Former Gap Band singer Charlie Wilson's solo-debut single, the ballad "Without You," hits radio this week. "It gives people a chance to hear a different side of me," said Wilson,
best known for funky Gap Band hits, such as "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" (RealAudio excerpt). ... British R&B group Five Star, who scored UK top-20 hits in 1985 with "All Fall Down" and "Let Me Be the One," are set to stage a comeback. According to the group's management, Five Star will release a single, "Eyes Never Lie," in August and an album later this year. ...
The VHS and DVD versions of Prince's New Year's Eve concert, "Rave Un2 the Year 2000," will be released Oct. 31, according to the artist's official Web site. The concert, originally filmed at Prince's Paisley Park for pay-per-view showing Dec. 31, includes appearances by Lenny Kravitz and George Clinton. ... Singer Toni Braxton will chat online with Windows-compatible fans at 9 p.m. EDT Thursday (July 27) at http://chat.msn.com/msnlive/features/tonibraxton.asp. Braxton's The Heat is at #9 in its 12th week on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. ...
The soundtrack to the stage play "His Woman, His Wife" will feature tracks by Destiny's Child's Beyoncé Knowles and Kelly Rowland, R&B/gospel singer Dave Hollister and gospel artists Hezekiah Walker and 1NC featuring Kirk Franklin. The album is set for release Sept. 19, while the play resumes touring in October, according to a label spokesperson. ... With TLC on hiatus, member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes is turning her attention to her new record label, Wish Records. The label is part of Lopes' Left Eye Productions company, and no projects have been announced, according to MTV News Online. ...
Wild-haired singer Kelis has agreed to lay down vocal tracks for a remix of Moby's song "Honey," and the dance music star already has an idea for a collaborative video. "It would be her wearing a fake bald wig," the chrome-domed artist told MTV News Online, "and me wearing a Kelis wig, so she would pretend to be the musician in the background with the keyboard and the electronics." ... Former Dru Hill member Woody will release his GospoCentric Records debut, Soul Music, on Oct. 31, a label spokesperson said. The album will feature guest appearances by Mary Mary and Woody's old group, which features multiplatinum solo artist Sisqó. ...
After teaming with comic book legend Stan Lee to create a cartoon that opens her set on her current tour, Mary J. Blige has announced plans to spin off the animated short into an Internet-based series, according to MTV News Online. In the clip, a highly stylized Blige battles criminals and miscreants around an inner-city neighborhood and demonstrates several superpowers, including the ability to fly. ... The Rev. James Cleveland's GMWA Mass Choir is scheduled to record its third album for Atlanta's MCG Records in mid-August, an MCG spokesperson said. This will be the choir's third release on MCG. As with last year's recording, the label will release a video and an album of the sessions. ...
D'Angelo will donate part of the proceeds of his Aug. 4 performance with Lucy Pearl at Los Angeles' Greek Theater to the Magic Johnson Foundation, according to D'Angelo's publicist. The funds will benefit Johnson's "A Midsummer Night's Magic" event, which is raising money to help send inner-city students to college. ... The O'Jays, Shirley Bassey, Blondie, Roy Orbison and Billy Ocean are among the artists with catalog songs appearing on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire: The Album. The soundtrack to the hit game show will be released Aug. 1, according to Buena Vista Records.
Tuesday's birthdays (July 25): Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire), 49; and Mecca (Digable Planets), 27.
— sonicnet.com staff report
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