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| 3/30/04 |
Eamon, JC Chasez, Jada Pinkett
Smith To Open For Britney Eamon, the 20-year-old recording artist best known for his hit single "F-It (I Don't Want You Back)," has been confirmed as the opening act for the first ten dates of Britney Spears's summer tour starting June 22 in Hartford, Connecticut. When the tour hits Europe starting April 26, Wicked Wisdom, a band fronted by Jada Pinkett Smith, will open all of Britney's U.K. dates and *NSYNC's JC Chasez will go on immediately before Britney.
Drew Lachey to play Mark in 'Rent' ...Members of the Spice Girls and 98 Degrees are turning up the heat for the Broadway production of "Rent." Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice, will be taking on the part of Mimi, starting April 16, and Drew Lachey, a.k.a. Nick's brother, will be taking the part of Mark, a role Joey Fatone once filled...
Why pop songwriting's not what it used to be ...Pop singers used to be mere entertainers; songwriting was largely the domain of professionals who rarely performed. Today, they want us to believe they're auteurs—singers who are also capable of writing their own songs. Britney Spears is credited with writing/co-writing seven of the 13 songs on 2003's In the Zone. Justin Timberlake picks up co-writing credits on all of the songs on 2002's Justified. Timberlake's 'N Sync bandmate J.C. Chasez takes co-songwriting credits on all but one of the songs of his just-released solo debut, Schizophrenic. Even teen star Hilary Duff gets writing credits for three of the songs on her new record, Metamorphosis. Why this shift? Strangely, the celebrity gossip industry of the late '90s and early 2000s may be responsible. Artists, especially those who are expected to talk about their latest creative effort in People and on Access Hollywood, need a story to tell, and an auteur makes for a better interview. Marketing yourself as a singer who bares her soul is much easier than marketing a singer baring a songwriter's soul. Last July, for example, Billboard reported that expectations were high for Gloria Estefan's Unwrapped because the singer wrote several songs in which—you guessed it—she "bares her soul." Similar terminology was used to peddle Shania Twain's second record, 1995's The Woman in Me. "On my first album I was a singer interpreting other people's songs, and on this album I'm singing my own songs," Twain told the Chicago Tribune at the time. "I think the delivery in the vocal is much more intimate and real." More than ever, record companies are looking to sell artists as auteurs. From a business perspective, singer-songwriters can save record companies money that would've been spent to pay professional songwriters. Pop stars are able to cash in on the fat royalty checks earned from their songwriting credits and enjoy the recognition that they gain from their creative endeavors. And the camp of pop singers not as lyrically inclined can reap the same benefits by purchasing material from an independent writer and pawning it off as their own—a longtime practice in the industry, for which Elvis was infamous. Pop music critics have also been instrumental in this shift. As Norah Jones can attest, critics may not take an artist seriously unless she writes a substantial portion of her own material. (Which is why Jones' camp has so strenuously reminded the public that she wrote or co-wrote six of the 13 of songs on her new record. She had songwriting credits on just three of the 14 songs on her 2002 debut album.) Such pressures were uncommon in earlier decades. The biggest hits of the '50s and '60s were written by songwriters like Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who co-wrote songs like the Searchers' "Love Potion No. 9" and Ben E. King's "Stand by Me." Sammy Fain wrote hits for Johnny Mathis, the Four Aces, and others. Ronnie Shannon wrote Aretha Franklin's version of "I Never Loved a Man," and Don Covay was behind her hit "Chain of Fools." Frank Sinatra's albums rarely credit him as a songwriter. But by the early '60s, performers like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez hit the pop charts with songs they'd written themselves. The emphasis on the authenticity of their songwriting reflected the gestalt of the era. And it influenced Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, and scores of others. As groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones emerged on the scene, they proved that commercial bands could also offer immensely catchy singles, even if they did write their own material. Even then, Baez, Dylan, and others were a breed apart; divas like Cher or Barbra Streisand or Diana Ross still never troubled themselves with writing lyrics; those were the chores of a songwriter. Even Michael Jackson's first solo albums, Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982), were largely written by others. (Later, Jackson supposedly began to write the bulk of his lyrics.) Madonna may be credited, to a certain extent, with fueling the new growth of today's new "self-contained" acts, as they're known in the industry. After she arrived on the music scene in 1983 with an eponymous debut record that she had written herself, pop stars as auteurs started to become the rule, not the exception.
Boy-band celebrity grows up Pop music is in turmoil. Britney Spears is drowning in her success, Justin Timberlake crossed over to hip-hop and Pink went punk and lost touch with fans. Billboard’s bookies are feverishly looking to make up for what’s lost. Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera aside, bookmakers bank on comeback records from golden oldies like Prince, Blondie, Alanis Morissette and even “MMMbop” boy trio Hanson, all of whom are releasing new music in April. More potent remedies to the pop slump are in closer reach than you might think, however. Take, for example, JC Chasez’s debut album, “Schizophrenic.” This effort will surprise many, even though the odds are against him. The lead singer of teen sensation *NSYNC is facing having to shed his tame-boy band image while avoiding comparisons to band mate and pal Justin Timberlake. This odd case of double jeopardy has worked fully in Chasez’s favor. “Schizophrenic” starts where Timberlake’s debut solo album left off. Chasez’s album has a distinct mature sound, versatile vocals and no less than 15 diverse tracks that should withstand the public’s rigorous scrutiny. Timberlake’s million-dollar-grossing collaboration with The Neptunes’ “Justified,” focused primarily on hip-hop infused pop. Chasez has taken the chance to experiment with a lot more genres that are all packaged in a sleek pop outfit, including hip-hop, funk, electroclash and even reggae. The ex-Mickey Mouse Club actor co-wrote all of the songs on this album with an illustrious bunch of collaborators such as longtime friend Robb Boldt, R&B hero Dallas Austin and electronica wizards Basement Jaxx. The singer also worked with Jaxx’s Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton on their “Kish Kash” album. Chasez recently became the latest victim of tighter broadcast decency guidelines when the NFL refused to let him perform his single “Some Girls” at the Pro Bowl all-star football game. In turn, the singer refused to sing the national anthem at the event. “Some Girls” is a lean percussion tune that might imply sexual content, but which is playful and flirtatious when Chasez sings, “Some girls dance with women. Knowing that it gives them attention. And I wanna get in with them.” On “She Got Me,” he takes cues from late ’70s soul and disco with a mellow, feel-good groove reminiscent of Michael Jackson’s work on “Off The Wall.” With fitting high-pitch vocals Chasez croons about a newfound love who “was such a find. It’s like she was designed.” Chasez is particularly strong on the album’s hooky ballads “Build My Word,” “Dear Goodbye” and “Lose Myself.” He is able to translate his vulnerability into profoundly intimate love songs that convey precise vocal timing and sensitivity. His experimentation with ’80s-inspired electroclash on “All Day Long I Dream About Sex” and “ Come To Me” works out well. The synth-pounding dance tunes prove that electronica remains musically relevant in today’s hip-hop-oriented pop scene. On the other hand, Chasez fails with the reggae tune “Everything You Want,” which is dull and has an odd synthetic instrumentation and Sting-inspired vocals. He adds a nice gay flavor to the thumping “One Night Stand,” however, which includes a sample of Donna Summer’s Studio 54 classic “I Feel Love.” “Schizophrenic” turns out to be a surprisingly good effort from an artist who has clearly outgrown his boy-band roots. Chasez delivers the goods quite effortlessly without seeming to feel restrained by listeners’ expectations and musical boundaries.
Justin invited to Jerkins wedding this weekend Rodney Jerkins is slated to marry actress Joy Enriquez at a private location in Laguna Niguel, CA this Saturday. ...Special invited guests include: Michael Jackson, Chris Tucker, Oprah Winfrey, Britney Spears, Tyra Banks, Joey Lawrence, Mike Tyson, Chris Webber and Justin Timberlake among others.
Janet on Jermaine, Justin, Jo and 'Strawberry' ...You can be sure that ring's not from Justin Timberlake, whom Jackson says she hasn't spoken to since their infamous Super Bowl duet strained their friendship. "We need to talk," Jackson admitted. "We have a bit of talking to do -- me and Justin Timberlake, I think." What would she tell him? "I think I would tell him in private what I need to tell him..."
Britney Spears' Onyx Hotel tour has caused controversy over its raunchy content. The show was screened live on cable TV in the US causing parents to flood the switchboard with complaints. During the performance, Britney simulated sex, pretended to strip naked, was fondled by her dancers (who she also snogged) and swore. Some parents complained that it was bordering on porn. She brings her show to the UK on April 27 and has drafted in her *NSYNC mate JC Chasez to support her. The singer popped in to Radio 1 for a chat - he was quite flirty, so we asked him how different his show was to hers and what's in it for the laydeez: "I put on a pretty good show mama! It's not overly choreographed, but I do dance in some parts - the show's loose but it's definitely entertaining, there's a great energy. I put 1,000 percent into everything that I do, which is opposed to 100 percent, it's a thousand percent, it's like "11", you know!" But will he pull some girls from the audience? "I don't know if we're going to go that far, it depends how I'm feeling that day!"
Jackson and Timberlake need to talk ...Jackson told "Access Hollywood," in an interview to be broadcast Tuesday, that she was "straight up asked not to go" on the Grammy Awards show. CBS has said Jackson would have been welcome if she apologized like Timberlake but she declined. Asked whether she was still friends with Timberlake, Jackson said, "at some point, he and I need to talk." |
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Britney's
tour sparks complaints
