Hot Product

The ‘Gift’ That Keeps On Giving

Jay-Z apparently believes in the adage “You’re only as good as your last hit.” For his eighth Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam set, “The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse” the Brooklyn, N.Y., MC has crafted a sequel of sorts to 2001’s Grammy Award-nominated “The Blueprint.” Says Jay-Z, “My whole thing was to record a lot of music coming off ‘The Blueprint.’ That was considered a classic as soon it came out. You know how people always compare an artist’s last album to their latest. I knew that was going happen, so I wanted to make sure it was extra tight.”

The result is a double-disc collection, the first for a Def Jam artist. In addition to Beyonce Knowles, who appears on first single “’03 Bonnie & Clyde,” the album features appearances by Dr. Dre, Rakim, Truth Hurts, and Lenny Kravitz. “I just tried to maintain my level of recording,” Jay-Z says. “I know when people pick up a Jay-Z album they’re not expecting to hear four [good] records. I could have four hot records — which would be an amazing album for another artist — but four records for me is a problem. I have that ‘gift’ and that ‘curse.'”

“This album is everywhere,” the rapper continues. “With ‘The Blueprint,’ there was one specific theme — soul music. This one is about the next level and the future. ‘The Blueprint’ was about something familiar; this [album] is about what’s next. There are all different types of music on there, from rock to soul to reggae — it’s very experimental.”

---

They Will Survive

There was a point when Arista considered compiling a TLC greatest-hits package and adding on the new songs that the trio had recorded before the untimely death of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in April. But that notion was tabled. For remaining members Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas, there was nothing to discuss. “When the greatest-hits idea was put out there, I said, ‘It’s not time for that now. I’m not done,'” Watkins recalls. “Nobody knows Lisa better than us girls. She’d have said, ‘Girl, you better get out there and finish [an album]’.”

The result of Watkins’ and Thomas’ inspirational momentum is TLC’s fourth full-length, “3D.” A little more than half of the 13-track album was completed before the car accident in Honduras that left Lopes dead. She already had conceived the title, devised the visuals, and written six songs, including lead single “Girl Talk.”

Envisioned by Lopes as another look at the three different personalities that comprise TLC, “3D” finds the threesome once again setting their sexy, sassy, girls-just-want-to-have-fun attitude to music while also showing a vulnerable side. The dishy “Girl Talk” — described by Watkins as “No Scrubs, part two” and peppered with Lopes’ signature salty rap — takes male half-steppers in relationships to task, while the lush “In Your Arms Tonight” calls to mind old-school Prince. “Damaged,” one of the six songs Watkins penned, paints a moving picture of a woman who is scared to go forward with a new relationship.

“She was our sister,” Thomas says of Lopes. “And this is what she’d want us to do: Carry on the legacy. Despite the squabbles, we loved each other. And I hope people come away from this album feeling the love between the three of us. There’s no breaking up of this group.”

---

Inciting A ‘Riot’

Seven albums into its career, Pearl Jam has yet to surrender to the musical complacency that often comes with advancing age. If anything, “Riot Act,” due this week from Epic, is one of the band’s most compositionally interesting records ever. The secret? Each band member contributed songs to the project, ranging from drummer Matt Cameron’s guitar effect extravaganza “You Are” to Eddie Vedder’s plaintive, largely acoustic “Thumbing My Way” to such quintessential Pearl Jam rockers as “Cropduster,” “Save You,” and “Get Right.” First single “I Am Mine” hit the top-10 on both of Billboard’s rock airplay charts.

The album, produced by the band with Adam Kasper, also features significant contributions from keyboard player Kenneth “Boom” Gaspar, whom Vedder met and quickly began collaborating with last year in the midst of a surfing trip to a remote Hawaiian island.

“There was a lot of excitement about it all,” guitarist Stone Gossard admits. “Just like the experimentation with guitar things and vocal effects, maybe we let our guard down a little bit and said, ‘hey, we can do some stuff, even if we can’t necessarily replay it.’ With Boom, it was letting go of, ‘hey, let’s have a guy come in who we’ve never played with before.’ At least we can take steps toward being open to new things. That fell very naturally into that same process.”

“We have five songwriters,” Vedder says with a proud smile. “The band has really become a vehicle for everyone to offer up their songs, have very adept musicians play them, and have a very good communication with those players. That’s why I can see us going on for a long while!”

---

Chewin’ The Fat

Rapper Fat Joe returns this week with “Loyalty,” his latest album for Terror Squad/Atlantic. First single “Crush Tonight” features soul vocalist Ginuwine and Terror Squad colleague Tony Sunshine and is No. 29 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks chart. “This is my most diverse album yet,” Joe says. “I think the world is going to be in shock when they hear how much I’ve grown musically.”

Other guests include Scarface, Cam’ron, Charlie Rock LD, and Prospect & Remy. “Loyalty” was produced by Cool & Dre, Alchemist, Teflon, Precision, Ron Browz, Ty Fyffe, and Armageddon.

“Loyalty” is the follow-up to Fat Joe’s “Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.),” which peaked at No. 21 on The Billboard 200. The set included the smash hit “What’s Luv?” featuring Ashanti, which reached 17 different Billboard singles charts. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks tallies.

---

Easy Lover

Adult contemporary titan Phil Collins is back this week with “Testify” (Atlantic), his first all-new solo album in six years. The set also marks the first release of new Collins music since the 1999 soundtrack to “Tarzan,” which won the artist an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy on the strength of the single “You’ll Be in My Heart.” First single “Can’t Stop Loving You” is No. 2 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

“The songs for this album were written over the last two years,” Collins says. “Working with new toys and new tools, they pretty much wrote themselves, and only occasionally needed nudging along. There are some songs here that are amongst the best I have ever written.” The former Genesis drummer/vocalist is credited with words and music for all the songs on “Testify” save for “Least You Can Do,” a collaboration with Daryl Stuermer.

The 51-year-old Collins is one of the biggest-selling artists of the past 20 years, with Recording Industry Association of America certifications for more than 32 million units shipped to his credit in the U.S. as a solo act. His last all-new solo album, 1996’s “Dance Into the Light,” debuted at No. 23 on The Billboard 200; a singles collection titled “…Hits” debuted at No. 18 in Oct. 1998.

---

Additional titles hitting stores this week include:

— A new album from Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, “Under Construction” (Elektra), featuring the No. 2 Hot 100 hit “Work It.”

— The latest sets from modern rock acts 3 Doors Down (“Away From the Sun,” Universal), Crazy Town (“darkhorse,” Columbia), and Saliva (“Back Into Your System,” Island).

— Dancehall star Sean Paul’s “Gimme the Light” (VP/Atlantic).

— TV-bred boy band O-Town’s “02” (Jive).

— The soundtrack to the upcoming James Bond film “Die Another Day” (Warner Bros.), featuring the title theme by Madonna.

— The Artemis debut from veteran rock outfit the Pretenders, “Loose Screw.”

— A four-CD collection from Irish vocalist Enya, “Only Time” (Rhino/Reprise).

— A concert set from Jimi Hendrix, “Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight” (Experience Hendrix/MCA).

— A double-disc best of from Elton John, “Greatest Hits 1970-2002” (UTV).

— A holiday collection from Barry Manilow, “A Christmas Gift of Love” (Columbia).

— DVD releases from P.O.D. (“Still Payin’ Dues,” Atlantic); Phish (“Live in Vegas,” Elektra); Staind (“MTV Unplugged,” Elektra); and Usher (“Live Evolution: 8701,” Eagle Rock).