), and Willie Nelson ("I Hear You Knockin'"), among others. There's even John Lennon's take on Domino's most popular song, "Ain't That a Shame." (Sept. 25)
15.will.i.am
"Songs About Girls"
He calls this a semi-autobiographical, hip-hop concept album "where all the songs tell stories of falling in love, falling out of love and trying to get back in love." The Black Eyed Pea mastermind has truly gone solo - the only guest artist is Snoop Dogg, who's featured on "The Donque Song." (Sept. 25)
OCTOBER
16.JOHN FOGERTY
"Revival"
After retrospectives and a couple of years on the road, Fogerty is back with a studio album that's a return to Credence-style swamp rock. "Revival," get it? No foolin', it really does have the classic CCR sound and there's even a tune titled "Creedence Song." (Oct. 2)
17.BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND
"Magic"
For Springsteen's 15th studio album, and the first E Street disc since 2002's "The Rising," the Jersey boys make no radical moves - at least not if the single "Radio Nowhere" is a barometer. (Oct. 2)
18. MATCHBOX 20
"Exile on Mainstream"
After a five-year hiatus, MB20 goes for what singer Rob Thomas says is a "live feel." This is officially a "best of" album, but there are six new tunes written by the whole band, not just Thomas. (Oct. 2)
19. ALTERBRIDGE
"Blackbird"
The Scott Stapp-less Creed, better known as Alterbridge, is back with a 13-track sophomore disc of straight-ahead rockers. Listen for the power ballad "Watch Over You" to break through. If some songs are already familiar, it's because "Rise Today" has been enlisted by "CSI: Miami" and "White Knuckle" is an NFL theme tune on ESPN. (Oct. 9)
20.KID ROCK
"Rock and Roll Jesus"
Still cocky on the autobiographical title track, Kid offers more Southern and classic-rock riffs. On "All Summer Long," he cross-pollinates "Werewolves of London" with "Sweet Home Alabama." Unfortunately, with the exception of the tune "Sugar," he seems to have abandoned rap 'n' roll. (Oct. 9)
21.EVE
"Here I Am"
After a four-year break, the Philadelphia rapper, actress and fashion designer released her first single, "Tambourine," in April. She wants to cross over to the Top 40 with her fourth solo album - on two songs she even sings rather than raps. She might just blow ya mind. (Oct. 16)
22. JENNIFER LOPEZ
"Brave"
After her first (and maybe last) Spanish-language album tanked earlier this year, J.Lo makes a quick recovery. Her sixth studio album is fast-paced pop with a hip-hop edge, produced by Middi Mafia and Bloodshy. The first single, "Do It Well" is already all over radio.
(Oct. 9)
23.JIMMY EAT WORLD
"Chase This Light"
The standard bearers of the emo scene stick to what works for them: being simultaneously mopey and uplifting. Singer Jim Atkins offers nostalgic lyrics tied to swelling, sing-along choruses. (Oct. 16)
24.ANGELS & AIRWAVES
"I-Empire"
Singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge continues his quest to put distance between himself and former band, blink-182. The second disc by his artsy supergroup blends synth-rock, punk, arena anthems and light drum-and-bass. (Oct. 23)
25.ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUS
"Rising Sand"
An ethereal, dreamy album that has four breakout rockers that are fantastic. This odd-couple pairing is worth a listen, but you won't want to pound "Sand" every day.
26. CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"Carnival Ride"
The 2005 American Idol champ's second disc continues down traditional country roads with a couple of nice ballads that have major Faith Hill influences.
(Oct. 23)
27.BABYSHAMBLES
"Shotter's Nation
Who would think that Peter Doherty's druggy antics could be topped. Thank Amy Winehouse for that. "This time around we hit the nail on the head, whereas with 'Down in Albion' there were lots of nails flying all over the place," Doherty says. "This time I was able to sing, and self-control was a bit more exercised all together." Maybe he has grown up. (Oct. 23)
28.AVENGED SEVENFOLD
self-titled
Having polarized the new metal scene, the Huntington Beach bad boys are back with a self-produced album. As with 2005's "City of Evil," the quintet strays further from their screaming metalcore origins. But A7X's hasn't gone soft. There's more than enough of their signature blistering guitar solos and riffs, matched with aggressive drumbeats, to go around. (Oct. 30)
29.DURAN DURAN
"Red Carpet Massacre"
The '80s pop kings update their sound with a help from friends such as Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate Hills, who were hungry like wolves to work with Simon LeBon. (Oct. 30)
NOVEBMBER
30.ALICIA KEYS
"As I Am"
Keys says her third album is "Aretha Franklin doing a Janis Joplin song." John Mayer helps the lady get her rock while Keys gives her shiny new harpsichord a workout. (Nov. 6)
31.CELINE DION
"Taking Chances"
The French-Canadian pop singer took a break in 2002 to perform 600 shows in Vegas. She recorded an album in French in 2005, but her heart and new album goes on in English. (Nov. 13)
32.NELLY
"Brass Knuckles"
The St. Louis rapper is back with his first disc in three years. The single "Wadsyaname?" recalls "Hot In Herre'" and he's got plenty of guest stars, including Chuck D., Akon, T.I. and Snoop. (Nov. 13)
33.SEAL
"System"
Heidi Klum's hubby says his first new work since 2003 is about roots: "I wanted to go back to the guitar, to the instrument I wrote 'Crazy' and 'Killer' on, and get back to the fundamentals of what I really love to do." (Nov. 13)
34.SHAGGY
"Intoxication"
From Kingston to Flatbush, reggae fans will love Shaggy's boombastic vocals on the propulsive title track. Highlights include a duet with Akon on "What's Love?" (Nov. 13)
35.Britney Spears
Title TBA
Spears says her record "is about feeling good and celebrating womanhood" and not about problems in her personal life. T-Pain produced three of the new songs and Annie Lennox wrote "Everybody." which heavily samples the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." (Nov. 13)
36.WU-TANG CLAN
"The 8 Diagrams"
In their 15th year, Staten Island's finest release their first album in six years. New rhymes from Redman and the RZA will be joined by ODB vocals recorded for the group's first album. Collaborators include: Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and George Harrison's son Dhani. (Nov. 13)
37. MARY J. BLIGE
Title TBA
It's shaping up to be a day of R&B drama as Blige and Mariah Carey duke it out Kanye-Fitty style as the Grammy-winning, Bronx-born hip-hop diva releases her eighth studio album.
(Nov. 20)
38.MARIAH CAREY
Title TBA
Comeback classic "The Emancipation of Mimi" sold nearly 6 million copies, so how will she top it? With co-production help from Jermaine Dupri, Bryan Michael Cox and will.i.am, she may find a way. (Nov. 20)
39.JORDIN SPARKS
Title TBA
Last week the youngest-ever "Idol" champ released "Tattoo," the debut single from her upcoming album. The Arizona teen's in the studio working with production duo Stargate, who has crafted hits for Beyoncé and Ne-Yo. (Nov. 20)
DECEMBER
40. MISSY ELLIOTT
"The Countdown"
Missy works it with Nate "Danjahands" Hill and Timbaland on her seventh album. It's only a working title, so don't be surprised if it's just a working release date. You'll get a preview in an upcoming Doritos campaign that stars Elliott in the studio. (Dec. 20)
Husband asks singer to admit affairs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country star Sara Evans' husband is asking the singer in a court filing whether she was romantically involved with nearly a dozen people, including Kenny Chesney, Richard Marx and former "Dancing With The Stars" partner Tony Dovolani.
The 118-page document was filed Tuesday in Williamson Country chancery court as part of Evans' divorce from Craig Schelske, according to The Tennessean newspaper.
It asks Evans to state under oath and penalty of perjury whether or not she admits to "an affair/sexual relationship/romantic involvement" with Chesney, Marx, Dovolani or any member of her band. It also seeks to find out if there was any relationship with Brad Arnold, Matt Roberts, Todd Harrell or Chris Henderson — all members of the group 3 Doors Down.
The questions are included in a document used to obtain information from opposing parties during legal proceedings.
Evans has not yet responded, and the court filing provides no evidence that she had relationships with any of the named people.
John Hollins Sr., Evans' attorney, told the newspaper he could not comment because of a court-issued gag order. Evans' publicist did not return calls. Schelske's attorney, who is also bound by the gag order, did not return a call seeking comment.
A publicist for Chesney and a former manager for Marx declined to comment. Calls left for Universal/Republic, the record label of 3 Doors Down, were not immediately returned.
Evans filed for divorce the day after a blowup between the couple in a Los Angeles restaurant, after which police were called to the scene.
In previous court filings, Schelske alleged that he had learned of his wife's "intimate relationship" during the dinner.
A hearing in the case is set for Sept. 28 in Hickman County.
Evans made her recording debut in 1997, and her 2000 album "Born to Fly" went double platinum. Her hits include "Perfect," "Suds in the Bucket" and "Real Fine Place to Start."
Racy Timberlake 'Box' video wins Emmy
LOS ANGELES - An off-color "Saturday Night Live" video featuring Justin Timberlake and strategically placed gift boxes was honored at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
"Dick in a Box," last December's fake music video performed by Timberlake and "SNL" cast member Andy Samberg, is about wrapping a part of the male anatomy and presenting it to a loved one as a holiday present.
"I think it's safe to say that when we first set out to make this song, we were all thinking 'Emmy!'" Samberg said in accepting the award Saturday for best original music and lyrics.
"The other thing we were thinking was, 'Hey! Here's this young up and comer, Justin Timberlake, who is clearly very talented and could clearly use a break,'" Samberg said. "So, Justin, if you're out there, congrats to you, kid.'"
The video, which beat out competition that included two songs from a musical edition of "Scrubs," became an Internet sensation. It garnered millions of views on YouTube and NBC's Web site, which posted an un-bleeped version.
The Creative Arts Emmys, which recognize technical and other achievements for the 2006-07 season, will air Sept. 15 on E!, the night before the Primetime Emmy Awards on Fox.
Timberlake was elsewhere Saturday: He had a concert scheduled in Tacoma, Wash. But his tour takes him to Los Angeles on Primetime Emmys night, raising the possibility he could perform "Box" at the ceremony.
As Samberg arrived at the creative arts awards, he told The Associated Press that he had yet to be asked by the TV academy to perform the song with Timberlake on the Fox broadcast — but he was willing, he said.
Other winners Saturday included the four actors who received awards for series guest roles: Elaine Stritch for "30 Rock," Leslie Caron for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," John Goodman for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and Stanley Tucci for "Monk."
"I think I was nominated in 1951 for the most promising newcomer. I'm glad I finally realized my potential," Caron said.
Spike Lee's New Orleans documentary, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," received three awards, including a directing trophy.
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" won a leading five awards. The film, which chronicles events leading up to the assassination of Sitting Bull and the Sioux massacre at Wounded Knee Creek in 1890, is up for more Emmy honors, including best TV movie, next weekend.
"This project has been a labor of love and a labor of conscience for everyone who worked on it," said executive producer Dick Wolf.
Entertainment industry executive Rich Frank, former president of Television Academy, received the Syd Cassyd Founders Award.
HBO collected the most trophies, 15, followed by NBC with 12, CBS with nine and Cartoon Network with eight. Fox earned seven awards, PBS six and ABC four.
Fall TV: Uphill climb for major networks
NEW YORK - Here's one of the safest bets you'll find this fall: one month into the new television season the media will be filled with stories about how poorly the networks are doing.
What's a little less certain is whether those stories will actually be true.
The broadcast networks are trying hard to get your attention for a season that kicks off on Sept. 23. ABC is passing out daisies to pedestrians to hawk its new series "Pushing Daisies." CBS is advertising its Miami-set "Cane" with an ad that smells like mojitos. Every new NBC series can be seen online before they air on television.
They're talking tough, too. "Our fall is like the summer motion-picture blockbuster time and we are really confident that we will get a big audience," said Ben Silverman, NBC entertainment president.
Yet if there's a faint odor of desperation in the air, that's understandable.
The networks suffered through an alarming spring of poor ratings, followed by a lackluster summer. And it's not like the factors driving those problems have gone away.
Last spring was a benchmark in large numbers of TV viewers beginning to take control of their schedules. Through digital video recorders, video on demand and streaming of programs on iTunes and elsewhere, there's no reason to fear anymore if you can't be in front of the TV Thursday to watch "Grey's Anatomy" live.
The problem is the TV business is used to instant results. Network executives have faxes in their bedrooms, or can call a special number before dawn to hear how many people watched their prime-time shows the night before.
An estimated one in five American TV homes now have digital video recorders, a sharp jump from the 12 percent last September, researchers say. Those numbers alone tell you more people will be taping their favorite programs to watch later.
That's bound to make those initial ratings ugly compared to the year before, fueling the notion that viewers are abandoning network television.
To get a truer sense of how the industry is doing, it's probably better to wait for Nielsen Media Research's measurement of who watches a program within seven days of its first airing. Network suits would also be very interested in ratings for commercial minutes, and they take three weeks.
But who wants to wait that long when there are snap judgments to be made?
"The technology of measuring how many people watch TV has not caught up with how people are watching TV," said Sarah Bunting, co-founder of the Web site Television Without Pity. "They watch. They're just not making appointment television, because that's not really necessary."
Add in DVR viewing, broadband streaming, video on demand and, eventually, DVDs and more people may see certain shows than they have in the past — even if that's not the public perception, said Jeff Bader, scheduling chief for ABC.
Perhaps. Or there could be less people interested in what the networks have to offer.
The networks largely dismiss the summer months, but there were still some disturbing signs this year. Viewership on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox was down 9 percent this summer compared to 2006, even though they aired twice as many new shows, said Jack Wakshlag, chief researcher for the Turner Networks.
That's a loss of 1.5 million households, or about the size of the Tampa-St. Petersburg market.
Viewers abandoned reruns in droves, particularly drama reruns, and increasingly sought out fresh series on cable like TNT's "The Closer." Television's biggest event of the summer, the premiere of "High School Musical 2," was on cable's Disney Channel.
Broadcasters suggest there will be little carryover into the fall. But when the average American home has more than 100 channels, it's probably not a good idea to so willingly cede ground. They may not come back.
"This makes people shift around more," said Steve Sternberg, an analyst for the Madison Avenue firm Magna Global. "It's not, `let's just see what's on cable.' People are becoming more familiar with the individual networks."
Some network executives are worried that DVR usage also may make it tougher for new series to catch on. If people have a choice of trying out something new, or catching a "Heroes" episode they have taped, the unfamiliar may lose out.
It would help if there were intense curiosity among the public — call it buzz — about new shows like NBC's "Bionic Woman" remake, ABC's "Cavemen" or CBS' "Kid Nation."
The online media marketing firm BrandIntel suggests there is. Its measurement of "buzz," essentially how much Internet chatter there is about upcoming network series, is up over last year, the company reported. Others who watch the industry are suspicious.
"There are several interesting pilots," said veteran television critic Frazier Moore of The Associated Press, who's watched them all. "It is hard to say if the series will be interesting. But there is less buzz about them than any recent season I can recall."
The whole idea of whether a series is buzzed about is pretty meaningless anyway, Sternberg said. There's no correlation between buzz and success: far more people were talking late last summer about "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" than "Heroes," for example, he said.
"Every two or three years you have excitement at the start of a season," he said. "Most of the time people say there's nothing on the schedule. I remember the year `ER' and `Friends' came out — that was considered one of the blandest schedules I'd ever seen."
'Yuma' guns down box office competition
LOS ANGELES - The critically acclaimed Western "3:10 to Yuma" outgunned the fright fest "Halloween" to become the weekend's top box office draw.
The remake from Lionsgate took in $14.1 million from Friday through Sunday according to studio estimates. While the film did not produce huge numbers, it performed well for a genre picture on a historically slow weekend.
"We ended the summer on a strong note and we're starting off the fall in typical fashion," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It wasn't a huge weekend, but it was better than the same weekend in 2006."
This weekend's top 12 films took in 22.5 percent more than last year's post Labor Day crop, making the ninth straight weekend the box office has exceeded 2006 results.
The performance of "3:10 to Yuma," which paired Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, thrilled Lionsgate executives, who chose this weekend to position the film for Oscar consideration.
"We wanted to be the first Western into the marketplace this fall, we wanted to be the first prestige film this fall and we wanted to set ourselves up as the first award-caliber picture of the fall and I think we accomplished all of those goals," president of Lionsgate theatrical films Tom Ortenberg said.
Westerns, once a Hollywood staple, are a tough sell these days. The last critically acclaimed film of note in that genre was 1992's "Unforgiven," starring Clint Eastwood.
This fall will see two Westerns contending both for box office and awards buzz. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," starring Brad Pitt, opens Sept. 21.
Lionsgate picked the weekend after Labor Day to separate its film from the slew of fall Oscar contenders that will be released starting in the next few weeks. Topping the box office gives the film legitimacy with awards voters, Ortenberg said.
"The genre films that have gone on to win best picture — 'Gladiator,' 'Braveheart,' 'Unforgiven' — all of them were commercial successes before they were award winners," he said. "Voters want to see a level of commercial success before they grant you awards success."
The weekend's other high profile opener, "Shoot 'Em Up," starring Clive Owen took in only $5.5 million, but it was good enough to finish sixth in an otherwise slow movie weekend.
The documentary about the Apollo space program, "In the Shadow of the Moon," did well in limited release. The movie, from ThinkFilm, took in $41,200 in four theaters for a per-screen average of $10,300.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "3:10 to Yuma," $14.1 million
2. "Halloween," $10 million.
3. "Superbad," $8 million.
4. "Balls of Fury," $5.7 million.
5. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $5.5 million.
6. "Shoot 'Em Up," $5.5 million.
7. "Rush Hour 3," $5.3 million.
8. "Mr. Bean's Holiday," $3.4 million.
9. "The Nanny Diaries," $3.3 million.
10. "Hairspray," $2 million.