Kanye West in "Heartless"
Photo: Roc-A-Fella

Kanye West is never one to shy away from tooting his own horn, and he's taking the success of his latest single "Heartless" as one of those rarely missed opportunities.

On his blog, in all caps, Kanye wrote, "It doesn't sound like anything else ever made in history!"

"This is a song nobody can front on!!! The beat is on some RZA sh--, and every line could make the ultimate rap hook!"

Despite all the great response he's been getting about the album, Kanye wants to let it soak into the cultural psyche and not release too many singles too fast. "I'm gonna walk this album slow like a more independent approach," he wrote. "I feel like a new artist. There's actually arguments again. It reminds me of the first album when everybody said I couldn't rap."

Kanye also muses that the next single from 808s & Heartbreak might be "Paranoid," but he isn't ready to settle on anything just yet. "['Paranoid' is] neck and neck with 'Robocop'!!!" he wrote. "I'm not gonna release either for a while because I want 'Heartless' and 'Love Lockdown' to soak into the culture!!"

He's also proud of the fact that the album is more far-reaching than his previous efforts. He even admitted that he wasn't satisfied with his mega-selling last album, Graduation. "I felt like certain records were keeping it from being a play in every environment," he wrote. " ... It was such a big compliment for me to have songs that are #1 on [BET's '106 & Park'] and can play right next to Vampire Weekend, Sade or Silverchair in a high-end fashion store!"

He also attributes a lot of the success to the far-reaching power that "Love Lockdown" has had since its release earlier this fall. "It's such a triumph to have 'Love Lockdown' on radio," he said. "This is new music! It might take some getting used to, but when it sets in it will make all the difference!"

• Kanye West
• Vampire Weekend
• Silverchair
• Sade

Nick Lachey rehearses for his upcoming tour in Burbank, California, on September 8.
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

The Nick Lachey tour will be a lot like Nick Lachey's personality: simple with a little sexy.

"It's going to be really music-based, just me and the band rocking it," Lachey said of the tour, which kicks off Wednesday in Albany, New York (see "Nick Lachey Takes What's Left Of Him On Fall Tour").

While Nick is a fan of more showboating singers like fellow boy-bander-turned-solo-star Justin Timberlake, he cited the toned-down Sade as the inspiration for his show.

"Sade is one of the most magical performers I've ever seen, even though everything she does is so subtle," he explained. "It's not about big moves and pyro, it's about captivating the audience, and she's one of the best, in my opinion, at that."

While on the road, with Dirty Blonde and Joanna as openers, Lachey plans to use the audience's reaction to his set to help him determine What's Left of Me's third single. In the meantime, he's letting "I Can't Hate You Anymore" run its full course.

"It's a very special song to me," he said of the second single. "It's important because it deals with coming out of a really angry place in your life. Sometimes you get filled with a lot of bitterness and it's important to let that stuff go. Life's all about learning your lessons and moving on."

And Lachey is applying that strategy to both his personal and professional lives.

"The tabloids [relentlessly covering his past and current relationship; (see 'Nick Lachey Explains "Awkwardness" With Jessica Simpson') can be a little trying for sure, but the best thing to do is just live your life," he said. "I don't let that dictate what I do."

And in the working world, Nick is also moving on. Although his second television pilot, in which he played a newly married baseball star (see "Nick Lachey A Newlywed Again"), failed to get picked up this summer, Lachey's already on to a third.

"I can't say much about it, but it's an exciting concept and I'm excited to be a part of it," he said. "With TV, you just never know. You keep doing stuff that inspires you and that you're interested in and you just hope it sticks."

Now Nick is just hoping his beloved NFL team can follow his lead.

"I watched my Bengals do well the other night," he said. "Carson Palmer is back and looking good!"

• Behind The Scenes At Nick Lachey's Tour Rehearsals

• Nick Lachey
• Sade

Past Best New Artist recipients: Cyndi Lauper, Shelby Lynne, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Sheryl Crow, Lauryn Hill, Sade, and Culture Club's Boy George

Alicia Keys, Linkin Park, Nelly Furtado, India.Arie and David Gray are up for the Best New Artist Grammy. Perhaps they should be afraid.

If peer admiration is the best kind of compliment, winning a Grammy is indeed music's highest honor. Determined by the ballots of those who have worked on six or more commercially produced songs — as musicians, songwriters, producers, engineers or in other capacities — the award overlooks critical non-factors such as record sales or radio popularity to identify "true" artistic achievement.

While this form of flattery doesn't exactly get you nowhere, sometimes the ride is over quick. Ask some past winners of the Best New Artist award what their Grammy and a buck will get them and they're liable to point to the McDonald's dollar menu. For others, walking away with a Grammy leads to a road paved with gold and platinum.

Of the genre-spanning "big four" awards — Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year (given to the songwriters) and Best New Artist — expectations hang heaviest on the latter. Like the Rookie of the Year or Heisman Trophy, the Best New Artist award, while recognizing a stellar year, is viewed as a predictor of bigger and better things. And while some have used the honor as a stepping stone, the careers of others have sunk under its weight.

Mariah Carey and Sheryl Crow were each dubbed Best New Artists in the voting years their respective debut albums, Mariah Carey and Tuesday Night Music Club, were released, and while 1990 was the only time she caught Grammy gold, albeit twice (also for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Vision of Love"), Carey is 37 times platinum in the eight albums since. Crow added to her glory with six more Grammys and 11 platinum plaques from the three albums that followed her 1994 maiden win.

Early '80s artists Sade, Men at Work, Culture Club and Cyndi Lauper also benefited from Best New Artist buzz. Sade continues to strike precious metal, with last year's Lovers Rock certified double platinum, and though the careers of the others faded one or two albums later, it wasn't before they sold millions of copies and produced a flurry of hit singles.

Conversely, winning the Best New Artist award is sometimes a Pyrrhic victory. For every Carey and Crow, there are those for whom the award marked the apex of their careers.

Big things seemed in store for 1991 Best New Artist Marc Cohn. His "Walking in Memphis" was a hit and his self-titled debut was certified gold at the time of the awards ceremony. Unfortunately for the singer/songwriter, "Walking in Memphis" strode alone. Nothing Cohn released off his two successive albums, 1993's The Rainy Season and 1998's Burning the Daze, came close to matching its magnitude, and combined they've yet to sell 500,000 copies, according to SoundScan. Marc Cohn reached platinum status five years later, while its creator works as a session player.

Christopher Cross' "Ride Like the Wind" and "Sailing" blew the 1980 winner into stardom and off the musical map just as quickly. Although his self-titled debut album fostered two other singles, and his "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," from the movie "Arthur," was a hit, his eight albums since paled in comparison to his first LP, which has been certified five-times platinum. Hootie & the Blowfish (1995) and Arrested Development (1992) are among the others whose careers suffered after taking home the Best New Artist trophy.

Recent recipients Lauryn Hill and Christina Aguilera must surely be feeling the pressure as they prepare their post-Grammy follow-ups, especially considering Shelby Lynne's disappointing après-Grammy showing. I Am Shelby Lynne, the 2000 album that afforded her the award, sold more than 225,000 copies to date, while its successor, last year's Love, Shelby, has yet to break 70,000 in sales.

While the Best New Artist award can hint toward an artist's future success, it may also mark the emergence of a predominant musical style. Like Aguilera's win that punctuated the female teen pop boon of 1999, and LeAnn Rimes' score in the midst of a country crossover trend in 1996, might a victory for India.Arie point toward a neo-soul happening? Would one for Nelly Furtado reclaim the prize for the light, funky ones? If it goes to David Gray or Alicia Keys, who herself might not be a contender if it weren't for Lauryn Hill in 1998, would soul-baring be the new rap-rock? Or would rap-rock persevere as a post-modern outlet for aggression if Linkin Park take home the trophy? We'll have to wait and see.

For more Grammy news, check out the MTV News Grammy Archive.

Stick with MTV News for complete coverage when the Grammys are handed out on Wednesday. You can catch the action live from the red carpet on "Backstage at the Grammys" beginning at 7 p.m. (ET) on MTV, and get up-to-the-minute news and reaction from the stars on MTVNews.com throughout the night.

• Alicia Keys
• Linkin Park
• Nelly Furtado
• India.Arie
• David Gray

Nickelback
Photo: Roadrunner Records

If you're a real chart geek, we invite you to tune in Friday night at 5 p.m. ET for "Chart Attack," MTV News' weekly, in-depth look at what's charting where and why. Check out the Chart Attack Web page for more info.

With all the attention and contention surrounding the Canadian skating and hockey teams at the Winter Olympics, we thought we'd take the opportunity in this week's chart and sales analysis to lavish a little intercontinental praise on Nickelback. Also, we continue our countdown to next week's Grammys by predicting which former Best New Artist winner will get her due in a showdown for Best Pop Vocal Album.

A Fistful Of Nickelback

Blame it on the Olympics — Canadian athletes are claiming they're not getting any respect at this year's Winter Games in Salt Lake City. It's hard to blame them, what with the medal controversy surrounding Canadian figure skaters David Pelletier and Jamie Salé, not to mention Wayne Gretzky's observations that Olympic fans were actively rooting against the Canadian men's hockey team.

With the Great One's comments in mind, we wanted to help soothe relations with our Canadian brothers and sisters by heaping some way-overdue Got Charts? love on Vancouver's Nickelback and their monstrous breakthrough LP, Silver Side Up.

Led by the back-to-back single/video combination for "How You Remind Me" and "Too Bad," Nickelback have already tallied over 3.24 million copies sold of Silver Side Up since the record debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in September. That total is more than double the amount that Nickelback's fellow Canadians in Sum41 have logged of their own breakthrough, All Killer No Filler, which has registered some 1.54 million in sales to date. As for Nickelback, Silver Side Up shows little sign of tarnishing as the LP has spent 21 of the last 23 weeks in the top 10 and will entrench itself firmly at #5 next week.

If Silver Side Up can keep up its torrid sales pace for a few more weeks, Nickelback should easily glide past the Barenaked Ladies and lay claim to having the biggest-selling LP by a Canadian rock band in the U.S. during the SoundScan era, which dates back to 1991. Toronto's quirky pop outfit currently holds that honor with the Barenaked Ladies' 1998 album, Stunt, which has sold 3.59 million copies to date.

With a round of summer touring and perhaps another single release, Silver Side Up could ante up past the 5 million mark and maybe even challenge countrywoman Sarah McLachlan's 1997 LP, Surfacing, which remains the Lilith Fair founder's best-selling album to date (5.35 million copies).

Should Nickelback reach the rare air of the 5 million mark, they may feel like they've stumbled into a Lilith tour stop. For Canadian artists, the upper echelons in LP sales have been dominated by females over the last 10 years, fronted by femmes such as Alanis Morissette, Celine Dion and Shania Twain. Two of those Canadians are responsible for America's two top-selling albums of the last 10 years — Twain's Come on Over (14.19 million) and Morissette's Jagged Little Pill (13.91 million). Dion has a pair of albums in the top 15 of the last decade, with her 1996 effort, Falling Into You, at #9 (10.45 million) and her 1997 follow-up, Let's Talk About Love, at #15 (9.14 million).

If Canadians feel as though they're getting robbed and jobbed at the Olympics, they can at least take solace in knowing their country remains very near and dear to record-buyers' hearts — something Morissette will likely prove once again with a chart-topping debut for her new album, Under Rug Swept, which hits stores next Tuesday. As for Nickelback, they look like they're set to enjoy the next few months on the Billboard 200, although they might want to consider enlisting a female guitarist or keyboardist to help break up their high concentration of XY chromosomes.

This Is Pop, Yeah Yeah

There's just a week to go until the Grammys, so we continue our Got Charts? preview of the major album awards by handicapping the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album.

Like other Grammy categories, such as Best Rock Album or Best Rap Album, the Recording Academy has only been handing out the Best Pop Vocal Album since the mid-'90s. The award had been known as simply "Best Pop Album" before it was changed to Best Pop Vocal Album, starting with last year's awards.

Tweaking the category's name seems to indicate that the Academy is still in the process of fine-tuning which artists should be placed, stylistically, in which categories. As with the newer categories — particularly Best Rock Album — these year-to-year re-evaluations can lead to a rather diverse slate of nominees. Artists set to vie for this year's Best Pop Vocal Album honors are Nelly Furtado for Whoa, Nelly!, Janet Jackson for All for You, Elton John for Songs From the West Coast, 'NSYNC for Celebrity and Sade for Lovers Rock.

If the Academy strictly observed that the "pop" in the category's title is short for "popular," then 'NSYNC's Celebrity would be this year's Best Pop Vocal Album, hands down. With more than 4.58 million logged in sales, Celebrity has far outsold all of the other nominated records in this category. The album also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, a feat that only Janet Jackson was able to match with All for You (2.78 million).

But while both 'NSYNC's and Janet's albums have done well, they each mark a drop in the sales achieved by their respective previous records, with 'NSYNC selling 10.92 million copies of No Strings Attached and 8.67 million copies of their 1998 self-titled debut. Jackson's All for You should breeze past the 3.1 million in sales of her 1997 LP, Velvet Rope, but she'll be hard-pressed to match the 6.74 million in sales of 1993's Janet. In both instances, it seems unlikely that the Recording Academy would award artists for the albums that made a smaller impact in comparison to their overall canon.

Despite selling 2.02 million copies of her debut, Whoa, Nelly!, singer/songwriter Nelly Furtado doesn't appear to have much of a chance to make like a bird and fly away with the Best Pop Vocal Album award (even though she does hail from Canada). In handing out the previous seven awards in this area, the Recording Academy has yet to present the Grammy to an artist for his or her debut work, instead favoring vets such as Madonna, Sting, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. And if the Academy were going to skew young this year, it would likely be for the more popular 'NSYNC.

That leaves two nominees: Elton John and Sade. Regarded by fans and critics as a throwback to his '70s heyday, Songs From the West Coast seems to be the sentimental favorite for the Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy. Unlike the other nominees, the album's relatively small sales (472,000 copies to date) may not hamper John's chances that much, as the Recording Academy has previously awarded the Grammy to the likes of Joni Mitchell's Turbulent Indigo (299,000 to date) and James Taylor's Hour Glass (926,000).

However, the juggernaut in the Best Pop Vocal Album category has to be Sade's Lovers Rock, which has sold 3.25 million copies since its release in November 2000. Lovers Rock marked the Nigerian-born singer's first release since 1992's Love Deluxe, and Lovers Rock has already almost matched the 3.4 million that LP has sold to date.

In the last three years, the Recording Academy has been content to award the Grammy to career comeback albums, as with Sting's Brand New Day and Steely Dan's Two Against Nature. In another good sign for Sade and Lovers Rock, two of the last three Best Pop Vocal Album recipients won for albums that reached the 3 million mark in sales.

What may tip the scales toward Sade would be the fact that Elton John recently won a Grammy, sharing last year's Best Musical Show award with lyricist Tim Rice for their work on the Aida: Original Broadway Cast LP. A Sade victory would also provide the Recording Academy with a rare chance to honor a former winner of its much-maligned Best New Artist category, a Grammy Sade won after the release of her 1984 debut, Diamond Life.

  Previous winners of the Best Pop Vocal Album and their SoundScan sales totals to date: Steely Dan's Two Against Nature (1 million), Sting's Brand New Day (3.41 million), Madonna's Ray of Light (3.71 million), James Taylor's Hour Glass (926,000), Celine Dion's Falling Into You (10.45 million), Joni Mitchell's Turbulent Indigo (299,000) and Bonnie Raitt's Longing in Their Hearts (1.58 million).

[In SoundScan we trust. All figures, unless otherwise noted, are according to SoundScan's audited sales numbers and reflect sales as of press time.]

• Nickelback
• *NSYNC
• Janet Jackson
• Nelly Furtado
• Elton John

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

Sade
Photo: Corey Moss

Sixteen years after politely introducing herself as R&B's smooth operator, Sade and her million-dollar vocal cords are still as smooth as the silk dress that draped her body Tuesday night.

Performing the second show of a two-night stay at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, the sultry singer displayed her pop-world staying power with a career-spanning set highlighted by "Smooth Operator." (Click for photos from the concert.)

Sade took her signature song for a soaring ride through glitzy disco halls, smoky jazz clubs and rock arenas. It culminated in a five-minute jam session complete with electric guitar solos and samba breakdowns.

She chronicled the voyage by emphasizing lines in the classic tune such as "Coast to coast, L.A. to Chicago, Western male/ Across the North and South, to Key Largo, love for sale." Not surprisingly, the Chicago reference was met with a roar of applause.

The striking Sade possesses the mystical presence of a movie star. Indeed, the singer first appeared sashaying behind a silver screen hanging in front of the stage. The mountaintops and ocean waves outlining her figure made for an impressive visual effect she revisited later on in the exhausting two-hour show.

Following her "Cherish the Day" opener from 1992's Love Deluxe and "Your Love Is King" from 1984's Diamond Life, Sade greeted her adoring fans for the first of a few times during the night — although her quiet part-African, part-British accent was usually drowned out by cheers. "They say it is never as good as the first time, but in Chicago the second time is better," she said before singing "Never as Good as the First Time" from 1985's Promise.

Unlike Madonna and Janet Jackson, the other pop divas on tour this summer, Sade doesn't overly decorate her tunes with costumes and choreography. She made only one outfit switch, changing from a silver-and-purple iridescent dress to black pants, a pink top and purple bandana for her encore. The extent of her dancing involved her two backing singers leading her through a simple, yet sexy, routine.

Mostly, though, Sade swayed around the stage, clenching her microphone in front of her face and allowing her songs to do the entertaining. Apart from such theatrical moments as her rousing vocal attack to close out "Cherry Pie" and a flirtatious leg cross while sitting on the edge of the stage for "Jezebel," the show flowed like a good novel — a love story, of course.

Sade's tour easily packs the summer's hottest date potential. Even the most unromantic could get a taste of Cupid from "Kiss of Life" and the Love Deluxe single "No Ordinary Love."

Sade was particularly sensual during "By Your Side," which opens Lovers Rock but closed Tuesday's first set. Her first album in eight years, Lovers Rock debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart last fall.

Videos, which screened during most of the evening, showed archival footage of slaves during "Slave Song" and provided nature shots to match Sade's lush soundscapes.

Her band — an octet featuring longtime collaborators Stuart Matthewman (guitar/saxophone), Paul S. Denman (bass) and Andrew Hale (keyboards) — at times stole attention away from the singer.

Near the end of the show, the relaxed audience was startled by enormous thunderclaps. Spotlights lit the arena and the backdrop blew. It was quite an introduction, but Sade lived up to it with a spooky version of the Promise hit "The Sweetest Taboo," singing, "There's a quiet storm and it never felt this hot before."

India.Arie, dressed in a pelican robe and singing her lungs out, proved a Sade-in-the-making during her opening set. She crooned through most of her acclaimed debut, Acoustic Soul, including the singles "Video" and "Brown Skin."

Sade, midway through her tour, has announced these additional dates, according to Epic Records:

• 8/8 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
• 8/10 - Holmdel, NJ @ P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
• 8/11 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 8/13 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/15 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/16 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach Amphitheatre
• 8/18 - Cleveland, OH @ Cleveland State University Convocation Center
• 8/19 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
• 8/21 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Arena
• 8/22 - Boston, MA @ FleetCenter
• 8/24 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion
• 8/25 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
• 8/27 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
• 8/29 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ National Car Rental Center
• 8/30 - Fort Lauderdale, FL @ National Car Rental Center
• 9/1 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
• 9/5 - St. Louis, MO @ Savvis Center
• 9/7 - Noblesville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
• 9/8 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
• 9/10 - Columbus, OH @ Polaris Amphitheater
• 9/13 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
• 9/15 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Hotel
• 9/16 - Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
• 9/18 - Concord, CA @ Chronicle Pavilion
• 9/20 - Anaheim, CA @ Arrowhead Pond

• Sade
• India.Arie

India.Arie
Photo: Motown

Sultry songstress Sade has picked newcomer India.Arie to open a slew of newly announced tour dates.

The 30-date tour includes previously announced July shows on the West Coast, but extends the road show throughout the U.S. before wrapping up in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 1. India.Arie will open all dates except for the July 22 show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, which will feature West African star Youssou N'Dour as the opening act.

Sade's Lovers Rock — her first new material since 1992's Love Deluxe — was released in November and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Her past five albums — Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, Love Deluxe and The Best of Sade — together have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide.

India.Arie's debut album, Acoustic Soul, which features the single "Video," came out in March.

Sade tour dates, according to SFX Entertainment:

• 7/14 - Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
• 7/15 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena at Seattle Center
• 7/17 - Concord, CA @ Chronicle Pavilion at Concord
• 7/18 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
• 7/20 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 7/22 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
• 7/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
• 7/26 - Chula Vists, CA @ Coors Amphitheatre
• 7/27 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden
• 7/29 - Schertz, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 7/30 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
• 8/01 - Spring, TX @ C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
• 8/04 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
• 8/05 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
• 8/07 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
• 8/10 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
• 8/11 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 8/13 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/15 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
• 8/16 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach
• 8/18 - Cleveland, OH @ Cleveland State University
• 8/19 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
• 8/21 - Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Arena
• 8/22 - Boston, MA @ FleetCenter
• 8/24 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion
• 8/25 - Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek
• 8/27 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
• 8/29 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ National Car Rental Center
• 8/30 - Tampa, FL @ Ice Palace
• 9/1 - New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena

• India.Arie
• Sade
• Youssou N'Dour

As promised in her most recent single, Sade will keep U.S. fans by her side with a summer tour.

The Nigerian-born songstress will be taking her triple-platinum LP Lovers Rock on the road, a spokesperson for her label, Epic Records, said. The 30-date tour marks her first trek in seven years.

She'll kick off the tour at GM Place in Vancouver. After her first U.S. date in Seattle on July 15, Sade will begin making her way down the West Coast, with shows scheduled through July 23 in Los Angeles.

Further dates are awaiting confirmation and will become available as the tour approaches, the Epic spokesperson said.

Sade's Lovers Rock was released in November and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was her first new material since 1992's Love Deluxe, which spawned the hit single "No Ordinary Love." Lovers Rock currently sits at #56 on Billboard. Her past five albums — Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, Love Deluxe and The Best of Sade — have amassed over 50 million in worldwide sales. Sade's confirmed tour dates, according to Epic Records:

• 7/14 - Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
• 7/15 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
• 7/17 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
• 7/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Chronicle Pavilion
• 7/20 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
• 7/21 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand
• 7/23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl

• Sade

Shaggy
Photo: MCA

Shaggy, who offered up a version of the Wailers' "Thank You Lord" at a tribute on Monday to late reggae legend Bob Marley, now has another reason to be thankful: His Hotshot is once again #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Shaggy's Hotshot has now stretched its chart-topping run to three weeks, with the dancehall singer's career-making album selling more than 293,000 copies last week, according to figures released by SoundScan on Wednesday (February 21).

The ubiquitous The Beatles 1 holds at #2 for the second straight week, as the Fab Four's single-disc retrospective sold more than 200,000 copies last week and is nearing the 6.5 million mark after only three months of release. The "Save the Last Dance" soundtrack which sold 161,000 copies to lock on to the #3 spot, followed by Dido's No Angel, which climbs to #4 — and cracks the top five for the first time — with 131,000 copies tallied.

Rounding out the rest of the new Billboard top 10 are Jennifer Lopez's J.Lo, at #5 (130,00 sold); Sade's Lovers Rock, at #6 (118,000); Lenny Kravitz's Greatest Hits, at #7 (113,000); Ja Rule's Rule 3:36, at #8 (102,000); Crazy Town's The Gift of Game, at #9 (96,000); and Ludacris' Back for the First Time, at #10 (93,000). The biggest debut of the week was turned in by Miami rappers Iconz, whose Street Money enters the charts at #64. The only other albums debuting in the top 100 were Fredro Starr's solo debut, Firestarr, at #76, and the "Down to Earth" soundtrack, which features contributions from Eminem and Sticky Fingaz (one of Starr's former Onyx bandmates), at #81.

Other albums set to debut on the new chart: Radio Disney Jams Vol. 3, at #109; former Pavement singer Stephen Malkmus' self-titled solo debut, at #124; Bill & Gloria Gaither's What a Time!, at #149; Jonatha Brooke's Steady Pull, at #192; and Tantric's self-titled debut, at #193.

The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards will likely have an effect on next week's chart, particularly for the evening's big winners and in the Album of the Year category. Besides Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP, which is at #62, none of the other Album of the Year nominees — Radiohead's Kid A, Paul Simon's You're the One, Beck's Midnite Vultures and Steely Dan's Two Against Nature — are currently in the top 100 of the Billboard albums chart.

• Shaggy
• The Beatles
• Dido
• Jennifer Lopez
• Sade

• Sade

• Sade