A look at the latest acts that are breaking at radio and retail and entering the Billboard charts.
NORTH BOUND: Prior to forming Madlib Shades of Blue,” which was released in June on Blue Note/Capitol, features reworkings of the jazz originals. Instead of smacking modern technology onto the catalog, Madlib infuses the tunes with dusty grooves that accentuate the original arrangements rather than overpower them. It’s not unlike Moby’s reworkings of old blues standards on his last two releases.
The set has been receiving rave reviews in the jazz, hip-hop and rock communities, and “Madlib Shades of Blue” has spent four weeks on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums tally. It peaked at No. 8, and last week found itself at a still respectable No. 10. To date, it’s sold 10,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
There are more Madlib-related releases on the way. A hip-hop album with the like-minded Jaylib is due in the fall on Stones Throw Records. Additionally, Madlib is wrapping a new album under the Yesterday’s New Quintet moniker, and has done production work on an upcoming album from Dudley Perkins and the debut full-length from his younger brother, Oh No, both to be released on Stone’s Throw.
GIMME SOME SUGAR: All-girl trio the Sugababes is a huge sensation in the U.K., but U.S pop audiences, perhaps wary of another Spice Girls, have thus far ignored the group.
Using three-part harmonies and a fondness for rock, the Sugababes offer bouncy radio-friendly pop. The trio has topped the charts in England with a reworking of Adina Howard’s “Freak Like Me,” and even won a Brit Award, but a U.S. release of 2002’s “Angels With Dirty Faces” never materialized. Universal Records pushed the singles “Freak Like Me” and “Round Round” on these shores, but neither struck a chord with U.S. pop fans.
There are some signs, however, that the Sugababes may yet break in America. The Garbage-inspired “Round Round” has finally landed on Billboard’s Hot Dance Singles Sales chart. The single, which was released about a year ago by Universal, bowed at No. 19 last week. The continued success of “Round Round” in the U.K. has spurred club play in America.
Additionally, the Sugababes are recording with hit-making triothe Matrix, who co-wrote and produced much of Avril Lavigne’s Arista debut “Let Go,” and helped indie-rock queen Liz Phair get on the radio. No release date or U.S. label has yet been announced for the forthcoming album.
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