Jill Scott
Photo: Epic Records

Jill Scott, Sunshine Anderson and 3LW are the leading ladies of Soul Train, nabbing three nominations each for the Seventh Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards.

But Scott, who made a name for herself with last year's Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1, stands a chance at a four-trophy night - she will also receive the Aretha Franklin Award for Entertainer of the Year.

Trailing behind the Philadelphia songstress, Anderson and 3LW with two nods each are current chart-topper Alicia Keys, Destiny's Child, India.Arie, Dream, Sunday and Changing Faces.

The awards, which recognize women in R&B, hip-hop and gospel, will be handed out August 28 at the Santa Monica (California) Civic Auditorium. The ceremony will air later in syndication. Performers have not been announced.

7th Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards nominees:

Best R&B/Soul Single, Solo:
• Sunshine Anderson, "Heard It All Before"
• Alicia Keys, "Fallin' "
• Janet Jackson, "All for You"
• Jill Scott, "A Long Walk"

Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo:
• 3LW, "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)"
• Changing Faces, "That Other Woman"
• Destiny's Child, "Survivor"
• Sunday, "I Know"

R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Solo:
• Erykah Badu, Mama's Gun
• India.Arie, Acoustic Soul
• Sade, Lovers Rock
• Jill Scott, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1

R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Group, Band or Duo:
• 3LW, 3LW
• Changing Faces, Visit Me
• Dream, It Was All a Dream
• En Vogue, Masterpiece Theater

R&B/Soul or Rap Song of the Year:
• Aaliyah, "Try Again"
• Yolanda Adams, "Open My Heart"
• Sunshine Anderson, "Heard It All Before"
• Destiny's Child, "Independent Women, Part I"

Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, Solo:
• Sunshine Anderson, "Heard It All Before"
• India.Arie, "Video"
• Alicia Keys, "Fallin' "
• Jill Scott, "A Long Walk"

Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, Group, Band or Duo:
• 3LW, "No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)"
• Doggy's Angel, "Baby If You're Ready"
• Dream, "He Loves U Not"
• Sunday, "I Know"

Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video:
• Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, "Get Ur Freak On"
• Eve, "Who's That Girl"
• Lil' Kim featuring Sisqó, "How Many Licks?"
• Trina, "Pull Over"

Best Gospel Album:
• Shirley Caesar, You Can Make It
• Mary Mary, Thankful
• Dottie Peoples, Show Up & Show Out
• Evelyn Turrentine-Agee, God Did It!

• Jill Scott
• Alicia Keys
• Sunshine Anderson

Kid Rock
Photo: Atlantic

As if playing a white blood cell in "Osmosis Jones" weren't enough, Kid Rock will also donate a new song to the soundtrack.

Due August 7, the album will include Kid's "Cool, Daddy Cool," which features a cameo by his late sidekick, Joe C., who also acts in the movie. The Bullgod's hit-making DJ, Uncle Kracker, lends a new tune to the record as well.

St. Lunatics' "Summer in the City," which is also available on Free City, the debut album from Nelly's hometown crew, will be the first single from the soundtrack, according to an Atlantic Records spokesperson.

Southern rapper Drama will provide the album's second single, "Big Ball." The soundtrack also features a few proven hits, including Trick Daddy's "Take It to Da House" and Craig David's two-step anthem "Fill Me In," which he co-wrote with Artful Dodger's Mark Hill.

The soundtrack also marks the debut of Solange Knowles, sister of Destiny's Child singer Beyoncé, on the optimistic track "Solo Star" (see "Destiny's Child Dreaming Of A Bootylicious Christmas").

Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly ("Dumb and Dumber"), "Osmosis Jones" takes place primarily inside the body of a man fighting a cold. The film, in theaters August 10, stars Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Laurence Fishburne, William Shatner and Molly Shannon.

The track list for the soundtrack, according to Atlantic:

• St. Lunatics - "Summer in the City"
• Drama - "Big Ball"
• Solange Knowles - "Solo Star"
• Brandy - "Open"
• Craig David - "Fill Me In"
• R. Kelly - "I Believe"
• Kid Rock - "Cool, Daddy Cool"
• De La Soul - "Turn It Out"
• Trick Daddy - "Take It to Da House"
• Nivea - "Just in Case"
• Debelah Morgan - "Why Did You Have to Be"
• Sunshine Anderson - "Don't Be Mad"
• Nappy Roots - "Here We Go Again"
• Ms. Toi - "Love Me or Leave Me"
• Ezekiel Lewis - "Rider Like Me"
• Uncle Kracker - "Break You Off"

• Kid Rock
• St. Lunatics
• Uncle Kracker
• Brandy
• R. Kelly

Erykah Badu
Photo: MTV News

Erykah Badu has lined up a who's-who of contemporary female soul singers — Jill Scott, Macy Gray and Sunshine Anderson — for a one-day summer festival near Detroit.

The August 8 Marimba Festival, which will also feature Zap Mama, comes in the middle of a two-month summer tour that Badu launches August 1 in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Zap Mama will appear on three dates early in the tour in addition to the Marimba Festival. Opening acts for the rest of the tour have not been confirmed.

Badu will perform at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans on July 5, and then do a series of dates in Europe before the U.S. tour.

Erykah Badu tour dates, according to Motown:

• 7/5 - New Orleans, LA @ Louisiana Superdome
• 8/1 - Portsmouth, VA @ Harbor Center
• 8/3 - Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall (w/Zap Mama)
• 8/4 - Richmond, VA @ Landmark Theatre
• 8/5 - Baltimore, MD @ Pier Six Concert Pavilion (w/Zap Mama)
• 8/6 - New York, NY @ Central Park SummerStage (w/Zap Mama)
• 8/8 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre (w/Jill Scott, Macy Gray, Sunshine Anderson and Zap Mama)
• 8/10 - Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre
• 8/11 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
• 8/12 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
• 8/15 - Seattle, WA @ Summer Nights at the Pier
• 8/18 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• 8/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
• 8/22 - San Diego, CA @ Humphrey's
• 8/23 - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
• 8/25 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 8/26 - Chicago, IL @ Arie Crown Theater
• 8/30 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
• 9/2 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal
• 9/3 - Boston, MA @ FleetBoston Pavilion

• Erykah Badu
• Jill Scott
• Macy Gray
• Sunshine Anderson
• Zap Mama

R. Kelly
Photo: Jive

R. Kelly has tapped new R&B stars Sunshine Anderson and Syleena Johnson for a summer theater tour that kicks off July 1 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The singer's "Fiesta" remix featuring Jay-Z is #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart. The original version appears on Kelly's TP-2.com, which came out in November. On June 12 the singer will release TP-2.com — The Videos, a collection of music videos, interviews and other footage.

Fellow Chicagoan Johnson's "I Am Your Woman," from her debut Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness, was penned and produced by Kelly. Anderson's "Heard It All Before," from her first album, Your Woman, is #8 on the Hot R&B Singles & Tracks chart.

R. Kelly/Sunshine Anderson/Syleena Johnson tour dates, according to Jive Records:

• 7/1 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Broward Center
• 7/6 - Hampton, VA @ Hampton Coliseum
• 7/7 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 7/8 - Richmond, VA @ Landmark Theatre
• 7/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
• 7/12 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
• 7/13 - St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theatre
• 7/14 - Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
• 7/18 - Boston, MA @ FleetBoston Pavilion
• 7/19 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Arena
• 7/20 - Newark, NJ @ New Jersey Performing Arts Center
• 7/21 - New York, NY @ Theater at Madison Square Garden
• 7/27 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
• 7/28 - Anaheim, CA @ Arrowhead Pond
• 7/29 - Concord, CA @ Chronicle Pavilion
• 8/1 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Centre
• 8/2 - Houston, TX @ Jones Hall for Performing Arts
• 8/4 - New Orleans, LA @ Municipal Auditorium
• 8/5 - Birmingham, AL @ Boutwell Auditorium
• 8/9 - Cincinnati, OH @ Aronoff Center
• 8/10 - Columbus, OH @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
• 8/11 - Tinley Park, IL @ Tweeter Center
• 8/13 - Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre
• 8/15 - Cleveland, OH @ State Theatre
• 8/17 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Mark G. Etess Arena
• 8/18 - Washington, DC @ DAR Constitution Hall

• R. Kelly
• Sunshine Anderson
• Syleena Johnson

Sunshine Anderson
Photo: MTV News

The hits compilation Now That's What I Call Music — Vol. 6 continued its reign over the nation's record stores last week, even as Macy Gray protégé Sunshine Anderson and country duo Brooks & Dunn stormed their way into the top five of Billboard's 200 albums chart.

Now 6 sold almost 250,000 copies last week, while late rapper Tupac Shakur's Until the End of Time maintains its hold on the #2 slot with 128,412 copies sold, according to SoundScan data released Wednesday (April 25).

Propelled by the success of the hit single "Heard It All Before," Anderson's first album, Your Woman, debuts at #5, while Brooks & Dunn land at #4 with Steers & Stripes. The two acts had the week's highest chart debuts.

Meanwhile, 10 months after its release, Uncle Kracker's Double Wide finally cracks the top 10 this week, squeaking in at #9.

The rest of the top 10 includes: Shaggy's Hotshot at #3, Lifehouse's No Name Face at #6, Nelly's Country Grammar at #7, Dido's No Angel at #8 and Limp Bizkit's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water at #10.

After jumping into the top 10 last week, Aaron Carter and Dream have each fallen right out, leaving the top 10 bereft of teen pop acts.

Carter's Aaron's Party (Come Get It) plummeted from #4 to #20, while Dream's It Was All a Dream slipped from #7 to #18.

Other notable debuts include radio-DJ-turned-rapper Angie Martinez's Up Close and Personal at #32, David Gray's Lost Songs at #153, and the cast album of the new Broadway smash "The Producers" at #159.

The "Bridget Jones's Diary" soundtrack — with new music from Sheryl Crow and Geri Halliwell — leapt from #111 last week to #38 this week, nearly doubling its sales.

Eighties rocker Billy Idol's Greatest Hits also made a formidable leap this week, moving from #120 to #74.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Live in New York City, which debuted in the top five three weeks ago, is moving in the opposite direction, dropping from #24 to #52.

For more on Sunshine Anderson, check out "Sunshine Anderson: Ray Of Light."

• Sunshine Anderson
• Brooks & Dunn

• Sunshine Anderson

Sunshine Anderson
Photo: Atlantic

On her hit single, "Heard It All Before," newcomer Sunshine Anderson comes out with all the confidence and sass of someone who knows exactly what she wants and won't take anything less.

Turns out the character in the song is a lot like Anderson herself, a Charlotte, North Carolina-born singer with a degree in criminal justice and a top-20 R&B single.

"In the back of my mind I was going to sing, I was always going to be a star," Anderson said, even though her parents told her to get a day job in case music didn't work out. So far, so good, though — "Heard It All Before" is at #11 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart (it's at #50 on the magazine's Hot 100). Anderson's debut album, Your Woman, is due April 17.

Anderson got her break when a friend of Soulife Records CEO Chris Dawley heard her humming in the college cafeteria at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. After Dawley signed her, he introduced Anderson to her current manager — soul diva Macy Gray.

"Macy saw some good things in me, she saw that I had a lot of potential ... she saw what I was dealing with and what was to come and took it upon herself to say, 'Hey, this is what I like to do,' " Anderson said. "I looked at it like it was a blessing, because ... Macy has been in the business for a while. She knows what she is doing." So does Anderson.

"I am exactly what my name says," she said. "I'm a very outgoing person, I like to laugh, I don't hold anything back [and] I say what's on my mind." Unlike some other new artists, Anderson had plenty of creative control over her music and her image, she said. "I can't conceive of anyone telling me, 'We're going to talk about this, and we are going to do your hair this way, and you are going to wear these kinds of clothes,' " Anderson said. "That is just totally absurd to me." Anderson said that even though the scenario in "Heard It All Before," in which a woman kicks a cheating lover out the door, isn't something she's experienced, she can't help but get caught up in the emotion when she sings it.

"In the second verse it talks about feeling angry and grimy," she said, "because he brought this woman to my house, and when I perform it the look comes over my face of, 'What did you think you were doing?' " Your Woman is the first release for Soulife, but Anderson said she doesn't feel any pressure from the label or from Gray. "If anything, I pressure myself," she said, adding that she's already got her sights set on the top of the chart.

"If you're on the chart at all, somebody is listening," Anderson said. "But to go to #1 ... says that everybody is listening to me."

• Sunshine Anderson

• Sunshine Anderson