Rock News: Music's high and low notes

EMINEM No. 1

Eminem's Shady/Interscope soundtrack "8 Mile" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 this week, the second time the rap star has topped the Billboard album charts with a new release this year. "The Eminem Show" sold 1.32 million units in its first full week of release to debut at No. 1.

"8 Mile" moved 702,000 units in its first week, but the numbers still were sufficient to top the charts and the album also yielded a No. 1 Hot 100 single, "Lose Yourself."

Four other albums enjoyed top-10 debuts in this week's chart. Christina Aguilera checked in at No. 2 with "Stripped" (RCA) and the strength of 330,000 units. The Nirvana hits collection, "Nirvana," debuted at No. 3 and featured the No. 1 rock single, "You Know You're Right." Rascal Flatts debuted at No. 5 with "Melt," and "Scarlet's Walk," an ambitious album from Tori Amos that was prominently featured at the recent College Media Journal convention in New York, opened at No. 7. Last week's No. 1 debut, Santana's "Shaman," dropped to No. 4.

MORE MORISSETTE

Alanis Morissette is set to release a CD/DVD, "Feast on Scraps" Dec. 10 on Maverick/Warner Bros. records. The new album will consist of live concert video footage and out-takes from her last album, "Under Rug Swept." The DVD concert material was recorded Aug. 13 in Rotterdam, Holland, and includes songs spanning Morissette's career --"Ironic," "Thank U," "You Oughta Know," "Hand in My Pocket," and "21 Things I Want In a Lover." The video also includes backstage footage and a look at the making of "Under Rug Swept."

The bonus CD features eight songs from the "Under Rug Swept" sessions, including "Sister Blister" and "Sorry to Myself," which were included as bonus tracks on the Japanese release. "Unprodigal Daughter" and "Purgatorying" are both included as out-takes and in live performance, and the single "Hands Clean" appears in an acoustic version.

BRAND NEW TOWER OF POWER

Tower of Power hit B.B. Kings Blues Club in New York Thursday previewing songs from "Oakland Zone," T.O.P.'s first studio album in more than five years, set for March 2003 release on the new indie label Or Music. "Oakland Zone" features the recording debut of the dynamic Larry Braggs as the group's new lead singer, and drummer David Garibaldi's first studio project with the group in more than 20 years.

"This is the best recording we have made since the early '70s," said band leader Emilio Castillo. "Larry Braggs is without a doubt, one of our strongest singers ever -- and of course, to record with David Garibaldi again is such a privilege. He owns the gig as far as I am concerned."

BUSY BEU SISTERS

The Beu Sisters are planning several high profile events for November. The quartet of singing sisters will perform their new single, the emotional ballad "I Was Only (Seventeen)" Nov. 12 on "Good Day New York." On Nov. 20 the group joins a lineup including Paula Cole, Phoebe Snow, Paul Schaffer and Natalie Cole for "Families of Freedom 2," a gala to benefit the education of children of Sept. 11, 2001, victims. On Nov. 24, the sisters head to Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands to kick off the Jets/Bills NFL game with a performance of the National Anthem.

AMY RIGBY AT ROOTS CAFE

Americana songstress Amy Rigby is slated for a special appearance at Baltimore's Roots Cafe Nov. 9 supported by Little Pink. Earlier this year Rigby released "18 Again," an anthology of 16 tracks from her three solo albums--1996's "Diary of a Mod Housewife," 1998's "Middlescence," and 2000's "The Sugar Tree" -- plus two previously unreleased tracks -- 18 songs in all. Hearing her best songs all in one place makes it clear she is as good a songwriter as the recent roots-rock revival has given us. A New York new-waver turned Nashville roots-rocker, Rigby gives voice to, in the words of No Depression Magazine, "all the women who find themselves on the far side of 35 and refuse to give up their desires for sex, love and rock 'n' roll."