Alana Grace forthcoming album, Alana Grace new album soon released.

Alana Grace Signs With Columbia Records. Artist's Original Song, "Black Roses Red," Appears On Soundtrack Of "The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants". Vibrant Young Singer-Songwriter's Debut Album Produced By Don Gilmore And John Fields.

Alana Grace, a young singer-songwriter, has been signed by Columbia Records, with plans to release her debut album in 2005.

Music fans will get their first taste of the music of Alana Grace when they hear her original song, "Black Roses Red," a key track on the soundtrack of the upcoming teenage coming-of-age film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," from Alcon Entertainment/Warner Bros. Pictures. Based on the New York Times young adult fiction bestseller by Ann Brashares, "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"--starring Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Alexis Bledel--opens nationwide on June 3, 2005. "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" soundtrack album is in stores on Tuesday, May 24 from Columbia Records/Sony Music Soundtrax.

An extraordinary singer and charismatic performer, 17-year-old Alana Grace spent the past five months (December 2004-April 2005) in a Los Angeles studio with producers Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Good Charlotte, Eve 6) and John Fields (Switchfoot, Pink, Andrew WK) creating one of the most eagerly-anticipated recording debut albums of the year.

She's cowritten all of the songs on her as-yet-untitled debut, which is mixed by music industry legends Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, the Cure, Aerosmith) and Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Hoobastank, Alanis Morissette).

Alana Grace is managed by Jon Landau Management and is represented by Creative Artists Agency.

"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" Soundtrack CD: ORDER IT NOW.

Bettye LaVette new album on the way, Bettye LaVette has been signed by Anti- Records.

Bettye LaVette, one of the supreme voices in soul music, has been signed by Anti- Records. Her first album for the label will be released in the autumn. Bettye will be working with artist and producer Joe Henry, who was also responsible for Solomon Burke's Grammy-winning "Don't Give Up On Me" album in 2002. Recording sessions for Bettye LaVette's album are scheduled to start next month.

This will be the latest chapter in a long musical career that started in 1962 when, at the age of 16, Bettye recorded a tune called "My Man - He's a Lovin' Man" which was released by Atlantic Records, the first of many nationwide record labels for whom Bettye LaVette recorded during the Sixties and Seventies.

In a recent NY Times review, critic Jon Pareles noted of Bettye LaVette's live performance: "It was pure, magnificent soul: passion carried by an eloquent voice and exquisite timing. And she was only getting started... Her voice was wounded and tough, and she deployed it shrewdly, starting with quiet, coiled phrases, rising to gritty moans and lashing out in quick staccato outbursts."

In addition, Dave Godin, the esteemed English soul music writer and archivist, claimed: "There are dozens of really top-drawer female Soul singers in what is a highly competitive field, but few can match the flawless totality of conveyed experience that Bettye LaVette never fails to achieve.

"She is the consummate artist who can relate on every level. Take Bettye LaVette away from Soul music's history and there is a gap which no other person I can think of could have filled."

Although she never achieved the level of commercial success her extraordinary talents deserved, Bettye LaVette's music has long since made an indelible impression on soul fans around the world -- in the UK, for instance, she was one of the pivotal artists in the 1970's Northern Soul movement.

Among the labels for which she has recorded are Motown, Calla, Atco, Epic, Silver Fox, West End, SSS International and Street King. Her classic tunes include "Piece of My Heart" -- a recording that clearly influenced Janis Joplin's version of the song -- and "Your Turn To Cry", a mesmerizing deep soul performance released as a single by Atlantic's Atco label in 1972.

Anti- Records is also the label home of such artists as Tom Waits, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Marianne Faithfull, Neko Case, The Frames, Jolie Holland and Daniel Lanois as well as the aforementioned Solomon Burke album. Says Anti president, Andy Kaulkin: "The consistent quality of Bettye's work over the last 40-plus years is amazing. From her creative song choices to the fire of her performances, she has always stood apart. This great artist has been seriously slept on, and we want to do everything we can to change that."

Bettye LaVette "A Woman Like Me" CD (2003): ORDER IT NOW.

Jewel in concert, Jewel concert tour.

Atlantic recording artist Jewel returns to the road for a series of solo acoustic concerts on the West Coast in June. The dates are as follows:

June
15 Denver. CO Botanic Gardens
16 Boulder, CO Chataqua Concert Series
17 Telluride, CO Telluride Bluegrass Festival
18 San Diego, CA Humphrey's
19 San Diego, CA Humphrey's
20 Palm Desert, CA McCallum Theater
21 Thousand Oaks, CA Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza
23 Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery
24 Saratoga, CA Mountain Winery
25 Murphys, CA Ironstone Amphitheater
26 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino

Jewel is also slated to play the Candie's Foundation "The Event To Prevent," taking place on May 3rd in New York City.

In other news, Jewel is currently in the studio working on her sixth album, slated for release in September. 2005 marks the tenth anniversary of the release of Jewel's debut album, "Pieces Of You" - which was followed by "Spirit" (1998), "Joy: A Holiday Collection" (1999), "This Way" (2001), and "0304" (2003). The latter debuted at No 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, marking the both the highest-debuting and highest-charting album of Jewel's career to date. All together, Jewel's five albums have sold over 25 million copies worldwide.

Jewel "Live at Humphrey's by the Bay" DVD (2004): ORDER IT NOW.

Barbra Streisand new album on the way, Barbra Streisand new album with Barry Gibb.

Nearly 25 years after their historic success with Barbra Streisand's "Guilty" album, the legendary singer will rejoin with Barry Gibb to work on a new album together. Mr. Gibb will again be writing and producing for the as-yet untitled project, scheduled for September release (the silver anniversary of "Guilty") on Columbia Records.

Upon its initial release in 1980, "Guilty" was quickly certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, and within two months, achieved Platinum status. It has gone on to be certified 5x's Platinum, with sales exceeding 5,000,000 copies in the U.S. alone. It is one of Ms. Barbra Streisand's record-breaking tally of 49 Gold, 30 Platinum and 13 Multi-Platinum albums. According to the RIAA, she is the industry's No 1 bestselling female recording artist ... and the only female in their top 10 list.

In October of 1980, "Guilty" became Ms. Barbra Streisand's fifth album to reach No 1 on Billboard's chart. The album's single "Woman In Love" also topped the charts. Additionally, the title track "Guilty" and "What Kind Of Fool," both duets with Mr. Gibb, became Top 10 hits, with "Guilty" receiving the Grammy Award for "Best Pop Vocal performance, Duo or Group."

Mr. Barry Gibb will compose a dozen new songs for the reunion album. He composed all nine songs featured on "Guilty". Recording will take place at his studio in Miami, Florida, and at Sony Pictures Studio in Culver City, California. Last year, the motion picture studio's historic recording facility was formally renamed The Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage.

"Guilty" is tied with Barbra Streisand's "Greatest Hits Vol. 2," "A Christmas Album" and "Memories" as the singer's best-selling albums to date, representing together 20 million of the more than 71.5 million albums she has sold to date.

Last year Ms. Barbra Streisand made her first film appearance following an eight year absence from the screen. "Meet The Fockers," in which she stars with Ben Stiller, Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman, has become the top-earning live action comedy in film history, earning over a half-billion dollars worldwide.

Barbra Streisand "Timeless (Live in Concert)" DVD: ORDER IT NOW.

According to the Billboard:
"Veteran rock act Journey will begin recording its 13th album this week at the Record Plant in Sausalito, Calif. Longtime collaborator Kevin Elson will produce. The as-yet-untitled set will be Journey's first since the 2001 album "Escape," which debuted at No. 56 on The Billboard 200. It will be released this summer in conjunction with an extensive North American tour, dates for which have to be confirmed.
Guitarist Neal Schon recently released a solo album, "i on u," via Favored Nations, and will appear at an April 9 meet-and-greet session with his side band Soul Sirkus at the Boston outpost of Daddy's music store."

The official Journey website (here) doesn't mention this information.

Founded in 1973 in San Francisco around former Santana members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie, with the assistance of Ross Valory, George Tickner and Prairie Prince, Journey’s legacy has spanned over 30 years with 18 U.S. releases and over 75,000,000 in album sales. Their music is artful, intense, melodic rock played with passion and superb musicianship.

At the moment, Journey is:
Neal Schon – Guitar
Jonathan Cain – Keyboards
Ross Valory – Bass
Steve Augeri – Vocals
Deen Castronovo – Drums

Journey "Greatest Hits DVD 1978-1997 - Music Videos & Live Performances" DVD: ORDER IT NOW.

Jamie Cullum forthcoming album, Jamie Cullum new album on the way.

Jamie Cullum wants to expand his music on his next album. So much so that you may not even recognize what he's doing. The pianist Jamie Cullum had been hanging out with hip-hop producer Dan the Automator and rRap producers the Neptunes. Jamie Cullum wants the album set for release on Verve Music Group this summer will have a drastically different sound adding that he's experimenting with sounds on his computer and piano.

His last "Twentysomething" sold two million but the next one is sure to focus on a younger audience.

Jamie Cullum had two independent albums before last years "Twentysomething," "Heard it all Before" a very rare CD which recently sold for $700 on Ebay and "Pointless Nostalgic" from 2002.

At 24, Jamie Cullum might seem a little wet behind the ears to be revitalizing contemporary Jazz. On the contrary. It is precisely because of his youth that the scruffy, self-taught British pianist/singer/songwriter can produce music to which both seasoned Jazz fans and young pop aficionados have responded enthusiastically; 'twentysomething," his major label debut, has made Jamie Cullum a star - setting records as the fastest-selling jazz debut in UK history, where it was certified Platinum in just six weeks.

Jamie Cullum "Live At Blenheim" DVD: ORDER IT NOW.

Blue Note Records Studio Update: Cassandra Wilson, Billy Strayhorn, Bill Charlap, Wynton Marsalis...

Blue Note Records has just announced some update of his artists.

Cassandra Wilson

Cassandra Wilson was in LA this past fall where she laid tracks for her sixth Blue Note album. In a new and exciting artistic move Wilson enlisted T-Bone Burnett as producer. The result is a daring departure in sound, which, at the same time, remains true to Cassandra Wilson's unique aesthetic and strong Blues foundation. Musical support includes legendary players Keb Mo & Jim Keltner and the repertoire is a mix of new originals and classics such as "Easy Rider" and "The Folks Who Live On The Hill". Cassandra & T-Bone will be putting the finishing touches on the album over the next few months.

Billy Strayhorn

Billy Strayhorn Documentary Soundtrack: Blue Note has teamed up with documentary Producer/Director Robert Levi who is following up his Duke Ellington film with a piece on Billy Strayhorn. This past October, Levi and crew filmed Blue Note artist performances at Bennett Studios in New Jersey which will be part of the documentary film as well as make up our album release. Featured rostermates include Joe Lovano, Bill Charlap, and Dianne Reeves who each covered four Strayhorn pieces. Special guest Elvis Costello Bill Charlapalso recorded a version of the Strayhorn classic "Blood Count" accompanied by Lovano and Charlap. The audio for the album will be mixed in the coming months.

Bill Charlap

This past October, Bill Charlap recorded a special duet album of standards with his mother, esteemed vocalist Sandy Stewart following their two week stint at the Algonquin. The album was recently mixed and will be mastered in the coming month.

In February, Bill Charlap recorded the next installment to his "great composer" series, this time tackling the music of George & Ira Gershwin featuring his trio and an all-star line up of horns including Phil Woods, Frank Wess, Slide Hampton, and Nicolas Payton.
Billy Charlap also picked up the arranger's pen for this date approaching such Gershwin standards as "Somebody Loves Me", "How Long Has This Been Going On", and "A Foggy Day" just to name a few. The album is being mastered now.

Greg Osby

Greg Osby also recorded his latest installment for Blue Note last month in NYC. It was an exploratory trio date featuring the drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts along with newcomer bassist Matt Brewer. Osby is currently mixing and mastering the sessions.

Wynton Marsalis

Post production will be done later this month to prepare for release of a smokin' live date featuring Wynton's quartet along with some special guests. Recorded last year at the House Of Tribes in NYC the performance features altoman Wes Anderson, drummer Joe Farnsworth, bassist Carlos Henriquez, pianist Eric Lewis and percussionist Orlando Rodriguez, among others.

Robert Glasper

Blue Note is proud to announce it's newest signing with the addition of jazz pianist Robert Glasper. Glasper will go into the studio in May to record his debut for the label. Robert Glasper has one previous release entitled "Mood" on Fresh Sounds Records.

Cassandra Wilson "Glamoured" CD: ORDER IT NOW.

Tyra new album, Tyra now prepares a solo debut album.

The Universal/Motown Records Group, in conjunction with Steve Rifkind's SRC Records, has signed the south's hottest new singing sensation, Tyra.

Several labels were in hot pursuit of the multi-talented singer prior to her signing with Universal/Motown Records. Tyra has emerged with her tantalizing song "Country Boy," as a break-through artist in 2005. The song, a sultry shout-out to the 'boys' from the dirty south, is a top request at radio stations around the country.

Destined to be a crossover smash, the spicy video for "Country Boy" -- sparked by what the Village Voice calls Tyra's 'southern-coded' authenticity -- has become a favorite subject of music fans on internet chat rooms and music sites. The clip has quickly become a staple of BET and other video broadcast outlets, with the sultry Tyra recently nailing down a coveted Top Ten slot on the channel's signature show, 106 And Park.

Tyra's single was originally released on the indie label GG&L. Universal/Motown plans to release her much anticipated major label debut in association with GG&L later this summer.

Kevin Sharp brand new song "Make A Wish" and a compilation CD feat. James Taylor and Bette Midler for Walt Disney Records.

Walt Disney Records is set to release a powerhouse compilation CD that will include the brand new song, "Make A Wish," by country star Kevin Sharp.

Additional platinum-selling artist's involved with the project are James Taylor, Elton John, Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand to name a few.

The album, titled "Walt Disney Presents Wishes," arrives in stores May 3rd and all proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Kevin is currently in the studio with producer and industry veteran, Jerry Cupit, putting the finishing touches on his upcoming yet-to-be-titled album slated for release on Cupit Records early this summer.

Also, listen for Kevin's new single, 'Your Love Reaches Me', that has been shipped to radio with an add date of March 14th. The music video is scheduled to be filmed at several locations around Nashville in mid-March.

Kevin Sharp "Love Is" CD: ORDER IT NOW.

Michael McDonald Tour Dates 2005, Michael McDonald new projects, Amy Holland new album.

Michael McDonald and the band are home for a bit with their families and working in the studio on various projects. Michael McDonald is in the studio putting finishing touches on a project he's producing for Chris Eddy. Mike's wife Amy Holland has been working on her album with Bernie Chiaravalle. They hope to see the release of both of the albums this year.

Michael McDonald got word that Austin City Limits is airing the show Michael did in Sept 2004 tonight on PBS. Nashville, TN has it showing at 10PM CST but check www.pbs.org for your local listings. The show also features Joss Stone.

Michael McDonald Tour dates in 2005:
March 8 - Manchester, England - Apollo
March 9 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
March 10 - Belfast, Ireland - Waterfront Concert Hall
March 12 - Liverpool, England - Liverpool Philharmonic
March 13 - London, England - Hammersmith Apollo
March 17 - Santa Ynez, CA - Chumash Casino
March 18 - Pala, CA - Pala Casino Event Center
June 10 - Beau Rivage, Biloxi, MS, USA
June 11 - Horseshoe, Bossier City, LA, USA
June 12 - Riverbend - Chattanooga, TN, USA
September 9 - Nashville, TN, USA
September 10 - Nashville, TN, USA

"Soundstage Presents Michael McDonald - Live in Concert" DVD (2004): ORDER IT NOW.