Jennifer Lopez's forthcoming album 'Love?': Producer RedOne spills on the sound

American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez’s long-gestating album Love? is currently slated for a March 29th release, and one single, the Pitbull-infused, “Lambada”-riffing “On the Floor” has already hit radio (although not the Billboard charts in the U.S….yet).

So we’ve gotten a taste of what’s possibly to come, but what’s up with the rest of the forthcoming album? Lopez is reportedly using music that she recorded for the album back when it was in the works at Sony and songs that she’s newly recorded with producers Tricky Stewart, The-Dream, and RedOne.

Which is interesting considering RedOne came down the red carpet at Sunday evening’s 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, where he spilled some details about what to expect when Love? drops next month. “I did about half of the album and I am one of the executive producers with LA Reid,” Red One told Entertainment Weekly. “The first song, ‘On The Floor,’ is already blowing up and the rest is even better. Lots of dance songs.”

The sound, as you might guess, nods to Lopez’s roots — but it’s more than that. “A little bit of the Latin flavor is infused in it,” RedOne explains, “but I would describe it more as a global sound. It is all about love and covers all emotional sides of Jennifer. She is in a good place.”

How does Lopez’s role as a new judge on American Idol fit into her new musical iteration? “Most of the album was done before she started Idol so I don’t think that will influence her sound, but I think it has probably been a great experience for her to be reminded what it is like to just be starting out and to be excited when everything is new,” RedOne offered. “She is an icon because she had a dream and a passion and then she worked really hard to attain it. But I think she was the perfect choice for a new judge. She knows what it takes to make it.”

Britney Spears Returns to 'Edgy' Sound on New CD

While Britney Spears's new single, "Hold It Against Me," may have provided an upbeat preview of her new album, what will the rest of the work sound like?

"It's way more edgy than the last album," songwriter Claude Kelly, who composed several tracks for the as-yet-untitled album, said at a New York NARAS reception. He adds that Spears, 29, is returning to the grittier sounds of 2007's Blackout. "[It's] more in the vein of the album before," he says.

Though Kelly admits he's not completely sure what the "final product is going to be," he does say, "the last album [2008's Circus] was more clean pop. [Its purpose] was to reintroduce Britney to the world as the pop princess."

As the first single also indicates, Spears, who Tweeted from her "Hold It Against Me" video shoot this weekend, has new tunes are definitely club-worthy.

"She's always ready," Kelly says. "Dr. Luke and Max Martin are running the show, and it's all about the beats. It has a heavier bass line and it's much harder, more urgent, more club. She's ready again!"

Elton John & Matthew Morrison 'Gleeful' Duet

Elton John was filled with 'Glee' to do this duet.

Speaking at his Wednesday gay marriage fundraising gala, John touched on the recent work he did with 'Glee' star Matthew Morrison on his upcoming solo album.

"I just did it! It's a duet. It's great, really fantastic. He sings great on it," he told Parade Magazine. "It's a medley of 'Mona Lisas and Madhatters' going into 'Rocket Man.' I did it on Monday."

John had spoken in October of his plans to do the project with Morrison, who attended the Wednesday soiree.

"I'm supposed to be doing something with Matthew Morrison for his album," the singer told Entertainment Weekly in October. "[Matthew and I] had a little meeting together, so hopefully that's going to happen when I get to L.A."

No word yet on whether the high school glee club show will cover one of his songs, but John was enthusiastic about that possibility, too.

Morrison's solo album will be released in February.

Ricky Martin Unveils Music+Soul+Sex

Get ready for new music from Ricky Martin.

The Latin pop star has unveiled the title of his first studio album in six years — Musica+Alma+Sexo (Music+Soul+Sex) will be released February 1st. The album features tracks in both Spanish and English, and its first single is “The Best Thing About Me Is You.”

The Spanish version, “Lo Mejor de Mi Vida Eres Tu,” is already number one on the Latin charts.

Martin will kick off his promotional tour for the album with an appearance on the CBS special A Home for the Holidays, appearing with stars including Katy Perry and Melissa Etheridge.

First Listen: Adam Lambert "For Your Entertainment" Album Sampler

Here's a sneak preview of what's to come on Adam Lambert's forthcoming CD, "For Your Entertainment", which will be released on Monday, November 23rd.



Track Listing:
1. Music Again / 2. For Your Entertainment / 3. Whataya Want From Me / 4. Strut / 5. Soaked / 6. Sure Fire Winners / 7. A Loaded Smile / 8. If I Had You / 9. Pick U Up / 10. Fever / 11. Sleepwalker / 12. Aftermath / 13. Broken Open / 14. Time For Miracles

This is sure to be a hit!

Adam Lambert Streams His New Single Online

Adam Lambert introduced his new glam-rock single, "For Your Entertainment," on Ryan Seacrest's radio show early Friday morning, and is now streaming it on his Web site in time for the Halloween party weekend.

You can listen to it at http://www.adamofficial.com/us/home.

"It's dance music with a glam-rock shuffle beat, in the style of T. Rex and 'Rock & Roll, Part 2,' " the American Idol runner-up told KIIS-FM listeners.

The single, from the upcoming album of the same name, has been described as Lambert's "Britney song," in contrast to his other recently unveiled tune, "Time for Miracles" (from the 2012 soundtrack), which is his power-ballad "Christina song."

The chorus of "For Your Entertainment" features the lines, "Can you handle what I'm about to do/It's about to get rough for you/Because I'm here for your entertainment."

Earlier this week on Twitter, Lambert advised fans to "get ready to shake yo asses to this song. It'll make ya dance for sure." On Friday morning, he added: "Hope you're gonna wanna blast it while you're gettin ready for Halloween!! Then at the club!!!"

Kris Allen's Debut Album Sampler

Kris Allen's self-titled debut album is due out on November 17th and here we have a sampler preview of what to expect:



Here's the track list:

01. Live Like We're Dying
02. Before We Come Undone
03. Can't Stay Away
04. The Truth
05. Written All Over My Face
06. Bring It Back
07. Red Guitar
08. Is It Over
09. Let It Rain
10. Alright With Me
11. Lifetime
12. I Need to Know
13. Heartless

Personally...I'm looking forward to Adam Lambert's CD "For Your Entertainment" instead of Kris' debut. Adam's CD will be released on November 23rd.

Adam Lambert Defends His CD Cover on Twitter

Earlier this week, Adam Lambert unveiled the glamorous artwork for his new album cover, For Your Entertainment.

The 27-year-old American Idol vet took to his Twitter to defend it: “Thank you to those who appreciate and understand that the album cover is deliberately campy. It’s an [homage] to the past. It IS ridiculous. For those that don’t get it: oh well… Glad to have gotten your attention.”

Adam added, “Debut single is called For Your Entertainment get ready to shake yo asses to this song. It’ll make ya dance for sure. :)”

Meet the Cast of ‘Glee’ During Their Mall Tour!

The first soundtrack for the hit TV show Glee is hitting stores next week.

"Glee: The Music, Volume 1" will be available this Tuesday (November 3rd) and the cast will be making appearances at in-stores in New York City and Los Angeles during release week.

Rihanna Unveils 'Rated R' CD Cover

Rihanna's fourth CD, "Rated R" is due out November 23rd and here we are unveiling the cover.

The 'Rated R' cover was shot by famed photographer Ellen von Unwerth, who says that 'Rihanna was looking to create something a bit new for the look of the album.'

Adam Lambert Unveils 'Entertainment' CD Cover

The wait is almost over. Adam Lambert's debut CD will be released in less than a month on Monday, November 23rd. Here is the recently released CD cover.

I don't know about you, but I will definitely be purchasing mine first thing that morning!

Corinne Bailey Rae Sets New Album Release Date

Corinne Bailey Rae is set to sail on a new journey in her career with the release of her new album The Sea on Febuary 2, 2010, it was announced Thursday.

The singer, 30, whose husband Jason was found dead in March 2008, has spoken of how she has channeled her grief into some of the new songs.

"I hope you guys will like it and be into it," she says in a video on her Web site. The Leeds-based singer also says she co-produced the new record and promises "some hints" of the new work and behind-the-scenes footage will come to the site.

Rae's 2006 debut song "Put Your Records On" sold 4 million copies. Prior to the February release of her album, she will perform some new shows in the U.S., as well as a November 23rd London concert.

Allison Iraheta: ‘Just Like You’ Album Cover!

Check out this first look at the cover art for Allison Iraheta’s debut album, "Just Like You," out December 1st.

On Sunday, the 17-year-old American Idol vet shot the music video for her first single, “Friday I’ll Be Over U!” “Vid shoot was way fun,” Allison said after filming the vid.

You can follow Allison on Twitter @allison4realzzz.

Lady Gaga's "Monster" CD to Include 8 New Tracks

Lady Gaga announced today that she will release "The Fame Monster," a re-package of her 4 million-selling album "The Fame. "

The album will include the entire breakthrough album The Fame, along with eight entirely new songs. The Fame Monster (Streamline/KonLive/Cherrytree/Interscope Records), deals with the seamier side of fame, as experienced by Gaga over the course of her last history-making year. The new version will be released on November 24, 2009.

Says Lady Gaga, "On my re-release The Fame Monster, I wrote about everything I didn't write on The Fame. While traveling the world for two years, I've encountered several monsters, each represented by a different song on the new record: my ‘Fear of Sex Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Alcohol Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Love Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Death Monster,’ my ‘Fear of Loneliness Monster,’ etc.”

“I spent a lot of nights in Eastern Europe, and this album is a pop experimentation with industrial/Goth beats, 90's dance melodies, an obsession with the lyrical genius of 80's melancholic pop, and the runway. I wrote while watching muted fashion shows and I am compelled to say my music was scored for them. I also composed a ballad for the album, ‘Speechless,’ a song for my father, and it's my favorite work of all. I wrote every piece on the road - no songs about money, no songs about fame. I wrote it for my fans, so I wrote everything in between."

The first club-banging single, the RedOne-produced “Bad Romance,” will be released in early November. Other collaborators on the new tracks include Teddy Riley, Rodney Jerkins, Ron Fair and Fernando Garibay.

Lady Gaga is also in the process of planning her next tour after her co-headlining tour with Kanye West was canceled last week.

Alan Cumming Can Sing Too!

"I Bought a Blue Car Today," the debut solo album from stage star Alan Cumming, will be released on Tuesday, September 22nd on Yellow Sound Label. The Tony-winning actor, who will return to Broadway in 2010 in "SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark," performed a concert version of the material on the album at London’s Vaudeville Theatre in early September.

Led by musical director Lance Horne, Cumming explores a variety of musical styles on the album, with material range from songs by artists like Cyndi Lauper ("Shine"), Dory Previn (“Dance and Dance and Smile and Smile”), John Bucchino (“Unexpressed”) and Jimmy Webb (“All I Know”) to theatrical gems (“Mein Herr” from Cabaret, the show that earned Cumming a Best Actor Tony; “Where I Want to Be” from Chess; “What More Can I Say?” from Falsettos; “Wig in a Box/Wicked Little Town” from Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and more.

“The album title comes from the naturalization test I took to become a citizen of the U S of A,” says Cumming. “In the test, there is a bit where the man says a sentence and you have to write it down to prove your prowess in English. My sentence was ‘I bought a blue car today,’ which initially I thought was really sweet and childlike, but on closer examination I realized that it’s all about consumerism and gas guzzling, which rather brilliantly encapsulates America’s financial and energy crises in one fell swoop. [The album is] made up of songs and stories about my ten years living in the states culminating in my becoming a citizen.”

Cumming will play the Green Goblin, the villain of "SPIDER-MAN: Turn Off the Dark" when it starts performances at the Hilton Theatre in early 2010. In addition to Cabaret, he has appeared on Broadway in Threepenny Opera and Design for Living and off-Broadway in The Seagull. His many London stage credits include Bent and the title role in Hamlet.

First Look: Official Cover for Madonna's Greatest Hits Album, "Celebration"

Here's the official cover for Madonna's new Greatest Hits collection, called "Celebration". The album's cover was designed by an artist called Mr. Brainwash.

Madonna emphasizes a return to the "pop" past with this cover — no doubt derivative of Warhol, Banksy...there's even a suggestion of Roy Lichtenstein Ben-day Dots in that image.

Via press release: "The songs on Celebration have all been remastered and selected by Madonna and her fans. They cover the expanse of the Material Girl’s extraordinary career of hits including “Everybody,” “Express Yourself,” “Vogue” and “4 Minutes.”

“Celebration” will be available in a two-CD set as well as a single CD. There will also be a “Celebration” DVD released simultaneously which includes the video visionary’s best videos including several that have never before been available on DVD."

There are two new songs on the album. The first is a Paul Oakenfold collaboration that goes to radio on August 3rd called "Celebration". The Hits collection is out September 29th in the U.S.

Blake Lewis to Release Dance-Pop CD

Blake Lewis wants you to dance!

American Idol’s season 6 runner-up will release his second CD, Heartbreak on Vinyl, on October 6th via Tommy Boy Entertainment. Shifting from pop-rock to dance-pop, Lewis says his new album, “the culmination of over 10 years in the dance scene,” will be “filled with electro pop goodness with melodies I cherish.”

Currently in the studio finishing the record, Lewis called on producers Rodney Jerkins (who’s worked with Britney Spears and Lady Gaga) and Dave Aude (who’s worked with the Pussycat Dolls) to craft his new high-energy sound.

“The music in the dance scene gets me out onto the dance floor to lose my inhibition,” Lewis says of the inspiration behind his new project. “The title is an ode to all the record stores that have been closing down due to my industry eating itself. These are the stores that brought inspiration to all of us music lovers and have led me to make the music I create today.”

Madonna's ‘"Celebration" CD Due in September

A reliable source has informed us that Madonna is getting ready to release her third greatest hits CD, "Celebration", in September – possibly September 22nd. It will be her final release with Warner Brothers and it will contain three new songs.

The timing of the CD's release may be bad. Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey are going to be releasing CDs around the same time. Whitney Houston’s "Undefeated" is due on September 1st, one week after Mariah Carey’s "Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel."

Then again, having three divas release CDs at the same time may be good for the music industry and the economy. But if Madonna and Whitney Houston go the Mariah route and release new material that is as uncreative and boring as Mariah’s new single "Obsessed," the music industry may suffer even more.

Madonna's "Hits" CD Due Out in September

Madonna and her entourage invited several designers to submit their art concepts for her forthcoming greatest hits collection.

Pictured above is one of the rejects art concepts created by Adam Larson of Adam & Co.

TheDieLine.com has revealed that the upcoming collection is apparently titled simply "Hits". RollingStone has reported that we can also expect some new tracks on the forthcoming compilation.

Below are addition rejected designs from Adam & CO.