Thanks to a dear Isle devotee, Adriana, I can now share with you one of my fave pop albums of the 1980s. Cindy Valentine was a fixture on Canadian radio and television in the 1980's. Born in Italy, she moved to Canada to pursue a career in music. At some point she crossed paths with disco producer Tony Green (he also produced Isle postee Alta Dustin). As Pat Benatar and her hard rock sound rose to fame in the early 1980s, many female singers followed her lead, and Cindy was no exception. She signed to Columbia and released Rock & Roll Heart Attack, a hard rock album laced with new wave elements. Songs such as "Victim" and "Make It Through The Night" were radio staples in Canada. But then Cindy seemed to disappear from the music scene, though she did pop up in a few small acting roles. Three years later, to my surprise and delight, she re-emerged, transformed into a dance-pop diva on her Polydor album Secret Rendez-Vous. Her first single, the brilliant "In Your Midnight Hour" (which was later a European hit for C.C. Catch), was a dance hit in Canada and the video was played on Muchmusic frequently. Her second single, the album's title track, was an even bigger success, attracting international attention, especially from freestyle fans. The whole album, also produced by Tony Green, is a dance pop dream, mixing synth-pop, freestyle and funk (similar to artists like Alisha, for whom she co-wrote the track "Into The Night" with Green). Cindy wasn't heard from again until 1989, when her freestyle single "Pick Up The Pieces (To My Heart)" hit #11 on the Billboard Dance Charts. That same year, she also contributed a couple songs to the film Teen Witch and performed in the film. Another album was apparently planned but never released. She then surprised me again by popping up on lead vocals on three tracks on Jellybean's Spillin' The Beans album. I thought this would lead to even greater success, but instead she faded from the spotlight. Wanting to know what happened to her and whether she planned on ever re-releasing Secret Rendez-Vous on CD (Rock & Roll Heart Attack was re-released in 2007), I discovered her website, under her given name Valentine Leone, and wrote to her. To my surprise, she actually wrote me back! She said she was flattered that she still had a fan base, but that she had "no intentions of going backwards and am not a fan of remakes in any form" -->. She also filled me in on her other work. It appears she decided to work in the background, working on music for several films, including Repossessed and Another 9 1/2 Weeks, as well as producing films and taking on small acting roles once again. She was excited about the musical version of Teen Witch, which uses her original songs. And though she said she didn't want to go backwards, in addition to independently releasing an MP3 album entitled Blame Yourself in 2008, she also released another MP3 compilation this year entitled Speak Your Mind, which includes unreleased tracks (likely from her unreleased album from 1989), as well as her versions of songs written for others and remixes, including those for "In Your Midnight Hour" and "Pick Up The Pieces". It's more great freestyle and dance pop. Both albums are available for download on iTunes and Amazon.com. So the lady is back! For more info on her, visit her website or her Myspace page. And you can also be part of the fan page I created for her on Facebook. Welcome back, Valentine!UPDATE: Cindy e-mailed me to update us on her current goings on, and she has lots of amazing things going on! Always an honour! :) Here is her message:
"I wanted to reach out to you again since you were kind enough to write about me a while back and genuinely care. On July 4th I released a new single called, "Le Derrière" 25% of the money going to North Shore and 25% going to help Diabetes. On iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and pretty much anywhere.
I also had a role in a new movie released two weeks ago called The Great Chameleon. I play the sister to a thief and it is another small role.
I'm releasing a second single called "Wicked Ways" this Halloween. It was remixed by DJ Mark Love Rush in the UK and the USA remix is being done by Funk Generation-H3D Rush.
I'm also planning a remake of the Teen Witch song "It's Never Gonna Be The Same Again" to coincide with the Halloween release (I know I said I wouldn't go back but I am). I'll be giving the song away for free to all those who buy the "Wicked Ways" single. Do, spread the word.
PS I never married Tony Green....lol Please correct that error. :-)
Cindy Valentine Xoxo"
UPDATE #2: Hooray! Cindy has written to update us all again! Here's what she had to say:
"Since the last time we connected, The single, "Wicked Ways" was released in October 2013 for my favorite month and holiday, Halloween. What wasn't planned was my mother going through open heart surgery. :-( Good news is, she has a second chance at life and I have a second chance to enjoy my mom. The not so good news is, I was unable to promote the single properly and won't be attending the Grammy's this year as I did last year.
I'm hoping the release of the music video for "Wicked Ways," that was just completed and scheduled for a Valentines Day release, will help boost and direct traffic to Itunes where you can purchase the video with a special behind the scenes extra bonus. The director, Rob Schwartz of Che Town Films, will be releasing a sneak peak on Youtube beginning the first week of February 2014. Remember that 25% goes to a good cause and your support is a blessing!
Thanks for believing and spread the word. :-)
Peace, Love, Happiness and keep the music alive!!"
Video for Make It Through The Night
Video for Using Me
Download Rock & Roll Heart Attack
| 1 | Victim | |
| 2 | Fool In The Night | |
| 3 | Big Kiss | |
| 4 | Love Child | |
| 5 | Power Of Love | |
| 6 | Living In The Fast Lane | |
| 7 | Make It Through The Night | |
| 8 | Using Me | |
| 9 | Lust | |
| 10 | Don't Waste Your Love |
Video for In Your Midnight Hour
Download Secret Rendez-Vous
| 1 | In Your Midnight Hour | |
| 2 | Heartless | |
| 3 | Don't Give Up | |
| 4 | Try Your Luck | |
| 5 | A Fine Mess | |
| 6 | Secret Rendez-Vous | |
| 7 | Savage | |
| 8 | Fight The Feeling | |
| 9 | Hungry Love |
