The latest in Music news from MSN Canada

It's been a while (12 years to be exact) since we heard new music from reclusive neo soul star D'Angelo, but it looks like the R&B hearthrob will make his return to music this year.

The star kicked off a short European tour in Stockholm, Sweden Thursday night and included two new songs in the set list: "The Charade" and "Sugar Daddy."

In a recent interview with Pitchfork, Roots ringleader ?uestlovesaid that "James River," the long-awaited follow-up to D'Angelo's seminal R&B album "Voodoo" is nearly done and offered a few details on "The Charade."

"One song we worked on called 'Charade' has this trombone patch that he re-EQ'd and then put through an envelope filter and then added a vibraphone noise on top and made a whole new patch out of it," he said. "He's the only person I know that takes a Herbie Hancock approach, or Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff—the two musician/engineers who programmed all of Stevie Wonder's genius-period stuff—approach. That's the last time I ever heard of somebody building patches. We'll see if history is kind to it."

Check out footage of D'Angelo performing his new songs via the "Village Voice."

More music news:

• New Lil Wayne album is finished

Madonna has released a teaser video for her forthcoming "MDNA" album featuring recording studio footage taken last November.

The clip shows Madge working with M.I.A. and producer Martin Solveig, playing guitar and generally frolicking around. The star is due to perform her next single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" during the Super Bowl half-time show on February 5th.

Rumours have been circulating that LMFAO, Cee Lo Green and Nicki Minaj might appear during her set.

What the full teaser clip here.

More music news:

• New Lil Wayne album is finished

A new Lil Wayne album is coming out before summer hits, according to Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman.

"Wayne's got an album he’s about to drop real soon," he said in an interview with "Complex." "It's called 'I Am Not A Human Being 2.' It's gonna be before the summer for sure. We haven’t picked the date yet. Whenever he’s ready to drop his album, we're gonna make it do what it do. He’s definitely got an album done and ready to go."

The head of Weezy's label also said that the sequel to their collaboration album, "Like Father, Like Son 2" is finished but he'll likely hold off until the fall to put it out.

"We got that finished too. We’ve been recording that. We never stopped recording [for] that. We got songs we want. When we get ready to drop it, we’ll probably do that in the 4th quarter. Wayne wants to do the 'I Am Not A Human Being 2' and I want to do my solo album too, so we’ll probably do that later on."

Lil Wayne's last album, "Tha Carter IV," was released last summer and is up for Best Rap Album at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

More music news:

• Lana Del Rey: "People want me to go off the rails"

The father of late soul singer Amy Winehouse has lashed out at French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier for staging a runway tribute to his daughter that featured models smoking cigarettes and wearing her signature beehive hairdo and heavy eyeliner.

In an interview with "The Sun" newspaper, Winehouse accused the designer of glamourizing his daughter's struggle with addiction and branded the Paris Fashion Week show as being "in bad taste."

"The family was upset to see those pictures, they were a total shock. We're still grieving for her loss, and we've had a difficult week with the six-month anniversary of Amy's death," he said. "To see her image lifted wholesale to sell clothes was a wrench we were not expecting or consulted on.

"We're proud of her influence on fashion but find black veils on models, smoking cigarettes with a barbershop quartet singing her music in bad taste," he added. "It portrays a view of Amy when she was not at her best, and glamourizes some of the more upsetting times in her life. That's upsetting for her family."

After the show, which took place on Wednesday (Jan. 25) night, Gaultier said: "She was an icon of fashion and truly, the sense of how she mixed the clothes — it was great," and added, "it was very Eighties but did it in a very modern way. It is very joyous."

Winehouse points out that Gaultier did not seek the family's blessing, nor did he offer to make a donation to the foundation they started in the star's name. "This is purely about Gaultier making money, and that's wrong," he said.

More music news:

• Interview: Sharon Van Etten broadens signature sound on "Tramp"

Disney has pulled a T-shirt featuring a Mickey silhouette imposed over a design inspired by the record sleeve of seminal post-punk group Joy Division's 1979 album "Unknown Pleasures."

"Billboard" reports that the entertainment giant was selling the shirt at its theme parks and through Disney stores online. It sold out on Tuesday after it started drawing attention from music sites and blogs.

A rep for Disney confirmed to Pitchfork that the shirt had been pulled though a specific reason was not given. Some reports questioned its appropriateness in light of lead singer Ian Curtis' suicide.

The description for the tee read: "Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures' album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey's image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That's appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!"

More music news:

• Watch the Red Hot Chili Peppers new video for "Look Around"

Kenny Chesney scored nine nominations from the Academy of Country Music, which were announced on Thursday. Jason Aldean was the runner-up with six, Lady Antebellum follows with five, Brad Paisley has four and Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, Grace Potter and the Eli Young Band each picked up three apiece.

Chesney's nominations include best male vocalist and the fan-voted Entertainer of the Year award, a category that also includes Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton and Taylor Swift.

Swift will compete against Sara Evans, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood in the best female vocalist category while Aldean, Chesney, Paisley, Shelton and Chris Young will vie for the male vocalist trophy.

The nominees for Album of the Year are Eric Church's "Chief," Lambert's "Four the Record," Chesney's "Hemingway’s Whiskey," Aldean's "My Kinda Party" and Lady Antebellum's "Own the Night." Song of the year nominees are Chesney's "You and Tequila," the Eli Young Band's "Crazy Girl," Dierks Bentley's "Home," Lady Antebellum's "Just a Kiss" and Vince Gill's "Threaten Me With Heaven."

Single of the Year nominees are Eli Young Band's "Crazy Girl," the Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson duet "Don't You Wanna Stay,"  Keith's "Red Solo Cup," Young's "Tomorrow," and Chesney's and Potter's "You and Tequila."

The winners will be announced at a ceremony in Las Vegas on April 1. For the full list of nominees, visit the Academy of Country Music's website.

More music news:

• Listen to Leonard Cohen's "Old Ideas" a week before its release

The parents of pop star Lady Gaga are getting into the restaurant business, "The New York Times" reports.

Next Wednesday, Joseph and Cynthia Germanotta will open Joanne Trattoria, an Italian restaurant on West 68th Street in Manhattan. The article describes the new eatery as a low-key neighbourhood spot, but the cozy and casual vibe could be compromised by the owners' celebrity connection -- so don't expect any cross-promotions featuring the "Bad Romance" belter.

"One tweet and it's over," Cynthia Germanotta told the paper.

"If they're expecting to come in here and see Grammys and pictures and stuff like that, it's not going to happen," Joseph Germanotta added.

The Southern Italian menu will include items such as Papa G’s chicken, named for Joseph Germanotta, an osso buco inspired by his sister and Cynthia’s salad. Entrees will set you back $25 to $30.

More music news:

• Watch the Red Hot Chili Peppers new video for "Look Around"

Organizers of Record Store Day have appointed veteran rocker Iggy Pop to the ceremonial role of ambassador for the 2012 event.

Held on April 21, the day sees several artists and bands release exclusive singles as a way to celebrate independent record store culture and encourage business at a time when physical music sales are losing out to digital.

In a lengthy statement posted on the official Record Store Day website, the Stooges frontman extolled the virtues of record stores and argued that the day is about more than just "selling s***."

"A person should have a personality. You won't get one dicking around on a computer. It helps to go somewhere where there are other persons. Persons who are interested in something you are. That's how a record store or any shop that's got some life to it should work. It's not about selling s***," he said.

"I got my name, my musical education and my personality all from working at a record store during my tender years," he added. "Personally I feel best in a store that, while staying small and socially relaxed, still keeps a complete variety of music types and non musical recordings on offer... When the record and record store businesses began to die at the turn of the new century, they deserved it because they got too big too boring and too plastic."

He concluded: "As Record Store Day Ambassador for 2012 I feel like a representative from some exotic jungle full of life and death and sex and anger, called upon to wear a leopard skin and translate joy to the world of the dead."

Read Iggy Pop's full statement here.

More music news:

• Interview: Sharon Van Etten broadens sound on "Tramp"

Swedish pop group ABBA has steadfastly refused to reunite since breaking up in 1982, but a new tune is on the way nonetheless: "From a Twinkling Star to a Passing Angel," a previously unreleased track to be included on an upcoming deluxe reissue of the band's final 1981 album, "The Visitors."

Described on ABBA's official website as a "demo medley," the song marks the first new music release since the "Thank You For The Music" box set in 1994. The deluxe edition will also include six bonus songs and a DVD of rare and unreleased archival material.

"The Visitor" re-issue is due out on April 23. Head to the band's website for the the full track listing.

More music news:

• Interview: Sharon Van Etten broadens sound on "Tramp"

Pop star Kylie Minogue will mark her 25th anniversary in the music industry by re-recording several hits from her back catalogue, the BBC reports.

She has already recorded an acoustic version of her 1992 hit "Finer Feelings," backed by a 24-piece orchestra in London's Abbey Road Studios. Check out a teaser for the song here. More releases are due later in the year.

Minogue has had a string of Top 10 hits in the United Kingdom but is best known in North America for her debut 1987 single "The Locomotion" and 2001 dance-pop smash "Can't Get You Out of My Head."

The star is also planning to air a 25th anniversary TV special and is in the midst of recording her 12th studio album.

More music news:

• A$AP Rocky courts a melodic, druggy and raw sound on debut