On September 23, Delta Groove Recordings will release the new Elvin Bishop album, The Blues Rolls On. The collection includes an all-star lineup of guests, including B.B. King, George Thorogood, James Cotton and Derek Trucks. Bishop is best known for the Top 5 pop hit "Fooled Around and Fell In Love." But, his musical roots are in the blues. In the early 1960s, Bishop helped form the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He left the band for a solo career in 1968.
Metallica Tops Billboard Album Chart
Hard rock band Metallica sold 490,000 copies of its new album Death Magnetic in only three days. This week (week ending September 26th), Death Magnetic enters the Billboard 200 at Number One, giving Metallica its fifth chart-topping debut. Metallica now holds the group record for most consecutive Number One entries. Death Magnetic also topped charts in Canada, Britain, Argentina, France, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Denmark. Despite its huge sales, fans are complaining about the audio quality of the recording. Mastering Engineer Ian Shepherd compared the sound of the CD to that of Activision's interactive game Guitar Hero III and found the game version's audio quality much better. Showing waveforms of both, he says, "As you can see, the CD version on the bottom has been heavily compressed, limited and/or clipped, and sounds massively distorted as a result."
Pink Earns First Solo Number One Hit
Seven years ago, Pink topped Billboard's Hot 100 chart for the first time with her collaborative version of "Lady Marmalade." The LaBelle classic also featured Christina Aguilera, Mya and Lil' Kim. This week, Pink earns her first solo Number One on that same chart with "So What," the debut single from her upcoming album, Funhouse. The album will be released on October 28.
Hard Rock International to Release Charity Album
Songs by Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, Avril Lavigne and the late John Lennon will grace Hard Rock International's charity album SERVE3. Proceeds will benefit World Hunger Year, which works to end hunger and poverty. SERVE3 will be sold at Hard Rock locations, as well as online at hardrock.com and iTunes.com beginning November 4.
Jackson Browne Releases First Album on Private Label
On September 23, pop singer Jackson Browne will release his first album on his own Inside Recordings label. "Time the Conqueror" comes six years after the release of Browne's last album, "The Naked Ride Home." "I missed my band a lot… and getting to make an album where you're rehearsed and you have production and you're ready to play these songs is a real pleasure for me," he told Billboard.com.
Britney Spears' 'Circus' to be Released on Pop Star's Birthday
Britney Spears' next album, Circus, will be released on December 2, which is also her 27th birthday. The album's first single, "Womanizer," lands at radio stations on September 22. Atlanta, Georgia-based production team The Outsyders produced the track.
New Album Releases - September 23:
"Doll Domination" - The Pussycat Dolls
"Big Bad World" - Plain White T's
"How About Now" - Kenny Loggins
"Fearless" - Jazine Sullivan
"Energy" - Fourplay
"Jackpot - The Best Bette" - Bette Midler
"Beverly Hills Chihuahua," - The original motion picture soundtrack
"Black Sun" - Ra
"It's Christmas" - Ledisi
Jessica Simpson Tops Billboard Country Album Chart
Jessica Simpson enters Billboard's Top Country Albums chart this week at Number One. First-week sales of her debut Country release, Do You Know, surpassed 65,000 copies. The album's first single, "Come On Over," was a Top 20 hit on the U.S. and Canadian Country charts. "Remember That" will be released soon as the second single.
Awards Presentations/Winners:
Nominations for the 3rd annual BET (Black Entertainment Television) Hip-Hop Awards have been announced. Leading this year's contenders is rapper Lil' Wayne, who received 12 nods. They include CD of the Year, Best Live Performer and Lyricist of the Year. Kanye West follows with 8 nominations and Jay-Z with 6. Actor/comedian Katt Williams will host the awards show, which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia on October 18th. BET will air the ceremony on October 23. (Complete list of nominees at www.bet.com/specials/hiphopawards08.)
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