by jeff chandler rage rhythms
More than 160 Million Served!
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel by Mariah Carey
When you think of veteran musical artists in the industry, it’s hard to believe that Mariah
Carey has been on the scene and a phenomenon for almost 20 years now. With the release
of her latest single, “Obsessed” last month, she cuts the ribbon on Memoirs of an Imperfect
Angel. Did you ever see her throw the first ball out at some opening ceremony in Tokyo?
So, she throws like a girl but let me tell you… if she scores one more #1 Hot 100 Hit, she will
surpass The Beatles’ all-time high of 20 #1 hits. This accomplishment would make her the
only active recording artist in the 50 years of the Hot 100 to do so. Talk about some great
stats. It doesn’t take a bookie to realize the odds of Mariah Carey making this goal are
surely guaranteed. Our soaring songbird recently commented on the cover of her new
CD, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which showcases three different poses of her, “The
reason I chose to use three images for the cover is because there are a lot of different
emotions and stories revealed on this album.” She went on to sing, “Hope you like this and
you know it,” from her 2005 smash hit song, “It’s Like That.” As Wayne and Garth put it so
succinctly, “We’re not worthy! We’re not worthy!” Available 09/15/09.
A Little Night Music
BLACKsummer’s Night by Maxwell
Oh, the sweet and soulful sounds of Maxwell. His voice and falsetto float sensuously through the air and if
there is a perfect match for a lazy summer afternoon or evening for those romantics, his new release called
BLACKsummer’s Night is it. It’s been a while since he has recorded, as Maxell wanted to step away from his
music to, as he puts it, “I wanted to return to the promise. What did my music and creativity speak of people?
For me, coming back to that promise was kind of where my heart was really gravitating.” The CD really has a
pure essence to it as all nine tracks were recorded with a phenomenal 10-piece band… no synths or duets. Just
Maxwell doing what he does so well, opening his heart and spirit for the music. Available now.
It’s Personal
Persona by Queen Latifah
It appears to have come full-circle for Queen Latifah. Her roots in the music world are rap and hip-hop. She
excelled in this style. She then went on to capture the hearts of the public with her numerous dramatic and
comedic roles in film. Then, she broke the mold again by releasing a CD of jazz and blues. Now with Persona,
she heads back to rap music for the first time in a decade. She shared her excitement for this new CD and said
the release includes dance, reggae, rock and plenty of straight up hip-hop. Latifah expressed another reason
for doing this by saying, “I think there’s a huge deficit out there. I don’t think it’s ever been this male-dominated
since I started making music. For me, part of the mission is to get out there again and be a platform to up-and-
coming female artists who aren’t getting their voices heard right now.’’ Available 08/25/09.
Jazzin’ It Up
American Classic by Willie Nelson
Crossing musical genres has never been a problem for the timeless talent of Willie Nelson. His foray into
popular song called Stardust that he created in 1978 was a huge crossover success for the artist. Now, he dips
his talent into 12 jazz standards and comes up with what he called an American Classic. This marks Nelson’s
first release on the Blue Note label, which is known for its roster of high-quality jazz musicianship. Produced
by Grammy-award-winning Tommy LiPuma, this set of songs also includes duets with Diana Krall (“If I Had
You”) and Norah Jones on “Baby It’s Cold Outside.” Other notable standards include “Angel Eyes” and “Ain’t
Misbehavin’.” It’s a given that Willie Nelson will put his unique signature stamp on the entire collection known
as American Classic. Available 08/25/09.
august 2009 | RAGE monthly 17
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