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September 19th, 2008

Singers for Obama release “Yes We Can” album

Posted by: Jill Serjeant

 You’ve heard them at the Obama campaign rallies and speeches for months, andstevie.jpg now  all those Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and Los Lonely Boys songs that warm up the Democratic Party crowds have been put together on one album.

 Billed as the first-ever presidential campaign compilation, the 18-song disc “Yes We Can: Voices of a Grassroots Movement” also includes excerpts from speeches given by Barack Obama and goes on sale exclusively on the campaign’s official Web site on Friday.

 All proceeds from digital downloads ($24.99) and the old-fashioned CD ($30) will go to the Obama-Biden campaign, said Hidden Beach Recordings, which is behind the project.

 Hidden Beach CEO Steve McKeever said the diverse artists contributing “underscores how deeply inspiring this campaign has been across boundaries.”

 The recording includes Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, Mayer’s “Waiting on the World To Change,” and Los Lonely Boys’ “Make It Better”, as well as new material by Lionel Richie and John Legend.streisandblog1.jpg

 Absent from the list however is Barbra Streisand, one of Obama’s biggest singing supporters.

  Presumably “The Way We Were” doesn’t have the right vibe for  “Change We  Can Believe In.”

August 21st, 2008

Sheryl Crow rocks the vote with free downloads

Posted by: Bob Tourtellotte

crow.jpgSheryl Crow has long been active in political causes, and on Thursday the Grammy-winning singer launched her latest project,  the “Sheryl Crow Voter Registration Drive,” in partnership with Rock the Vote which aims to get young people more engaged in politics.

Crow, 46, will give away a digital copy of her album “Detours,” which was released in February, to the first 50,000 people who get three friends to register for the upcoming election, Rock the Vote said.
    
The singer, who has sold more than 30 million records worldwide and whose music blends country, rock, pop and the blues, will also give away a free download of her politically-charged song “Gasoline” to members of the Rock the Vote mailing list.
    
“There are such critical issues facing our country, from high gas prices to climate change that we need to do more than just register to vote, we need to get our friends registered too,” Crow said in a statement. crow2.jpg
    
Crow has been involved with Rock the Vote for nearly 18 years, and on “Detours” she sang about topics that included the war in Iraq and the environment.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)