Grammy Award-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart will be releasing SOULBOOK on November 9th (RCA Records), a collection of classic Sixties/Seventies-era soul favourites all newly recorded by the quintessential ‘blue eyed soul’ singer of our generation. Rod recently said in Rolling Stone’s “Greatest Singers of All Time” issue that at the age of 15, he used to listen to soul singers on the radio like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, and blues singers like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, and knew that is how he wanted to sing. Elton (Read more…)

A little more than a month after Paula Abdul tendered her high-profile Twitter resignation as a judge on “American Idol,” Fox announced Wednesday that she was being replaced by one of the show’s biggest fans, comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres. The network’s five-year deal with DeGeneres puts to rest a major challenge facing Fox as the aging singing competition enters its ninth season in January: filling the shoes of the judge considered by many to be the heart of the show. DeGeneres, who has hosted the Oscars and the Emmys and was recently a guest judge on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” broke the news to her audience during a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on (Read more…)

Kelly Clarkson to guest judge on Idol. The ‘My Life Would Suck Without You’ singer - who won the first series of the US TV talent show in 2002 - will appear as a guest judge at an audition next week. A source said: ‘Kelly is beyond excited to get back to the show that started it all.’ It has also been claimed Kelly and the other current judges - Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi - will be joined by one of the Jonas Brothers to find America’s next pop superstar. Following the departure of full-time judge Paula Abdul, who is believed to have quit the show over an alleged pay dispute, a (Read more…)

Undoubtedly one of the most prolific singer songwriters in modern pop, Ne-yo, will embark on a 6 city nationwide tour in July. A formidable creative force, Ne-yo has penned tracks for Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears and Beyonce. The Grammy award winner has sold over 5 million albums to date and is one of the most sought after songwriters in the world- this will be a tour not to be missed.

Ne-yo is expected to showcase songs from his best album to date The Year of the Gentleman, including Closer, Miss Independent as well as his signature hits So Sick and Because of You.

Dates are:

11th July, O2 Arena, London
13th July, SECC, Glasgow
14th July, MEN Arena, Manchester
15th July, NEC Arena, Birmingham
17th July, Liverpool Arena, Liverpool
18th July, Metro Arena, Newcastle

With Ne-Yo’s third disc, Year of the Gentleman, the Las Vegas native and premier songwriter has constructed a suite of songs that shows exactly what he means by class. Written over the course of travels through Europe and influenced by his own fascination with the Rat Pack, Ne-Yo explains, ‘For me, the sharpness of Sammy and Sinatra is the kind of style I strive for in clothes and music. Year of the Gentleman is named in honor of those guys.’

Like the best artists, Ne-Yo’s music has an eternal sound that appeals to fans of all ages. ‘As a songwriter as well as a singer, I think it’s important to cast my words wide. In other words, I am not trying to contain myself in some little box marked ‘urban.’ I have travelled the world, and I want to bring that across in the material. Forget about urban, pop or whatever, Year of the Gentleman is a worldly album.

In less than a week, the new guy finally gets his chance to save our republic. So cue the music! If you’re heading into Washington for the festivities, here’s a rundown on 10 shows worth catching.