Showing Out

Another week, another batch of new releases. Following last week’s big release day (DJ Khaled, Jason Derulo and Raheem DeVaughn all dropped new joints), this week sees another trio of big releases hitting shelves. On the major label tip, Ludacris releases his new album Battle of the Sexes featuring guest appearances from Nicki Minaj, Shawnna, Trey Songz, Ne-Yo and a handful of others. Indie-wise, rap duo Kidz in the Hall drop off their third album Land of Make Believe and on the alternative side, Gorillaz release their new one Plastic Beach. Hit the jump to see more info on this week’s new releases.

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Last week was relatively bare in terms of new hip-hop and R&B releases hitting shelves, so it comes as a relief that this week sees some new music gracing the retail racks. As of today, you can pick up newcomer Jason Derulo’s self-titled debut, featuring the hit singles “Whatcha Say” and “In My Head.” And for all of you R&B lovers who want a little more bite to your soul music, Raheem DeVaughn is dropping his ambitious new double-disc release The Love & War MasterPeace, featuring appearances from Bun B, Wale, Ludacris, Chrisette Michele and a host of others. And if you like features, then you’ll dig DJ Khaled’s new “movie” Victory, which includes every rapper you’ve ever heard of. Hit the jump to get the scoop on this week’s new releases.

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Soulja Boy has arguably become the biggest teen sensation to hit rap music in recent memory, and like any soldier who rolls with a team, he’s paving the way for the rest of his associates. Ja-Bar (nee Justin Benjamin Alex Rucker), a 19-year-old Atlanta native, is the first artist signed to Soulja Boy’s S.O.D. Money Gang label to step out from Soulja Boy’s shadow and release his debut solo album, the first of what’s slated to be a handful of releases from the imprint. Ja-Bar, slated for a Spring release, sees the rapper teaming up with a heavy roster of emcees that includes Missy Elliott, Gucci Mane, Ludacris and the S.O.D Money Gang crew (Soulja Boy and Arab) as well as producers like Super Ced, K.E. and the Young Boyz.

It’s a pretty big step for a rapper who once put his dreams of stardom on the backburner after fielding criticism from those around him who claimed that he might not have what it takes to make it to the top. After focusing his sights on fashion and starting up his own clothing label Ja-Bar & Cupid, he decided to pick back up the mic, heading out on the road with Soulja Boy on Lil Wayne’s America’s Most Wanted tour and recording in the tour bus booth. With his first single “Daze” gaining some momentum and the album on the way, Ja-Bar hopped on the phone with Showing Out to discuss how the album’s shaping up, what it was like going on tour with Weezy, what he cooked up for Missy Elliott, how Soulja Boy’s co-sign has helped his career and what he’s looking forward to in the immediate future.

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England has seen its fair share of singers coming out of the woodwork and heading Stateside in recent years, with the most successful of the bunch erring on Motown soul or thrashing rock (in the vein of Adele, Amy Winehouse, The Noisettes - the list goes on). But Carmen Reece, who hails from the U.K., is going the pop route. Having teamed with vet producer Marc Feist (he’s worked with everyone from Beyonce to Celine Dion to Brian McKnight), Carmen set out to deliver her pop&B debut album Love in Stereo, an album that she insists will deliver on the promise of her lead single “Right Here.”

With Marc putting the finishing touches on the album at the moment, Carmen is keeping busy doing the radio promo run, taking some time out of her busy schedule to chat with us about her upcoming album and more. While in New York City, Carmen spoke on how much her album is split between tales of heartbreak and ones of romance, why she’s got love for Stevie Wonder, what it was like working with these industry vets, why she decided not to go the neo-soul route and what else we can expect from her before the album drops. Hit the jump to see what she had to say.

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What a week it was last week for new releases. On the CD tip, Sade dropped off her sixth album Soldier of Love, her first in almost a decade, while Gil Scott-Heron delivered his first album in 15 years, I’m New Here, on XL Recordings. And on the contemporary R&B tip, Jaheim released a new one titled Another Round, rounding out the new releases on a rule of threes. This week, same story, only more hip-hop by a longshot. Freeway and producer Jake One drop off their collabo album The Stimulus Package, while the Wu-Tang mix CD Return of the Wu & Friends hits shelves and Slum Village reissues their seminal 2000 album Fantastic Vol. 2, retitled Fantastic Vol. 2.10. Hit the jump to get the scoop on this week’s releases.

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Lavell Crawford is a big ol’ barrel of laughs. Known for his stand-up routines that mercilessly poke fun at his big ‘n tall status, Lavell has made a huge name for himself on the comedy circuit, with a career that already has a healthy number of milestones. Over the past decade and change, Lavell has appeared on Def Comedy Jam and The Jamie Foxx Show, with one of his biggest career highlights coming when he placed second to Jon Reep on Last Comic Standing. Though he may not be a household name just yet, Lavell has earned his stripes as an industry vet since he came in the game, winning over audiences with his blunt yet absurdly hilarious reflections on his lifestyle and of culture.

Most recently, Lavell hit another milestone with an appearance on All-Star Comedy Jam: Live from South Beach, a special presented by the legendary Shaquille O’Neal and hosted by D.L. Hughley. The show, shot in front of a live audience at South Beach’s Jackie Gleason Theater, featured routines from Earthquake, Melanie Comarcho, Arnez J and Lavell, an evening which now can be purchased on DVD (purchase it here) for your at-home viewing pleasure. In honor of the DVD’s release, Lavell spoke with Showing Out about how it was a huge honor to be asked to do his routine during the show, what’s the craziest thing he’s seen during a routine, what it was like to meet Shaq, what he’s got in the works and why he was up for the title role of Precious - and clearly lost out.

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It hasn’t really been a very release-heavy year so far in terms of new music hitting the shelves, but this week sees a few legends and an industry vet releasing albums to satiate the need for new joints. After almost a decade of keeping the public waiting, Sade releases their new album Soldier of Love, while Gil Scott-Heron one-ups Sade by releasing his new album I’m New Here after more than 15 years since his last release. And Jaheim, who went missing from the scene for a minute, returns with his new one Another Round. Hit the jump to get a closer look at this week’s releases.

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Showing Out’s Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Just last month, director Joe Johnston’s remake of the 1941 classic The Wolfman was far from complete. Notoriously plagued with release date pushbacks and highly publicized creative differences between Universal Studios and its chosen directors (yes, there was more than one), The Wolfman came to the final showdown during the 11th hour of post-production. With the film in the can, Donna Langely, Universal’s production president, enlisted the help of a new editor early last month, a move that made headlines around the blogosphere as word got out that Johnston would cut his own version of the film and they would each screen to different audiences. Whichever film got the better test screening response would be the version that ended up in theaters. Though the world may never know who actually ended up winning the battle of the creative minds, the advance version of The Wolfman that played tonight in New York City showed no signs of post-production discord. In fact, it was quite the opposite: the version of The Wolfman headed for theaters this Friday is a blithe, hollow film devoid of any sort of character development or plot intrigue. But you guessed it - there’s a whole lot of gore. Thankfully.

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It’s been almost a decade since Sade released its last album Lovers Rock, but the British outfit is finally breaking its silence with the release of its sixth studio effort Soldier of Love. Though we previewed the album a few weeks back, we’re bringing you an exclusive listen to the album before it hits shelves tomorrow (February 9th) with an advance stream of the 10-track opus. While Soldier of Love doesn’t necessarily stray from the band’s unique sound, they give it somewhat of a modern facelift, incorporating some hip-hop elements into a few tracks (”Babyfather,” “The Moon and the Sky”) but maintaining the sound that the world has come to love from Sade. Listen to the full album before it hits stores tomorrow by clicking one of the streams below, and be sure to purchase a copy on Amazon by clicking here. Hit the jump to see the full tracklist.

Windows Media Stream: Sade - Soldier of Love

Quicktime Stream: Sade - Soldier of Love

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Keke Wyatt has gotten a raw deal in the music biz over the past decade. With her first major appearance on Avant’s “My First Love” in 2000, Keke belted her way onto the scene with a bang, soon following her chart-topping duet with her debut album Soul Sista in 2001. But after her album spawned the successful single “Nothin’ in This World” featuring Avant and receiving gold certification, Keke hit a wall.

Three years after she released Soul Sista, Keke parted ways with MCA Records and headed to Cash Money, a move that saw the release of her new single “Put Your Hands on Me” but resulted in her sophomore album Emotional Rollercoaster being shelved after the track failed to catch on, leaving her to part ways yet again with her label and resign with TVT Records in 2006. But after recording more tracks for her next album Ghetto Rose, TVT bit the dust and Keke’s album was yet again left on the cutting room floor.

Determined to keep her career alive, Keke finally resigned with Shanachie Entertainment last year, and her official sophomore album Who Knew? is finally slated for release on February 23rd. In anticipation of its release, Keke spoke with Showing Out about why she almost quit the music industry (and what made her come back), why she’s let all the drama go from her history with record labels, how her new album Who Knew? showcases sides of Keke that you’ve never seen before and what else you can expect from the golden-voiced soulstress in the near future.

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