Yung Joc, “New Joc City” (Bad Boy South/Atlantic)
Atlanta rap newcomer Yung Joc had some of the unlikeliest fans long before the release of his anticipated debut album.
Tom Cruise and US soccer star Clint Dempsey have been seen doing the MC’s signature “Joc’n” dance, which mimics the revving of a motorcycle. (Cruise got down while promoting […]
Smoosh, “Free To Stay” (Barsuk)
The young Seattle-based sister duo Smoosh continues to impress with their latest release, “Free To Stay.”
It’s no longer just two pleasantly amusing kid sisters pulling together a few songs with thoughtful lyrics and nice hooks. Now they’re consistently good.
Check out lead singer and keyboardist Asya getting all cold and emo on […]
Paul Oakenfold, “A Lively Mind” (Maverick)
Oh, to be Paul Oakenfold, a globe-trotting superstar DJ who breaks the hot tracks and produces his own music with the aid of — let’s be honest here — any other artist looking to increase their cool quotient. With that mix of success and connections, you might think Oakenfold’s latest […]
EMI Music announced Wednesday that it has agreed to offer its entire music catalog through LTDnetwork’s Qtrax service. Qtrax is one of the first free music download platforms to emerge based on a legal peer-to-peer (P2P) distribution model.
LTDnetwork, an e-commerce software developer, has been developing its ad-supported service since 2002. Qtrax will begin testing later […]
“Desperate Housewives” star Nicollette Sheridan surprised fiance Michael Bolton by doing a duet with him on his new album, “Bolton Swings Sinatra.”
“I didn’t think she was going to have the courage to step up to the microphone and record, and she did,” Bolton told AP Radio in a recent interview.
Bolton, 53, and Sheridan, 42, dated […]
Lawyers for the city accused the family of slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. of going to “odious” and “absurd” lengths — including lying — to “satisfy their ambition to extract hundreds of millions of dollars” from the city, according to papers filed in federal court.
The city filed the papers Tuesday in response to the family’s allegations […]
John Fogerty releases a new album almost as often a new resident moves into the White House — a grand tally of six studio releases in the three decades since his band Creedence Clearwater Revival broke up.
Every time he sits down to write a follow-up to 2004’s acclaimed “Deja Vu All Over Again,” he gets […]
Tom DeLonge may be best known for his mischievous antics with pop-punk trio Blink-182, but now he’s turning heads for a different reason.
Last week, DeLonge’s new band Angels & Airwaves debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart and No. 4 on the flagship Billboard 200 with “We Don’t Need To Whisper.” The […]
Although he’s looking forward to “a nice long break” after his summer tour with Jewel,
Rob Thomas has no shortage of projects on his plate — including his own label, production work and, of course, a new album from his band matchbox twenty.
Thomas was circumspect about the label, telling Billboard.com only that “we’re right in the […]
Initial ticket sales for the Dixie Chicks’ upcoming tour are far below expectations and several dates will likely be canceled or postoned.
Ticket counts for the 20-plus arena shows that went on sale last weekend were averaging 5,000-6,000 per show in major markets and less in secondaries, according to sources contacted by Billboard. Venue capacities on […]
Bunny Wailer, the reggae legend who was one of the original Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, will tour for the first time with a new generation of Marleys.
Wailer will play alongside Marley’s sons, Stephen and Ziggy, on the Roots, Rock, Reggae Festival, a month-long tour that opens Aug. 6 in Redway, Calif., […]
After a seven-year hiatus, Crouch returns with the album of a lifetime, one that long ago took on legendary proportions as a work-in-progress. Though totally “contemporary” in production, on both striking new material (the driving, R&B of the irresistible “O Give Thanks”) and stunning reinventions of classics (”Softly and Tenderly”), Crouch draws far less […]
Drummer Ignacio Berroa has played with almost everyone under the sun, from Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente to Chico Buarque, yet “Codes” is Berroa’s first album as leader. Better late than never, especially when the result is this compelling. Berroa mustered an impressive group, including Gonzalo Rubalcaba, David Sanchez, Ed Simon and John Patitucci. […]
Anyone who knows Toto only for its cadre of pop hits in the ’80s (”Rosanna,” “Africa,” et al.) simply knows little about this enduring dream team. “Falling in Between,” its 18th disc over 30 years — and first in four years — unites members David Paich, Bobby Kimball, Steve Lukather, Mike Porcaro and Simon […]
