The music of Sara Tavares is full of ‘sunshine soul’ and “Xinti” (“Feel It”), her new album, is suffused with it. Brimming with Cape Verdean guitar licks, Angolese rhythms and warm Portuguese vocals, Sara never sounded more intense. This is a startling collection, packed with surprises that display how progressively richer and more expansive Sara Tavares’s vocal repertoire has become since her previous album “Balancê”. Her songs are lyrical, sensual and more textured. They are intimate but also wrapped in irresistibly funky rhythms drawn from the Cape Verdean / African diaspora. Themes of love – spiritual and human – embrace philosophical reflections that describe, says Tavares, “the soul taking flight.”
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Madonna has reportedly split from her toyboy model lover Jesus Luz just days after reports that she’d moved him into her luxury New York apartment.

According to The Mirror, The Material Girl sent Jesus packing after the couple argued over Madonna’s refusal to meet the 22-year-old model’s family in his home country of Brazil.

“It was a huge wakeup call for Madonna that Jesus really isn’t the man for her,” says a source. “Things were moving too fast and they were practically living in each other’s pockets.”

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The Australian singer reportedly impressed Indian directors with her Bollywood moves after only three days of rehearsals for the film Blue.

The pop singer said she was thrilled to work with India’s double Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, after recording one of his songs for the move. She met Rahman at the Baftas in London last month where she presented him with an award for Slumdog Millionaire.

The movie is about a sunken treasure ship and is said to have been inspired by the Hollywood production “The Deep”.

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Take inspiration from stars who have succeeded. They prove you can be cool without lighting up. Here are some of the ways they kicked the habit..

As President Obama prepares for the political battles that lie ahead he is also waging a personal battle – to quit smoking. The new world leader – now officially non-smoking – has publicly admitted falling off the wagon during the race for the presidency. Often spotted chewing nicorette gum, he claims to have made himself “much healthier” but has struggled to kick the habit for good.

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There’s never one side to any argument and the same can be said for the horrific feud that erupted early Sunday morning between Chris Brown and Rihanna. But the details of the evening leading up to the big blowup. When the couple arrived in L.A. on Feb. 5, they “were in a non-stop argument,” a source tells OK!. “He wanted to drive to the Grammys in a sports car; Rihanna wanted a bigger car so she could bring friends. They fought, but she gave in. Chris drove and got lost. They were late for rehearsals and she was infuriated.”

Things got worse the following evening at the Verizon & BlackBerry Storm Grammy party at Boulevard 3, where Chris chatted up Paris Hilton while Rihanna performed.

“He and Paris went outside together,” a witness says. Back inside, they got closer. “Paris was all over him,” the partygoer says. “Rihanna caught wind of it and spent the rest of the night glued to him.”

By the time they attended the Clive Davis bash on Feb. 7, it was clear there was a problem. Arriving solo, a stern Chris dismissed the press and made his way to the ballroom. Shortly afterwards, Rihanna arrived and forced a smile for photographers before leaving for the red carpet. Suddenly Chris Brown reappeared as if he was going to meet Rihanna but she was gone.

“It was,” says the source, “an awkward moment.”

The couple managed to hold it together during the gala, but that all changed by the time they left in their rented lamborghini at 12:20 a.m. According to an insider, Rihanna found an ex-girlfriend’s number on Chris’s phone and that was the final straw, igniting the fight that ended with the “Umbrella” singer reportedly being taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for examination on Sunday afternoon.

Source: OK! magazine