Queen Releasing New Songs with Freddie Mercury

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Collaborations, Upcoming Releases, Rock,

Queen will release new tracks featuring Freddie Mercury singing later this year.

The legendary "We Will Rock You" band's frontman died in 1991, but drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May have since carried on with the group and are currently putting together a new album including recordings made with Freddie before he passed away.

"We found a few more tracks with Freddie singing and all of us playing and they are quite beautiful. It is a compilation but will have this material that nobody in the world has ever heard. I think people will really enjoy it," Brian told the BBC.

The musician added the material comes from when they band were at their height and will most likely be called Queen Forever: "Most of it comes from the 80s when we were in full flight. It is quite emotional. It is the big, big ballads and the big, big epic sound. It wouldn't have been if we hadn't have done this restoration job. We had to start from scratch because we only had scraps. But knowing how it would have happened if we had finished it, I can sit there and make it happen with modern technology."

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L.A. Reid Confirms Michael Jackson and Justin Bieber Collaboration

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Collaborations, Upcoming Releases, Pop,

L.A. Reid has confirmed a Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson collaboration.

The 58-year-old producer behind Michael Jackson's posthumous album Xscape is planning something "really special" involving vocals from the late King of Pop and the 20-year-old singer.

Justin was originally supposed to feature on the track "Slave 2 The Rhythm" as part of Michael's latest offering until it was inadvertently leaked, causing the collaboration to be dropped from Xscape. "'Slave 2 The Rhythm' didn't include him [Justin] per my direction. That was something that was done separate and apart from me and it was leaked. If it hadn't been leaked it would have been featured but it sort of took the wrong turn. But you know what, we are going to revisit that and do something really special with Justin and Michael. I'm pretty sure," L.A. told Access Hollywood.

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Drake’s Posthumous Aaliyah Album Scrapped

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Artist News, Collaborations, Gossip, Upcoming Releases, Pop, R&B / Soul,

Drake's posthumous Aaliyah album featuring unreleased material from the singer has been scrapped.

The rapper's producer Noah "40" Shebib was set to work with him on the project but has pulled out because her mother Diane didn't approve of the idea. In an interview with Vibe, Noah said, "The world reacting to Drake's involvement so negatively, I just wanted nothing to do with it. [Aaliyah's] mother saying 'I don't want this out' was enough for me. I walked away very quickly."

He was also worried about the "negative stigma" involved with the album, which was set to feature unreleased material from the 22-year-old singer who died in a plane crash on August 25, 2001. But he claims producer Timbaland, who previously said only he should work on Aaliyah's music, was positive about his work.

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Amy Winehouse Box Set to Be Released

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Performances, Upcoming Releases, Blues, R&B / Soul,

A new Amy Winehouse at the BBC box set is to be released in November.

The collection brings together 14 of the singer's live tracks picked by pianist and TV presenter Jools Holland from various sessions she performed for the BBC. The set also includes a DVD of her performance at Porchester Hall, London, recorded in 2007 as well as footage from Amy's first ever TV performances, interviews, and musical rarities including covers and alternate versions of her most famous tracks.

The package also contains a documentary, Amy Winehouse: The Day She Came To Dingle, which recently aired on BBC Four. Proceeds from the box set will go to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, set up by the late singer's family in the wake of her death, from accidental alcohol poisoning in July 2011, aged 27.

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