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Tunisia-born singer and oudist Dhafer Youssef should be recording for ECM. His albums have a similar spiritual, centered quality to the work appearing on that label, and his work on this album with some of Norway's top jazz players points completely in that direction. He lives very much on the cutting edge, taking things even further than he did on 2001's Electric Sufi. Where that album used electronica as the periphery of the music, here he brings it to the heart of the sound, integrating it seamlessly into his compositions, as on "Aya," where a seemingly found sound becomes the heartbeat of the track. His collaborators, including trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær, offer him plenty of space, and that's what the music needs -- it's as wide open as the Tunisian desert. He's a good player of the oud, but his real weapon -- apart from his sense of composition -- is his voice, with a range that's truly stunning, and never put to better use than on "Dawn Prayer," where his high notes, seemingly impossible, stand as a revelation, with an aching melody that just stays in the brain. At the same time as Youssef pushes at the edges in his work, there's a sense of the music still being very centered in North Africa. On the basis of this, Youssef is extending his cutting edge even further. ~ Chris Nickson, All Music Guide
Digital Digest: iTunes & Starbucks, AllofMP3, Lachey
iTunes store launches Starbucks-branded section; US says Russia's WTO hopes hinge on AllofMP3 shutdown; Lachey launches social networking site.
Starbucks' Hear Music gets iTunes slot
Starbucks in iTunes
While Starbucks has so far been mum on the digital downloads it hinted at earlier this year, the coffee-house giant made strides today with the announcement that it has its own section in the iTunes Music Store. The section, currently being promoted on the front page of the store, features the company's Hear Music catalog, including exclusives from the likes of Ray Charles, Alanis Morissette, Sonya Kitchell, and Tony Bennett. The section also features playlists chosen by the Starbucks music staff. Customers can purchase either an entire playlist or individual tracks from the Starbucks Hear Music playlists. Starbucks, the world's largest coffee chain, began selling music in its shops more than 10 years ago and acquired Hear Music in 1999. "Many of our customers want to listen to our music on their iPods, and now that will be easier than ever," Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard said in a statement.
US says AllofMP3 weighing down Russia's WTO bid
In the crosshairs.
If Russia wants to expedite its 13-year-old bid for a place in the World Trade Organization, shutting down controversial music download store AllofMP3.com would be a good place to start, the top US trade official told Reuters this week. "I have a hard time imagining Russia becoming a member of the WTO and having a Web site like that up and running that is so clearly a violation of everyone's intellectual property rights," US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. AllofMP3.com has long held a unique place in the digital music world. It charges customers to download music, but it charges pennies per song, drawing the legal ire of music industry groups in both the UK and the US. The site claims to have the backing of Russian licensing organizations, but the record labels dispute that. To date, Russian authorities have not taken action against the site. Schwab has also labeled AllofMP3 the "poster child" for illegal music sales over the Internet. US and Russia officials are set to meet in Geneva next week for more negotiations.
Simpson's ex starts social networking site
Nick Lachey
One would guess that singer and Jessica Simpson's ex-husband Nick Lachey doesn't have a hard time landing a date. But if he does, he now has his own social networking site to help him. The new site, YFly.com, is geared toward 13- to 27-year-olds. It includes a "verification process" for validating that online celebrity profiles were created and are maintained by the actual celebrity. "The opportunity for celebrities to break their own news and get direct feedback from their fans is extremely valuable," Lachey said in a statement. "Ultimately, YFly gives celebrities the opportunity to relate on a more personal level with their fans."
Tower Records to be liquidated
Everything must go.
Tower Records will be liquidated starting tomorrow, ending a long downward spiral for one of the music industry's most famous retail brands. A consortium called Great American won the 30-hour auction for the company with a bid of $134.3 million. "It's a sad day for the music business and I feel badly for all Tower employees," Jim Urie, president of Universal Music Group Distribution, told Billboard. "Tower was probably the greatest brand that will ever exist in music retail." Out-of-business sales at Tower's stores will begin tomorrow.
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