JUSTIN YOUNG IS “ON THE WAY”

JUSTIN YOUNG IS “ON THE WAY”

DARREN RAHN IS DEFINITELY READY TO BE OUT FRONT

HARDCASTLE 5 CONTINUES THE TRADITION

Date/ Time: Wednesday, March 12, 2008   at 7:30pm Cobb Great Hall
Tickets:  $33, $28, $23
Box Office:  www.whartoncenter.com
517.432.2000 or 1.800.WHARTON

     LANSING, MI --  Promoter Danny McDaniel is bringing Brian O’Neal to the Cadillac Club on February 29, 2008 at 9:00 p.m.  This will be an extraordinary opportunity to see jazz at its best.

EAST LANSING, MI- -The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is a world renowned dance organization which has grown in leaps and bounds from the now fabled first performance at the 92nd Street Young Men's Hebrew Association in New York in March 1958.

Legendary daredevil Evel Knievel died on November 30, 2007  just days after announcing his meeting with Kanye West that led to a settlement over the rapper's video for "Touch the Sky."

17-year-old DeAndre Way - AKA Soulja Boy Tell'em - utilized internet marketing to make his production and raps a must-have by music consumers. With tens-of-millions of people visiting his website and Myspace page, his single “Crack That” became a #1 hit, and one of the most popular singles of 2007. Signed to Collipark Music/Interscope Records, Soulja Boy Tell'em's career, like his website, could remain popular for years to come.

  In my humble opinion, "R n R", released by Rick Braun and Richard Elliot on August 28, 2007, on the Artizen Records label, is the best smooth jazz CD of the year.

BRIAN O’NEAL’S “DAISY” IS IN FULL BLOOM

I first became acquainted with Marcus Johnson’s music with his release of a CD entitled “Just Doing What I Do” in 2004, and I immediately fell in love with it.  “Just Doing What I Do” was an excellent CD, and it was good enough to make me want to search for more of Johnson’s music.

RANDY SCOTT READY TO “BREATHE” BIG TIME

Michael Marsh is the jazz reviewer for TNCP. To make contact, you may e-mail him at tmarshmellow@aol.com for review.

Ne-Yo is one of the most requested writers in the music business today. He has penned hit songs for Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Mario, Rihanna, and himself. Both of his platinum-selling albums - “In My Own Words” and “Because Of You” - reached the top of the sales charts off the strength of Ne-Yo's writing ability; ability he began to fine-tune by going to school. He pushed his pen and paper aside to speak with us about his education and songwriting skill.

By Joe Walker
The New Citizens Press

Since coming to America from Barbados, 19-year-old Rihanna has become one of the nations biggest Pop and R&B stars. Her first two albums - “Music of The Sun” (2005) and “A Girl Like Me” (2006) - are both certified platinum, each spawned huge hit singles. Rihanna's more mature new release, “Good Girl Gone Bad”, is on pace to do the same. With her life moving continuously at high speed for the past three years, time to herself is not as abundant as radio requests. We slowed Rihanna down to ask her a few questions.

Linkin Park, Grecthon Wilson, Bobby Valintino

 Reveiws for Joe, Rihanna, Micheal Buble

KIM WATERS - YOU ARE MY LADY

Christina Milian, Cam'Ron, Roscoe,

NORMAN BROWN - “STAY WITH ME”

Lumidee, Macy Gray, Beyonce, Joss Stone

2Pac, Shakira, The Game and Regina Spector

Their Koch-distributed sophomore album, Yearning 2 Love, is set for broad US release on June 12, but first they'll set foot in Lansing, performing live at 621 E. Michigan Avenue  on April 27.

MICHAEL FRANKS IS STILL MICHAEL FRANKS

E. LANSING, MI -- The stage setup inside the intimate Fairchild Theater at Michigan State University was boring and simple. There were no 400 inch screens playing videos. No pyrotechnic machines blasting fireballs. No 40-piece string orchestra fiddling violins. Just a set of turntables and a microphone. And that's all Lupe Fiasco, 24, needed.

Eminem, Lil Scrappy, Brooke, Akon

Nu Music

I must confess that I am just an occasional fan of David Benoit.  He is a very accomplished piano player and a lot of people like him.  However, he normally tends to be a little too smooth and mellow for me.

Remember the time when groups like SWV, Sista and En Vouge could actually sing? R&B quartet Cherish won't remind ones of those times.

Lionel Richie, The Mars Volta, Cassie and Chingy

I wanted to reach back a little bit and review a CD that was released before I started to do the smooth jazz reviews for The New Citizen Press.

If you ever wanted to find an example of a successful formula in the music world, you would have to look no further than Paul Hardcastle's Jazzmasters series.

Check out this Nu Music!

Legendary music icon Pat Boone, recently  released his new CD "Pat Boone R&B Classics - We Are Family".

Despite my usual reservations, I took a chance on Peter White’s latest release, “Playin’ Favorites”, and I’m glad I did.

Some of you might not be familiar with sax player Paul “Shilts” Weimar, but if you are a fan of Down To The Bone, you’ve heard him many times as you listened to one of their CD’s.

Wayman Tisdale’s latest CD, “Way Up!”, represents his best work since his 1995 release of “Power Forward”.  In fact, I think it’s his best work period.

Award winning trumpeter, twenty-four year old Maurice Brown will join Def Poetry Jam finalist, Sparrow O’Neal for Spoken and Swung Series kick-off at SereNgeti Galleries in Detroit, MI, July 26, 2006

My initial reaction to listening to Marion Meadows’ latest release, “Dressed To Chill”, on the Heads Up International label, was one of slight disappointment. Perhaps I’m a little spoiled, but it is my expectation that when an artist releases a new CD, it’s going to be better than that artists' previous release.

Not many of you smooth fans may be familiar with guitarist Chris Standring, but with his recent release of “Soul Express”, I predict that is about to change.

Javierm, Grits,Scarface, Matisyahu, 

“That gangsta stuff is dead,” Guerilla stated. “[Rappers out on the West] don’t understand that times are changing.”