The Napster Blog

SOS Saving OurSelves—Help for Haiti Album Now Available for Purchase; All Proceeds to Benefit Haiti Relief

Amid the unparalleled tummult of Super Bowl weekend in Miami, both stars and fans alike were still able to come together and keep the spotlight on Haiti and the ongoing need to raise money to help its people survive and rebuild. "SOS Saving OurSelves—Help for Haiti," the star-studded benefit/telethon organized by BET, took place Friday night at Miami's American Airlines Arena, and like "Hope for Haiti Now" before it, the event was a logistical miracle, involving an amazing number of top artists. Now we have the album of the concert available for purchase so you can own a souvenir of a remarkable humanitarian effort while helping to continue that effort.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the SOS Save OurSelves—Help for Haiti album will go to Haiti relief efforts, including Yéle Haiti, CARE, Project MediShare, Proctor & Gamble's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, and The Clinton Foundation., so the money you spend on this great live album will be put to work right away.

The album's 17 tracks include unique, heartfelt performances from Wyclef Jean and Akon, Mary J. Blige and Jazmine Sullivan, Justin Bieber and Ludacris, Kirk Franklin, Chrisette Michelle and India.Arie, Pitbull and Akon, Robin Thicke and India.Arie, Monica and Ludacris, and Nas and Damian Marley, as well as Keri Hilson, Chris Brown, and Busta Rhymes.

Please buy the album and enjoy the music, and remember that you can continue to give to the Haiti relief effort through SOS Saving OurSelves in several ways: You can text "SOS" to 50555 to donate $10; you can call 1-877-6-SOS-NOW (1-877-676-7669); or you can donate online at www.soshelpforhaiti.org.

Kiss Rocks Superbowl Ad Wars

One of the best Superbowl commercials from this year's batch, and definitely the best one to feature music in a significant way, was the "Dr. Love—Little Kiss" ad for Dr. Pepper featuring rock legends Kiss. Playing on their song "Calling Dr. Love" (featured on the band's Ikons collection, pictured), the spot opens on a backstage scene, where Paul Stanley introduces Gene Simmons as "Dr. Love," and the latter immediately prescribes Dr. Pepper: "It's so smooth, because it's got a little kiss of cherry flavor." Cut to the stage, and who's playing but MiniKiss! "A little Kiss"—get it? (If not, refer to this 2006 Daily Show report to get up to speed.) Anyhow, the real Kiss join MiniKiss on stage and everyone plays the song together. Hilarious. But it only narrowly beats our second favorite, Audi's "Green Police" ad featuring Cheap Trick singing a slightly modified version of their classic rock hit, though not on camera.

Fall Out Boy Falling Out?

One of the biggest original emo-pop bands seems to be no more—for now, at least. Late last year, Fall Out Boy were said to be taking a break, around the same time as their Believers Never Die—Greatest Hits album (pictured) was released. But recent statements from band members Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump suggest we won't be hearing from FOB for quite awhile, if ever, again. Wentz wrote on his personal blog, "Fall Out Boy is on break.... I can't predict that I'd ever play in Fall Out Boy again," while Stump told SPIN magazine "I'm not in Fall Out Boy right now." But as frontman Stump is currently working on a solo album, he also gave FOB fans a glimmer of hope by saying "One way or another, the band will always be around." Until then, at least the believers have the FOB catalog to keep them happy.

Oscar Countdown: 4 Weeks to Go

There are now four weeks to go until the 82nd Academy Awards on March 7 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Each week until the big night, we're featuring soundtracks that have nabbed the Oscar for Best Original Song through the years. Here's this week's batch:

Best Song 1942: Irving Berlin (music and lyrics), "White Christmas," from Holiday Inn. According to The Wall Street Journal, this beloved holiday classic sung by Bing Crosby is the all-time best-selling single to date. It was written by masterful songwriter Irving Berlin, who also wrote such classics as "Always," "Blue Skies," "There's No Business Like Show Business," and "Puttin' on the Ritz," to name a few. "White Christmas," is also one of the most re-recorded songs in history.

Best Song 1971: Isaac Hayes (music and lyrics), "Theme from Shaft," from Shaft. Soon after the song became an instant hit with the movie's release, Stax Records released it as a shorter single, sending it to the top of the charts. With this song, Hayes became the first African American to win an Oscar in a non-acting category. Interestingly, he had wanted to play the lead role in the film but was denied an audition.

Best Song 1981: Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Christopher Cross (music) and Peter Allen and Christopher Cross (lyrics), "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" from Arthur. Performed by co-writer Cross, this is just one of Bacharach's many Academy successes. He's been nominated for "What's New Pussycat?" (performed by Tom Jones), "Alfie" (performed by Cilla Black and Cher), and "The Look of Love" (performed by Dusty Springfield), and he won in '69 with "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (performed by B.J. Thomas).

Best Song 1992: Alan Menken (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics), "A Whole New World" from Aladdin. Alan Menken is one of the most successful composers when it comes to Oscars, with a whopping eight wins. From '89-'95 he was unstoppable, winning dual awards for Best Song and Best Score with Disney films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas. Actors Brad Kane and Lea Salonga performed the song in the film, but the version that's better remembered is the additional version by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle that ran during the credits and became a radio hit.

Eleven Hundred Springs, This Crazy Life

Eleven Hundred Springs is a great old-fashioned country-rock band from the great state of Texas. The band's sound stands squarely on the shoulders of '60s and '70s outlaw country greats like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Buck Owens. Together since the late-'90s, the band has put out a solid series of records that chart a steady course of artistic growth. Their latest, and arguably best, album is This Crazy Life.

The vintage-fresh tracks on This Crazy Life reflect the sounds of the band's influences in a most complementary way. They feature plenty of twangy guitars, and there's no shortage of fiddle or steel, either (there's even some Tejano accordion for ol' Doug Sahm). If you're missing the honky-tonk in your country music, Eleven Hundred Springs and This Crazy Life just might be to your liking.

The Who Set to Rock Superbowl XLIV

As we noted toward the end of last year, The Who will be stepping out at halftime this Sunday and cranking up the volume on a throwback set of classic moments from their catalog. Consider it a British-flavored Miami Sound Machine, complete with a few bangers and a little mash. Pete and Roger are promising a condensed retrospective; something to remind the old timers of who they once were and introduce a younger generation to one of the greatest bands in the history of instrument destruction.

Carl Cox, GU38: Black Rock Desert

Dear Global Underground,
Thank you for the massive number of quality mixes you've brought to us over the years. On behalf of all the fans here at Napster we'd like to share our deepest gratitude for bringing us the absolutely wonderful sounds of acts like Paul Oakenfold, Sasha, Dave Seaman and more. And this week you've really outdone yourselves with the new edition from Carl Cox. He is quite likely the most seasoned Techno DJ on the planet. Black Rock Desert is host to the Burning Man Festival and serves as inspiration for this latest mix, and we couldn't be happier with the results. You've managed to squeeze two 70 minute continuous mixes and 32 uninterrupted tracks onto this release and it sounds amazing. Please keep up the good work and we'll continue to listen.

SOS Save OurSelves—Help for Haiti

Tonight's star-packed "SOS Save OurSelves—Help for Haiti" benefit in Miami is the latest outpouring of effort from the entertainment community to aid those suffering in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Organized by BET Networks and hosted by Queen Latifah, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and Pharrell, the show boasts another huge lineup of stars willing to help raise money for those in need. Performers include Haiti native Wyclef Jean, Ne-Yo, Justin Bieber, Keri Hilson, Chris Brown, Jazmine Sullivan, Pitbull, Akon, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Robin Thicke, Monica, Kirk Franklin, Nas, Damian Marley, Busta Rhymes, and India.Arie, and the show is airing on BET, MTV, VH1, and Centric and is being streamed live on BET's website. Also making appearances at the show are Trey Songz, Common, David Banner, Missy Elliott, Gloria Estefan, Pete Wentz, Chrisette Michelle, Jeremih, The-Dream, Jason Derulo, T-Pain, and Sean Kingston.

This latest megashow emphasizes the need to continue to raise money for Haiti, where the scope of the devastation is hard to comprehend. Says BET's Debra Lee on the SOS website, "Words fail to describe the sadness we feel for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. There is so much work to do, so we must keep the focus on Haiti and we must continue to give. This telethon will give everyone another opportunity to make a difference through the efforts of these amazing organizations that are working hard to rebuild Haiti."

In addition to raising money through ticket sales, SOS is accepting donations in a number if ways: You can text "SOS" to 50555 to donate $10; you can call 1-877-6-SOS-NOW (1-877-676-7669); or you can donate online at www.soshelpforhaiti.org. Money raised will go to five charitable organizations: Yéle Haiti, CARE, Project MediShare, Proctor & Gamble's Children's Safe Drinking Water Program, and The Clinton Foundation.

Latin Music Today: Winter 2010 (Napster Playlist)

Winter weather keeping you down? Napster's "Latin Music Today: Winter 2010" playlist will heat things up with the sheer magnitude of its star power. Aventura, the reigning kings of bachata, lead things off with "Dile Al Amor," another chart-topping cut off their #1 album, The Last. Colombian dynamo Shakira sings "Lo Hecho Esta Hecho," the Spanish-language version of her current radio hit, "Did It Again." Tejano/Norteño powerhouse group Intocable notch another success with the folksy "Hay Ojitos." Reggaeton super duo Wisin & Yandel continue reeling off an impressive string of irresistible dancefloor beats, this time with "Te Siento." And ranchera/pop crossover darling Alejandro Fernandez croons on "Se Me Va La Voz," a sweet ballad off his ambitious double album, Dos Mundos (previously covered in more detail here). These and many more top Latin artists are here to keep you company until the clouds part and blue skies return.

Steve Wariner, My Tribute to Chet Atkins

Steve Wariner is a tremendously talented guitar player. His vast instrumental skill is the result of countless hours of hard work and practice, and the man who largely inspired him to undertake the enormous effort to develop that skill is Chet Atkins. Wariner has said that he thinks Atkins was "the greatest and most influential guitarist on the planet."

Last year, Wariner recorded and released My Tribute to Chet Atkins, a virtuosic celebration of Atkins' style and influence. And at this year's Grammy Awards, the album netted Wariner the Best Country Instrumental award for "Producer's Medley," a track that strings together a series of Atkins-produced songs by Skeeter Davis, Don Gibson, Jerry Reed, Jim Reeves, The Everly Brothers and others. The award was well-deserved, and the entire tribute album is highly recommended.

Napster Playlist Challenge: Round 13 Top Entry

We're pleased to present the top entry from the 13th round of the Napster Playlist Challenge: Classic Love Smoothies, by Napster member sarahjrippy. It was difficult to pick just one out of all the great playlists submitted, but after listening, this one won our hearts. Congrats, sarahjrippy! (To listen to the playlist, click on the image.) Soon we'll be announcing the theme for round 14, so be sure to check back for details—it's your chance to win 20 free MP3s and have your playlist featured on Napster.