Jacko charity single revealed
Maybe it was produced by a guy with a porno past, but who cares? A clip of "What More Can I Give?", Michael Jackson's famously unreleased charity single, is now available for listening right here at the Fox411. After months of collecting dust, now fans can make their own minds up. You can hear Celine Dion, Ricky Martin and Luther Vandross, as well as Jackson's high-pitched mellifluous tones. That's Mariah Carey doing "oo-woos" in the background. The song is a melodic cousin of Jackson's 1985 hit "I Just Can't Stop Loving You".
Now that Jackson is off Sony Records, the only question that remains is why doesn't some other enterprising record company step in and release "What More Can I Give?" as a first anniversary tribute to the Sept. 11 families? It would seem appropriate. I can't believe that the artists who participated wouldn't sign off on such an effort. If the Sony performers who are involved can't obtain releases from their companies, then public sentiment would dictate a boycott of their regular records.
Meanwhile, Sony Music may have bigger problems than its fight with Jackson. I am told that Celine Dion's husband/manager Rene Angelil is livid that his wife's current Sony/Epic Records album "A New Day Has Come" has been a flop. The CD has sold 2 million copies, which is a lot for most artists but nothing for Dion. Equally bad in sales is Marc Anthony, whose "Mended" CD is stuck around 350,000 copies. His previous effort for Sony was a huge hit with many hit singles. Neither Dion nor Anthony has had a hit single from their new albums.
But even worse is the Men in Black 2 soundtrack. Even though the movie has been an enormous hit, the album - by actor/rapper Will Smith, called "Born to Reign" - has sold a measly 104,000 copies thus far. Smith previously had managed to score big rap hits while at the same time being a box office star. Compounding the embarrassment is the fact the MIB2 is a Sony movie.
All of this bodes poorly for Ricky Martin, who's getting ready to release a new album this fall. After the monster success of "Livin' La Vida Loca", Martin took a subsequent misstep with his "Sound Loaded" album. If Sony doesn't turn his third English language effort into a hit, Martin may not so quick to support Tommy Mottola in the press. If all of that doesn't sound good, there's more bad news lurking around the corner. The word from the Sony building at 55 Madison Ave. is that John David Kalodner, the venerable eccentric and beloved producer behind Aerosmith, Kansas and Journey's greatest triumphs - and who's been with Sony since it was just Columbia Records - may not have his contract renewed next winter. Observers have already noted that Kalodner's entire department has recently been laid off. Ironically, Aerosmith's new greatest hits package - which is mostly Kalodner's work - is the lone bright spot these days for Sony on the Billboard/Soundscan charts. (Fox 411)
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