HANIF-JAMIYL IS ONE SMOOTH BROTHA

KRUSHED GRAPES, the solo debut from HANIF-JAMIYL of Maspyke, dropping 5/6/08 on Bukarance Records.

Hanif-Jamiyl has been writing, recording, and performing since the age of 10. In 1994, while most high school kids were trying to figure out what college to attend, he was discovered in a local record store in his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts as part of Maspyke, the CT-based group of which he is a member along with DJ Roddy Rod and Tableek.

Check out the “Wet Dream” video…

And visit Hanif on Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/krushedgrapes

SARAH MCLACHLAN TO RELEASE RARITIES, B-SIDES AND OTHER STUFF, VOLUME 2

Multi-platinum Arista recording artist Sarah McLachlan will release Rarities, B-Sides 2 And Other Stuff, Volume 2 on April 29th, 2008.

Culminated from Sarah McLachlan’s illustrious recording career, the Rarities, B-Sides And Other Stuff, Volume 2 collection contains Sarah McLachlan material never before available before on one CD.  The collection includes live performances, rare recordings, remixes and soundtrack contributions. In addition, the album includes exceptional, one of a kind duets with Bryan Adams, Cyndi Lauper, Emmylou Harris, and more!

Since signing with Arista nearly two decades ago, every one of Sarah McLachlan’s studio and live albums and videos have been certified gold, platinum, multi-platinum, or diamond by the CRIA, starting with Touch (1988) and Solace (1991), both platinum sellers. Her 1994 breakthrough, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy (2x platinum) was followed by the digitally enhanced multimedia version of The Freedom Sessions (1995, gold).  Sarah’s landmark fourth album, the Diamond certified Surfacing (1997), contained two Grammy Award-winning tracks, as “Building a Mystery” won for Best Female Pop Vocal, and “Last Dance” was voted Best Pop Instrumental.  1999’s quadruple-platinum Mirrorball, and its platinum long-form video counterpart, were both culled from that year’s Lilith Fair tour, and spun off Sarah’s third Grammy-winning performance, as “I Will Remember You” won for Best Female Pop Vocal.  The 5 times platinum Afterglow followed in 2003, and received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while its opening track, “Fallen” was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal.

***Note - Working Track listing below - Final to be announced shortly:

1. Ordinary Miracle                                         

2. Blackbird                                                    
3. Time After Time (with Cyndi Lauper)                       

4. River

5. Don’t Let Go (with Bryan Adams)

6. Angel (Live) (with Emmylou Harris) 

7. Pills (Live) (with The Perishers)

8 The Rainbow Connection

9. Prayer of St. Francis

10. Unchained Melody

11. Silence (DJ Tiesto ISOS Remix)

Wolfkin - Check Out The Danish Duo

Set for release on MARCH 11TH, this debut, Brand New Pants, certainly has all the right elements, enough to seduce any music fan of the pop persuasion, into the melodic and sometimes murky world of Wolfkin.

Wolfkin - “These Are All Illusions” Video

http://www.myspace.com/wolfkinmusic
http://www.wolfkin.dk/
http://www.crunchy.dk/

Nike Sport Music: Kara Goucher’s Endurance Boost

Want to achieve the combination of speed and endurance that powers elite athletes? Join Kara Goucher, one of America’s top middle to long distance runners, for the debut of her Nike Sport Music Coaching mix.

Kara coaches you through a warm-up and four sets of high-speed intervals, the kind of training technique top competitors swear by. Designed to boost overall speed and endurance, this 40-minute workout is an exclusive collaboration with Interscope Records and features an energizing set of music from Black Eyed Peas, Beck and Jimmy Eat World.

Once the workout is over, check out the bonus interview from Kara as she gives her insight about life with her husband, a fellow elite runner and her triumphant comeback from a career threatening injury.

Tracks on Kara Goucher’s Endurance Boost
01. Let’s Get It Started (Black Eyed Peas)
02. Don’t Phunk With My Heart (Black Eyed Peas)
03. Timebomb (Beck)
04. Say Goodbye To Love (Kenna)
05. Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)
06. For The Girl (The Fratellis)
07. Lay Down The Law (The Switches)
08. Where It’s At (Beck)
09. The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)
10. Sorry Sorry (Rooney)
11. Come To You (Carina Round)
12. Chase The Light (Jimmy Eat World)
13. Stop Stare (One Republic)

The Kara Goucher Endurance Boost Coaching Mix is available at the Apple iTunes store for $12.99 and will also be featured in the Sport Music section of Nikeplus.com.

Check out a preview of Endurance Boost:
http://www.nikesportmusicmedia.com/images/NIKE_KARA_PROMO_V2.mp3

iTunes link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=268930638&s=143441

Nike+ Coaching Mixes feature today’s hottest music with voiceover instruction from Nike coaches and fitness trainers that present exclusive coaching and training mixes to enhance the running experience.

http://www.nikeplus.com

The Sweet Singing Declan Galbraith - by Diana Olson

 

Declan Galbraith, 16, and his family live in England, in the small town of Hoo, near Rochester, Kent. His father, Alec, is of Scottish descent, while his mother Siobhan comes from a large Irish family. Declan’s grandfather whom he affectionately called ‘Poppy Ben’ sang in a band and played several instruments and often took Declan along to the ‘Fleadhs’ (concerts) he was playing in.“I would sit there for hours watching Poppy Ben and the musicians, and listening to their music”, says Declan. The explosive mix of Scottish and Irish musical traditions inspired Declan and became his early musical influence.

He remembers himself already singing at the age of two. He adds, “These are some of my very first memories in life - always singing.” His talent was publicly acknowledged for the first time when at just 7 years old he insisted on performing spontaneously at the annual Rochester Dickens Festival, a two-day extravaganza where people were invited to dress up in Victorian costumes to celebrate the life and times of the famous author Charles Dickens and his links with their town.

Little Declan, dressed up as a chimney sweep, started singing and the crowd went wild. Soon after this he started to enter local talent contests and within a year he had won 15 titles and more than £1,000.00. He wisely put most of it into a savings account, but he did spend some of it on computer games, a basketball and a brand new football.

As a result of his success in the talent shows, the major recording companies soon heard about Declan and he was signed to his first recording contract in England on EMI Records. His first recording was ‘Walking in the Air’, which was released on a special Christmas Hits album, also featuring Westlife, Elton John and Elvis Presley.

Declan loves to sing to live audiences and among some of his most memorable performances are, the Queen’s Jubilee at St Paul’s Cathedral, when he sang ‘Amazing Grace’ accompanied by the St Paul’s Choir and an unforgettable experience when singing in front of more than 22,000 people at an Elton John concert.

His first album with Irish traditional songs and some specially written material became a big success and charted in the U.K. and Ireland. Another big success came during a nationwide tour of Young Voices concerts when breaking the Guinness World Record. It was at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast in December 2002 when he sang live with some 10,000 children and was also simultaneously linked, by radio and satellite, with more than 80,000 children in their schools all over the UK, who accompanied him in achieving the world’s largest choral sing.

Declan’s extraordinary talent and reputation came to the attention of media mogul Haim Saban and his music President, Ron Kenan, who signed Declan to Saban Music Group’s new record label. They chose Germany to be the very first territory in the world to launch their first produced album, via the Starwatch Music and Warner Music Germany.In this album entitled “Thank You”, Declan has interpreted an impressive list of great songs such “Tears in Heaven”, “Love of my Life”, “Nights In White Satin” and the European hit “An Angel”. “This album is a collection of some of my favorite classic songs. My greatest thanks go to the amazing songwriters who were responsible for these wonderful works of art and to the original artists who provided their everlasting stamp. I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity of presenting my own personal interpretation.”

Immediately after its release in Germany, the “Thank You” album shot up the charts and was soon certified Gold! The phenomenal success has lead to numerous television appearances, magazine features and tours.  “Thank You” was released on his 16th birthday, December 19th, 2007.This sweet singing teen will blow you away!!  You can hear him on his offical myspace site at www.myspace.com/declanmusic.  Declan adds, “My greatest wish is simply to make music that people enjoy.”
 

FOO FIGHTERS ANNOUNCE SUMMER U.S. TOUR DATES

Working around Dave Grohl’s presidential campaign schedule (see the March cover of Harp), Foo Fighters have announced the first several dates of their summer U.S. tour, including two nights at Red Rocks in Morrison, CO.

The U.S. summer tour extends what is shaping up to be an extraordinary year on the road - the Foos recently sold out their first ever show at Madison Square Garden, have sold out two June dates at London’s Wembley Stadium, and between now and July will visit Canada, Japan, Finland, and Australia, among others. The reviews of the American tour that concludes this week have been glowing; the New York Post called the Foos “one of the biggest and best bands in rock”, and the Arizona Republic described their show as “impressive support for the argument that Foo Fighters are America’s best rock band.”

Stay tuned to foofighters.com for ticket information and further updates. For more info on the tour and the Grammy-winning album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, contact Steve Martin or Eliot Wadsworth at Nasty Little Man.

July 9 - Seattle WA - Key Arena
July 10 - Portland OR - Rose Garden Arena
July 14 & 15 - Morrison CO - Red Rocks
July 17 - Oklahoma City OK - Ford Center (rescheduled from earlier this year)
July 20 - St. Louis MO - Scottrade Center

Landon Pigg - Coffee Shop

People often criticize the music industry for churning out cookie-cutter artists with nothing new to offer. That’s not the case with RCA Records’ artist Landon Pigg. On his latest release, Coffee Shop, Pigg serves up catchy pop/rock songs that are likely to get you reminiscing about long lost loves.

Pigg’s vocals are soothing and refreshing, and his style simplistic yet powerful. Coffee Shop is a nice sampling of Pigg’s work, some of which is reworked music off his full-length album, LP, originally released nearly two years ago while other tracks are completely new.

“Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop” is a melodically beautiful song, about admiration, that could easily do for Pigg’s career what “You’re Beautiful” did for James Blunt. “Great Companion,” steadily builds into a grand song that echoes the indescribably overwhelming feeling that can result from love loss.

One song off Coffee Shop not found on Pigg’s previous releases is his cover of “Young at Heart” made famous by fellow crooner Frank Sinatra. Pigg’s version is sung with a heavy heart and although seemingly melancholy it’s gorgeous and does the song justice. There’s an air of sensitivity and genuine emotion behind Pigg’s lyrics and vocals. To borrow from the young singer/songwriter there’s a good chance that people might fall “quite hard over” Pigg.

By Esperanza Juarez

Jack Johnson - Sleep Through The Static

I cannot recall when or how I got hooked on Jack Johnson but it must have been my junior year in college. I heard his smash hit, “Flake” and that made me run to Tower Records and pick up the CD, Brushfire Fairytales. His smooth melodies and easy-going flow was too much to resist.

Here we are now in 2008 and Jack has put out 4 more albums since that first, Brushfire Fairytales CD. Jack Johnson is the kind of artist that you just buy his album without even hearing a hit song on the radio. I headed right over to Best Buy and picked up the CD and I felt good about supporting the musician and buying the CD.

I put the CD right in the car. My two favorite places to listen to new music are in the gym or in the car. At first listen I must say that I felt it was the same music that we came to expect from Jack. I felt that the music began to sound uniform and that he did not add any spice to it.

I must have been in a bad spot in my mind because I was totally wrong. I have now listened to the CD over 75 times and I love it more and more each time. What sticks out the most for me is how deep Jack goes lyrically on this album. He has such a skill for saying such profound things without screaming or yelling them at you. Just take a listen to the track, “Sleep Through The Static.”

Overall this album is brilliant! I will be keeping it in the car for the rest of 2008 or until I put, In Between Dreams back in rotation. If you are a Jack fan this CD is a must, if you are not then do yourself a favor and give it a shot. Another masterpiece by Jack Johnson, the musician, father, husband, surfer, artist, genius, etc…

By Michael H. Friedman

RICK ROSS RETURNS WITH TRILLA

“THE BOSS” FEATURING T-PAIN IS NEW SINGLE, BULLETING UP URBAN AND RHYTHMIC RADIO CHARTS, WITH 17 MILLION AUDIENCE AT HOT 100

Slip N’ Slide/Def Jam recording artist Rick Ross, who rose from ruling the underground rap scene in Miami, to becoming 2006’s buzz-worthiest hip-hop artist with his #1 Pop/#1 R&B/#1 Rap major label debut album Port Of Miami – returns with TRILLA, the long-awaited follow-up and one of 2008’s most hotly anticipated new releases, set to arrive in stores March 11th. Read more