Briefly: Alan Jackson, Michael Moore, David Byrne, Alicia Keys
Tim McGraw 's perch atop the U.S. album chart--where he's sat for the last two weeks--has been taken over by fellow country crooner Alan Jackson .
Jackson's "What I Do" sold about 178,000 copies during its first week in stores to lead the latest Billboard 200 album chart, pushing McGraw's "Live Like You Were Dying" to the No. 2 slot.
Ray Charles' "Genius Loves Company" drops one place to No. 3, while Anita Baker's "My Everything" debuts at No. 4. Filling out the Top 5 is the hits compilation "NOW That's What I Call Music! Vol. 16."
"Songs and Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11," an album compiled by filmmaker Michael Moore, will feature tracks by Bruce Springsteen , Bob Dylan, The Clash, Pearl Jam, Zach de la Rocha (formerly of Rage Against the Machine) and System of a Down, among others.
"When I make a film, I take my portable CD case and place in it a series of albums which contain music that reflects the mood I am in and the reasons that are motivating me to make this film," Moore said in a prepared statement. "The songs on this CD are either the actual songs that made up our 'on-the-scene' soundtrack, or they are by artists whom I have listened to over the years and have given me much inspiration."
The set is due in stores on Oct. 5, the same day Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11 is released on DVD.
David Byrne and legendary Brazilian singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil are set to perform a Sept. 21 benefit show at New York City's Town Hall. Proceeds will be earmarked for Creative Commons, a non-profit organization that promotes more flexibility in the interpretation of artists' copyrights.
Alicia Keys has canceled her world tour's planned October stop in Jakarta, Indonesia, due to the recent al Qaeda-linked suicide bombing of the Australian Embassy in that city.
- Artist Links:
New Releases, Oct. 7: Oasis, Bob Dylan, The Pretenders [October 2008]
Weekend Ticketing: AC/DC, Eagles, Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, Backstreet Boys [October 2008]
Springsteen books another performance for Obama [October 2008]
Springsteen guitarist Nils Lofgren to undergo hip surgery [September 2008]
Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel team for Obama fundraiser [September 2008]
Duran Duran to take one last stroll down 'Carpet'
Randy Newman calls 'Angels' out on fall outing
Success creeping up on Locksley
Local H takes 'Angry' songs for a spin
Yo-Yo Ma stays busy through next summer
The Pretenders in Sacramento CA 2007
Nikka Costa in Los Angeles CA 2008
Jonas Brothers at Mountain View CA 2008
Butthole Surfers in Austin Texas 2008
Cowboy Mouth at Voodoo Fest New Orleans 2006
Austin City Limits Music Festival 2008
Ben Folds in Boston MA 2008
Manu Chao at Stubb's in Austin Texas 2008
Rogue Wave in Berkeley California 2008
James Brown in San Francisco California 2006

