"Randy Jackson's Music Club Vol 1" Era OUT NOW!!
Mar 1, 2008 15:28:08 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2008 15:28:08 GMT -5
FOREVER HIS GIRL
March 08, 2008
New Abdul Track Introduces All-Star Jackson Album
JILL MENZE
After dabbling in nearly every area of the music industry, Grammy Award-winning producer/musician and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is adding "solo album" to his already impressive résumé, and he's bringing "Idol" colleague Paula Abdul along for the ride.
The Abdul-driven "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" is the first single from "Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1," due March 11 via Jackson's new Concord Music Group imprint Dream Merchant 21. The 12-track collection showcases a diverse range of artists, from established vets like Mariah Carey, Travis Tritt and Richie Sambora to such up-and-coming talents as Barbi Esco and Kelli Selah.
For Abdul, whose last new single was 1995's "Crazy Cool," the collaboration with Jackson consummated several years of vague conversations about working together. But during "Idol" auditions last July in San Diego, "Randy kept saying to me, 'I've got the perfect song for you. It sounds like you, like now, it's like a nod to you and your past, but it's you now,' " Abdul says. "And he played it, and it was after the first two bars, I knew it was a hit. I knew it was a total smash."
The track was produced by Jackson and the Danish duo known as Deekay. Oliver Leiber, who wrote and produced Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" and "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me," did some additional vocal production. Jackson and Abdul premiered the single Jan. 18 on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show in Los Angeles, and it was serviced to top 40 stations Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 2-3) to coincide with Abdul's pregame performance of the song.
"There was an incredible amount of interest [in the single], I termed it even curiosity, in the very beginning," Concord GM Gene Rumsey says. "I think cynics who were curious all of a sudden heard it and realized, 'Hey, this is a pretty good song.' "
The track re-enters the Pop 100 this week at No. 57 and debuts at No. 80 on the Hot 100. The corresponding video debuted on fox.com Feb. 20 and enjoyed an airing on "American Idol" the next day, which Rumsey hopes will bring back momentum after the post-Super Bowl lag.
"Usually dance radio is a little more forgiving and respectful of heritage artists," radio consultant Guy Zapoleon says, in explaining top 40's apparent aversion to the single. "But today more than ever, our musical culture is about youthful artists who radio might have laughed at five or six years ago. For somebody like Paula, it's a process of rebuilding her image. She's still seen as a '90s pop artist."
There is no confirmation on the follow-up single, although with the genres touched throughout the album—from the duet of "Idol" alums Katherine McPhee and Elliott Yamin to Joss Stone and the Clipse's cover of Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By" to John Rich, Anthony Hamilton and Sara Watkins' countrified take of Michael Bublé's "Home"—several markets serve as potential targets.
"I've never really wanted to do a solo record," Jackson says, adding that the melange of styles is a nod to his multicultural hometown of Baton Rouge, La. "But I always said that if I did one, I'd love to do one like those Quincy Jones albums like 'Back on the Block' [and] 'Dude' . . . They showcased new talent he was trying to break."
And although Concord is relying heavily on Jackson's "Idol" recognition factor, Rumsey says a lot of time and energy was invested to help accurately gauge his target audience and avoid "the shotgun [marketing] approach of, 'Oh, everyone who watches 'American Idol.' "
Album exclusives will be available at Target and Wal-Mart, which include a making-of from the "Dance" video shoot and exclusive audio content, respectively.
In addition to starting up his new label, Jackson was recently named senior A&R consultant/producer for Concord/Stax and is executive-producing MTV series "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew." As for what's in the pipeline at Dream Merchant, Jackson says he's working on records for newcomers Esco and Selah.
He says the goal of the label is to stay small and cultivate talented singers and songwriters, not necessarily break the next big pop star. "Great writing and great singing—that's great artistry. That's what the label stands for and that's why I called it Dream Merchant—where your dreams come true." ••••
March 08, 2008
New Abdul Track Introduces All-Star Jackson Album
JILL MENZE
After dabbling in nearly every area of the music industry, Grammy Award-winning producer/musician and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is adding "solo album" to his already impressive résumé, and he's bringing "Idol" colleague Paula Abdul along for the ride.
The Abdul-driven "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" is the first single from "Randy Jackson's Music Club, Vol. 1," due March 11 via Jackson's new Concord Music Group imprint Dream Merchant 21. The 12-track collection showcases a diverse range of artists, from established vets like Mariah Carey, Travis Tritt and Richie Sambora to such up-and-coming talents as Barbi Esco and Kelli Selah.
For Abdul, whose last new single was 1995's "Crazy Cool," the collaboration with Jackson consummated several years of vague conversations about working together. But during "Idol" auditions last July in San Diego, "Randy kept saying to me, 'I've got the perfect song for you. It sounds like you, like now, it's like a nod to you and your past, but it's you now,' " Abdul says. "And he played it, and it was after the first two bars, I knew it was a hit. I knew it was a total smash."
The track was produced by Jackson and the Danish duo known as Deekay. Oliver Leiber, who wrote and produced Abdul's "Forever Your Girl" and "(It's Just) The Way That You Love Me," did some additional vocal production. Jackson and Abdul premiered the single Jan. 18 on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show in Los Angeles, and it was serviced to top 40 stations Super Bowl weekend (Feb. 2-3) to coincide with Abdul's pregame performance of the song.
"There was an incredible amount of interest [in the single], I termed it even curiosity, in the very beginning," Concord GM Gene Rumsey says. "I think cynics who were curious all of a sudden heard it and realized, 'Hey, this is a pretty good song.' "
The track re-enters the Pop 100 this week at No. 57 and debuts at No. 80 on the Hot 100. The corresponding video debuted on fox.com Feb. 20 and enjoyed an airing on "American Idol" the next day, which Rumsey hopes will bring back momentum after the post-Super Bowl lag.
"Usually dance radio is a little more forgiving and respectful of heritage artists," radio consultant Guy Zapoleon says, in explaining top 40's apparent aversion to the single. "But today more than ever, our musical culture is about youthful artists who radio might have laughed at five or six years ago. For somebody like Paula, it's a process of rebuilding her image. She's still seen as a '90s pop artist."
There is no confirmation on the follow-up single, although with the genres touched throughout the album—from the duet of "Idol" alums Katherine McPhee and Elliott Yamin to Joss Stone and the Clipse's cover of Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By" to John Rich, Anthony Hamilton and Sara Watkins' countrified take of Michael Bublé's "Home"—several markets serve as potential targets.
"I've never really wanted to do a solo record," Jackson says, adding that the melange of styles is a nod to his multicultural hometown of Baton Rouge, La. "But I always said that if I did one, I'd love to do one like those Quincy Jones albums like 'Back on the Block' [and] 'Dude' . . . They showcased new talent he was trying to break."
And although Concord is relying heavily on Jackson's "Idol" recognition factor, Rumsey says a lot of time and energy was invested to help accurately gauge his target audience and avoid "the shotgun [marketing] approach of, 'Oh, everyone who watches 'American Idol.' "
Album exclusives will be available at Target and Wal-Mart, which include a making-of from the "Dance" video shoot and exclusive audio content, respectively.
In addition to starting up his new label, Jackson was recently named senior A&R consultant/producer for Concord/Stax and is executive-producing MTV series "Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew." As for what's in the pipeline at Dream Merchant, Jackson says he's working on records for newcomers Esco and Selah.
He says the goal of the label is to stay small and cultivate talented singers and songwriters, not necessarily break the next big pop star. "Great writing and great singing—that's great artistry. That's what the label stands for and that's why I called it Dream Merchant—where your dreams come true." ••••