FANTASIA OF THE FUTURE
Dear Keith,
I have a question about “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino. With the success of her stint on Broadway in “The Color Purple,” I wondered if a cast album with her will ever be released in the future? She was great in this play.
Kendall Williams
Tipton, Ind.
Hi Kendall,
We reached out to Angel Records, the label that released the cast recording of “The Color Purple.” They told us that there are no plans to release a version of the cast recording with Fantasia.
The “Idol” winner’s most recent album, 2006’s “Fantasia,” has sold 510,000 in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. It has spun off three top 40 hits on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart: “Hood Boy” (No. 21), “When I See U” (no. 1 for eight weeks) and “only One U” (No. 36). She was most recently featured on Aretha Franklin’s “Put You Up On Game,” a No. 41 R&B/Hip-Hop hit in January. The latter song is found on Franklin’s duets album “Jewels in the Crown.”SALES ‘OUT LOUD’
Hi Keith
Can you tell me how many albums the Christian and Latin music singer Jaci Velasquez has sold according to Nielsen SoundScan and how she did with the debut of her latest album “Love Out Loud”?
Her album sales have never been very clear, and her fans, including me, would be happy to know.
Thank you!
Hector Garcia
Hello Hector,
Jaci Velasquez has sold 2,934,000 albums in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan. Her new album, “Love Out Loud,” sold 4,000 in its first two weeks of release. The set, which hit stores on March 18, debuted at No. 21 on the Top Christian Albums chart. ‘TAKE THAT AWAY’ FROM WARREN?
Hi Keith,
I was recently listening to Mariah Carey’s 1999 album “Rainbow” and was looking over the album credits. I noticed that the songs “After Tonight” and “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)” lists Mariah Carey as co-writer along with acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren.
“Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)” was released as the third single off of “Rainbow” and was on the Billboard charts in 2000. I know that Diane Warren has an immense list of songs that she has written for performers that have been on the Billboard charts (and several have been Billboard chart toppers)… and usually Warren is listed as the sole songwriter.
Is “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)” the first Warren composition to chart that was co-written with the performer?
Ramon Adams
Hi Ramon,
“Can’t Take That Away” is not the first charting single written by Diane Warren that was also co-written by the performer. If we limit our search to only the Billboard Hot 100, the first time Warren shared a co-write with a performer was in 1990 with Michael Bolton’s “How Can We Be Lovers.”
She later shared co-writing credit with the performers on the following tunes: Michael McDonald’s “Take It To Heart” (1990), Desmond Child’s “Love on a Rooftoop” (1991), Henry Lee Summer’s “Till Somebody Loves You” (1991), Child’s “You’re the Story of My Life” (1991), Gloria Estefan’s “Live For Loving Your” (1991), Michael Bolton’s “Missing You Now” (1992), Michael W. Smith’s “I Will Be Here For You” (1992) and Estefan’s “Reach” (1996). (She also had a co-writing credit on Lil’ Zane’s “Callin’ Me,” but I can’t figure out if the song sampled a previous Warren work, or if Warren actually worked with the rapper
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