Carl Thomas' "Emotional" Certified Gold! Summer Tour With Mary J. Blige To Kick Off June 15.

Entertainment Editors

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--June 12, 2000

Emotional, the soul-soaked debut from Bad Boy Entertainment's first R&B male solo artist, Carl Thomas, has been certified gold by the RIAA! "Emotional" was released on April 18th and made its debut on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums chart at No. 2, and at No. 9 on the Top 200. "I Wish," the album's first single, is making history as it holds on to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart for the third week with no traditional CD or cassette single available in stores.

Carl Thomas will hit the road this summer with the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige on her 47-City National tour. Thomas will kick off the tour at the Oakdale Theater in Connecticut on June 15th and will wrap up in Los Angeles on August 27th.

"A brilliant vocalist and performer, Carl Thomas represents the first-rate talent Bad Boy continues to bring its fans," explains Bad Boy CEO/founder Sean "Puffy" Combs. "This album will amaze music enthusiasts by bringing back sultry ballads and old-school soul. We know listeners will appreciate his music from the first note to the last beat."

Emotional's smooth grooves and suave vocals are a testament to the time-honored traditions of soul icons like Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. In addition to the lush balladry of "I Wish," Emotional showcases melodic swayers and mid-tempo bouncers such as "My Valentine," "Lady Lay Your Body," "Cold Cold World" and "Giving You All My Love."

The video for "I Wish" was the "Buzzworthy Clip of the Week" on MTV its first week out and is in rotation on BET, VH1, and The BOX. "Summer Rain" (from the Shaft Soundtrack) will be the next release from Carl Thomas and "Emotional," the album's title track will soon follow.

Carl Thomas/Mary J. Tour dates are as follows:

  June 15 - Oakdale, CT                 Oakdale Music Festival (TBC)
       18 - New York, NY                Radio City Music Hall
       20 - New York, NY                Radio City Music Hall
       21 - Buffalo, NY                 Marine Midland Summer Jam
       23,24 - Chicago, IL              Rosemont Arena
       25 - Memphis, TN                 Mud Island
       28 - Sunrise, FL                 Sunrise Theater
       30 - Savannah, GA                Civic Center Arena

  July 1 - Atlanta, GA                  Chestain Park
       2 - New Orleans, LA              Essence Festival
       6 - Augusta, GA                  Richmond County Civic Center
       7 - Birmingham, AL               Boutwell Auditorium
       8 - Raleigh, NC                  Alltel Pavilion at Walnut
                                        Creek
       9 - Richmond, VA                 Landmark Theater
       11 - Washington, DC              Wolf Trap
       12 - Westbury, NY                Westbury Music Festival
       14 - Newark, NJ                  Theater Performing Arts
       15 - Camden, NJ                  East Center
       16 - Rochester, NY               Brown Square Park
       18 - Saginaw, MI                 Wendler Arena
       20 - Columbus, OH                Palace Theater
       21 - Cleveland , OH              State Theater
       22,23 - Detroit, MI              Fox Theater
       25 - Huntsville, AL              Von Braun Center
       27 - Charlotte, NC               Independence Arena
       28 - Greensboro, NC              Greensboro Col. Spec. Eve.
       29 - Hampton, VA                 Hampton Coliseum
       30 - Columbia, SC                Township Auditorium

August 1 - Minneapolis, MN              Orpheum Theater
       3 - Nashville, TN                Grand Ole Opry
       4 - St. Louis, MO                Fox Theater
       5 - Milwaukee, WI                Marcus Amphitheater
       6 - Pittsburgh , PA              I C Light Pavilion
       8 - Kansas City, MO              Municipal Auditorium
       9 - Chicago, IL                  Chicago Theater
       11 - Baltimore, MD               Pier Six Pavilion

Look for Carl Thomas in the spring issues of Essence, Honey, Upscale and Vibe.

For additional information visit our websites www.badboyonline.com or www.arista.com.