Gwen Stefani may be “Just a Girl,” but now she’s the newest coach for NBC’s The Voice. The network confirmed late Tuesday that the vocalist for the band No Doubt will join the singing contest for Season 7, which is to premiere in the fall. The move had been expected after reports leaked that NBC was talking with Stefani about taking part in the show. Stefani will give viewers a taste of what to expect when she performs live on the Monday telecast of The Voice, currently wrapping up Season 6. Pharrell Williams, previously announced as a Season 7 judge, also will perform on that telecast. Stefani and Williams will join original coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Christina Aguilera, another original coach, will drop out for next season but return for Season 8, NBC said. Cee Lo Green, the fourth coach from that initial team, told Ellen DeGeneres in February that he is “not coming back at all” to the show. Stefani is likely hoping The Voice can spark a comeback - much as what occurred for Jennifer Lopez on American Idol. The No Doubt singer hasn’t released a solo album since 2006. While the band did put out its most recent studio album in 2012 - its first in 11 years - it failed to go platinum, as three preceding albums had done. Using a TV show to goose record sales has worked before, and not just for Lopez. Aguilera hadn’t had a Top 10 hit in years until she teamed up with the pop duo Great Big World for the 2013 ballad “Say Something” - which she helped promote by performing on The Voice. The song peaked at No. 4 on the charts.

Eric Clapton is paying tribute to his late friend and collaborator J.J. Cale with a new album. Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, John Mayer and others lend a hand on The Breeze: An Appreciation of J.J. Cale, due out July 29. The album includes 16 Cale songs reimagined by Clapton and the all-star group of friends. Cale, architect of the Tulsa Sound and a widely influential figure in rock ‘n’ roll history, died last year at 74. Clapton turned Cale’s “After Midnight” and “Cocaine” into hits and the two recorded and collaborated together. Others on the album include Mark Knopfler, Derek Trucks and Cale’s wife, Christine Lakeland. Clapton said in a statement that he wants to draw more attention to Cale: “I’m just the messenger.”

Front Section, Pages 2 on 05/01/2014