Showbiz411

Here’s the “Soulful Strut,” which later became Barbara Acklin’s “Am I The Same Girl?” Carl Davis produced the latter record. He died this week. This was the original instrumental by Young-Holt Unltd: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX1XSOzDPik

Carly Simon and James Taylor’s son Ben has been making great music now for ten years. He has a new album out this week called “Listening.” It’s his strongest effort yet. Here’s a link to “Worlds Are Made of Paper.” This should be a hit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtDgdfbMPNk

Valerie Simpson released her first solo album in decades this week. Here’s “Love Never Dies,” a tribute to her late husband Nick Ashford: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWq4zwjbPA0

Rob Thomas is an underrated singer songwriter. His group matchboxtwenty, in business since the mid 90s, has another hit. It’s too catchy to ignore. You like it, admit it. Classic pop in a sea of crap on the radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8WLa6umgdw

Aimee Mann, “Charmer”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcpXTUT0-7o. Her new album hits in late September. Yay!

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.