Lady Gaga's Born This Way Is 'Incredible,' Manager Says

'We're very excited about it,' Troy Carter says of upcoming LP.
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: MTV News

There's been a lot of buzz about Lady Gaga's Born This Way, with Gaga herself opening up about the upcoming LP at a recent concert stop. And while there are still some details up in the air, like what it will sound like and when it will drop, one of the team's main men shared a few more details about the full-length follow-up to Gaga's smash debut, The Fame.

"We're just starting to play music for the label," Gaga's manager and Coalition Media Group CEO Troy Carter said during an interview at the recent Billboard Touring Conference and Awards. "We're very excited about it. We're starting to play a little for people and getting a feel for it, and she's done an incredible job, a really incredible job."

Carter also talked about what the new album will mean for the business of Gaga, admitting he has no set strategy for it. "Well, you know what, it's not where I go from a business standpoint, it's more about where she goes creatively because, truth be told, we built the business around her creative infrastructure and that business that was built is unique to Lady Gaga," he explained, not willing to reveal a release date. "We haven't announced a date ... nope ... it's coming soon."

RedOne, who has worked with Gaga on smashes like "Bad Romance" and on the current album, believes that Born This Way will really step up the singer's already stepped-up game. "I think it's more of her freedom album. It's like freedom, this album ... it's her album!" he explained to MTV News.

"To be honest with you, I think that this album that she's making is too precious to talk about. When it comes out you'll hear and you'll make your choice. I think you're gonna love it. But I think it's too precious for me to talk about it. It's crazy."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652258/20101115/lady_gaga.jhtml

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Michael Jackson's Michael Track Listing Reveals Akon, 50 Cent Collabos

Akon collaboration, 'Hold My Hand,' will debut Monday.
By Jocelyn Vena


Michael Jackson's <i>Michael</i>
Photo: Epic Records

Michael Jackson fans are eagerly awaiting the December 14 arrival of his posthumous release, simply called Michael, and on Friday (November 12), the album's official track listing was unveiled. Michael will feature appearances by 50 Cent and Lenny Kravitz, as well as a collaboration with Akon called "Hold My Hand" that's set to debut on Monday (November 15).

"Hold My Hand" will be Michael's lead track. According to an official announcement, Jackson had intended for the song to be the first official release off the album. His label, Sony, and the executors of his estate reportedly have a handwritten note from the singer in which he shares that wish. Another tune, "Breaking News," began streaming on his website this past Monday as a preview for the album.

An early take of "Hold My Hand" was leaked in 2008, but Akon says the version that appears on Michael is the definite one. "The world was not ready to hear 'Hold My Hand' when it leaked a couple years ago. We were devastated about it," Akon explained. "But its time has definitely come; now in its final state, it has become an incredible, beautiful, anthemic song. I'm so proud to have had the chance to work with Michael, one of my all time idols."

In 2007, Akon spoke to MTV News about working with Jackson on music, including "Hold My Hand." "Just to be in the same room [with him], I felt like everything I wanted to achieve in life had already been achieved," Akon said. "That's how incredible that aura [is]. We about to shake the world up, man ... You know how you be with somebody and you can't even explain [the feeling]? I used to always sit and wonder, 'How does somebody sell so many records and dominate a whole business genre to a point where nobody can't be a part of that without associating [with him]?' The way he thinks ... some artists think regional, some think national, I was thinking international, 'til I met him. He thinks planet. It's on another level."

The cover art for Michael was released earlier this month. The painting by Kadir Nelson takes fans on a fantasy ride through the greatest moments of MJ's solo career. MTV News recently decoded the Jackson images and references that make up the album art including several iterations of Jackson ranging from Thriller-era Jackson right through to the singer wearing a crown, an obvious reference to his moniker as the King of Pop.

Here is the complete track list for Michael Jackson's Michael, according to Sony Music Entertainment:

»"Hold My Hand" (Duet with Akon)
»"Hollywood Tonight"
»"Keep Your Head Up"
»"(I Like) The Way You Love Me"
»"Monster" (Featuring 50 Cent)
»"Best of Joy"
»"Breaking News"
»"(I Can't Make It) Another Day" (Featuring Lenny Kravitz)
»"Behind the Mask"
»"Much Too Soon"

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652120/20101112/jackson_michael.jhtml

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Robert Plant And Alison Krauss Win Grammy Album Of The Year

Raising Sand, from Led Zeppelin vet and bluegrass superstar, wins five Grammys on Sunday night.
By James Montgomery with MTV News staff


Alison Krauss and Robert Plant accept the award for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards on Sunday
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

"I'm bewildered," Robert Plant said onstage as he accepted the Grammy Album of the Year award with Alison Krauss on Sunday night. "In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it's a good way to spend a Sunday."

He was probably one of the few who were surprised, because Raising Sand, which won five trophies at Sunday night's show, is in many ways the perfect Grammy album. It features two respected veterans, a critically lauded producer, some sandpaper-and-velvet vocals and a baker's dozen of time-tested standards.

You're probably familiar with Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and you might be aware of producer T-Bone Burnett's work on the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack (it won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2002). And if you don't know who Alison Krauss is, she possesses a haunting set of pipes and is one of the meanest fiddle players in the world. Oh, and she's won 21 Grammys, more than any other female artist and the seventh-most in history.

Really, she's the key to Sand's success, and not just because of her voice (or her fiddle playing). She and Plant first met in 2004, at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute to legendary bluesman Leadbelly, and the former Zeppelin man was amazed by her knowledge of American Roots music — so much so that they began kicking around the idea of recording an album together. Three years later, Sand was released.

And while Plant possesses the more famous voice, the album's finest moments radiate from Krauss. Whether she's getting bluesy on Little Milton's "Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson" or entwining with Plant's husky voice on songs like "Please Read the Letter" and Roly Salley's winsome "Killing the Blues," she more than carries her end of the bargain.

And perhaps that's also due to producer Burnett, who handpicked the 13 songs the duo cover on Sand. His arrangements are sparse — giving the two voices ample room to breathe — yet dense, warm and crackling at the same time. It's a testament to his work that he's often given just as much billing as Plant and Krauss on the project ... and it's certainly justified.

To date, Sand has sold more than 1 million copies, heaped tons of acclaim and actually earned a Grammy last year — "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" took home the award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals.

One expert was surprised not by the album's success, but by the fact that it's actually quite a good album.

"At first, the album seemed like a vanity project. ... Two names, clearly a one-off record, didn't have to be any good, you know?" New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica said. "Led Zeppelin fans would buy it because of Robert Plant, Alison Krauss would get a check. But it actually turned out to be a really thoughtful, really good record. So when you combine all that with the fact that the Grammys love to lionize one of their own, I could really see it taking home some awards."

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604582/20090209/plant_robert.jhtml

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Justin Bieber's My Worlds Acoustic Album Drops On Black Friday

Album, featuring a new track called 'Pray,' will be released on November 26, the biggest shopping day of the year.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

November 26 certainly won't be a Black Friday for Justin Bieber fans. His acoustic album, My Worlds Acoustic, drops that day, which also happens to be the biggest shopping day of the year. The album will be sold exclusively through Walmart.

A press release for the album notes that in addition to acoustic versions of Bieber's hits, there's a new song on the album called "Pray." It's being described as an "optimistic, uplifting song, and represents the spirit behind My Worlds Acoustic." The press release also says that "Justin intends the album as a gift to his fans; the arrangements reflect Justin's early days with merely an acoustic guitar or a lone piano.

"The album adds additional acoustic instrumentation such as a string quartet, congas, and a cajon drum," the press release continues. "The percussion represents inspiration from Justin's worldly travels, most recently to Africa. Justin plays guitar on the album alongside his musical director and fellow guitarist Dan Kanter."

When MTV News spoke to Bieber about the album earlier this month, he explained why he wanted to release an acoustic album. "I really think that I did an acoustic album because there's a lot of haters out there that say, 'Justin Bieber can't sing. His voice is all Auto-Tuned,' " he said. "And there's a lot with production, it kind of drowns out your voice, and it takes away from the singer, over the synths and everything."

My Worlds Acoustic will allow Bieber's true talent to shine through. "I think kind of stripping it down and having it kind of really mellow and being able to hear my voice is why I wanted to do it."

Are you excited for Justin Bieber's acoustic album? Let us know in the comments!

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1651819/20101109/bieber_justin.jhtml

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Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery


Dave Grohl (file)
Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended very early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.

To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.

According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned down Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.

Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures — Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar — ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called Never Deserved the Future, and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).

The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard — Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" — delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis.

It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures — there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.

Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site — posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a Deserve the Future T-shirt. Cost: $30.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1617950/20090810/foo_fighters.jhtml

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