Jody Watley prefers taking a more 'boutique' approach these days when it comes to producing music, because according to the Grammy Award-winning singer, 'boutiques are places that people go when they want something special and that's not knocking the more common stuff. Boutique style is smaller scale intimate, unique. I have always been about individuality.'
In an interview for Giant Step Records, the independent label that debuted Watley's Midnight Lounge in America earlier this month, the singer offers a 'been there, done that' attitude towards the mainstream tastes of larger labels.
'I've been in the mainstream; media, awards, charts, etc. I don't have a hunger for more of that [anymore]. I've been wanting to adapt new sounds [into my work.]. But larger labels aren't interested in that approach, unless you are a teenage new artist or Madonna. She is one of the few that has been supported in her efforts to explore new music.'
Midnight Lounge, previously unavailable in the states except as an import, is a fusion of several different styles, according to the singer, who is best known for a string of '80s hits including 'Looking for a New Love' and 'Some Kind of Lover.'
'Dance music has a lot of soul, not just the cold techno stereotype. I'm blending the warmth and musicality of jazz and rhythm and soul, with danceable grooves ... and as always, my lyrical take on life and love.'
The USA release, available March 11, features three bonus remix tracks.
George Michael has recorded a cover version of Don McLean's 'The Grave' as an anti-war protest, the second protest song released by the singer since 'Shoot the Dog,' his infamous satire on Bush and the U.S. president's War on Terror. George and his band wore t-shirts emblazoned with the words 'No War, Blair Out,' during a performance of 'The Grave' on the BBC's prime-time music show Top of the Pops; however, the shirt's images were edited out when the show aired on March 7. A spokesperson for Top Of The Pops told NME.COM: 'There are BBC guidelines we have to adhere to. We have to be neutral and the shirts were a political statement. George was not upset. He sat with the producer afterwards. He was perfectly happy. This has been blown out of proportion.' However, a press rep for George negated the BBC's statement: 'There was a heated discussion between George and the producers. He wasn't happy about this at all.' The Grave is expected to appear on an anti-war album later this year.
On the verge of releasing her own anti-war themed video for American Life, the first single to drop from Madonna's new CD, Mrs. Ritchie is once again redefining herself as an artist, this time 'round as an author of children's books. A five-book deal with Penguin was announced earlier this month, with the first book, The English Roses, scheduled to hit bookstores in early September. Look for illustrated images to be contributed by a still unnamed, but reportedly popular, artist.
Not into reading children's books, even if they are penned by Miss Blonde Ambition? We suggest the April issue of W magazine, as a viable alternative: a staggering 44-page cover story on the singer featuring pictures snapped by Steven Klein, to be specific. Now, there's a 'Bedtime Story' for you. Klein's photos of Madonna from the W shoot, illustrated with animation, and audio and visual components, will also be featured as part of a multi-media art exhibit at the Deitch Projects gallery in Soho. The show is scheduled to run for six weeks, and there has already been talk of making it a traveling exhibition, according to New York Magazine. No word on whether Madonna will attend at the show's opening on March 27.
IN BRIEF: Kylie Minogue, who is reportedly considering a role in a film adaptation of the musical Cats, has launched her new 'Love Kylie' line of lingerie in England, a project that was born from the singer's inability to locate 'interesting and exciting lingerie' on her travels; Gwen Stefani is launching 'L.A.M.B.,' a line of accessories and handbags featuring the words and 'love,' 'music,' 'angel,' 'baby,' which will roll out sometime in September; and Christina Aguilera has been tapped as the new face for Versace, despite the fact that she is often the recipient of the 'worst dressed' awards from practically every entertainment outlet on the planet.
Bonus Item: The New York State Supreme Court has shut down two more nightclubs, Exit and Sound Factory, claiming each were in violation of the Nuisance Abatement Law. Perhaps the most serious consequence of these closures, according to The Village Voice columnist Tricia Romano: the nightclub masses are descending on the city's remaining 'cool' clubs such as Centro Fly and Arc. 'And even worse, Junior Vasquez fans will have no where to go,' laments Romano.
End Quote: A question posed by a fan on the official Pet Shop Boys Web site: 'Neil, I saw you singing on stage so professionally in Japan last summer, even when a moth flew in your face (it was an outdoor concert). How could you be so nice and calm? I was really Impressed!' Neil Tennant responds: 'I'm such a professional. But it WAS a very large insect.'
