NEW YORK (Billboard) - After dabbling in nearly every area of the music industry, Grammy Award-winning producer/musician and "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson is adding "solo album" to his already impressive resume, and hes bringing "Idol" colleague Paula Abdul along for the venture.
The Abdul-driven "Dance Like Theres No Tomorrow" is the first single from "Randy Jacksons Music Club, Vol. 1," due March 11 via Jacksons new Concord Music Group imprint Dream Merchant 21. The 12-track collection showcases a diverse range of artists, from established vets like Mariah Carey, Travis Tritt and Richie Sambora to such up-and-coming talents as Barbi Esco and Kelli Selah.
For Abdul, whose last new single was 1995s "Crazy Cool," the collaboration with Jackson consummated several years of vague conversations about working together. But during July 2007 "Idol" auditions in San Diego, Jackson got specific.
"Randy kept saying to me, Ive got the perfect song for you. It sounds like you, like now, its like a nod to you and your past, but its you now," Abdul says. "And he played it, and it was after the first two bars I knew it was a hit. I knew it was a total smash."
Jackson and Abdul premiered the single January 18 on Ryan Seacrests KIIS-FM radio show in Los Angeles, and the song reached the Super Bowl audience in Abduls pregame performance.
The track re-enters the Pop 100 this week at No. 57 and debuts at No. 80 on the Hot 100.
Jacksons album taps into a range of genres, from the duet of "Idol" alums Katherine McPhee and Elliott Yamin to Joss Stone and the Clipses cover of Dionne Warwicks "Walk on By" to John Rich, Anthony Hamilton and Sara Watkins countrified take of Michael Bubles "Home"
"Ive never really wanted to do a solo record," Jackson says, adding that the melange of styles is a nod to his multicultural hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. "But I always said that if I did one, Id love to do one like those Quincy Jones albums like Back on the Block (and) Dude ... They showcased new talent he was trying to break."
In addition to starting up his label, Jackson was recently named senior A&R consultant/producer for Concord/Stax and is executive-producing the MTV series "Randy Jackson Presents: Americas Best Dance Crew." At Dream Merchant, Jackson is working on records for newcomers Esco and Selah.
He says the goal of the label is to stay small and cultivate talented singers and songwriters, not necessarily break the next big pop star. "Great writing and great singing -- thats great artistry. Thats what the label stands for, and thats why I called it Dream Merchant -- where your dreams come true."
Reuters/Billboard
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