Absolute - For All Seasons (1990)

I was just looking through some files and noticed that I ripped this CD some time ago, so thought I'd share.  I talked about Absolute on my Lambada soundtrack post, but I'll share the info here as well. Absolute were Tiarra LeMacks and Carolyn Griffey. Griffey is the daughter of Solar Records founder Dick Griffey and singer Carrie Lucas. The ladies first appeared on the Lambada: Set The Night On Fire soundtrack.  Their ballad "This Moment In Time" was included, as was the amazing dance track "Gotta Lambada". "Gotta Lambada" was apparently intended for Isle postee Vanity, as she was supposed to star in the movie.  But her drug use became severe and she was replaced, so the song was given to Absolute. Carolyn's mother Carrie was also featured on the soundtrack.  That same year they released the single "Cheap Shot" and their one and only album.  Conveniently the album was released on Carolyn's father's label, Solar.  Despite having her father's full support and influence, neither the single or album were remote hits, and that was it for Absolute.  At the time that I bought this album I was disappointed, as I had hoped the songs would be similar to "Gotta Lambada", but instead they are early New Jack Swing and ballads.  But having listened to the album again recently, I found that there are some really fun and funky songs on it.  It was produced in part by Rickey "Freeze" Smith, who also produced Isle postees The Day Z's. Tiarra appears to have done backing vocals after this and, from what little I can find, it appears that she is still involved in the music industry.  Carolyn ended up joining Shalamar in 2005 when they reformed, and they appeared on the British TV competition show Hit Me Baby One More Time singing their original song "A Night To Remember" as well as Outkast's "Hey Ya".  They won the episode but ended up losing the show to Shakin' Stevens.  Since then they continue to tour together, though they had a battle with original singer Jody Watley over the name.  She apparently ended up winning the rights to use the name, but it appears that has since changed as she has renamed her group and Carolyn and the boys still use the name Shalamar.

Video for Cheap Shot

Download For All Seasons

1 Cheap Shot
2 Crazy Little Thing Called Love
3 You And I
4 I Count On Your Love
5 Imaginary Love
6 True Confession
7 For All Seasons
8 Kiss Me
9 When We're Eye To Eye

L.A. Mix - On The Side (1989) & Coming Back For More (1990) DOUBLE POST!!

Time for another post, finally.  This time it's British house and soul group L.A. Mix.  Luckily Wikipedia has done most of the research for me, so I'm going to use mainly their entry here.  L.A. Mix (the L.A. stands for Les Adams) was comprised of husband-and-wife production team Les Adams & Emma Freilich, along with producer Mike Stevens.  Their first hit was "Don't Stop (Jammin')" in 1987, which was based on a simple 8-track demo that Adams had formed in his home studio, and it reached #47 on the UK Singles Chart. That record got L.A. Mix in trouble, as the bassline had been taken from the song "Love is the Message" by MFSB, resulting in group member Vincent Montana attempting to take an injunction out on the group.  But the single got them a record deal with A&M Records, though it was initially only for one single. But then Adams remixed Maurice Joshua's "This Is Acid" by taking the vocals, adding a synth lead from Black Riot's "A Day In The Life", using the rhythm synth from Inner City's "Big Fun", sirens from some of Todd Terry's records and some assorted sexual screams of unknown origin from his collection. The result was "Check This Out", which was a UK #6 in 1988 and was their biggest hit. That also raised legal ire, this time of the then-owner of Easy Street Records as the song included a short sample of "You Don't Know" by Serious Intention, and the owner of that label was one of New York's top lawyers. The matter was settled out of court for $15,000.  Next, in 1989, they released "Get Loose", which featured rapping by Jazzi P and charted at #25. A fourth single, also released in 1989, "Love Together" featuring Kevin Henry, charted at #66. These four singles appeared on the album On the Side, which was released in 1989.  The album featured vocals by Isle postee Juliet Roberts.  In 1990, the first of three singles from L.A. Mix's second album were released. The album departed from the hip house and R&B flavour of the first album, with a more soulful sound.  "Coming Back For More", also the title track of the new album, was released as a single. The song featured vocals from Franceso, and charted at #50. In 1991, "Mysteries of Love", featuring Beverlei Brown on lead vocals, D. Marcus C. on rap and co-production from Andy Whitmore, was released and made #46. Their final single, the ballad "We Shouldn't Hold Hands In The Dark", also featured vocals from Franceso but also from Juliet Roberts and charted at #69. Adams and Freilich also produced the track "Fools Paradise" for Isle postee Ruth Joy, as well as Jazzi P's hit and only single "Feel The Rhythm". They also produced two UK Top 40 hits (one of which was a top ten hit) for Dannii Minogue's 1991 album, Love and Kisses: "I Don't Wanna Take This Pain" and "Jump To The Beat".  Their output seems to have ended in the 1990s. Discogs indicates that Emma died in 2011, though I have not be able to find any more info regarding that, so who knows. Mike Stevens went on to produce a couple tracks from Juliet Roberts, as well as tracks for Ruby Turner, Fast Food Rockers, Sugababes, Annie Lennox and Take That, for whom he was also musical director, so clearly L.A. Mix was a stepping stone for his success.

Video for Check This Out

Video for Get Loose

Video for Love Together

Download On The Side

1 Get Loose
2 You Are The One
3 Breathe Deep
4 Don't Turn Away
5 Love Together
6 Just Waiting
7 Mellow Mellow (Right On)
8 Don't Stop ('89)
9 Check This Out
10 Get Loose (Definitely Def Remix)

Video for Coming Back For More

Download Coming Back For More

1 Coming Back For More
2 Miss My Love
3 Slap
4 One Love One Touch
5 We Shouldn't Hold Hands In The Dark
6 Mysteries Of Love
7 Love Thang
8 Live For Love
9 All Mine
10 Discover Reality
11 Breathe Deeper (Deeper Mix)

Various Artists - Lambada: Set The Night On Fire (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (1990)

In my Vanity post, I mentioned that I read that she was supposed to star in the movie Lambada: Set The Night On Fire and was supposed to record the song "Gotta Lambada" for the soundtrack. This got me thinking about the soundtrack again, which I only ever had on cassette.  I remember loving that soundtrack (even though I've never seen the movie), so I had to find and buy the CD immediately. While only once before have I featured a compilation, this one seemed to fit the Isle perfectly, since some current and future postees and people they've worked with are on it. So here it is.  The film was based on the Afro-Brazilian dance called the Lambada, which was a sexy partner dance that became popular in the 1980s.  It was also referred to as "The Forbidden Dance" because of its suggestiveness. In 1989, the French group Kaoma released their version of the Los Kjarkas' Bolivian song "Llorando Se Fue" from 1981, translating it to Portuguese and renaming it "Lambada".  The song instantly became a worldwide hit (it even reached #46 on the Billboard Hot 100) and a dance craze.  Looking to capitalize on the craze, as well as rekindle the success of 1987's Dirty Dancing, two American films based around the dance were quickly made.  Vanity was reportedly tapped to play the lead female role in Lambada: Set The Night On Fire, but was unfortunately soon replaced by Melora Hardin. likely due to personal problems.  The two films, Lambada: Set The Night On Fire and The Forbidden Dance, were both released on March 16, 1990.  The Lambada craze was already waning by then, and Lambada: Set The Night On Fire, while both commercially and critically the more successful of the two, was still far from a hit.  (Looks like Vanity dodged a bullet there!)  It also had the better soundtrack, in my opinion.  Three promo singles were released from the album.  The first, the title song "Set The Night On Fire," was recorded by the R&B/funk trio Sweet Obsession, which consisted of sisters Keena, Kimmala and Michelle Green. The trio released two modestly successful albums in 1988 and 1991 (download them both at The Music Spectrum), and two less successful but funkier albums previously, but under different monikers - Razor by Greens III in 1984 (which included "You Want My Body", which was their 'interpretation' of Vanity 6's "Nasty Girl") and Set Me Free as Foxx in 1986.  The second promo single was the song supposedly originally intended for Vanity, "Gotta Lambada," which ended up being recorded by R&B duo Absolute, consisting of backing vocalist Tiara Le Macks and Carolyn Griffey, who was the daughter of Solar Records head Dick Griffey and disco singer Carrie Lucas, who also had a track on the soundtrack, the Lambada-ish "I Like The Rhythm".  "Gotta Lambada" was produced by one of the men behind Isle postees The Day Zs, Freeze. Absolute released the album For All Seasons and the single "Cheap Shot" that same year, though neither was a success. (Griffey would later replace Jody Watley in the reformed Shalamar in 2003, much to Watley's chagrin.)  The third single was "Perfect" by rapper Dina D, who released the album Never Seen A Rapper Like This (And I'll Betcha) and single "Groove With Me" in 1991, to little fanfare. Also included on the soundtrack were Tony Terry, who'd had a minor R&B hit with "On The Strength" with Isle postee Flame; Isle postee Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge fame; freestyle and pop diva extraordinaire Brenda K. Starr; and Bill Wolfer, the producer behind Vanity's amazing solo album Wild Animal.  The soundtrack is more dance-pop than Lambada-esque, and though it and the singles didn't do that well, it is a solid dance workout and, in my opinion, an overlooked gem. So download it now and set your night on fire!

Download Lambada: Set The Night On Fire

1 Sweet Obsession - Set The Night On Fire
2 Absolute - This Moment In Time
3 Dina D - Perfect
4 Tony Terry - Tease Me Please Me
5 Kathy Sledge - Lambada Dancin'
6 Absolute - Gotta Lambada
7 Carrie Lucas - I Like The Rhythm
8 Johnny Thomas Jr. - Rock Lambada
9 Bill Wolfer - Wes Groove
10 Brenda K. Starr - Sata
11 Judette Warren - Give It Up

Precious - Soft But Hard (1990)

In case you haven't guessed, I'm a huge fan of female rappers.  And it just so happens that someone requested the only album by Precious, so here it is.  As with many of the other 90s female rappers featured on the Isle, little is available on Precious' history.  Her real name is Monica Burton, and it would appear that she's from New Jersey.  At some point she connected in New Jersey with the trio of producers collectively known as Backroom Productions, who wrote and produced most of Isle postee Jomanda's music.  In 1988 Backroom Productions had released a compilation of house tracks that included vocals by the ladies of Jomanda before they were a group, as well as the instrumental song "The Definition Of A Track (The Backroom)".  Evidently, they asked Precious to put a rap vocal on the instrumental, making it a hip-house track, and also made a new instrumental using the same rap and called it "In Motion", which is one of my fave house songs of all time, incidentally.  The double A-side of Precious' "Definition Of A Track / In Motion" was released on Big Beat in 1989 and was a dancefloor smash (the album version begins with "Definition Of A Track" and leads into "In Motion").  It's success led to a one album deal on Big Beat.  Backroom Productions produced the whole thing, and the hip-house song "Let's Get It Started" was the only other single released, backed with "Competition" (which samples M's "Pop Muzik") in the US, and released by itself on MCA Records in the UK.  The album contained a much more traditional rap sound, with only a few hip-house moments, which was perhaps not the best idea.  (For a brief interview with Precious discussing her music, watch this short 1989 documentary on Chicago Hip House.) "Let's Get It Started" failed to make the same impact, and that was the last that was heard from Precious.  Monica, now known as Dr. Burton, appears to have left her music career behind, as she is now a principle at the Patrick F. Healy Middle School in East Orange, New Jersey.  She is also on the board of managers for the East Orange YMCA.  Given the comments in reviews of her school and on the video for "In Motion" on Youtube, she doesn't appear to be beloved by her students or their parents, though to be fair, being a principle of any school isn't exactly a beloved role.  And at least we can all show her love by enjoying and appreciating her one and only musical masterpiece.

Video for In Motion

Download Soft But Hard

1	The Beats The Rhyme (The Bassline)
2	Soft But Hard
3	Competition
4	Protect The Jewel
5	27 Hawthorne
6	Lets Get It Started
7	Definition Of A Track (In Motion)
8	Power Of A Woman
9	Spenizm
10	Who Are You
11	Yesterday's Gone
12	Big Beat
13	A Better Way
14	Yesterday's Gone (Sax Version)
15	Big Beat (Vocal)

One Cause One Effect ‎– Drop The Axxe (1990)

And now for a little hip hop, pop-style.  One Cause One Effect were one of the very few male/female rap duos...ever.  It seemed like an angle that just might help them hit the big time, along with their MC Hammer connection.  But alas, that wasn't the case.  The duo consisted of Terrance Davis (One Cause) and Treasure Shields Redmond (One Effect).  They met in high school in Meridian, Mississippi.  After they graduated, they moved to California in the hopes of hitting the big time.  Luckily they met MC Hammer, who was at the height of his popularity, and Terrance became a back-up rapper for him.  This led to a deal with Hammer's label, Capitol Records.  Their album was produced by Hammer's friend and collaborator James Earley, except "How Ya Livin'", which was produced by Hammer himself, and featured vocals by Hammer protegee B Angie B.  They released the single "Turntable Genius", which failed to generate much heat, and followed it with "Up With Hope, Down With Dope", which managed to only reach #77 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. The album didn't fare much better, reaching only #51 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.  They released one last, unsuccessful single, "Midnite Lover".  (In my opinion, part of the problem was that the singles weren't a good representation of the album, which was mostly upbeat, Hammer-esque pop-rap.)  Treasure then worked extensively with Hammer's protegees, female rappers Oaktown's 3-5-7, on their second album Fully Loaded, co-writing most of the songs and doing backing vocals.  But the two soon became disenchanted with the scene and left Hammer's camp.  Terrance moved back to Meridian and is now a water meter reader and occasional producer.  Treasure moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where she is an assistant English professor and published poet.

Video for Up With Hope, Down With Dope

Video for Midnite Lover

Download Drop The Axxe

1		Don't Sit Down
2		Can U Dance (Get To It)
3		When I Get You Baby
4		The 90's Are Stompin'
5		Let's Get Busy
6		How Ya Livin'
7		What'Cha Gonna Do
8		Up With Hope, Down With Dope
9		Midnite Lover
10		Turntable Genius
11		Country Rap

Claudya - Straws & Candy (1990)

So, Adriana never fails to please, and this week she sent me the only album by Claudya, an artist I have never heard of but most definitely enjoyed.  As always, I am intrigued by these obscure ladies and I just HAD to find out more.  I immediately went to Discogs, which gave me nothing as per usual (though I was sure to update her page there after I did my research. ;)  A little poking around revealed that Claudya is Claudia Soumeru, an Indonesian lovely from The Netherlands.  While I can't find out much about her beginnings, at some point she was signed by Indisc Benelux.  In 1989 she released her first maxi-single, the dance-poppy "Saturday Night", which also included the ballad "Let's Not Begin".  Her oddly titled album appeared the following year and followed the same dance-pop formula.  One other single was released, the mid-tempo "I Wanna Go There", but neither the singles nor the album were a success.  It seemed that was the last of Claudia, but in 1994 she teamed up with two other Dutch-Indonesian ladies, Selina Loupatty and Tosca Aijal, to front the group Clau-Dya's.  They had some local success with their first single, "Tudeletutu (Wish We Were Lovers)", and released their second, "Round & Round", in 1995.  In 1996 the ladies competed in the Dutch Nationaal Songfestival, the preselection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, where they performed a few other songs, but apparently they broke up after they weren't selected for Eurovision.  Claudia mostly left music to pursue stage production, but in 2002 she rejoined former Clau-Dya's producer and bandmember Michiel Eilbracht to form funk-metal band Bagga Bownz.  The group released their debut album Done With The Pain in 2008 and continue to record and perform.  You can download some of their tracks for free at their Bandcamp page should you wish.  Thanks again to Adriana for the album, especially since I enjoy hunting down such obscure artists on the internet (when I have the time!) and discovering that they are still alive, well and making music! :)

UPDATE:  Just got a message from Claudia herself!  Thanks for writing, Claudia!!  Here's her message:

"Hi Nasty G, Nice to read about myself!!! Currently we 're on the latest album of Armin van Buuren, and busy recording Acoustic Dance Music, and of course new Baggabownz songs. thnx…and I'll keep you posted. Claudia Soumeru  (Never stop singing)

Claudia's Official Facebook Page

Download Straws & Candy

1		Don't Push Me
2		Back To The Beat
3		Everything In Me
4		Anywhere You Go
5		Let's Not Begin
6		I Wanna Go There
7		Always Be Waiting
8		Good Side
9		Tell Me Baby
10		Saturdaynight
11		Saturdaynight (Extended Dance Version)

Adventures Of Stevie V - Adventures Of Stevie V (1990) & Satisfy Me (1993) DOUBLE POST!!

 It recently came to my attention that an act from the 1990's that I adored, Adventures Of Stevie V, released a second album.  I totally thought that they had only released one album and was thrilled to find out there was another, and when I saw some of the vocalists featured on it I had to have it ASAP.  After listening to it I realized that I MUST do a post on the group for y'all to enjoy.  The group was masterminded by Steve Vincent, a British producer and songwriter.  In the early 1980s he had been part of disco group Touchdown, who had a minor dance hit with "Ease Your Mind".  By the end of the decade he wanted to step into the spotlight and brought together singer Melody Washington and singer/songwriter Mick Walsh to form a semi-group, though Stevie was undoubtedly the act's core.  They signed to Mercury and their first single, "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)", was released at the end of 1989 and was indicative of the hip-house sound that was huge at the time, especially in the UK.  It became a massive hit in the UK, hitting #2 on the pop charts, and was also big in the US, where it was a #1 dance chart hit and also hit #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The album was then released and followed a very similar formula.  In the UK, "Body Language" was released as the second single, and it reached #29 on the pop charts.  "Jealousy" was released as the next single, and though it only hit #58 on the UK pop charts, it was their second hit in the US, hitting #2 on the dance charts and just squeaking into the Billboard Hot 100 at #95 in 1991.  But they ran out of steam with their last single from the album, "That's The Way It Is", which failed to chart anywhere.  The members went their separate ways, and that's where I thought their story ended.  But Stevie managed to score a European album deal with WEA in 1993 and brought together an impressive roster of soul singers to take vocal turns on the album.  While former back-up singers Selandra Wright and Beverlei Brown took over most of the vocals duties, Stevie managed to get disco/funk divas Thelma Houston and Gwen Guthrie on a track each, and Ruby Turner on two tracks. The result is a much more diverse sound, though firmly entrenched in house.  The singles "Paradise" (featuring Wright) and "Push 2 The Limit" (featuring Brown) were released, but failed to hit anywhere.  At the same time Stevie was recording as part of Music & Mystery with Billy Osborne, which featured disco and soul legend Gwen McCrae.  They would go on to produce the album Girlfriend's Boyfriend for her in 1996, and also produced the only album by Isle postee Gee Morris.  Vincent decided to leave production behind for the most part and became a teacher of music technology at Bedford College in England.  But "Dirty Cash" lived on, as remixes of the song popped up in 1997 and "Dirty Cash (Money Talks) '97" hit #69 on the British pop charts, as well as the top of several dance charts worldwide.  Another remix popped up in 2004, and the British group Liberty X covered it for their last album in 2005.  Then in 2009, grime artist Dizzee Rascal sampled the song extensively in his song "Dirtee Cash", which reached #10 on the British charts and which he performed in a mash-up with Florence And The Machine's "You Got The Love" at the BRIT Awards.  The mash-up was subsequently released as a single entitled "You Got The Dirtee Love" and entered the British charts at #2..

Video for Dirty Cash 

Video for Jealousy

Download Adventures Of Stevie V

1		Dirty Cash (Sold Out Mix)
2		Jealousy
3		That's The Way It Is
4		Butterfly Free
5		Indecision
6		Weekend
7		Body Language
8		Pride Before A Fall
9		Moments In Time
10		Hooked On The Groove
11		Forbidden Fruit
12		Sink Or Swim
13		Dirty Cash (Dime And Dollar Mix)

 Download Satisfy Me

1		Paradise / Love It
2		Push 2 The Limit / Wine Bar
3		Home
4		Reason Y
5		Satisfy Me / A.O.S.V. Song
6		Shame / Dance Master
7		Prisoner Of Ecstasy
8		Willing
9		Go Getter
10		Fire Of Life / Radio
11		Real Good Feeling

Tres - Hold On To Your Dreams (1990)

So Adriana is back, and back with a bang! We must give her huge thanks for sharing this priceless treasure! I had never heard of Tres before, but I wish I had, as I've missed out on this beauty for so long! But better late than never. Tres was sisters Neida, Glenda and Mari Torres. The Puerto Rican sisters grew up in Boston and were surrounded by music. Glenda and Mari dreamed of pop stardom and convinced Neida to complete a trio. Armed with a ton of songs that they wrote, they approached Priority Records, which was known primarily as a hip hop label. Priority liked what they heard and signed the girls as their first girl group. They released the single "I Can't Hang Any Longer", the dance mix of which saw some attention in clubs. They followed it up with an album and the single "Let Me Feel Your Body" (they also released a Spanish version of the album called Dejame Sentir Tu Amor). Unfortunately both failed to hit, perhaps because Priority didn't know how to properly promote the girls, and they broke up soon after. Definitely a shame, as this album is pure pop-dance perfection! Though they were compared to Latin girl groups like Sweet Sensation and The Cover Girls (two of my all-time faves), they weren't freestyle like those groups and were much more pop oriented, with traces of R&B. It's an intoxicating mix which really should have been more successful. Since then, Mari has maintained the highest profile, becoming a radio personality and doing broadcasting training, with her own website devoted to it. Also, according to her Myspace page, she is putting together a group, but this time will be behind the scenes as it's writer and producer. Also look for her approval in the comments here. ;)  Thanks for visiting, Mari!

Download Hold On To Your Dreams

1		Stand Back
2		I Can't Hang Any Longer
3		Didn't You Know
4		Hold On To Your Dreams
5		Let Me Inside Your Heart
6		Dancin' On The Mezzanine
7		Let Me Feel Your Body
8		Lines
9		Love Won't Keep Us Apart
10		I Can't Hang Any Longer (7" Dance Mix)

Sonia/Sonya Papp - Destiny (1990), Time (1993) & Love Me Tonight (1999) TRIPLE POST!!!

Thanks to the magic of my friend from Discogs Tobysheldonla, I now have Sonia Papp's Destiny in digital form, the final third of my Sonia Papp album trilogy, and I can finally share her work with you all in my first ever triple post! I previously featured Sonia's first single, "Undercover Lover", on Lost Pop Treasures last year. Unfortunately I've been unable to find any more info on her since then. It's amazing to me that someone who released three albums over a decade has no internet presence whatsoever! The only thing I can say for sure is that she is from Quebec. The hi-NRG "Undercover Lover" was a club hit in Canada in 1988. It took two more years before her debut album was released, and it featured a housier remix of the track. For the album she changed the spelling of her first name from Sonia with an 'I' to Sonya with a 'Y' for some unknown reason. The majority of the album was straight up dance-pop, all produced by John Farley of Canadian disco group Hydro. Nothing more was heard from her until three years later when she released the single "The Mexican", a remake of the 1972 Babe Ruth classic, which was remade into a dance hit by John "Jellybean" Benitez in 1984 and to which Sonya's version is most similar. This was followed by the album Time. Though the album was this time produced by drummer Denis Lavigne of Canadian pop-rock group Paradox, it still contained mostly dance-pop tunes. The album also included a version of "Hasta La Vista", which previous postee Chantal recorded with the group Collage a couple of years earlier. While "The Mexican" saw some local success, the housey title track was the next single and it went unnoticed. I had thought that that was the end of Sonya's recording career until one day, over a decade later, I went into a second-hand CD store and found Love Me Tonight, which was released in 1999, clearly with no fanfare. She reverted back to Sonia with an 'I' for this album, perhaps to signal a reinvention of her sound. While I was surprised to find another album by Sonia, I was even more surprised to hear her new direction, full on rock-pop. It was the first album produced by Matthew Gerrard of Canadian rock group Regatta, who later on went to produce teen pop acts like Nick Carter, Hilary Duff, Raven-Symoné, Jo Jo and 'Hannah Montana'. It also features previous postee Sheree Jeacocke on backing vocals. Alas, this new direction proved no more successful than her previous work and Sonia once again disappeared from the spotlight. Which leaves us here, 13 years later, wondering where this Canadian treasure remains hidden. At least now we can all enjoy her music, and, as always, any info as to her current whereabouts would be greatly appreciated! :)

Download Destiny

1		Jamie
2		Destiny
3		Fire Of Love
4		Nobody's Fool
5		Undercover Lover
6		Rescue Me
7		I'll Make You Love Me
8		Heart To Heart
9		Show Me A Sign

Download Time

1		Time
2		The Mexican
3		Dance Yes, Talk No
4		Hasta La Vista
5		Chemistry
6		You've Got The World
7		Talk About It
8		My Heart Stands Alone
9		I've Been Waiting For This Chance
10		Heart Beat
11		Play The Field
12		The Mexican (Chico Mix)

Download Love Me Tonight

1		Take Me Down
2		Tell Me Why
3		Love Me Tonight
4		Heart To Heart
5		Dirty Old Sam
6		Without Your Love
7		Let Me Be Your Angel
8		Find A Way To Your Heart
9		My Heart Stands Alone
10		Fire Of Love

Jomanda - Someone To Love Me (1990) & Nubia Soul (1993) DOUBLE POST!!

Sorry, April was a very busy month for me, so I haven't been able to post anything for awhile (BTW, saw Kylie and she was SPECTACULAR!) But Lumel requested Jomanda, and since I mentioned them in the previous post, I'm finding a moment to post this. Luckily I already did my research for them when I did the write-up for their Lastfm page, so I have the info ready. ;) Jomanda was formed in New Jersey and consisted of Joanne Thomas, Cheri Williams and Renee Washington. They had all worked solo with the production trio of Derek A. Jenkins, Dwayne Spen Richardson & Cassio Ware, also known as Backroom Productions, who brought the ladies together. They debuted in 1986 with the independently released house song “On Top (Of The Groove)” and followed it up with "I'll Give It To You (Come Get It)" in 1987 and "Drifting" in 1988, both on the Quark label. While these singles generated interest, it was their next track, “Make My Body Rock”, which became their first genuine hit, partly due to their being signed to the Big Beat label. It hit #5 of the Billboard Dance Chart and made them genuine house divas. The track was also heavily sampled the following year by previous Isle postees The 28th Street Crew on their dance hit "I Need A Rhythm". (Incidentally, they also did backing vocals on previous Isle postee Jamie J. Morgan's track "She's On It" around this time.) Their next single, "Don't You Want My Love", also hit the Billboard Dance Charts, and they soon had an album deal with Big Beat. It was their next single, however, that would make them, temporarily, a household name. "Got A Love For You" reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991 and took them from the clubs to living rooms everywhere thanks to radio and the flashy video. The album included all of their Big Beat singles as well as follow up singles "The True Meaning (Of Love)", which also hit the dance charts, and "Share", which didn't, likely because it was much more downtempo and not the house sound fans expected. The failure of this track didn't deter them from changing their sound on their follow-up album, however. Though their house fans were kept happy the following year with Felix's progressive house hit "Don't You Want Me", which relied on a sample from "Don't You Want My Love", when Jomanda emerged in 1993 with their new album, their sound had almost totally transformed. Instead of the exciting garage house jams fans had come to love and expect, the lades instead focused on new jack swing and soul, thus the title Nubia Soul. It was much more downtempo and only contained two house tracks. They also brought in a host of other producers. The first single, a remake of DeBarge's "I Like It", managed to hit the bottom end of the Billboard Hot 100 and the dance chart. But the follow up, "Back To You" barely dented the R&B charts. There were a number of new jack swing girl groups at the time who specialized in the sound, and since Jomanda began in a much different genre, they go lost in the fray. In an attempt to get back their original fan base, they released the non-album house track "Never" the same year, to minimal success. In 1994, one of the two album house tracks, "I Cried The Tears", was released and hit the top 20 of the Billboard Dance Charts, but it was too little too late and the ladies soon broke up. Since then the whereabouts of Renee Washington and Cheri Williams remain unknown. Joanne Thomas, however, rejoined her old producers in 1995 and they revived a group they began in the late 80s called Ruffneck. Joanne took on the moniker Yavahn and took lead, releasing two albums and many singles with Ruffneck, including the huge dance chart hit "Everybody Be Somebody". Sadly, in 2000 Joanne learned that she had colon cancer, and three years later she succumbed to the disease. Though we can never have a full Jomanda reunion, it would be awesome if the other two ladies could get together once again as a tribute to their former bandmate and friend. Jomanda are one of my fave acts of the 90s and I would love to hear something from them again.

Video for Make My Body Rock

Video for Got A Love For You

Download Someone To Love Me

1		Make My Body Rock 1990
2		Someone To Love Me
3		Share
4		Don't You Want My Love
5		What's The Deal?
6		You Knew, Boy
7		Dance
8		Got A Love For You
9		It Ain't No Big Thing
10		When Love Hurts
11		The True Meaning (Of Love)
12		I Will Always Be There For You
13		Without You
14		Make My Body Rock (Basic Mix)

Video for I Like It

Download Nubia Soul

1		Don't Deny
2		Just A Little More Time
3		I Like It
4		I Cried The Tears
5		Back To You
6		When You Come Home
7		Tell Me (Whatcha Gonna Do)
8		Don't Fight The Feeling
9		Ez'A Said Than Done
10		Life
11		Gotta Be With You
12		After All This Love
13		Tonight's The Night
14		Kiss You
15		I Like It (Kenny Smoove Remix)