Prince anticipates "Hot Summer"; Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker plots solo return; Marvin Isley dies

Purple summer? Not quite.

By Chris Richards

- Remember back in 2006 when Prince released a song called "Black Sweat" and it was a gazillion times better than anyone expected it to be? That definitely didn't happen yesterday when His Purpleness decided to celebrate his 52nd birthday by unveiling a new song called "Hot Summer" on a Minneapolis radio station. It's not as weak as his recent ode to the Minnesota Vikings, but almost.

- Never have we wanted Sleater-Kinney to stay more broken up: Former S-K frontwoman Corin Tucker has announced plans to tour in support of a forthcoming solo album this fall. And she'll be in fine company. Playing in Tucker's band will be ex-Unwound drummer Sara Lund and bassist Seth Lorinczi -- formerly of Washington punk troupe Circus Lupus.

- Marvin Isley, bassist of the Isley Brothers and the youngest brother of the course-of-pop-music-altering group, has died. Isley was 56 years old.