Usher's Next Album 'Soulful, Catchy,' Taio Cruz Teases

'He always wants there to be the soul in there,' Cruz tells MTV News about his 'Without You' collaborator.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias

<P>Usher is hard at work on his next album. Set to work with fellow hitmaker Taio Cruz, the two already cooked up some magic with their David Guetta anthem "Without You," and it seems they are hoping to recapture that spirit for Usher's follow-up to 2010's <i>Raymond v. Raymond</i>. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Taio Cruz's Collabo With Usher Is A 'Secret'" id="vid:717257" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>"I saw Usher a few times, but I spoke to him at length at David [Guetta]'s house when we were in Ibiza [Spain]," he told MTV News in L.A. after his Jingle Ball set. "He has very specific ideas of where he wants to go musically and sound-wise." </P><P> </P><P>Given that Usher has never shied away from exposing a bit of himself in his music, while also keeping the party going, Cruz wants to make sure they can connect the mind, body and soul for this next release. "He always wants there to be the soul in there," he explained. "I'm kind of, not the opposite, but I'm always like, 'Let's get straight to the point and be really clear with the message and be simple.' </P><P> </P><P>"So we try to match those two worlds together: being soulful and, at the same time, catchy," he added. </P><P> </P><P>Cruz can't yet discuss what they're working on: Besides "Without You," he said, "Everything else is secret." </P><P> </P><P>Usher said he was drawn to the Guetta hit because he connected to it emotionally, explaining to MTV News recently what an important part that plays in his musical philosophy. "I think the world wanted a record like that. That [song] really spoke to the journey that I've actually been on in the last three years," he said. "Traveling all around the world, music sounds different. There's many different genres, and when you see R&B and pop and house, as well as electronic, come together, that's the reality of what music is." </P><P> </P><P><div style="background-color:#000000;width:428px;"><div style="padding:4px;"></div></div></p>

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Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off <MTVNLINK type="url" id="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/led_zeppelin/artist.jhtml">Led Zeppelin</MTVNLINK>'s 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again." </P><P> </P><P>That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on <I>Rolling Stone</i> magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004. </P><P> </P><P></p><div style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;"> </P><P></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album <I>Led Zeppelin II.</i> Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon. </P><P> </P><P>For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997. </P><P> </P><P>Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction. </P><P> </P><P><b>Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.</b></p>

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'VH1 Divas': Our Diva-Licious Wish List For Tonight!

From Miley to Demi and everything in between, MTV News lists our top five for tonight's show, airing at 9 p.m. ET on VH1.
By Jocelyn Vena


Kelly Clarkson
Photo: Michael Tran/Getty Images

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Les News, 121612

? Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein will introduce an assault weapons ban in the US Senate. [Buzzfeed] ? Are you ready for the season finale of Survivor: Philippines tonight? [ONTD!] ? Les Misérables is screened for the Screen Actors Guild. [PopSugar] ? After being together for a few months and after one nasty break-up, DJ Deadmau5 [...]

Source: http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2012-12-16/les-news-121612

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First Listen: Dido Teams Up With Kendrick Lamar For Her New Single, ?Let Us Move On?

We all remember Dido from Eminem‘s 1999 hit Stan, and the British singer/songwriter is back with a new track from her forthcoming album, Girl Who Got Away. I’m especially excited because Let Us Move On features my new fave rapper, Kendrick Lamar. Every morning I listen to Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe (sans Lady Gaga, [...]

Source: http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2012-12-15/first-listen-dido-teams-up-with-kendrick-lamar-for-her-new-single-let-us-move-on

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Ke$ha Is Channeling 'Sexiness' Of '70s Rock For New Album

Glitter-heavy pop star tells MTV News she's going for 'balls-out, irreverent rock and roll.'
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Matt Elias

<P>Ke$ha's already got the face paint down pat, and, during recent live sets, she's even taken to guzzling blood out of a human heart, so it should come as no surprise that, on her upcoming album, the pop star is taking things back to the most <i>theatrical</i> era of rock: the prop-heavy, arena-spanning heyday of the 1970s. </P><P> </P><P>Ke$h revealed her plans over the weekend in Los Angeles, on the red carpet of KIIS FM's annual Wango Tango concert, where she told MTV News that the follow-up to her breakout <i>Animal</i> album (and, we suppose, Cannibal too) would be heavy on hard riffs and light on pretty much <i>everything</i> else. </P><P> </P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Ke$ha Says New Album Will Be ' Balls-Out, Irreverent Rock'" id="vid:652875" width="240" height="211"></div><p> </P><P> </P><P>"The next album ... I've been working on writing on the road, but as far as a sound, I just know it's gonna be balls-out, irreverent rock and roll," she said. "I've been pretty much in this '70s rock and roll kick and I just want to capture some of the true essence of what rock and roll is, and that's just irreverence and sexiness and fun and not giving a f---, so we'll definitely put a bit of rock and roll in it." </P><P> </P><P>So, does that mean that fans can expect the likes of Alice Cooper or Peter Frampton to show up on her new album? Perhaps. Because while Ke$ha's new album is still a ways off, she's already begun calling in favors, hoping to line up a killer collabo for the new disc. </P><P> </P><P>"I'm trying, trust me," she laughed. "I really would love to connect with one of my idols, I mean, that's my dream. I'm working on it." </P><P> </P><P><i>What do you think of Ke$ha going rock for her next album? Tell us in the comments!</i></p>

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Justin Bieber Ripe For Spoofing, 'Stevie TV' Star Says

'Guys are like, 'I don't know what it is, but you're really hot,' comedian Stevie Ryan says of playing the teen superstar on VH1 show.
By Christina Garibaldi

<P>Stevie Ryan may make fun of Justin Bieber on her new VH1 show "Stevie TV," but the actress and the pop star actually have something cool in common: They were both discovered on YouTube. </P><P> </P><P>Ryan began her career impersonating celebrities and creating her own characters on her YouTube channel and instantly became an Internet star. Now the 26-year-old comedian gets to do her routines on VH1, portraying some of today's biggest celebs and reality TV stars. </P><P> </P><P> </P><P> </P><P>"It's just a female's perspective on pop culture, really, at least that's the way I think about it," Ryan told MTV News on Tuesday. "It's really just kind of making fun of pop culture, what's happening in it, just making fun of these celebrities that are rewarded for bad behavior." </P><P> </P><P>So far on "Stevie TV," Ryan has created a music video that mocks Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)," gotten into character as Lady Gaga and done some cross-dressing to get into one of her favorite roles, Justin Bieber. </P><P> </P><P>Ryan explained that Bieber has been the most fun to play "because I always tell everybody how guys and girls always like me when I'm Justin Bieber. ... Girls are like, 'You're so cute, like, are you really a <i>girl</i>?' And then guys are like, 'I don't know what it is, but you're really hot.' But I really like playing everybody," she laughed. </P><P> </P><P>And though she may poke fun at celebrities, Ryan said she's really a fan of most of the stars ... except maybe one. </P><P> </P><P>"I just thought, 'What a great way to kind of show that this is what the younger generation is growing up with, that who little girls like, is Kim Kardashian,' " Ryan said. "It's just observing these weird behaviors and finding a place for them that makes sense because you can always make fun of Kim Kardashian &#8212; she has a big butt, she made a sex tape &#8212; but at the same time you have to step back and look at the big picture; people are actually wanting to be like this." </P><P> </P><P>As for future episodes, Ryan really wants to impersonate a certain Young Money rapper. "I would like to do Nicki Minaj," Ryan revealed. "There's nothing that I want to make fun of about her, because I'm obsessed with her and I really, really love her." </P><P> </P><P>Asked if she's gotten any backlash yet for the sometimes harsh jokes on her show, Ryan said she hasn't, but she's ready if it comes her way. </P><P> </P><P>"It hasn't happened before and I'd give a flying f--- about what any of them have to say," Ryan said. "Because I'm just doing my job just like they are and so whatever, if anyone has anything to say, bring it!" </P><P> </P><P>"Stevie TV" airs Sundays at 11 p.m. ET on VH1. </P><P> </P><P><i>What do you think of "Stevie TV"? Let us know in the comments!</i> </p>

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