Superstars, renegades, innovators, heroes, villains, and moms - over almost a decade, the Dixie Chicks have grown from a band into a phenomenon. Now more than ever, the eyes of the world are on them, and with TAKING THE LONG WAY, they come out swinging, surpassing the pressures and expectations history has placed upon them. The nine time Grammy-Award winning Sony Recording artists will release this highly-anticipated fourth album (Open Wide/Columbia/Sony BMG) on May 23, 2006.

With TAKING THE LONG WAY, one of the most anticipated albums in recent years, the Dixie Chicks are putting themselves out there like never before. For the first time, every one of the disc's fourteen songs are co-written by the Chicks themselves, exploring themes both deeply private and resoundingly political. Collaborating with legendary producer Rick Rubin (who has worked with everyone from Johnny Cash to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from Run DMC to Neil Diamond), the biggest-selling female band in history has truly pushed themselves to new heights both as writers and as performers.

"Everything felt more personal this time," says Natalie Maines. "I go back to songs we've done in the past and there's just more maturity, depth, intelligence on these. They just feel more grown-up."

Inspired by such classic rock artists as the Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the Mamas and the Papas, TAKING THE LONG WAY adds a sweeping, Southern California vibe to the Chicks' down-home intimacy. That ambition is matched with lyrics addressing everything from small-town narrow-mindedness ("Lubbock or Leave It") to the psychology of celebrity ("Everybody Knows").

Read more...

Ricky Peterson is now working on his 5th solo CD which will be available within the next 6 months. He's promising the same musicality and funkiness that has procided in his previous CDs. Friend and colleague Ben Sidran put it best when he said of Peterson: "There are two kinds of genius, the kind that is, as the saying goes, 90 percent perspiration, 10 percent inspiration, and the other kind. Ricky Peterson is clearly the other kind, a born singer with a great range, a gifted keyboard player with his own sense of style and literally, a musical force of nature. It's all music to him. He's not a rock player trying to learn jazz or a jazz player trying to do rock...He's able to go into the memory bank and constantly come up with new sounds."

Also, he Just finished working with John Mayer on his New CD! He and Steve Jordan are co producing the CD together and it's rockin'! The band consisted of Producer Steve Jordan on drums, Pino Paladino on bass, Spanky Alford on rhythm guitar, Ricky on keyboards and John playing guitar and singing/writing his ass off! It should be out springish!

"The Other Side Of Bobby Caldwell" was released in 2006 by Victor Japan records. This new compilation includes rare tracks never released before.

Tracklist:
1/ Special To Me
2/ It's Over, Words
3/ She Does It Better
4/ Lonely Weekend
5/ Can't Say Goodbye
6/ Take Me I'll Follow You
7/ Show Me
8/ Even Now (Radio Edit)
9/ One Love
10/ Who Are You?
11/ Tomorrow
12/ Tangonera
13/ Merry X'mas
14/ Beyond The Sea
15/ What You Won't Do For Love
16/ Baby It's Cold Outside
17/ Never Loved Before.

Bill LaBounty is currently in the studio recording a CD to be released in Europe and Japan, which features some of his favorite Nashville studio players ( among whom are Danny Parks, David Hungate, Tommy Wells, & Brian Fuller) Friend and celebrated guitarist Larry Carlton will also be contributing tracks, along with some of Bill's favorite Los Angeles players and friends.

The new Steve Dorff-produced Bill Medley album will contain three recently penned Bill LaBounty songs, "Something Blue" (co-written with Sam Lorber), "You Rock" (co-written with Pat McLaughlin) and "Sit Down and Hurt" (co-written with Rick Carnes).

An upcoming European tribute/album to David Foster will include a performance by Bill on the song No Explanation (co-written by Bill with David Foster, Beckie Foster, and Linda Thompson). This song was originally recorded by Peter Cetera as the end theme of the movie "Pretty Woman". The album will contain performances by many other artists and friends of David Foster's.

Huey Lewis and the News are gearing up for Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing's May 23 release of "Huey Lewis and the News: Greatest Hits" and a limited edition deluxe CD/DVD package, "Greatest Hits & Videos". The 21-track CD includes 20 Top 20 hits, among them 17 Top 10s and six #1 singles, and the deluxe edition's 10 videos make their DVD debut with this release.
In a career spanning more than 25 years, Grammy award winners Huey Lewis and The News have amassed 17 Gold and Platinum certifications and sales of more than 12 million albums, placing the band among the world's top 200 best-selling music artists of all time (RIAA).

Rascal Flatts, the American country music group comprised of lead vocalist Gary LeVox, bassist Jay DeMarcus and electric guitarist Joe Don Rooney released their fourth studio album on April 4, 2006.
This album includes the band's new single, What Hurts the Most. The single was originally recorded by Mark Wills as an album track. But the song first became popular when it was recorded by ex-S Club 7 member Jo O'Meara and released in the UK in September of 2005 as her debut solo single.
On April 2, 2006, Me And My Gang album was leaked on the internet. The album sold over 722,000 copies it's first week on sale and hit #1 on the Billboard 200 charts, and has been country music's best release since Tim McGraw's Live Like You Were Dying in September 2004, which sold 766,000 copies.

Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of the new VERTIGO album simply entitled “2” on June 9th 2006.

VERTIGO is the studio project featuring former TOTO singer Joseph Williams in a melodic rock mood, together with famed bass player and producer Fabrizio Grossi (Glenn Hughes, House of Lords, Starbreaker, Danny Vaughn, Starship etc.).

Williams’ return on the market in 2003 with VERTIGO’s first chapter - featuring a sound style based on classic melodic rock - was greeted with much commercial and critical acclaim. It was therefore a natural step for everyone involved to make soon plans for a follow up release.

In the meanwhile Joseph found the opportunity to work again with TOTO and his lead vocals shine in the latest single “Bottom of Your Soul” off of the very successful “Falling In Between” album released worldwide on Frontiers Records.

On VERTIGO “2”, Joseph and Fabrizio are joined by world class players such as Alex Masi on guitars, Virgil Donati (SOUL SIRKUS, RING OF FIRE) on drums and Jason Scheff (CHICAGO, background vocals on “Hold Me”).

Joseph this time did also contribute to the songwriting co-writing with producer and long-time associate Joey Carbone the mega-AOR uptempo “I Want To Live Forever”. Some other songs were eventually selected through some of Joseph most contemporary influences and preferences.

The resulting record, is another threat for the melodic rock fans and a real must for all lovers of the sound of Toto and of course for all those who have enjoyed VERTIGO’s chapter one.

Final tracklisting is as follows:
In The Blink Of An Eye; All For You; Hold Me; Part Of Me; Holy; I Wanna Live Forever; Save It All Alone; Picking Up The Pieces; Together (Good-Bye So Long); There’s A Reason.

Release date is scheduled on Frontiers Records in Europe on June the 9th with release in the USA on Locomotive and Japan on King Recor

Regarding MelodicRock.com, Foreigner's new live album Extended Versions is getting a release in France via Replica Records.
The 2005 recorded live album with the band's current line-up was released a week or so in the USA. This French version - due out May 29 - will be titled "Live In '05" and features all new artwork and two extra tracks over the US release.

Tracklist:
01) Head Games
02) Cold As Ice
03) Waiting for a Girl Like You
04) That Was Yesterday *
05) Blue Morning *
06) Dirty White Boy
07) Starrider
08) Feels Like the First Time
09) Urgent
10) Jukebox Hero
11) I Want To Know What Love Is
12) Hot Blooded

A dvd bonus will include an interview with Mick Jones, Live appearences (Head Games, Feels Like the First Time, Urgent, Juke Box Hero), biographies et band discography.

Foreigner will be in Paris (France) for an exceptional concert at Elysée Montmartre on tuesday 27th of june, 2006. Don't miss it!!

ALMO presents "UNLOCKED", his first SOUL album. The french artist, who has lived and studied in the U.S. and whose musical influences include Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Marvin Gaye, Cat Stevens has developped his own sound ; strong and loving soul R&B with mesmerizing vocals sung in impeccably natural american-english. These generous, limpid and personal songs are the result of ALMO's collaboration with his lyricist Andrew Crocker (USA), and feature ALMO's warm voice in very sensuous grooves and atmospheres. The artistically talented musicians in ALMO's band come from Jazz, World and Pop-Rock backgrounds, thoroughly enjoy together and offer their concert audiences and individual listeners very sensitive music that's full of life.

ALMO composed the movie soundtrack of "le Souffleur" directed by Guillaume PIXIE, co-produced by Luc BESSON (Europa Corp.) and Avalanche Production.

Tracklist:
1/ So Much Higher
2/ Burning Up Yourself
3/ Someone Next To Me
4/ Voices
5/ Scattered Pieces
6/ Reach
7/ Make Believe
8/ Time After Time
9/ Cool It
10/ No Turning Back

If you were planning to do something on wenesday 19th of april, well guys, forget about it cause "California Spirit" returns with all the best music you love (Michael McDonald, Bill LaBounty, Steely Dan, Toto, Chicago, Christopher Cross, etc...)!
California Spirit takes place at l'Alcazar (62, rue Mazarine 75006 PARIS), presented by Jean Michel Canitrot and Franck Lascombes.

Starting at 9 pm - Free admission (appropriate clothing must be worn).
Reservation: 01 53 10 19 99
[email protected]
Metro: Odéon