Tyrese performs on Saturday night
Photo: Joe Conzo

NEW YORK — Over the weekend, R&B was present as the genre's elder statesmen, the Isley Brothers, brought their clan to the city. Not to be outdone, Hollywood heartthrob Tyrese drew a plethora of women to support his first profession: singing.

If fans of Mr. Biggs didn't know, Ron Isley is not in the big house — at least, not yet. The singer, who in 2006 was sentenced to serve more than three years in federal prison for tax evasion, has not started serving his time. He's out on bail appealing his conviction and is still performing, which is what he's done for most of his 66 years.

The Isley Brothers held court in Harlem on Friday night — not at the Apollo, but at the United Palace Theater, which is probably most popular for being the home of the Reverend Ike's Sunday service. While Ron Isley came onstage in his swanky outfit of an all-red overcoat with matching shirt, fedora and dress pants, his brother Ernie, the band's guitar player and writer of many of its classics, stuck to a more rock and roll look with white jeans, a bandanna tied around his thigh and a red doo-rag.

With a catalog as deep as the Isleys', Ron had no problem finding a hit record to sing. Toward the beginning of his set, he started with selections such as "Footsteps in the Dark" and "The Pride."

Later in the night, Ron brought out his brother Rudolph — who left the Isleys almost two decades ago to become a minister — for their "biggest song ever," "Shout." Ron Isley then turned the attention to his wife, who was the group's lone backup singer. The two sang "(At Your Best) You Are Love." "You're a positive, motivating force within my life/ Should you ever feel the need to wonder why/ Let me know, let me know," they sang.

Then Ron took it from sentimental to sexy. "I'm gonna take my clothes off," he said before breaking into "In Between the Sheets." "Not all of them, though. Just some." His onstage stripping was limited to untucking his shirt.

After a quick wardrobe change, Ron came back out, this time wearing a black tuxedo. The concert became theatrical as he performed "Contagious," which chronicles him catching R. Kelly cheating with his woman. Kelly was not there, but the Isleys did have an actor onstage acting out the King of R&B's parts while Ron sang his dialogue. "Now don't I know you from somewhere a long time ago?" Isley sang. "No, no, I don't think so," the actor lip-synced. "Yeah, I feel I know you, brother, very well," Isley continued later. "Now I think y'all better leave this place/ 'Cause I'm about to catch a case."

The Isley family affair turned its direction toward the children right before saying goodnight. Ron, now wearing a black smoking jacket, brought out three of his grandchildren as well as his 4-month-old son during "For the Love of You."

On Saturday night, the R&B flavor continued just minutes away from Harlem, at the Paradise Theater in the Bronx. Unlike the Isleys, this show was definitely for the youth. Teenagers Young B and DJ Webstar started off the night with a dance frenzy, bringing their "Chicken Noodle Soup" live to the stage.

Then it was Trey Songz's turn to light up the night. The singer's set was strictly for the ladies, as he musically wined and dined them, starting with new selections like his current single, "Wonder Woman," then working his way through songs from his latest LP, I Gotta Make It. His closer, "Gotta Go," was done without a shirt on, of course, and the ladies in the front row reached up to grab any part of him they could get a paw on.

Tyrese, backed by a live band, began his set by pulling from his guest appearances and soundtrack cameos. "What do you like?/ A whole lot of foreplay before we get it started," he sang from Da Brat's "What'chu Like," coming out clad in jeans and a ball cap that were both bedazzled.

"Every time I try to leave, something keeps pulling me back," he sang a few minutes later, doing his hook from Chingy's "Pullin' Me Back." "Telling me I need you in my life/ Every time I try to go, something keeps telling me that/ Everything's gonna be all right."

Tyrese's set took an acoustic turn as a guitar player sat on a stool and played while 'Rese — fresh from a quick change and wearing a white suit (also bedazzled) — sat down and sang some of his ballads, such as "Lately."

"Sweet Lady" was the closer, keeping the women on their feet. "Sweet lady, would you be my/ Sweet love for a lifetime," he crooned. "I'll be there when you need me/ Just call and receive me."

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Tyrese, Trey Songz And More Onstage In New York, 04.14.07

• Tyrese
• The Isley Brothers
• Trey Songz
• Webstar

Red Hot Chili Peppers' <I>Stadium Arcadium</I>
Photo: Warner Bros/ Wea

Hungry?: The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been piquing fans' appetites with their "Dani California" single, but that song has 27 brethren on the two-disc Stadium Arcadium. The guys wrote 38 songs, but the number they whittled the list down to still exceeds the number of tracks on their Greatest Hits and Best Of records combined. The two CDs — nicknamed "Jupiter" and "Mars" — are boosted by a DVD in the limited-edition black-box version of the set, which has a chunky booklet, artwork by the band, an hour-long interview, the "Dani" video and more. Tracks on both versions include "Especially in Michigan," featuring a guitar solo by Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez; "Warlocks," with legend Billy Preston on clavinet; and "She's Only 18."

Lonely: Nick Lachey makes his second solo splash as the aftershocks of his break with Jessica Simpson are still rippling through the tabloids. The writing's on the, er, CD, as they say, on tracks like "I Can't Hate You Anymore," "On Your Own," "You're Not Alone" and — well, on just about all 12 songs. Lachey shares writing credits on most tracks, finding company in British singer/pianist Jamie Cullum on "Ghosts" and Backstreet Boys' Brian Littrell collaborator Dan Muckala on three tunes, including "Outside Looking In." Hang in there, bub.

Korny: There's a reason you haven't heard about Korn's Live & Rare: It's being dished out by the band's former label, Epic, undoubtedly trying to piggyback on Korn's current album and tour promotions. Dubbed a companion piece to 2004's Greatest Hits, Vol.1, the single disc culls seven tracks from the group's gig at New York's CBGB in 2003, two from its 1999 Woodstock performance, plus covers of Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 1-3)," Metallica's "One" and Cheech & Chong's "Earache My Eye."

Gnarly: Wherever St. Elsewhere is, expect to find astronauts, purple panthers, pink palm trees, gas masks and other scattered military equipment — if the cover of Gnarls Barkley's debut is at all accurate. All songs were written primarily by Brian Burton, a.k.a. Danger Mouse — save a surprising cover of Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" — while Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, a.k.a. Cee-Lo, mans the mic. Both partners are Grammy nominees, so expect this one to have some extra bounce with the critics.

Agelessly: Gotta love it when soul heroes the Isley Brothers advertise a fresh number as a "new vintage classic." That would be "Gotta Be With You," one of 11 new cuts by the bros that also include "Blast Off," which features and was written, produced and arranged by R. Kelly; the Jermaine Dupri-produced "Gotta Be With You," co-written by Bryan Michael Cox (Mariah Carey, Usher); "Heaven Hooked Us Up," with guitars by Ernest Isley; and the laudably titled "Forever Mackin'," which has the priceless lyric "I rock the grooves and make moves on all the mommies."

She's not as old as the Isleys, but veteran Motown and current Cash Money heavyweight Teena Marie follows up 2004's La Doña with Sapphire. The death of her close companion Rick James is at the root of her 13th record, for which her 14-year-old daughter, Alia Rose, pays more than a couple of visits. Also chiming in are Kurupt and his wife, Gail Gotti; Teena Marie's sister, Queen; plus Smokey Robinson, Gerald Albright and the late James (on "You Blow Me Away").

Fiery: For their fourth studio venture, Eyes Open, Snow Patrol sought some help from singer Martha Wainwright for the scorching duet "Set the Fire to the Third Bar." Oh, and if you've got an all-regions DVD player and some extra motivation, try to hunt down the limited-edition import copy of the record. The accompanying video disc has making-of material plus the video for "You're All I Have."

All in the Family: This week would make Jack and Meg White proud. The Chicago husband-and-wife duo the Like Young step up with their third record, Last Secrets; Mercury Prize-nominated brothers the Electric Soft Parade deliver The Human Body EP — with a bonus track that didn't appear on the U.K. edition; and John Carter Cash contributes liner notes to a re-release of his father's The Johnny Cash Children's Album, which has four previously unissued tracks.

Pony Up is a project that pairs drummer Linsay Wills with her younger sister/ ad-hoc keyboardist Laura Elizabeth. The Montreal group cowboy up with their debut, Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes, which the band tracked with Arcade Fire collaborator Howard Ian Bilerman and engineer Brian Paulson of Beck and Wilco note.

Grandaddy's Just Like the Fambly Cat is in the thick of the incestuous pack, even if the record is more of a signature on their set of divorce papers, while New York bluesman Popa Chubby reveals the art behind Stealing the Devil's Guitar. Accident Experiment is another family matter, so to speak, as the band's United We Fear opus adopts members of P.O.D., Sprung Monkey and Grammatrain.

And the third release by Danielson Famile spinoff Danielson brings together siblings Chris, Greg, John and Satomi and also features Sufjan Stevens and Serena Maneesh. As luck would have it, Pitchfork darlings Serena Maneesh drop their own self-titled record this week, a record the Norwegian group calls an exercise in serenity. Let's hope they don't have any in-laws!

Song Title of the Week:

"Tire Bracelets for Coffin Life" from Zach Hill and Mick Barr's Shred Earthship

Other Notables:

Matmos' The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast: The San Francisco duo's seventh record is really an event in and of itself. With help from Björk, the Kronos Quartet and Antony, Matmos pay homage to 10 notorious deviants, including Germs singer Darby Crash, Valerie Solanas — the woman who shot Andy Warhol — and William S. Burroughs. And it gets even more far-out when they acknowledge Bavarian ruler King Ludwig II and a '60s gay-porn director. Capping the milestone, Matmos enlisted an array of artists — including Ghost World and Art School Confidential mastermind Daniel Clowes — to craft a visual accompaniment for each piece.

Plain White T's' Hey There Delilah: Chicago's latest great "white" hope have already won big with this EP's title track, which has been downloaded more than 40,000 times on iTunes. A live version of the song plus four new numbers recorded with Sean O'Keefe (Fall Out Boy, Hawthorne Heights) and four additional videos give this EP even more bang for the buck.

Kimya Dawson's Remember That I ♥ You: The Moldy Peach just got married and is expecting a baby this summer, but apparently that's not enough — she found time to birth her fifth solo LP as well. She fumes about the response to the 2004 tsunami in "12/26," declaring, "We'd have 12/26 tattooed across our foreheads if something this atrocious happened on our coast instead." But she saves some vitriol for the White House on "Loose Lips" — after all, what would a new-releases week be these days without some Bush bashing?

New Releases:

• Accident Experiment - United We Fear (Rock Ridge)
• The Aggrolites - The Aggrolites (digipak; Hellcat)
• Astral Doors - Astralism (Locomotive)
• ATB - The DJ in the Mix 3 (digipak; Water)
• Backyard Babies - People Like People Like People Like Us (Abacus)
• Susana Baca - Travesías (Luaka Bop)
• The Black Heart Procession - The Spell (digipak; Touch & Go)
  Buy Now: The Spell (Touch & Go)
  
• Black Hollies - Crimson Reflections (Ernest Jenning Record Co.)
• Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive (V2)
• Burden of a Day - Pilots & Paper Planes (Blood & Ink)
• Clear Static - Clear Static (Maverick)
• Harry Connick Jr. - Harry on Broadway, Act 1 (two CDs; Columbia)
• Cx Kidtronik - Krak Attack (Sound-Ink)
• Danielson - Ships (Secretly Canadian)
• Kimya Dawson - Remember That I ♥ You (K)
• Casey Driessen - 3D (Sugar Hill)
• The Electric Soft Parade - The Human Body (EP; Better Looking)
• The Everyothers - Pink Sticky Lies (EP; Kill Rock Stars)
• Flying - Just-One-Second-Ago-Broken Eggshell (Millpond)
• Forgive Durden - Wonderland (Fueled by Ramen)
• The Isley Brothers - Baby Makin' Music (Island)
• Girl Talk - Night Ripper (Illegal Art)
• Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere (Downtown)
  Buy Now: St. Elsewhere (Downtown)
  
• Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat (V2)
  Read: "Grandaddy Can't Wait To Leave Home — But They Have To Finish Telling It Off First"
  Buy Now: Just Like the Fambly Cat (V2)
  
• Grave Digger - 25 to Live (two CDs; Locomotive)
• Zach Hill and Mick Barr - Shred Earthship (5 Rue Christine)
• Jolie Holland - Springtime Can Kill You (digipak; Anti)
  Buy Now: Springtime Can Kill You (Anti)
  
• I See Hawks in L.A. - California Country (Western Seeds)
• Jagged Edge - Jagged Edge (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Jagged Edge (Columbia)
  
• Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin - Lost John Dean (Compass)
• KMFDM - Ruck Zuck (EP; Metropolis)
• Korn - Live & Rare (Epic)
  Buy Now: Live & Rare (Epic)
  
• Darren Kozelsky - Let Your Mind Fly (Boo Hatch)
• Nick Lachey - What's Left of Me (Jive)
  Buy Now: What's Left of Me (Jive)
  
• Lansing-Dreiden - The Dividing Island (digipak; Kemado)
• The Like Young - Last Secrets (Polyvinyl)
• Little Annie - Songs From the Coal Mine Canary (Durtro/ Jnana)
• Teena Marie - Sapphire (Cash Money)
  Buy Now: Sapphire (Cash Money)
  
• Matmos - The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast (Matador)
• MC Magic - Magic City (Thump)
• McFly - Just My Luck (Universal)
• Julia Murney - I'm Not Waiting (Sh-K Boom)
• New Mexican Disaster Squad - Don't Believe (Jade Tree)
• Nomo - New Tones (Ubiquity)
• The Old Haunts - Fuel on Fire (Kill Rock Stars)
• Panzer AG - Your World Is Burning (Metropolis)
• Stephen Pearcy - Stripped (Sidewinder)
• Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah (enhanced EP; Fearless)
  Read: "Plain White T's Find Getting Personal Pays Off, Literally"
• Pony Up - Make Love to the Judges With Your Eyes (Dim Mak)
• Popa Chubby - Stealing the Devil's Guitar (Blind Pig)
• Rasheeda - Georgia Peach (Big Cat)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (two CDs; limited edition with DVD also available; Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Chili Peppers Stoked About New Album, Possible Kanye Tour"
  Buy Now: Stadium Arcadium (Warner Bros.)
  
• Retisonic - Levittown (EP; Ascetic)
• Serena Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh (Play Louder)
• Shearwater - Palo Santo (Misra)
• Paul Simon - Surprise (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Surprise (Warner Bros.)
  
• Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - My Heart's in Texas (Blind Pig)
• Snog - Snog Vs. the Faecal Juggernaut of Mass Culture (Metropolis)
• Snow Patrol - Eyes Open (A&M)
  Read: "Snow Patrol Turn 'Candy-Assed' Music Into Beastly Arena Rock"
  Buy Now: Eyes Open (A&M)
  
• Sodom - Sodom (Steamhammer/ SPV)
• The Stills - Without Feathers (Vice)
  Read: "The Stills Look To Britney Spears In Picking New Single"
  Buy Now: Without Feathers (Vice)
  
• Suga Free - Just Add Water (with bonus DVD; Bungalo)
• Sugarplum Fairies - Country International Records (Starfish)
• Thee More Shadows - Monkey Vs. Shark (Turn)
• Toots Thielemans - One More for the Road (Verve)
• Transition - Get There (Floodgate)
• Jim Van Cleve - No Apologies (Rural Rhythm)
• Wooden Wand - Harem of the Sundrum & the Witness Figg (5 Rue Christine)
• Yonder Mountain String Band - Yonder Mountain String Band (Vanguard)
• Hans Zimmer - "The Da Vinci Code" soundtrack (Decca)
• Various artists - Punk Goes 90's (Fearless)
• Various artists - Re-Bop: The Savoy Remixes (Savoy Jazz)
• Various artists - Rewind! 5 (Ubiquity)
• Various artists - Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman (Sugar Hill)
• Various artists - The Sound the Hare Heard (Kill Rock Stars)
• Various artists - "Charmed: The Final Chapter" soundtrack (Adrenaline)
• Various artists - "Mission: Impossible III" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
• Various artists - "Poseidon" soundtrack (Interscope)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Chris Isaak - Best of Chris Isaak (two-disc version with DVD also available; Reprise)
• Barry Manilow - Barry Manilow II, Even Now and Tryin' to Get the Feeling (expanded with unreleased tracks; Arista/ Legacy)
• Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King - "My Heart's in Texas" (Blind Pig)
• Trivium - Ascendancy (special-edition slipcase with DVD; Roadrunner)
• Gino Vanelli - These Are the Days (Universal)
• Various artists - Pure '80s: #1s (UTV)

Music DVDs:

• Rory Gallagher - "Live at Montreux" (Eagle Vision)
• Grave Digger - "25 to Live" (Locomotive)
• New Order - "New Order Story" (Rhino)
• Whitesnake - "Live in the Still of the Night" (Hip-O)

Coming Attractions:

May 16:

• Ashley Parker Angel - Soundtrack to Your Life (Universal)
  Buy Now: Soundtrack to Your Life (Universal)
  
• Cam'ron - Killa Season (limited-edition version with DVD and two bonus tracks also available; Rap-a-Lot)
  Read: "Mixtape Monday: LL Cool J Stays Hungry, Cam'ron Delivers A Preview"
• Hoobastank - Every Man for Himself (Island)
  Read: "Hoobastank Find Inspiration For New LP In Scott Weiland's Cold Shoulder"
• Christina Milian - So Amazin' (enhanced; Def Jam)
• The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (V2/ Third Man)
  Read: "Jack White: Don't Call The Raconteurs A Side Project"
• Rock Kills Kid - Are You Nervous? (Reprise)
  Read: "Rock Kills Kid Bring Music From Windowless Room To Radio"

May 23:

• Angels & Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper (Geffen)
  Read: "Tom DeLonge Spills More About Angels & Airwaves' Plans For World Domination "
• Don Omar - King of Kings (Universal)
  Read: "Reggaeton Star Don Omar Out To Spread Latino Unity"
• The Walkmen - Hundred Miles Off (Record Collection)

May 30:

• The Charlatans UK - "Live at Last" (Standing Room Only)
• Les Claypool - Of Whales & Woe (digipak; Prawn Song)
• Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom (Ipecac)

• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Nick Lachey
• Korn
• Snow Patrol
• Gnarls Barkley

The Isley Brothers
Photo: DreamWorks

After more than 49 years in the music business, the Isley Brothers scored their first #1 album debut. The group's new record, Body Kiss, sold 155,000 copies its first week on shelves, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday (May 14), besting their 2001 album, Eternal, which debuted at #3.

The Isleys' top position on next week's Billboard albums chart has a lot to do with the roster of guest talent on the LP. Eleven of 12 tracks were produced and arranged by R. Kelly, and the disc features Snoop Dogg on the song "I Like" and Lil' Kim on the title track.

The #2 position on the chart will go to Norah Jones' Grammy-sweeper Come Away With Me, which climbs three places to #2 with more than 138,000 copies sold. Sunday being Mother's Day and Jones being featured in People's "50 Most Beautiful" issue could have played a part in the disc's high placement in its 63rd week on the chart. To date, Come Away With Me has sold close to 6 million copies.

Former professional surfer turned bluesy acoustic songwriter Jack Johnson rides the #3 slot with On and On, which sold in excess of 132,000 records its first week out. Cher remains at #4 with The Very Best of Cher, which, after six weeks on the chart, has sold more than 120,000.

50 Cent drops from #1 to #5 this week. Get Rich or Die Tryin' sold 120,000, bringing the rapper's grand total to more than 4.5 million in just 14 weeks.

Atmospheric female-fronted hard rockers Evanescence continue to hang on to the #6 slot with their debut album, Fallen (101,000), which is nearing the platinum mark after 10 weeks on the chart.

Celine Dion's latest offering, One Heart, is #7 (almost 96,000), just above the soundtrack to the "The Matrix Reloaded" (93,000). The double-disc set features the new P.O.D. song "Sleeping Awake," their first with new guitarist Jason Truby, as well as new tracks by Rob Zombie, Deftones, Team Sleep and more.

The last two positions in the top 10 are filled by Kelly Clarkson, the "American Idol" popularity contest winner, whose glossy debut, Thankful, drops six slots to #9 (93,000), and the soundtrack to the film "Lizzie McGuire" at #10 (92,000).

The biggest chart plummet goes to Lil' Mo's Meet the Girl Next Door, which free-falls from #17 to #43. American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs also suffers a major decline, descending from #2 to #11. Madonna's American Life, which debuted two weeks ago at #1, drops from #8 to #15. Bone Crusher's Attenchun! skids 13 spots to #24, and in its second week, Kelly Price's Priceless falls 17 to #27.

Noteworthy debuts include Blur's Think Tank, which checks in at #56, Richard Thompson's Old Kit Bag at #121, Anthrax's We've Come for You All at #122 and Tomahawk's Mit Gas at #137.

• 50 Cent
• The Isley Brothers
• Norah Jones
• Evanescence
• Celine Dion

Not only has the Matrix reloaded, so has its soundtrack. Out this week, Matrix Reloaded: The Album features some familiar faces — Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and Rage Against the Machine, as well as some new ones like Linkin Park, P.O.D. and the seemingly misplaced Dave Matthews Band.

Blur — minus founding member Graham Coxon — release Think Tank, with catchy tracks like "We've Got a File on You," and "Crazy Beat," this album's "Song 2."

Jack Johnson, not straying too far away from the alternative-folk sounds of Brushfire Fairytales, goes On and On this week while the indie super group the New Pornographers give an eager audience Electric Version featuring upbeat, quirky, catchy songs like "Chump Change," "Ballad of a Comeback Kid" and "July Jones."

More indie sounds are served up by Arab Strap with their Cherubs EP, the Decemberists' Castaways and Cut-Outs, Pleasure Forever's Alter and the Gossip's Movement.

Prince Paul's Politics of the Business features a slew of guests like Chuck D, Ice T, members of the Pharcyde and De La Soul, plus Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle. Meanwhile, MC Lyte also taps some comedic talent in the form of Jamie Foxx for her LP Da Underground Heat Vol. 1.

On the "American Dreams" soundtrack, you'll find Stacie Orrico on a version of "My Boyfriend's Back" and Vanessa Carlton on "Wishin' and Hopin.' " Finally, something a little less wholesome: veteran punk band NOFX's War on Errorism which includes the ever-so-subtly titled song and video "Idiot Son of an A--hole."

Out Tuesday, May 6:

• Abdelli - Among Brothers (Real World)
• Acroma - Orbitals (Universal)
• Akatombo - Trace Elements (Swim)
• Allstonians - Bottoms Up (Fork in Hand)
• Amazing Device - Quiet Room (Tribunal)
• Anberlin - Blueprints for the Black Market (Tooth & Nail)
• Annihilator - Double Live Annihilator (The End)
• Anthrax - We've Come For You All (Sanctuary)
• Apes - Oddeyesee (French Kiss)
• Arab Strap - Cherubs (EP, Jetset)
• Argonaut - Shoot the Moon (Infect)
• Audrey Auld - Losing Faith (Reckless)
• Michael Baird - Gongs and Bells (Sharp Wood)
• Duster Bennett - Fingertips (Sanctuary)
• Big Ross/T-Rock - Ya'll Ain't Ready (Image)
• Bobby Birdman - Born Free Forever (Hush)
• Black Dynasty - Reality Check: Deep East (Community)
• Billy Blanks - Taebo Mix (Red Ball)
• Darryl Blood - This Isn't Goodbye (Bluesanct Musak)
• Tim Bluhm - Soft Adventure/Colts (California)
• Blur - Think Tank (Virgin)
  Buy Now: Think Tank (Virgin)
• Bone - Uses Wrist Grab (Cuneiform)
• Boz Boorer - My Wild Life (Raucous)
• Brave Combo - Box of Ghosts (Rounder)
• Breaking Pangaea - Phoenix (EP, Equal Vision)
• Breather Resist - Only in the Morning (Deathwish Inc.)
• Brady Brock - Warm American Sweater (In Music We Trust)
• California Oranges - Oranges & Pineapples (Darla)
• Camarosmith - Camarosmith (DeAd Teenager)
• Troy Campbell - American Breakdown (Loud House)
• Michael Carpenter & Kings Rd. - Kings Rd. Works (Not Lame)
• Champion - Come Out Swinging (Bridge Nine)
• Chap - Horse (Lo.)
• Circle of Dead Children - Human Harvest (Martyr)
• Patsy Cline - Dac Presents Patsy Cline (Coe Pop)
• Cobra High - Sunset in the Eye of the Hurricane (Cold Crush)
• Cobra Verde - Easy Listening (Muscle Tone)
• David Allan Coe - Whoopsy Daisy (Coe Pop)
• Cripple Bastards - Desperately Insensitive (Deathvomit)
• D+ - Deception Pass (KNW-Yr-Own)
• Da Entourage - Entourage, Vol. 2 (Universal)
• Damone - From the Attic (RCA)
• Death Threat/Over My Dead Body - Split (EP, Bridge Nine)
• Decemberists - Castaways and Cut-Outs (Kill Rock Stars)
• Dirty South Mafia - It's a Robbery (Attitude)
• DJ Feelgood - Across America (System)
• Dog Fashion Disco - Committed to a Bright Future (Spitfire)
• Down by Law - Windwardtidesandwaywardsails (Union Local)
• Bob Drake - 13 Songs and a Thing (Rer)
• Electrocute - Tribute to Your Taste (Emperor Norton)
• Matt Elliott - Mess We Made (Merge)
• Fall Out Boy - Take This to Your Grave (Fueled by Ramen)
• The Family Tree - Tree House Rock (All Natural)
• 54th Platoon - All or Nothin' (Fubu)
• 54th Platoon - 54th Platoon (Fubu)
• Flare - Hung (Le Grand Magistery)
• Fog - Ether Teeth (Ninja Tune)
• Forest Stream - Tears of Mortal Solitude (Earache)
• From Zero - My So Called Life (Arista)
• Front 242 - Pulse (Metropolis)
• Gasman - Remedial (Planet Mu)
• The Gathering - Souvenirs (The End)
• Ghetto Priest - Vulture Culture (On U Sounds)
• Goldfrapp - Black Cherry (Mute)
• The Gossip - Movement (Kill Rock Stars)
• Robin Guthrie - Imperial (Bellaire)
• Roger Hatfield & Eddie Howard - Naya (Red Ball)
• Steven Hero - Darkness and the Day (Artful)
• John Hiatt - Beneath This Gruff Exterior (New West)
• The Hidden Cameras - Smell of Our Own (Sanctuary)
• Hitchcock's Regret - Her Life in Reverse (Laughing Outlaw)
• Hollow Tip - Takin' No Shorts, Vol. 2 (Murder Creek)
• Doyle Holly - Together Again (Oms)
• Gary Pickford Hopkins - GPH (Angel Air)
• House - Put Here to Bleed (In Music We Trust)
• Mike Hurst - Drivetime (Angel Air)
• Imbue - Ritual in Bloom (Underground Inc.)
• Impaled - Medical Waste (Deathvomit)
• The Isley Brothers - Body Kiss (DreamWorks)
• Etta James – Let's Roll (Private)
• Je Suis France - Fantastic Area (Orange Twin)
• Jet - Dirty Sweet (EP, Elektra)
• Jack Johnson - On and On (Universal)
  Buy Now: On and On (Universal)
• John Kennedy - Kennedy Town (Laughing Outlaw)
• J-Sce the Mastermind - Brain Food (Buymai)
• Kentucky Headhunters - Soul (Audium)
• The Killing Tree - We Sing Sin (Eyeball)
• Rydah J Klyde - Prince of Da' Projects (Thizz)
• Brian Knight - Good Time Down the Road (Sanctuary)
• Krakatoa - We Are The Rowboats (Cuneiform)
• Victor Krummenacher - Nocturne (Pitch A Tent)
• Labrat - Ruining It for Everyone (Century Media)
• Lamb of God - As the Palaces Burn (Prosthetic)
• Larval - Obedience (Cuneiform)
• Last Rough Cause/Society's Rejects - Skins N' Punks (Step 1)
• The Late B.P. Helium - Kumquat Mae (Orange Twin)
• Lazarus - Songs for an Unborn Sun (Temporary Residence)
• Leftover Salmon/Cracker - O Cracker, Where Art Thou? (Pitch A Tent)
• Lefty's Deceiver - Cheats (My Pal God)
• Liquid Sound - Inside the Acid Temple (Orchard)
• Marty Lloyd - Marigold (Razor & Tie)
• The Long Winters - When I Pretend to Fall (Barsuk)
• Lou E Lou - Trunk Muzic (East Co. Co.)
• Lowlights - Lowlights (Darla)
• Manic Hispanic - Mijo Goes to Jr College (Better Youth Organization)
• Maquiladora - What the Day Was Dreaming (Darla)
• Matchbox - Rockabilly Dynamos, Vol. 1 (Raucous)
• John Mayall - Rockin' the Roadshow (Sanctuary)
• Mayday - I Know Your Troubles Been Long (Bar/None)
• MC Lyte - Undaground Heat, Vol. 1 (Artist Direct/BMG)
• MC Mack - Macknificent (Basix)
• Ian McCulloch - Slideling (Spin Art)
• Money Black - 4 Da Money (Coast 2 Coast)
• Mt. St. Helens - You Are a Ghostly Presence (Divot)
• Mystifier - Profanus (Crash Music)
• Naglfar - Sheol (Century Media)
• Nail Within - Nail Within (The End)
• The Natural History - Beat Beat Heartbeat (Star Time)
• New Pornographers - Electric Version (Matador)
• NOFX - War on Errorism (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Noise Ratchet - Noise Ratchet (EP, Militia)
• Nucleus - Live In Bremen (Cuneiform)
• On the Rise - Burning Inside (Bridge Nine)
• One Mile North - Minor Shadows (Ba Da Bing!)
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Virgin)
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Organisation (Virgin)
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Architecture and Morality (Virgin)
• Outrageous Cherry - Supernatural Equinox (Rainbow Quartz)
• Ozma - Spending Time On The Borderline (Kung Fu)
• Robert Palmer - Drive (Compendia)
• Papa Reu - Certified (Rue Musik)
• Pearlene - Murder Blues & Prayer (Dim Mak)
• Pipas - Cat Escaped (Matinee)
• Pleasure Forever - Alter (Sub Pop)
• Adam Power - More Juice (Laughing Outlaw)
• Prince Paul - Politics of the Business (Razor & Tie)
• Randy - Welfare Problems (Epitaph)
• Read Yellow - Read Yellow (EP, Fenway)
• Angie Reed - Presents the Best of Barbara Brockhaus (EFA)
• Rippingtons - Let it Ripp (Peak)
• Rob the Viking - Beats to Pillage and Conquer By (Battle Axe)
• Charlie Robison - Live (Sony)
• Phil Roy - Issues + Options (O.R. Music)
• Rubinoos - Crimes Against Music (Zip)
• The Sea and Cake - Glass (Thrill Jockey)
• Settlefish - Dance a While Upset (Deep Elm)
• Sin Ropas - Trickboxes on the Pony Line (Sad Robot)
• Sloane - Divine Soul (Orchard)
• Soilwork - Figure Number Five (Nuclear Blast)
• Sounds - Living in America (New Line)
• Stark Reality - Now (Stones Throw)
• Sumptin' Terrible - Sumptin' Terrible (Thizz)
• Sunride - Great Infiltration (People Like You)
• Bobby Sutliff - Perfect Dream (Not Lame)
• T Nutty - Last of the Flowheecanz (Murder Creek)
• Ten Grand - This Way to Rule (Southern)
• Tes - X2 (Lex)
• They Came from the Stars - What We Are Doing Here (Lo.)
• Third Grade Teacher - Third Grade Teacher (Pinch Hit)
• To Dream of Autumn - Kill Your Cul-De-Sac/WNYU Live (Magic Bullet)
• Tomahawk - Mit Gas (Ipecac)
• Scott Tuma - River 1 2 3 4 (Atavistic)
• Turbonegro - Scandinavian Leather (Epitaph)
• The Turbo AC's - Automatic (Gearhead)
• Uproar - And the Lord Said (Step 1)
• Via Tania - Under a Different Sky (Chocolate Industries)
• The Virtues - Ruminate (Zip)
• VU - Voices Underwater (Action Driver)
• The Waifs - Up All Night (Compass)
• Wakefield - American Made (Arista)
• Bob Welch - Three Hearts (One Way)
• Nancy White - Stickers on Fruit (Borealis)
• Wire - Send (Pink Flag)
• Worthless United - Nation Under (Now Or Never)
• Wumpscut: - Preferential Legacy (Metropolis)
• Young Black Brotha - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (Young Black Brotha)
• Young Lay - Don't Get It Twisted: Remix Album (Young Black Brotha)
• Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer - Jalopy Go Far (Eyeball)
• Andrea Zonn - Love Goes On (Compass)
• Various artists - "American Dreams"soundtrack (Hip-o)
  Read: "Vanessa Carlton Does Dusty, B2K Do Temptations On 'American Dreams' LP"
• Various artists - ESPN Stadium Anthems (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Home Team Beats Rivals by 10 (Poprockit)
• Various artists - Lost Weekend Compilation (Zip)
• Various artists – Matrix Reloaded: The Album (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Matrix Reloaded LP To Feature Dave Matthews Remix, Linkin Park, Manson' "
• Various artists - Mind Motion Rocks (Savagement)
• Various artists - That's My Jam: Blazin Block Party (Logic)
• Various artists - Thought Sauce (BSI)
• Various artists - Zigilaytion (50. 50)

• Marilyn Manson
• Rob Zombie
• Rage Against the Machine
• Linkin Park
• P.O.D.

Whitney Houston
Photo: Arista

The first U.S. video from Whitney Houston's November 26 release, Just Whitney ..., is scheduled to hit the airwaves on October 30.

The clip is for the album's second single, "One of Those Days." "Whatchulookinat" was released a few weeks ago as the album's first offering (see "Whitney Houston 'Back To Goose-Bump Time' On New LP"), but the track's video was only sent to overseas outlets. A remixed version of "Whatchulookinat" was also released.

On "One of Those Days," Houston takes a melody from the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" and sings about getting away from stress ("Oooh baby, baby, you don't know what I been going through ...").

The video was shot on October 18 and 19 in Atlanta by director Kevin Bray, according to the singer's label, Arista. The plot revolves around Whitney and her girls having a day for the ladies, highlighted by time at the spa. They end their evening by hitting the club, and who should be there but Mr. Biggs himself, Ron Isley.

• Whitney Houston
• The Isley Brothers

Almost a year after he revealed he was making "sexier" songs, we'll get to see how much of a love daddy Wyclef Jean really is when he releases his third solo album, Masquerade, on June 18. ... Q-Tip and Spike Lee have been hard at work shooting what will be a 12- to 15-minute short film/video for Tip's second solo album, Kamaal the Abstract, due April 23. Filming began in December and will resume shortly. ... Beck will perform two shows in the Los Angeles area this week to warm up for his February 26 Recording Artists Coalition benefit with Eddie Vedder and Mike Ness. Beck's official Web site, www.beck.com, is giving away five pairs of tickets to each of the gigs in San Juan Capistrano (February 21) and Hollywood (February 24). ...

Ginuwine joined P. Diddy as the mogul shot the sequel to his "I Need a Girl" remix video this weekend in Miami with director Benny Boom. It will be the second release from Diddy's P. Diddy and the Family Present: This Is the Remix, which is now set to drop May 7. ... No Doubt's Adrian Young and his wife welcomed a son, Mason James Young, into their lives on February 16. The Mohawked drummer, dressed in hospital attire at Thursday's Love Rocks concert, said he had been in the hospital with his newborn son all week and was going to bring him home after their show. ...

He can plant a house, he can build a tree: A cover of Nirvana's "Breed" is among the nuggets featured on roots rocker Steve Earle's rarities collection, Side Tracks, due April 9. The LP also features Earle's new single, "Some Dreams," which will be featured in the Dennis Quaid movie "The Rookie." ... Rancid's Tim Armstrong and New Found Glory's Jordan Pundik provide guest vocals on a track tentatively titled "Don't Leave Her" on the debut album from Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge's side project, Boxcar Racer. Blink bassist Mark Hoppus also sings on the record. ... Chaos Comics will launch a Static-X comic book series in July. In other Static-X news, the band announced they will hold meet-and-greets with their fans on the remaining dates of their current tour. ...

"Scratch," a turntablism documentary from director Doug Pray ("Hype!"), will be screened to hip-hop audiences before Dilated Peoples take the stage each night on their upcoming tour, which kicks off March 5 in San Francisco and is running through the Winter Music Conference in Miami later in the month. Turntablists GrandWizzard Theodore, Z-Trip and Jazzy Jay are scheduled for all of the dates, while Mix Master Mike, DJ Swamp, DJ Craze and Q-Bert will perform in various cities. ... Back and Forth, the first full-length studio album from English DJ Tall Paul, will feature the hit club single "Precious Heart," which samples INXS's "Never Tear Us Apart." The album is due April 23. ...

02.19.02

Ja Rule and Charli Baltimore are setting out to be the hip-hop version of Mickey and Mallory — the clip for Ja's "Down Ass Chick," featuring Charli B-more, will be a takeoff of Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers," according to a source close to Ja. Over the course of the three-day shoot, which begins February 22 in L.A., he'll also film the remix video with Baltimore, Vita and Ashanti, according to Def Jam; Murder Inc. CEO Irv Gotti will direct both. ... If you're dreaming of becoming a professional DJ, it's time to take your skills out of the bedroom and into the classroom. For the next two months in New York City, celebrity DJs including Jam Master Jay, Kuttin' Kandi, Mista Sinista and Evil Dee will lead courses in disciplines such as battle, mixtape and performance (visit www.scratch.com for more information). ...

Indie music festival Noise Pop 2002 takes place next week (February 26-March 3) in San Francisco with performances by the Dismemberment Plan, New Pornographers and Big Star, among others, and to commemorate its decade-long tenure, a double-disc Ten Years of Noise Pop will be available locally and through the festival's Web site (www.noisepop.com). A portion of the proceeds from the album, which features cuts from past performers including Guided by Voices, the Flaming Lips and Creeper Lagoon, benefits the Popular Noise Foundation (www.popularnoise.org), a nonprofit charity that provides aid to the Bay Area music scene. ... Dixie Chick Natalie Maines will appear in the first celebrity edition of the TLC series "Trading Spaces," according to The Associated Press. Maines will race to redecorate a room in her mother's home (and vice versa) in 48 hours for $1,000 or less in an episode airing April 20. ...

P. Diddy, Rah Digga and female R&B quartet LovHer were among the guests who came out to support Jay-Z and the Roc-A-Fella family at a Roc-A-Wear fashion show in New York Thursday night. Jay and company partied up at the Metropolitan Pavilion while the men's and women's fall 2002 lines were introduced. ... "Rush Hour" star Chris Tucker will host the 33rd annual NAACP Image Awards on February 23 at the Universal Amphitheater. The ceremony, scheduled to air March 1 on Fox, will feature music-world appearances by Alicia Keys, India.Arie and the Isley Brothers as well as Steve Harvey, the Rock, Jamie Foxx and Angela Bassett. ...

There's nothing funny about the popular appeal of crossover heavyweight Jennifer Lopez — she'll be crowned Female Star of the Year by the film industry's power elite at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas. She and previously announced Male Star of the Year Will Smith will be honored at a banquet next month in recognition of their drawing power at the box office. ... The soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" — a filmed concert by the Band which featured a cavalcade of special guests including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Muddy Waters — will be remixed and released with bonus tracks on April 16. The movie will be released on DVD May 7. ...

Liverpool's arty synth-poppers Clinic will support their second album, Walking With Thee (due February 26), with a three-week Stateside jaunt that begins March 13 in Atlanta. The tour includes a showcase at music-biz conference South by Southwest on March 15. ... El Meswy, Spain's best-selling hip-hop artist, was in the studio recently recording Se Habla Español, his follow-up to 2000's Nadie. M-1 and Stic.man of Dead Prez were on hand to lend lyrical support to the as-yet-untitled project. ...

My Bloody Valentine founder Kevin Shields has recorded "Outro," an instrumental, for the compilation album You Don't Need Darkness to Do What You Think Is Right, which comes out April 1. Other artists who will appear on the LP include the Pastels, Future Pilot AKA and Jesus and Mary Chain partners Jim and William Reid recording as Sister Vanilla. ... Sting, Elton John, James Taylor and Ravi Shankar comprise the first wave of artists announced to perform at the Police-man's annual Rainforest Foundation Benefit Concert, which will take place at New York's Carnegie Hall on April 13.

• Wyclef Jean
• Q-Tip
• Beck
• Ginuwine
• Diddy

Alicia Keys
Photo: J Records

Another awards show, another set of pack-leading nominations for Alicia Keys and India.Arie.

Keys is ahead of all others at the 16th annual Soul Train Music Awards with four nods, while Arie, the late Aaliyah and the Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley follow with three apiece, according to a spokesperson for the March 20 event.

The three ladies, plus Angie Stone, are up for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female, and they'll be competing for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female, with Sade's Lover's Rock. Aaliyah and Keys are also contenders for R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year for Aaliyah and Songs in A Minor, respectively, while Arie and Keys will face off against Fabolous and Bubba Sparxxx in the Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist category.

The Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley received recognition in the categories Best R&B/Soul Single by a Group, Band or Duo for "Contagious"; Best R&B/Soul Album by a Group, Band or Duo for Eternal; and the Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video for "Contagious."

Destiny's Child, Brian McKnight, Usher, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Musiq Soulchild and Jagged Edge have two nominations apiece.

Arie is also favored to take home the most Grammy Awards on February 27 with a leading seven nominations, while Keys has six (see "U2, India.Arie Lead Grammy Pack"). Keys and Aaliyah also won two American Music Awards in January (see "Alicia Keys, Destiny's Child, Aaliyah Excel At AMAs").

The Soul Train Music Awards will be given out at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, where soul singers the O'Jays will be bestowed with the Quincy Jones Award for Outstanding Career Achievement. Alicia Keys will be honored with the Sammy Davis Jr. Award for Female Entertainer of the Year, and Dr. Dre will receive the male equivalent.

A taped broadcast of the awards ceremony is scheduled to air in syndication in late March. An album featuring tracks by several of this year's nominees is due March 26. Compilations based on the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards and the Soul Train Christmas special are also in the works.

Nominations for the 16th annual Soul Train Music Awards, according to an event publicist:

Best R&B/Soul Single, Female

• Aaliyah - "Rock the Boat"

• India.Arie - "Video"

• Alicia Keys - "Fallin'"

• Angie Stone - "Brotha"

Best R&B/Soul Single, Male

• Jaheim - "Just in Case"

• Brian McKnight - "Love of My Life"

• Musiq Soulchild - "Love"

• Usher - "U Got It Bad"

Best R&B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo

• Destiny's Child - "Survivor"

• Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley - "Contagious"

• Jagged Edge with Nelly - "Where the Party At"

• 'NSYNC - "Gone"

Best R&B/Soul Album, Female

• Aaliyah - Aaliyah

• India.Arie - Acoustic Soul

• Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor

• Sade - Lovers Rock

Best R&B/Soul Album, Male

• Jaheim - Ghetto Love

• Michael Jackson - Invincible

• Musiq Soulchild - Aijuswanaseing (I Just Want to Sing)

• Usher - 8701

Best R&B/Soul Album, Group Band, or Duo

• 112 - Part III

• Destiny's Child - Survivor

• Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley - Eternal

• Jagged Edge - Jagged Little Thrill

R&B/Soul or Rap Album of the Year

• Aaliyah - Aaliyah

• Ja Rule - Pain Is Love

• Jay-Z - The Blueprint

• Alicia Keys - Songs in A Minor

Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist

• Fabolous - "Young'n (Holla Back)"

• India.Arie - "Video"

• Alicia Keys - " Fallin'"

• Bubba Sparxxx - "Ugly"

Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video

• Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott - "Get Ur Freak On"

• Isley Brothers featuring Ron Isley - "Contagious"

• Jay-Z - " Girls, Girls, Girls"

• Busta Rhymes - ""Break Ya Neck"

Best Gospel Album

• Yolanda Adams - "The Experience"

• Kim Burrell - "Live in Concert"

• Donnie McClurkin - "Live in London"

• Doug and Melvin Williams - "Duets"

• Alicia Keys
• Aaliyah
• India.Arie
• Angie Stone
• Jaheim

John Lennnon
Photo: Capitol

"Come Together: A Night for John Lennon," a tribute concert for the former Beatle featuring Stone Temple Pilots, Beck and Alanis Morissette, will be broadcast live from New York after being postponed in the wake of last week's terrorist attacks.

The event will take place and air on October 2, according to a TNT spokesperson. The sixth installment of the cable network's TNT Master's Series was to be taped last Thursday and broadcast on what would have been Lennon's 61st birthday, October 9 (see "Beck, STP, Alanis Come Together For John Lennon").

The fundraising concert has been renamed "Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words & Music, Dedicated to New York City & Its People." In addition to its original beneficiaries — the Violence Policy Center and the Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence, united with the Million Mom March — the event will assist the American Red Cross, the September 11th Fund, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the New York Fraternal Order of Police WTC Fund, the National Organization for Victim Assistance and the Twin Towers Fund.

The show's lineup, which also features Nelly Furtado, Lou Reed, Marc Anthony, Moby, Seal, Cyndi Lauper and Shelby Lynne, has been updated to include Dave Matthews, the Isley Brothers and Yolanda Adams. Additional artists are expected to be announced shortly.

Tickets for the postponed event, which is scheduled to take place at Radio City Music Hall, will be honored on October 2.

• John Lennon
• Dave Matthews Band
• Dave Matthews
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Beck

Ronald Isley
Photo: DreamWorks

If you want to open for the Isley Brothers' fall tour, nine times out of ten, you won't have a hard time meeting at least one of their criteria. According to a spokesperson for the group, the siblings, who have seen success over the past 40 years, are looking for an act that will appeal to people younger than their age bracket.

The Isleys have been getting their fair share of love from the youth as well as the older cats with their new album, Eternal. Powered by the hit "Contagious," which their friend R. Kelly produced and wrote, the LP has sold almost 500,000 copies in just three weeks.

The next single off of the album will be the Raphael Saadiq-produced "Move Your Body." They start filming the video on September 22 in L.A. under the direction of Bille Woodruff, who co-directed the video for "Contagious" with Kelly. That clip ends with Ronald "Mr. Biggs" Isley and Kelly facing off over R&B chanteuse Chanté Moore, with Kelly ultimately leaving with Moore.

Though the treatment for "Move Your Body" is still being written, Mr. Biggs said in July that the video would begin where "Contagious" ended. The Isleys' spokesperson said to expect a lot of dancing from a lot of scantily clad women in the video.

In addition to a movie centering on the Mr. Biggs character, Ron Isley said earlier this month that a play featuring the brothers and Kelly will appear somewhere down the line.

Isley Brothers tour dates, according to DreamWorks Records:

• 9/30 - Dallas, TX @ Dallas Convention Center
• 10/5 - Jacksonville, FL @ Metropolitan Park
• 10/6 - Galveston, TX @ The East Beach
• 10/7 - Lafayette, LA @ Cajun Dome
• 10/11 - Phoenix, AZ @ Celebrity Theater
• 10/12- Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheater
• 10/13 - Concord, CA @ The Chronicle Pavilion
• 10/14 - San Diego, CA @ TBA
• 10/19 - Charlotte, NC @ Cricket Arena
• 10/20 - Norfolk, VA @ Norfolk Scope Arena
• 10/21 - Richmond, VA @ Landmark Theater
• 10/24 - New York, NY @ TBA
• 10/25 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
• 10/26 - St. Louis, MO @ Fox Theater
• 10/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theater
• 11/1 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
• 11/2 - Sunrise, FL @ Sunrise Musical Theater
• 11/3 - Orlando, FL @ TD Waterhouse Center
• 11/8 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
• 11/9 - Chicago, IL @ Arie Crown Theater
• 11/10 - Pine Bluff, AR @ Civic Center
• 11/11 - Louisville, KY @ Whitney Hall
• 11/16 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal
• 11/17 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Taj Mahal
• 11/23 - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
• 11/24 - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
• 11/25 - Baltimore, MD @ The Mini Theater

• The Isley Brothers

Ronald Isley
Photo: DreamWorks

The Dukes of Hazzard versus Boss Hogg, Austin Powers versus Dr. Evil and Howard Stern versus the FCC are all rivalries for the ages. And you can add Ronald "Mr. Biggs" Isley versus R. Kelly to the favorite-feuds list now that their beef has been rekindled in the Isley Brothers' "Contagious" video.

Kelly's 1995 "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" video was so successful, the Isley Brothers decided to make a sequel with one of their own songs. Ronald Isley reappears as Mr. Biggs in the new clip, which was co-directed by Kelly and Billie Woodruff. This time, however, his cheating mate is played by R&B songstress Chanté Moore, who's having an affair with Kelly. After Isley catches the two in his bedroom, the video ends with Kelly's and Biggs' bodyguards facing off as Moore departs with her lover. Isley said the R&B star felt he had a lot on the line as director. In fact, he'll be calling the shots for a feature-length film based on the love triangle, with music by Kelly and the Isleys. "Contagious" is the lead-off single from the Isleys' Eternal. The August 7 release features production and guest appearances from Kelly, Jill Scott, Avant, Raphael Saadiq and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. "They played a bunch of our old songs for us," said Jam, who helped lay the tracks for five cuts on the album, including the title track. "Ernie [Isley] would take the guitar out and Mr. Biggs would sing songs like 'Tell Me If You Still Care' by the SOS Band as though it was their song.

"They're like my idols," Jam continued. "My whole writing style evolved from what the Isleys did." Double-J isn't the only hitmaker to idolize the Isleys, who recently broke the record for longest time span charting singles on the Billboard Hot 100, with nearly 42 years separating 1959's "Shout" and "Contagious." "Saadiq is one of Ernie's students," said Ronald. "If you listen to 'Head on My Pillow' and 'Anniversary,' those records were inspired by the Isley Brothers' feel." Their influence spreads much further. The Isley Brothers employed both Jimi Hendrix and Elton John early in the rock legends' careers. The Beatles covered the Isleys' "Twist and Shout" in 1964, while "Who's That Lady" and "It's Your Thing" were both used in ubiquitous commercials. The Isleys' influence isn't confined to pop and R&B, however. A Tribe Called Quest, Aaliyah, DJ Quik, Ice Cube and the Notorious B.I.G. — who used "Between the Sheets" as musical backdrop for "Big Poppa" — have sampled their work. Nas and Foxy Brown have called upon Mr. Biggs to sing on their tracks. And, yes, the Isleys can keep up with the youngsters. They've used rappers such as Lil' Kim on their records, while Ronald's getting ready to enter the studio with Dr. Dre and members of the Wu-Tang Clan. "Puffy and those guys really know what they're doing," said Mr. Biggs, who once called on P. Diddy to produce tracks for him. "They're on top of the technology, using sampling. They know what they're talking about." "We love music. We love the competition," said brother Ernie of the group's motivation. "We feel like well-trained athletes. Everybody else is trying to catch us, following our steps." Speaking of steps, Ronald said you'll see just where R. Kelly took Chanté Moore in the follow-up to their current video.

"The next single will continue 'Contagious,'" said Mr. Biggs. "You're gonna see what happens when they leave the room and go down those steps. It's going to go into the movie." What will Mr. Biggs be doing while his girl is creeping off? Humbling himself, apparently, since the clip will be filmed for a remake of Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now." "We turned it into an Isley Brothers song," said the singer. "It's one of the great remakes. I'm begging her to come back to me. No one leaves Mr. Biggs." Eternal track list, according to DreamWorks:

• "Move Your Body"
• "Contagious"
• "Warm Summer Night"
• "You Deserve Better"
• "Just Like This"
• "Secret Lover"
• "You're All I Need"
• "Settle Down"
• "Eternal"
• "If You Leave Me Now"
• "Said Enough" (featuring Jill Scott)
• "You Didn't See Me"
• "Ernie's Jam"
• "Think"

• The Isley Brothers
• R. Kelly
• Jimmy Jam