Tony Furtado releases new album, ‘Thirteen’ out 12 March 2007

From the very first moments of “Used,” which opens Tony Furtado’s new album, Thirteen, it’s clear that the prodigious instrumentalist turned singer/songwriter is a man on a mission. This bracing rocker, with its galloping ZZ Top groove and restless Tom Petty vibe, establishes the album’s interlocked themes of “good luck/bad luck/no luck” (as Furtado puts it) on both the personal and political levels, while a phalanx of fretted instruments provides a thrillingly visceral reminder of Furtado’s prowess as an ax wielder of the first order.

On Thirteen, this rapidly maturing artist fulfills the immense promise of his 2004 breakthrough These Chains, his initial foray into songwriting and singing. While Furtado’s 2005 outing, the literally solo Bare Bones, pushed the technical envelope as he recorded his own one-man tour, the expansive Thirteen reveals an artist with a great deal on his mind and a full arsenal of skills with which to express his thoughts and feelings in a captivating way. “These Chains was my first serious attempt at songwriting,” says Furtado, “so it was a trial by fire, with a bit of experimentation. This time I had the chance to go deeper.”

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Source betweenplanets.co.uk

American Idol extends talent search to songwriters

NEW YORK (Billboard) - It's hard to imagine that the producers of "American Idol" would want to tinker with the show's formula following last season. After all, the hit reality program -- a talent search for music's Next Big Thing -- was 2006's top-rated TV series by a wide margin. But when the "A.I." juggernaut returns for its sixth season January 16, that's just what they'll be doing.

In the biggest tweak of the show in years, a new national songwriting contest will be introduced and run parallel alongside the usual singing competition. The winning song, as determined by viewers, will serve as the first single from the champion of "Idol."

It's fine-tuning like that -- a quintessential "Idol" touch -- that has enabled the franchise to maintain its steady upward trajectory during its five-year run. Last season was the show's biggest and best yet. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show averaged more than 30 million viewers -- ratings that trail only the likes of special one-off events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards. What is more, Ad Age says the show generated more than $500 million in TV sponsorship revenue in 2006. It now sets the value of the "Idol" franchise at $2.5 billion. A record four contestants were signed to album deals with Simon Fuller's record company, 19 Entertainment: Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee and finalists Chris Daughtry and Kelly Pickler.

Now the franchise -- which through the years has given rise to the platinum-selling careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino -- is thinking even bigger as it heads into its latest season.

Says a relaxed and confident Fuller, "Idol" creator and mastermind, "We're just hitting our stride."

So what can viewers, not to mention advertisers, expect in the season ahead?

Details of the songwriting contest are still being sketched out, but it will be open to amateurs, with demos submitted through an "Idol" Web site. The show's producers and judges will whittle entries down to a dozen finalists, which will be performed in the show's stretch run and put up to a vote by the audience.....

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Source: http://ca.today.reuters.com