New CD Features Grammy Nominees
Grammy Recordings and Rhino
Entertainment have partnered to release 2009 Grammy Nominees on
January 27. The 20-song collection includes hits by Coldplay, Katy
Perry, Leona Lewis, Pink and 16 other hit-makers from the pop, rock and
hip-hop fields. This is the 15th edition of the series highlighting
artists and songs nominated for the annual Grammy Awards. A portion of
the proceeds from sales of the album will go to the MusiCares
Foundation and the Grammy Foundation.
New Springsteen Album Features Golden Globe-Winning Track
Bruce
Springsteen & the E Street Band's new album, Working On A Dream,
will go on sale in the U.S. on January 27. Two bonus tracks are
packaged with 12 other new songs. They include the Golden
Globe-winning track The Wrestler, which is featured in the Mickey
Rourke film of the same name, and "A Night With the Jersey Devil," a
song Springsteen offered as a free download last Halloween. In other
news, Bruce and his band plan to release a deluxe reissue of their 1978
album Darkness on the Edge of Town. Springsteen's manager Jon Landau
told Billboard the project "would involve remastering that record,
doing the kind of super-creative reconstruction and documentary of how
it all came about and finding usable live footage from that point in
time."
Actor Steve Martin Releases Bluegrass Album
The
first full-length bluegrass album by comedian and actor Steve Martin
will be released on January 27. The Crow: New Songs for the
Five-String Banjo will be sold exclusively at Amazon.com for the first
90 days. The album was produced by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's John
McEuen. Guests include Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, Irish singer Mary
Black and Earl Scruggs, among others.
Taylor Swift Tops Billboard 200 Chart
The
week ending January 31, teen Country star Taylor Swift spends a seventh
week at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart with her second album, Fearless. Usher's 2004 Confessions was the last collection to top
that list for seven weeks. It went on to spend a total of nine weeks
at Number One. This also marks the first time a female Country artist
has topped the Billboard 200 for seven weeks.
Geffen Records to Honor Buddy Holly
On
January 27, Geffen Records will mark the upcoming 50th anniversary of
Buddy Holly's death with the release of Down the Line: Rarities. The
59-track, double CD set features rare outtakes and alternate versions
of his recordings. Also included are four previously unreleased
tracks. One is a song Holly recorded when he was only 14 years old. A
second Buddy Holly compilation, Memorial Collection, will be released
on February 10. The 3-CD set is a career anthology with hits such as
"That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue" and "Oh Boy!" Holly was killed in a
plane crash along with Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper"
Richardson on February 3, 1959.
New Album Releases January 27
"For(N)ever" - Hoobastank
"Fantasy Ride" - Ciara
"The Empyrean" - John Frusciante
"Stand (In The Light)" - James Ingram
"What I'm For" - Pat Green
"Boombox" (Remix Album) - Kylie Minogue
"Retrospective 3" - Rush
"Amoeba's Secret" (Live Album) - Paul McCartney
"Whisper House" - Duncan Sheik
"Eye-Legacy" - Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
"Yesterdays" - Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette
"Just Like Heaven: A Tribute To The Cure" - various artists
Musical Events/Festivals/Benefits
Fall
Out Boy, Lifehouse and Rihanna will perform at the Pepsi Smash Super
Bowl Bash on January 29 in Tampa, Florida. The next day, Enrique
Iglesias and Belanova will be in Tampa to headline a second Pepsi Smash
event. The Telemundo Network will broadcast highlights from that show
on January 31. On January 30, Orlando's Hard Rock Café will host the
Coors Light party, which will feature Nelly and the St. Lunatics. The
events are being held in conjunction with Super Bowl XLIII. The NFL's
championship football matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and
Pittsburgh Steelers is set for February 1 in Tampa. Bruce Springsteen
& the E Street Band will perform the Super Bowl halftime show.
Awards Presentations/Winners
British
rock band Coldplay and Welsh newcomer Duffy each received four Brit
Award nominations. Both are mentioned in the Best British Album
category, which also includes Elbow, Radiohead and The Ting Tings.
Duffy faces Adele, Beth Rowley, Estelle and MIA in the Best British
female category. Coldplay is up against Elbow, Girls Aloud, Radiohead
and Take That for Best British Group. The Best British Male contenders
are Ian Brown, James Morrison, The Streets, Paul Weller and Will
Young. In addition to seven British artist categories, the 2009 Brit
Awards will honor musicians in four international categories. The Brit
Awards will be handed out on February 18 in London. (Complete list of
nominees available at www.brits.co.uk)
Nominations
for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced on January 22. "The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the field with 13 nominations.
Following close behind is "Slumdog Millionaire" with 10 mentions. "The
Dark Knight" and "Milk" earned eight each. Best Original Song nominees
include A.R. Rahman for "Jal Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R.
Rahman and M.I.A. for "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire" and Peter
Gabriel and Thomas Newman for "Down To Earth" from "Wall-E." Competing
for Best Original Score are Alexandre Desplat for "The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button," James Newton Howard for "Defiance," Danny Elfman for
"Milk," A.R. Rahman for "Slumdog Millionaire" and Thomas Newman for
"Wall-E." The 2009 Academy Awards will take place on February 22 in
Hollywood.
Look Who's Going on Tour!
On January 29, 1980s
rock band the Pretenders will begin a North American tour in Albany,
New York in support of its latest album, Break Up the Concrete. The
group will wrap up the 32-city tour with two shows at the Fillmore in
San Francisco, California on March 14 and 15.
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