Popular Uprisings: Billboard's Weekly Coverage Of Hot Prospects For The Heatseekers Chart

McEVOY RISING: Irish singer/songwriter Eleanor McEvoy may be on the verge of a breakthrough with her latest album, "Snapshots," due June 1 on Columbia Records.
In 1992, McEvoy won the Irish Record Industry Award for best new artist.
Her 1993 self-titled U.S. debut album on Geffen earned her critical acclaim. McEvoy's 1996 album, "What's Following Me?," her Columbia debut, peaked at No. 9 on the New Artist Albums (Northeast) chart in December of that year.
McEvoy says that on "Snapshots," "I wanted to fuse the organic with the high-tech. I wanted to take the singer/songwriter thing that I do, put in a little of my classical training with orchestral arrangements and add a sense of trip-hop/hip-hop, too."
The singer has secured a performance slot at this year's Guinness Fleadh Festival, which will also feature Elvis Costello, Shane MacGowan, and a slew of other artists.
Guinness Fleadh dates are June 5 in San Francisco, June 12 in Chicago, June 19 in Boston, and June 26 in New York.
THE DIRTY DOZEN RETURNS: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band has been a regular on the Top Jazz Albums chart since 1989. The group's next album, "Buck Jump," set for a May 25 release on Mammoth Records, was produced by John Medeski of Medeski Martin & Wood.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is known for its constant touring, and this year is no exception. The group will be appearing at several festivals this summer.
Tour dates include May 29 in Black Mountain, N.C.; May 30 in Atlanta; May 31 in Philadelphia; June 12-13 in Mountain View, Calif.; and June 18 in Indianapolis.
SOLAAR ECLIPSE: R&B blended with jazz in the French language can break through on the Heatseekers chart, as evidenced by Les Nubians' "Princesses Nubiennes" album (OmTown/Higher Octave/Virgin), which rises to No. 2 this issue. Now EastWest/Elektra Records is set to release French rapper MC Solaar's double album "Le Tour De La Question" May 11.
Solaar's "Prose Combat" album (Cohiba/Island) peaked at No. 5 on the Top World Music Albums chart in 1994. The rapper was featured on such compilations as "Planet Rap" and "The Rebirth Of Cool," as well as Guru's "Jazzmatazz."
Solaar, who has also lived in Senegal and Cairo, has released several albums since 1991. "Le Tour De La Question" is Solaar's first album on EastWest/Elektra following years on PolyGram labels. The album comes with a deluxe hardbound packaging that includes a 25-page booklet.

Taxi Fare.Taxiride is a pop/rock group from Melbourne, Australia, that's in the unusual situation of having four lead singers. The band's Beatles-influenced debut album, "Imaginate" (set for a U.S. release June 1 on Sire Records), features the single "Get Set." The song is included in the soundtrack to the movie "Election." The video for "Get Set" has already gotten exposure on MTV. Taxiride is on a promotional tour of the U.S. through June.
Lynne's "Soul.'Lisa Lynne's 1998 album, "Daughters Of A Celtic Moon," peaked at No. 13 on the Top New Age Albums chart. The follow-up is "Seasons Of The Soul" (Windham Hill). The Los Angeles-based Lynne, who is known for her Celtic harp-playing abilities, is currently on a U.S. tour.
Life After Selena.Chris Perez may be best known as the widower of the late Tejano superstar Selena. But Perez, who played guitar in Selena's band, is forging ahead with his own musical identity. The Chris Perez Band's debut album, "Resurrection" (due May 18 on Hollywood Records), is a collection of 15 songs, nine sung in Spanish and six sung in English. The first Latino single is "¯Por Que Te Fuiste (Why Did You Leave)?," and the first Anglo single is the title track.