• Billboard Goes ‘Mad’ For Matchbox Twenty’s New ‘Season’
• "The Storm Is Over" No. 1 Gospel and Christian Album
• Janet Jackson's New Single "All For You" Soars to No. 1 On Billboard's Hot 100

Billboard Goes ‘Mad’ For Matchbox Twenty’s New ‘Season’

‘Third time’s a charm’ is ringing true for matchbox twenty. Not to mention first and second time, because both singles off MAD SEASON scored top five spots in the charts, with ‘Bent’ landing at number one. But it’s ‘Mad Season’ that’s coming to bloom in current reviews. As the April 7 issue of Billboard put it, ‘This one is going to grab listeners by the neck with its opening line. ’I feel stupid, but I know it won’t last for long.’ Add to the a cart full of musical hooks, from a repeated teasing guitar lick to the easygoing instantly adhesive chorus and Thomas’ loose whimsical vocal It’s a great lyric throughout Expect action across the board.’

That action’s already begun, as the track’s companion video was recently added to the MTV rotation, and it’s scoring heavy spins on VH1. Watch for it, and if you like what you see give it your vote over at TRL to put it into the top ten.

Best of all, see the track performed live! Though many venues have sold out, there are still plenty of shows to catch on matchbox’s massive arena tour. Click over to their official page, www.matchboxtwenty.com for dates.

 "The Storm Is Over" No. 1 Gospel and Christian Album

Bishop T.D. Jakes & The Potter's House Mass Choir Top "Billboard" and SoundScan Charts

EMI Gospel/Dexterity Sounds is celebrating the enormous success of their newest release, Bishop T.D. Jakes & The Potter's House Mass Choir "The Storm Is Over." In its second week at retail the album scanned 29,756 units according to SoundScan, selling more than any album in the Gospel marketplace to earn the No. 1 spot on "Billboard" magazine's Top Gospel Album sales chart and becoming the biggest seller on Soundscan's Top Christian Album chart. The project also occupied the No. 56 spot on The "Billboard" 200 chart, a measurement of all albums sold in the United States last week.

With an increase in sales momentum from it's No. 2 debut, the phenomenal response to "The Storm Is Over" is particularly significant, as the album and companion video mark the initial offering from the joint label venture between Jakes and EMI Gospel. "As we were recording this project with Bishop Jakes and The Potter's House choir, we knew it contained powerful music that would touch hundreds of thousands of lives. Now, as the project has been released, it's a real joy to see the impact it's having," said Ken Pennell, Vice President/General Manager, EMI Gospel.

To herald the release of the project, Jakes embarked on a 7-city promotional tour with stops in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The project also received a hearty celebration in Dallas, the headquarters of Jakes' 28,000-member Potter's House Church. Over the course of the tour, Jakes visited retail outlets in each city, attracting an average of 375 consumers per event and drawing the attention of national and regional media outlets, including "The Washington Post," "Good Day Atlanta" and "BET Tonight."

"The consumer response is tremendous!" says Carla M. Williams, Director of Marketing, EMI Gospel. "Bishop Jakes has a loyal following unsurpassed in this industry and I believe we can expect the same kind of response from future EMI Gospel/Dexterity Sounds releases as we aggressively partner with Gospel radio and retail."

"The Storm Is Over" was recorded live at the recently constructed, state-of-the-art Potter's House Church this past December. Produced by Kevin Bond and Sanchez Harley, the album features guest appearances by Beverly Crawford, Donnie McClurkin and D'Atra Hicks along with songwriting from some of the music industry's most celebrated writers, including Grammy Award winners Kirk Franklin and R. Kelly.

In a ministry spanning nearly 25 years, Bishop T.D. Jakes has become one of the most recognizable Christian personalities in the world. His television program "Live From The Potter's House" is broadcast four times weekly on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) and Black Entertainment Television (BET). He is author of more than 30 publications, including "Woman Thou Art Loosed" (over 1.25 million copies sold) and "Maximize the Moment," which rose to No. 3 on the New York Times Business Bestseller List. His newest book is entitled "The Great Investment: Faith, Family and Finance."

Brentwood, Tennessee-based EMI Christian Music Group, a member of The EMI Group, is the world's largest Christian music company, operating the EMI Gospel, Sparrow and Forefront labels in addition to EMI Christian Music Publishing and Chordant Distribution Group.

Contact: EMI Gospel, Monica Coates, 615/371-6547

Janet Jackson's New Single "All For You" Soars to No. 1 On Billboard's Hot 100

Nearly 4 weeks ago Janet Jackson's latest single "All For You" exploded onto the charts as the highest debuting non-commercially available single in the land.

It set a new recording industry mark by receiving airplay from every Radio & Records reporting radio station in the country. So when "All For You" takes over the top spot as Billboard's new #1 Hot 100 single this week it should come as no surprise. "All For You", Jackson's first release from the forthcoming album of the same name, set to hit stores on April 24th, marks Jackson's 10th trip to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart.

"All For You" blasted onto radio stations across America last March, when it was added to every Radio & Record reporting CHR/Pop, CHR/Rhythmic, and Urban format station in its first week, a history-making feat never before accomplished by any recording artist. The single is #1 this week and the album All For You stands in the wings waiting for its highly anticipated release. Already the album has garnered critical praise from critics and appears poised to debut high on the Billboard 200 Album Chart.

Produced by Janet, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, All For You is Jackson's first studio recording in three years and contains fourteen full-length songs (as well as six musical interludes). Among the songs are "Come On Get Up", "Son Of A Gun", a duet with Carly Simon, and "Someone To Call My Lover." Among the sultry ballads are "When We Oooh," "Would You Mind," and "Feels So Right." Also included is the #1 single "Doesn't Really Matter," from the hit film "Nutty Professor 2."

The return of Janet Jackson has already been heralded by MTV, which just this past March debuted "mtvICON: Janet Jackson," a show dedicated to the music and influence of the singer.

Rogers & Cowan, Paul Freundlich, '646/658-8313"pfreundlich@shandwick.com

Allison Elbl, '646/658-8314"aelbl@shandwick.com

Virgin Records America, Yon Elvira, '310/288-2419"yon.Elvira@virgin-records.com