SHONTELLE, EVERLAST ENTER VIBE-RATER FRAY

An exotic R&B singer and a former Grammy award-winning folk rapper top the list of this week’s debuts on the HITS Vibe-Raters page, a repository of the up-and-coming to look out for in the fall…or right now, for that matter, here.

Shontelle is the latest discovery for SRC’s Steve Rifkind. The Barbados native is already making her mark at Top 40 (WKZL, WFKS, WSSX, WLKT, WKCI, WJIM, KHTT, WZEE) and Rhythm Crossover (KSFM, WJFX, KWWV, KTBT, WJJS, XM/Heat) with the smash “T-Shirt,” from her debut SRC/Universal Motown album Shontelligence, which hits retail Nov. 18. The track has been registering strong digital sales gains at all the major online retailers.

Echoing the success of fellow island native Rihanna, Shontelle’s media-friendly look has translated into coverage in Vibe, Fader, Trace, YRB, Cosmogirl, Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Marie Claire.

Everlast returns with Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford, the purported sequel to his 1998 classic, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. The album is on his own Martyr-Inc. imprint through an innovative deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Hickory Records and manager Jeff Rabhan’s Three Ring Projects firm, distributed by UMGD’s Fontana. It is set for release Sept. 23.

The first Everlast single is a classic cover of Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” that is already experiencing gains at PoMo radio, with Sirius Hits, KWOD, WJBX, WROX and WHTG on board. The video’s on at mtvU and regional outlets, while online features have run on iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazon.com and Ruckus.

Everlast's on tour from Sept. 12 in Eugene, OR, through Oct. 29 at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, CA.