Second Chance by El DeBarge

By T.J. Moore

It’s the holiday season, and for the majority of us business is slowing down, only to pick up during the first of the year. But for the entertainment industry, business never slows down! That means we have all kinds of “business” to discuss, so let’s talk about it.

For the music lovers out there, your ears will be full of great sounds this holiday season. First up is the comeback kid of the moment, El DeBarge with his first CD in 15 years, titled Second Chance. Released on November 30, the album, according to the singer, was born out of a feeling of stepping to the ‘mic.

During an interview with www.soulmusic.com, he was quoted as saying, “As I began to sing and write one song, then other songs developed out of that. Then another song would come. It was like, just getting started and then waiting on the flowers just to blossom.”
According to the Boston Globe, DeBarge’s trademark feathery falsetto is still in shape after overcoming his bout with substance abuse. Second Chance features collaborations with Faith Evans, Fabulous, and 50 Cent to give it a contemporary feel. The album is produced by the legendary team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and Babyface. With intact vocals and nice collaborations in song and production in tow, Chance has “hit” written all over it.

Eric Benet’s Lost In Time

Secondly, we have Eric Benet’s fifth album, Lost In Time.  Also released on November 30, Lost In Time pays a gripping and soulful homage to 1970s R&B. Instead of gimmicky and overused devises such as autotune and Pro Tools, you will find live instruments and pure and raw emotion on every track. As one can imagine, getting a record label to fund a project with nothing but live instruments was a steep price, but it is well worth it.

Powered by cuts such as  “Sometimes I Cry,” “Always A Reason,” and collaborations with Faith Evans on “Feel Good” and the legendary Eddie Levert on “Paid,” Lost In Time is a must have for the music lover.

Ne-Yo

Moving along to a little bit of prime-time business, Ne-Yo will make a guest appearance on CSI: NY. Airing during the February sweeps, the “Champagne Life” singer will play a suave professional assassin. CSI:NY airs on Friday at 9 on CBS. Ne-Yo’s latest album Libra Scale is in stores now.

From the music and screen business, there is a bit of bad business to report. Wesley Snipes lost his battle with the courts and is order to serve federal prison time for 2008 tax evasion charges.

Wesley Snipes

Despite being acquitted of charges such as felony tax fraud and conspiracy, the numerous appeals from Snipes and his legal team fell short, and he will begin serving his sentence in middle of the month at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lewis Run, Pa. According to various reports, the facility is a medium security prison with an adjacent satellite camp for lesser offenders.

Closing out this edition, we have Desperate Housewives star Vanessa Williams rejecting a $600,000 book deal because the publisher wanted her to dish details about her marriage to former Lakers star Rick Fox and her first marriage to Ramon Hervey.

Vanessa Williams

Williams is quoted in the December edition of Ebony magazine, “I don’t want to rehash the past. I want to talk about what makes me, and why I’m a survivor. And (the publishers) didn’t want that. They wanted to know about my ex-husband, but I’m not going to throw my kids’ dads under the bus.”