Beautiful Liar

"Beautiful Liar" (Spanish: Bello Embustero) is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé and Colombian singer Shakira. It was written by Beyoncé, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Beyoncé for the re-release of Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day (2006). The mixing of the song was done by Gustavo Celis. "Beautiful Liar" was released on March 14, 2007, by Columbia Records as the first single from the deluxe edition of the album. A Spanish and English mixed version of the song was produced and titled "Bello Embustero".

"Beautiful Liar" is a mid-tempo song; musically, it is a melding of Shakira's Latin and Middle Eastern styles with Beyoncé's contemporary hip hop and R&B styles. Its theme is female empowerment; two female protagonists sing about being charmed by the same man, but instead of fighting over him, both ladies agree that he is not worth their time. The song was well received by music critics, who praised generally Beyoncé's and Shakira's collaboration. "Beautiful Liar" was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Grammy Awards and the Spanish version was nominated for Record of the Year at the Latin Grammy Awards of 2007. It won an Ivor Novello Awards for Best-Selling British Song in 2008.

Brian Culbertson

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Brian Culbertson (born January 12, 1973) is an American contemporary jazz/R&B/funk musician, instrumentalist, producer and performer from Decatur, Illinois, United States. His instruments include the synthesizer, piano, trombone, drums, bass, trumpet, euphonium and percussion.

Early life and career

Brian Culbertson was born in Decatur, Illinois. As a child, he was musically skilled, having started playing piano at age 8, drums at 9, trombone at 10, bass in 7th grade, euphonium in high school and more. As a boy, he would also make his own "songs" with various equipment until he saved enough money for a 14" color monitor and Macintosh IIci.

Growing up, he listened to Sting, The Yellowjackets, George Duke, David Foster, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn, Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire. He attended and graduated MacArthur High School, where his father was a music teacher. He then moved to Chicago where he attended DePaul University. It was in college that he actually started working on a CD, gathering a group of musicians, recording a demo tape and sending it to the only person he knew in Los Angeles, Bud Harner, who would get him his first record deal.

James Blunt

James Hillier Blount (born 22 February 1974), better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and former soldier. He had signed with EMI before securing a recording contract with Atlantic Records and Custard Records.

Blunt rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of his debut studio album Back to Bedlam, before achieving worldwide fame with the singles "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". The album sold over 11 million copies worldwide, topping the UK Albums Chart and peaking at number two in the US. Blunt's second album, All the Lost Souls, which was released in 2007, topped the charts in over 20 countries and produced the hit single "1973". His third album, Some Kind of Trouble, was released in 2010, after its lead single Stay the Night. A deluxe edition was released the following year, titled Some Kind of Trouble: Revisited. In 2013, he released his fourth album, Moon Landing, which was preceded by the lead single "Bonfire Heart", which peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart following promotion on The One Show and The Graham Norton Show, as well as receiving extensive radio airplay.

Ricky Lawson

Ricky Lawson (November 8, 1954 – December 23, 2013) was an American drummer and composer. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he worked extensively as a session musician, collaborating with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Whitney Houston, Steely Dan, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and other artists. He co-founded the jazz-fusion band the Yellowjackets and won the 1987 Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance for "And You Know That" from their album Shades.

Life and career

Lawson started playing drums at the age of sixteen. He would borrow his uncle's drum set and carry it to his house across town via the Detroit bus system. In high school, Lawson played in his high school jazz band, which consisted of only five members, including the director. Lawson played for The Sons of Soul, who performed at the 1969 Michigan State Fair, opening for The Jackson Five along with The Blazer, a band from Cooley High School in Detroit that included La Palabra. Also in high school, he played such sports as water polo and swimming. His swimming talent eventually earned him a scholarship to college. He only spent one year at college, being invited to play drums for Stevie Wonder. In the '80s and '90s, he played drums for Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. He played on Whitney's famous hit, "I Will Always Love You." Lawson has a one note "solo" in the song, where he hits the snare drum before Whitney's dramatic vocal finale. He says that this is his favorite solo of his career.