Sound Check: Steven Seagal, Shaq
April 12, 2001 -- SINGING IS FOR EVERYONE: Seeing that his Exit Wounds co-star DMX went from No. 1 record to No. 1 movie, action hero Steven Seagal will try the same in reverse — the actor's in Kingston, Jamaica, recording an album, which will include a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" and a track produced by Wyclef Jean. Seagal, who plays guitar and sings, told a Jamaican paper, "Doing movies took up all of my time, but music has always been my first love." Meanwhile, giant NBA star Shaquille O'Neal is planning to outdo teammate Kobe Bryant with his fifth album, due this summer on Trauma Records, with guest spots from Nate Dogg, Ludacris, and a host of hip-hop stars. Not to be outdone, supermodel Naomi Campbell is shopping around for a record deal to cut a follow-up to her minor 1994 pop hit, "Love and Tears."
WEBHEAD: Radiohead has one-upped radio by providing all 11 of the songs from its upcoming Amnesiac (June 5) on one of its Web sites, ateaseweb.com. The news page of the Web site includes MP3s of all of the songs, in addition to song lyrics and production info.
STRAY COMES BACK: Brian Setzer's new stripped down trio, '68 Comeback Special, plan to release Ignition, an album of all new songs on June 12, according to the Los Angeles Times.
CANDY FROM STRANGER: Ian Svenonius, singer for indie acts Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up, has cut an album for Jet Set Records under the name David Candy. The album combines gorgeous, psychedelic jangle-pop with a combination of singing and speaking. Play Power is due out June 12.
NEW POSSE: Morphine percussionist Billy Conway and Tom Waits backing bassist Larry Taylor joined forces with Portland, Ore.-based singer-slide guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps to record his fourth album, Sky Like a Broken Clock, due July 10 from Rykodisc. On his previous albums, Phelps played without the backing of a band.
BIRDMAN RISING: Sub Pop Records is planning a July 17 release for The Essential Radio Birdman (1974-1978), a 22-song collection from the underground Australian rock act Radio Birdman. Numerous songs from the collection have never before been released Stateside.
DIGILIVE: Anthemic Pennsylvania rock act Live is looking for fan input on its upcoming album. The band posted six demo songs on the Web at www.getlivemp3.com and is asking fans what they think about them.
WISHING HIM WELL: Eighties R&B singer Terence Trent D'Arby has recorded a new set of songs, Wild Card, which are available for download on German Web site www.ttdproMotion.com. The 16 songs are his first set of new material since the little publicized TTD's Vibrator in 1995.
JOSEPH'S ART: Eclectic singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur is working on a still-untitled LP, scheduled for a fall release through Peter Gabriel's Real World label. Roger Moutenot, who's worked with Yo La Tengo and Lou Reed, is producing the disc, and some great artwork is no doubt underway — in 1999 Arthur was nominated for a Best Recording Package Grammy.
SEVEN'S THIRD: Atlanta rock group Sevendust is working on its third LP, which will be produced by Ben Grosse (Fuel, Filter) and released in the fall. The still-untitled project was rehearsed at a gig in Orlando, Fla., and the band will return to record there next month.
PART DEUX: The Beta Band will release its sophomore album, Hotshots II, on July 3, according to British music magazine NME. The Scottish quartet worked with R&B producer C-Swing in the recording of the album.
CHUMBA-THUMPING: Anarchist pop group Chumbawamba is currently writing a new album to follow up 2000's What You See Is What You Get. Though the band's still with Republic/Universal in North America, the album may be delayed from its planned fall release since the group parted ways with EMI in the Old World.
For a comprehensive list of CDs due in the next few weeks, check Wall of Sound's Release Dates.