Cherokee - Naked Music (1992), I Love You...Me (1998) & Soul Parade (2002) TRIPLE POST!!!

I recently bought the album by Auto & Cherokee, having seen it in used CD stores for years, but I never picked it up for some reason. I have followed Cherokee for years, and she recently released the song "Goddess", so I think it's time that I did a post on her. Cherokee Pogue is from Brooklyn, New York. She started writing poetry when she was 10 and formed her first band when she was 13 years old.  At the age of 16, Cherokee met a local singer/songwriter named Auto (whom she later married) and they released an album, "Naked Music" in 1992 on Morgan Creek Records.  The album was far from a success, despite the video for "Taste" getting some rotation.  They also recorded a PSA called "We Can Play Together". Apparently Auto became very abusive towards Cherokee, and they split in 1995. Cherokee moved to Los Angeles, got a deal with RCA records in 1998, and released her debut solo album I Love You....Me. It was far less funky than her album with Auto, and veered into neo-soul, which was big at the time thanks to artists like Erykah Badu. The only single released from the album, "Ooh Wee Wee," peaked at #88 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, staying on the chart for 3 weeks. A promo single for "Steppin' Stone" was also released. She performed on shows such as "Soul Train" and "Motown Live."  She was also featured in magazines such as Rolling Stone, Jet, Vogue, Esquire, Billboard, and the The New York Times. She was also featured in a huge ad campaign for GAP. Despite all of this promotion, her album failed to chart. However, RCA allowed her to record a second album, Soul Parade, which was scheduled for release in 2001. Unfortunately, the division of RCA Records responsible for releasing the album ended up folding and the album was never released. Cherokee later released the album herself through her website. Two singles were released from the album, however: "Nectarine," featuring Andre 3000, and "I Swear." Neither of them charted. Cherokee married record producer Neal Pogue and had a daughter, whom she took the next six years off to raise.  In 2011, Cherokee (nee Shock Mama Cherry) joined Brazilian guitarist Fred Card to form reggae/soul duo Esprit De Corps, whom she continues to record and tour with. As mentioned, she recently released the amazing electro-funk song "Goddess" and promises that new music is coming.

Video for Taste

Download Naked Music

1 Introduction To Our World
2 Naked Music
3 Taste
4 Indian Summer
5 So Good To Be In Love
6 Best Of Friends
7 Interlude / Breed Of The Apple Children
8 She Eats Like A Lion
9 Hack Your Bed
10 Hook You Up
11 Forever Yours
12 Homeless
13 Taste (Street Single Mix)

Video for Ooh Wee Wee

Download I Love You...Me

1 While I'm Flying
2 Oopsy Daisy
3 Sexy Somethin'
4 Ooh Wee Wee (4 U Mix)
5 Steppin' Stone
6 Misty
7 Blue Bottle Afta Shave
8 My Own Queen
9 I Love You...Me
10 Fictitiously
11 Ooh Wee Wee (4 Me Mix)

Video for Nectarine

Video for I Swear

Download Soul Parade

1 Runaway
2 Lips
3 A Woman Knows (feat. Bilal)
4 I Swear
5 Nectarine (feat. Andre 3000)
6 Star (feat. Floetry)
7 Nothing Really Feels The Same
8 Crazy (feat. Rahsaan Patterson)
9 Daddy How?
10 Where
11 One
12 Can't Let Go

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

Countess Vaughn - Countess (1992)

I remember downloading Countess Vaughn's only album a couple of years ago, but I lost the files, so I decided to buy the CD.  Luckily one seller in China was selling it brand new at a cheap price, as all of the other offers were way too expensive.  I guess it's fairly rare?  Anyway, I became aware of Countess way back in 1988 where she became the junior vocalist champion and overall junior champion on Star Search at age nine.  I remember her specifically because she was very precocious and got on my nerves. lol This win got her a gig on the sitcom 227 that same year, where she stayed for two years.  She continued doing guest spots on television until she finally got a record deal with Charisma Records in 1992. Now thirteen, she was able to perform more mature music, the result being a mainly New Jack swing sound.  Her first single, obviously chosen to showcase her vocals, was the ballad "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World", which was a James Brown cover. It barely dented the R&B charts, and the album and follow-up single, "Wait For Me", were stillborn, which was disappointing because of her vocal talent.  It is likely they didn't know how to market her given her age.  Whatever the case, Countess went back to acting and landed her signature role in 1996 on the show Moesha, playing star Brandy's best friend.  She won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1998. This led to friction between Countess and Brandy, as Countess thought herself the reason for the show's success.  This feud lasted until 2015, when Countess finally apologized on Instagram. But there's no denying that her popularity led to the 1999 spin-off The Parkers, where Mo'Nique played her mother. The show was an instant success and lasted five years.  After this, however, her gigs were few and far between.  She finally appeared as a regular again in 2006 on the reality show Celebrity Fit Club, where she failed to lose weight.  She then appeared as a contestant on MTV's Celebrity Rap Superstar, but she had to leave the show due to illness. She wouldn't land a regular gig again until she was chosen to star in the reality series Hollywood Divas on TV One in 2014.  She also joined the BET series According To Him + Her, where she continues to do reenactments for the show.  She also appeared with her Hollywood Divas co-stars in the low budget film The White Sistas in 2017.  It is interesting that her music career took a back burner all of these years, since she won Star Search as a vocalist.  She did try to capitalize on her Hollywood Divas success by recording the song "Do You Love Him" aka "Wifey" in 2016, and the making of the video was a plot on the show.  She eventually fired co-star Paula Jai Parker as director and asked another co-star, Lisa Wu, to help her find a director.  The result was an instant disaster when it was released, and Twitter went crazy making fun of it.  The video was ridiculous and didn't feature Countess singing, and the song itself was horribly produced.  It was reedited to feature Countess lip-syncing, but the damage had already been done.  It will be interesting to see if she attempts to step back in to the music world.  If so, please get a new producer, Countess!

Video for Wait For Me

Download Countess

1 Wait For Me
2 Let's Call The Whole Thing Love
3 Summer Love
4 Unconditionally
5 Just Being With You
6 You Could Fall In Love With Me
7 Fallin'
8 Give Me The Love
9 Once More
10 It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World

Abstrac' - Abstrac' (1989) and M&M - Get Ta Know Ya Betta (1992) DOUBLE POST!!

Recently I downloaded the 12" single mixes of the song "Right And Hype" by R&B trio Abstrac'.  I had not heard the song in a very long time and was surprised by how good it was.  I was curious to hear the album again, so I searched furiously through my collection and finally located the CD.  One listen convinced me that I had to share it on the Isle.  The trio consisted of Alvina "Topaz" Del Bettis, Mary Brown and Marsha McClurkin, and was formed by Gene Griffin and Teddy Riley. In the late 80's, Griffin and Riley started perfecting what would become known as the New Jack Swing sound, which took the popular-at-the-time pop-funk R&B sound of producers like L.A. Reid & Babyface and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and gave it a more street sound, mainly by adding hip hop flourishes.  Encouraged by their extremely successful collaboration with Johnny Kemp, "Just Got Paid", they started working, both separately and together, with different acts.  The first all-female act that they worked with together was Abstrac'.  (Riley had had experience producing another female trio the previous year on the track "Wishing You Were Here" by The Gyrlz.) The three ladies of Abstrac' were unknowns, yet they managed to get an album deal with Reprise Records.  The self-titled album was mainly written and produced by Griffin along with Riley's brother Markell, with three tracks written and produced by another New Jack pioneer, Bernard Belle.  Riley focused on the keyboards, mixing and arranging.  The first single was "Right And Hype", and it managed to dent the Billboard Hot 100 at #89. A promo was released for the second single, "You Are The Party (I Am The Fun)," but it failed to make an impact and the group was dropped.  However, three years later, Marsha and Mary reemerged as the duo M&M and released the album Get Ta Know Ya Betta on Atlantic Records.  By now the New Jack sound was in full swing (pun intended) and while Abstrac' had still held on to the dance-funk sound, M&M was full on New Jack R&B. The ladies also had a lot more involvement in the writing of the album's material, along with its main producer, Herb Middleton. Unfortunately for the ladies, their new incarnation was even less successful and their two singles, "Talk To Me" (which was remixed by Markell Riley) and the album's title track, floundered on the charts and they were again dropped from a major label. (As a side note, two of the ladies from the aforementioned trio The Gyrlz also later formed a New Jack duo a year later, Terri & Monica, and they were moderately more successful. Perhaps they will be featured in the Isle at some point in the future...) The writing experience on the M&M album ended up being a godsend for Mary Brown, however, as she later found great success as a songwriter, most notably with Destiny's Child's "No No No". Fortunately I have been meaning to feature the M&M album for a couple years now and had it on hand, so when I unearthed the Abstrac' album I thought it was finally time to share it with you all as well, and therefore I've presented them together. Enjoy!

Video for Right And Hype

Download Abstrac'

1 Lookin' Out For #1
2 I'll Be Your Friend
3 Sleaze
4 Right And Hype
5 Make Me Sweat
6 Strategy
7 Trust Me
8 Buggin' Over You
9 You're My Kind Of Guy
10 You Are The Party (I Am The Fun)

Download Get Ta Know Ya Betta

1 Feel No Shame
2 We're Falling Apart
3 Talk To Me
4 Never Let Go
5 My Way
6 Get Ta Know Ya Betta
7 Losin' Control
8 If I Give My Love To You
9 Go On
10 You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling

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

Vanity - Vanity 6 (1982), Wild Animal (1984) & Skin On Skin (1986) TRIPLE POST!!!

It is with a very heavy heart that I make this latest post.  In case you haven't heard yet, my idol Vanity aka Denise Katrina Matthews passed away at the age of 57 due to kidney failure on February 15, 2016.  It has taken me a few days to deal with this, but now I feel I must honour her with a (very lengthy) post, a post that has been requested by several of you over the years. Vanity was the reason I started this blog nine years ago.  Like so many featured on this blog, Vanity was an unsung pop star who was forgotten over the years yet deserved recognition.  She did have a higher profile, at least in the 80s, than many acts featured here, which is why I resisted doing a post on her then.  But she was my initial motivation, as I was a huge fan of hers from the moment I saw her and she remained my ultimate diva.  I had even originally named this blog after her first major film, Tanya's Island, which she made before she was known as Vanity and was using the moniker D.D. Winters.  Even my 'Nasty G' name comes from the Vanity 6 song "Nasty Girl".  Much has been written about her over the past few days, so her past is well documented on the internet and I won't go into too much detail here.  For that you can also check her Wikipedia page. But I do want to share my personal memories of her.  The first time I laid eyes on her was in 1984 when I was 14 and she appeared on the Canadian music TV show The New Music.  They were doing a feature on Prince's female protegees.  At the time I was a casual Prince fan and had just become a Sheila E. fan, so I was curious about these other women.  The moment they showed an image of Vanity I was smitten.  She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes upon (and still is) and she had an irresistible magnetism just through that one image that drew me in forever.  Then they showed some clips from her music videos and I was all hers.  The fact that she was a fellow Canadian was a huge bonus.  This was around when she released her first solo album Wild Animal, and it was the only thing I cared about receiving for Christmas that year, which I did. I adored the album (despite family and friends insisting that she couldn't really sing) and I practically wore out the cassette the first week!  I was consumed with finding images of her after that and snatched up every magazine that she was in, from Right On to Playboy to Creem, The photos went on my wall immediately.  I also scoured the television for appearances by her, though back then we had limited channels and only video cassettes to capture things on.  But I wore out those video tapes as well whenever I was able to capture anything Vanity, especially her "Pretty Mess" video.  She was always a coquettish and magnetic presence in both her performances and interviews, with undeniable charisma.  Soon after a family friend managed to find a vinyl copy of the Vanity 6 album and I was in heaven!  The sexuality and naughtiness of both albums were just the kind of rebellion I needed as a lonely, overweight, awkward teen.  I delighted in shocking everyone around me with her lyrics and image.  Her outlandishness empowered me.  I remember my father watching the "Nasty Girl" video and dismissing her after she claimed that she needed "seven inches or more", clearly intimidated by her beauty and sexuality, as he fancied himself a Casanova but knew he'd never have a chance. This pleased me even more.  Soon her movie The Last Dragon was being promoted and I longed to see it, but living in a small town with a two cinema theatre, it was never shown, so I had to satiate myself with the soundtrack and soundtrack poster, which I begged to have from the only record store in town.  Obviously I immediately adored the song "7th Heaven" from it.  Luckily our theatre did show Purple Rain and I had become a bigger Prince fan because of it, as well as a fan of Apollonia, who had replaced Vanity in the movie after Vanity, having realized that Prince would never love and focus only on her, pursued the independence that could make her career flourish.  Unfortunately Apollonia (who is also featured on the Isle) paled in comparison to Vanity in my eyes, lacking her extreme magnetism and sensuality - though I do still adore Apples. As Apollonia herself admitted this week, Vanity was a tough act to follow. ;)  I wished at that time that Vanity had stayed with Prince, as everyone's career who was connected to him was blowing up.  (Though she managed to do quite well on Motown and had two Billboard Hot 100 hits.)  Teenagers being complicated and fickle, I was soon distracted with my awkward social world.  That, combined with the extreme difficulty in tracking anyone's career in those pre-internet times, led to my surprise when I came across her second album Skin On Skin. Of course I snatched it up, though while I adored the first single "Under The Influence", the rest of the album was a bit of a let down.  It lacked the extreme electro-funk and sexuality of  Wild Animal, and while she wrote and co-produced all of the material on Wild Animal, she was barely present in the creation of Skin On Skin.  Though her vocals had noticeably improved, it seemed a lot less personal. Of course, I still loved the album, and songs like "Animals" and "Ouch!" kept up that sexy silliness. The album didn't seem to get as much attention, however, and Vanity showed up on TV less and less. During that time she was also starring in many movies like Never Too Young To Die and Action Jackson (I adored the Jesse Johnson produced track "Undress" from it and was thrilled she was in the video for the Pointer Sisters' "He Turned Me Out", also featured on it), though of course they never made it to my two cinema town, and it took years before anything new came out on video back then.  These things combined to take my focus off of her.  There was one time in 1989, however, when she was filming an episode of the Friday The 13th TV series in Toronto entitled 'Mesmer's Bauble'  (in which she starred alongside Isle postee Robey), that a friend's brother was lucky enough to be at the filming, and he came back regaling me with stories of her.  I was extremely jealous.  She had been so close! But soon I was off to university and was distracted by my new academic and social life and all that that entailed.  I thought of her occasionally (like when I randomly scored a publicity poster of her as "Miss Audio-Visual 1984", and when I used "Strap On Robbie Baby" to shock a sociology class), but she fell to the back of my mind and became a bit of a teenage embarrassment.  In 1990 I did hear that she was filming a movie called Lambada: Set The Night On Fire and was extremely excited about the new song she was to record for it, but it was soon revealed that she dropped out of the film, and the song, "Gotta Lambada", ended up being recorded by female duo Absolut instead.  She did appear in the TV movie Memories Of Murder that year, which was the first Lifetime movie ever, but of course I didn't get Lifetime. After that she was totally off my radar until 1992, when she appeared in the Jackie Collins TV mini-series Lady Boss, which I watched with a sort of sentimental melancholy.  Around that time rumours were surfacing that she was a born-again Christian, and she then shockingly (to me, at least) appeared on The Joan Rivers Show that same year, renouncing her past and emphatically preaching the word of God.  It was very jarring and, I confess, made me very uncomfortable.  She talked about how she detested her carnal identity as Vanity, and discussed her addiction to smoking crack, which led to extreme kidney damage, a kidney transplant, and almost death!  It all came as a shock to me, though looking back it suddenly seemed obvious that she was on drugs in many of her early interviews and performances. I have to admit that this new Vanity, or Denise Matthews, as she now wanted to be called, frightened me, and like one of Joan's audience members suggested, it seemed to me that she had just substituted one drug for another.  She was an extreme literal bible thumper and even spoke in tongues!  It was all too much for me, though I felt ashamed for wishing that the old Vanity would return.  It seemed like a freak show, and I chose to turn my back on it.  Then, in the later 2000s, I started to feel nostalgic and began listening to all of the older music again, Vanity most of all.  Now that the internet was everywhere, I sought out copies of her old movies and finally saw many for the first time, including the extremely controversial Tanya's Island - now I finally knew what the song "Wild Animal" was about!  I introduced her into my new world and forced her on my friends and especially my boyfriend, who was (and still is) a huge Madonna fan, but he eventually warmed up to her as well.  I pulled out old pics and posters and put them up.  I joined forums and met friends while talking about her, and created several monikers for websites derived from her various aliases, songs and films.  I made her my computer and phone wallpaper and screen savers.  I was again entrenched in the world of Vanity. Only after she passed this week did I realize just how much of her physically surrounds me in all aspects of my world.  I did check up on the real Denise Matthews at times, visiting her website and Facebook page, and I was happy that she had found happiness through religion, even if I didn't get it myself.  I felt horrible for her continuing illness, and the revelations of her abuse as a child and adult.  I read Nikki Sixx's Heroin Diaries, about his drug addiction in the year 1987, when he was dating Vanity and she was going through an equally destructive drug addiction.  She wrote several passages in the book, and I got a better idea of what she went though.  But, though Denise preferred it, I couldn't let Vanity go, and I created a Facebook page dedicated to her. I was thrilled at the response from followers and realized that I was far from alone in my love for Vanity.  Then a year or two later, I got a Facebook message from Denise Matthews herself!  In it she asked that I take the page down, as she no longer wanted her old self to be celebrated.  She asked me to call her so we could discuss it and gave me her phone number.  You can imagine my delight and horror!  Out of respect I immediately removed the page, but I could never call her.  I don't want to meet my idols, and I was also wary of her possible attempts to "convert" me.  Now that she is gone, I regret that decision.  I had no idea that she was so ill in the past months, and though I knew she was lucky to have lived this long, I was still so saddened by her death.  And though I know that she did not want people to celebrate Vanity, and I do also celebrate the amazing woman that was Denise Matthews, I need to post this tribute to her and share the music that made me so happy all of these years.  As I told her when we corresponded about the Facebook page, though she was regretful about her personal life the years she was known as Vanity, she should not dismiss or forget the joy that her music and films gave so many of us.  Without her, I would not be who I am today, which I'd like to think isn't so bad, as for some undefinable reason she instilled in me a strength and sass that I desperately needed as a teen, and I'm not sure that I would have discovered that without Vanity.  I am sorry that her life was often so sad, but I think in the end she was truly happy to go to the God she loved so dearly, and that is how I'll remember her.  Please celebrate and enjoy her work and life!

Video for He's So Dull

Video for Nasty Girl

Video for Drive Me Wild

Download Vanity 6

1 Nasty Girl
2 Wet Dream
3 Drive Me Wild
4 He's So Dull
5 If A Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)
6 Make-Up
7 Bite The Beat
8 3 x 2 = 6

Video for Pretty Mess

Live performance of Samuelle

Live performance of Pretty Mess & Wild Animal

Download Wild Animal

1 Flippin' Out
2 Pretty Mess
3 Samuelle
4 Strap On "Robbie Baby"
5 Wild Animal
6 Mechanical Emotion
7 Crazy Maybe

Video for Under The Influence

Live performance of Romantic Voyage

Live performance of  Under The Influence & Animals

Download Skin On Skin

1 Under The Influence
2 Manhunt
3 Romantic Voyage
4 Confidential
5 Animals
6 Skin On Skin
7 Gun Shy
8 Ouch
9 In The Jungle

Mishka And The Urban Groove - Legalize Love (1998)

Here is another little known Canadian artist for your listening pleasure. And another artist whom I know virtually nothing about. I can tell you that lead singer, Mishka Meunier, is French Canadian and apparently still lives in Quebec. And the Urban Groove consisted of fellow Canadian musicians Andy Stewart, Dan Godro, Eric Brass, and Harry B.. Their sound was very diverse, with some tracks having a strong reggae vibe - like their only single, a remake of James Brown's "Try Me" - while some veer into folk, and others are very funky soul. Altogether it is a great earthy sound, with powerful, soulful vocals from Mishka. The whole album is reminiscent of the work of fellow Canadians The Parachute Club, IMO.  The album was released locally and independently and didn't get much attention.  It also didn't help that soon after the album's release, singer Heather Nova's brother released his own folk and reggae-inflected music under the name Mishka, which could only add to the confusion.  Should you dig this album and wish to connect with Mishka, she has her own Facebook page, and perhaps she can fill you in on the full story of Mishka And The Urban Groove, and what she's been up to since.

Video for Try Me

Download Legalize Love

1	Legal Love
2	Love War
3	Your Touch
4	Save The Children
5	Try Me
6	Could It Be
7	Happiness Runaway
8	Feel The Change
9	What If?
10	Too Young

Rainy Davis - Sweetheart (1987) & Ouch (1988) DOUBLE POST!!

 

When I began this blog, you would be hard-pressed to find one iota of info about Rainy Davis.  Luckily the internet has grown over the years and lesser known and under-appreciated artists have gotten their due (I'd like to think this blog had something to do with that in some small way. ;) )  So, finding info now on Rainy is much easier, and makes this post easier to put together as well.  Born Denise Lorraine Davis in Brooklyn, Rainy's first major singing gig was as part of a band called Jamilah, which also included her sister Charisse and R&B crooner Keith Sweat. Soon after she joined disco trio Musique for their live shows, and her association with its founder Patrick Adams led to writing and arranging for other acts.  Her first major success was in 1979 as co-writer of disco group Inner Life's "I Want To Give You Me".  During this time she also connected with singer/songwriter/producer Pete Warner, who was also working with Adams. Together they wrote for and produced a few artists over the next few years, most notably Canadian disco singer Chatelaine's second album in 1980. They also wrote the song "Sweetheart" together in 1986.  According to Rainy, her Nana overheard them playing the song and told her she would give them her next social security cheque to record it.  Once the demo was recorded, they were planning on submitting it to Janet Jackson for her career altering Control album, but luckily they missed the deadline.  So Rainy released her version on a local indie label and it got immediate attention on urban radio, which led to rotation on pop radio.  The song hit both the Dance and Black Singles charts on Billboard, reaching #24 on the latter.  Columbia Records then noticed her potential and signed Rainy to an album deal. Her debut album, which was produced by Rainy and Warner, hit the R&B album chart and included similar sexy electro-funk tracks. The next single, "Lowdown So & So", reached #9 on Billboard's Dance chart and #14 on the Black Singles chart.  Her third single was a remake of Prince's 1980 release "Still Waiting", and it almost made the top 40 on the Black Singles chart. The final single, "4-Ever", failed to chart. Rainy and Warner quickly went to work on her next album, Ouch, which was released the following year. Unfortunately it did not have the same success.  The first single, "Indian Giver" (which was the first track I ever heard by Rainy, and I fell in love instantly), hit #16 on the Billboard Dance chart and, like "Still Waiting", #41 on the Black Singles chart. The song, as well as much of the album, used more straight-forward freestyle elements that were only hinted at on Sweetheart, and maybe that threw fans off.  I, for one, loved it!  The next single was the title track, and after it didn't chart, Rainy was no longer with Columbia Records.  She and Warner kept busy writing and producing others, with their biggest success likely being The Cover Girls' "Spring Love".  Rainy also released the single "Storybook Romance", a sort of reworking of "Sweetheart", in 1993 (and again in 2008). Then, in 1998, Jermaine Dupri remade "Sweetheart" for his Life in 1472 album, thanks to a suggestion by Mariah Carey, who loved the track as a girl and sang the chorus. Though Mariah and Jermaine's "Sweetheart" wasn't a huge hit (thanks to the label pulling the commercial single right before its release, and the Billboard chart eligibility rules changing), Mariah included it on her hugely successful hits album #1's the same year, and the song was introduced to a whole new generation and was even nominated for a Grammy award. Mariah also included the song on her Greatest Hits in 2001, The Remixes in 2003, and The Essential Mariah Carey in 2011, further rejuvenating Rainy's career (and bank account!). In 2005 Rainy ended up founding her own full service digital distribution company, Rainysongs Entertainment, for which she is president, and it has continued to successfully support new music artists.  

Live performance of Sweetheart

Download Sweetheart

1	Sweetheart
2	4-Ever
3	Love-At-Last
4	Still Waiting
5	Lowdown So & So
6	Kiss & Make Up
7	Come Back
8	Do-U-Remember?
9	Sweetheart (Reprise)

 
Download Ouch

1	Indian Giver
2	Ouch
3	Be My Man
4	Choosey Beggar
5	Save It
6	Lets Make Up
7	Tell Me
8	Danger

Taja Sevelle - Taja Sevelle (1987), Fountains Free (1991) & Toys Of Vanity (1997) TRIPLE POST!!!

I have loved Taja Sevelle from the very start of her career and have enjoyed all of her musical explorations.  I've wanted to feature her here for years, but at one time Taja was offering her albums on her website so I resisted out of respect.  However, someone recently requested her work, and I checked her website and the albums are no longer available there, and they don't seem to be available digitally either, so I thought it was time to share her amazing music.  As her biography is available on her website, I'll give the condensed version.  She was born Nancy Richardson in Minneapolis.  While working in the health food industry and farming, she also pursued music, fronting several local jazz and R&B bands and also working as a radio producer and DJ.  She was accepted at the Berklee College Of Music, but passed when Minneapolis' most famous citizen, Prince, offered her a record deal with his vanity label, Paisley Park, which was distributed through Reprise Records. She had previously done background vocals on his track "The Ladder" in 1985, and obviously this impressed him enough to sign her to a solo deal.  Hooking up with Minneapolis musician Chico Bennett (aka George Bennette), she created an album that incorporated the red hot Minneapolis sound, but with her own folksy, hippiesque vibe. Her first single, the self-penned ballad "Love Is Contagious," became a huge hit in Europe, reaching #7 on the UK charts, and a modest hit in the US, reaching #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains one of my favourite ballads ever.  She followed it up with the funky Prince-penned "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me," but it only managed to reach the middle of the UK Pop and Billboard R&B charts.  Follow-up singles "Popular" and "Take Me For A Ride" failed to chart.  Paisley Park's run would soon end, but Taja stuck with Reprise, and four years later released her second album, Fountains Free.  While Bennett still produced a few tracks (and would go on to work with superstars like Lady GaGa, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake), she also worked with various other R&B and pop producers, most prominently pop producer du jour Ian Prince and the legendary Burt Bacharach.  As a result, the album was much more pop-oriented, but the direction didn't seem to work, as the only single, "Trouble Having You Near," did not chart.  For awhile it seemed that was the end of Taja's musical career, but six years later she surprised her fans by signing with 550 Music and releasing the album Toys Of Vanity.  This time she worked with producer R.J. Rice (of R.J.'s Latest Arrival fame) and she delved deeply into the trip hop sound that was hot at the time.  No doubt she didn't expect the album to become a huge pop hit, but she released the singles "I & I" and "A Lot Like You" to critical acclaim. Personally I was thrilled to discover the album a couple years later, as I was a huge trip hop fan.  During the recording of the album in Detroit, Taja was struck by all of the poverty there.  This led to her greatest passion, the founding of Urban Farming, which encourages people in cities to grow their own food on unused land, and the group helped to plant vegetable gardens around the world for those in need.  Though she has also written books, acted, and even patented her own invention, Urban Farming has remained her passion, and she has made more of a name for herself in this respect than from her music, having appeared on numerous television shows, including Ellen.  But she has still managed to release new music, including the underground house music hits "Never Givin' Up" in 2000 and a remake of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil" in 2003.  She also independently released the Good Times EP in 2004 and continues to occasionally independently release various singles on her e-store.  I have had the pleasure of corresponding with her on her blog and Facebook page, and I can tell you that her personality is as sweet as her voice and her conscience.

Urban Farming

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Musi

Video for Love Is Contagious

Video for Wouldn't You Love To Love Me

Video for Popular

Download Taja Sevelle

1	Love Is Contagious
2	Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?
3	Popular
4	How Could You Do Me So Bad?
5	Take Me For A Ride
6	If I Could Get Your Attention
7	Infatuation
8	Baby's Got A Lover
9	Mama 16
10	Fly For Your Painted Rainbow

Download Fountains Free

1	Trouble Having You Near
2	Chase Temptation
3	I'm Givin' In
4	Even Odd You
5	Fountains Free
6	The Power Of Your Love (You And I)
7	Perpetual Motion
8	What A State Of Love
9	Fierce Desire
10	Forever In Love
11	Died Alive
12	Trouble Having You Near (Radio Mix)

   
Video for I & I

Download Toys Of Vanity

1	I & I
2	Us
3	Wake Before I Die
4	A Lot Like You
5	I Feel
6	Killing Time
7	Making Love To The Air
8	Fleet Of Angels
9	Toys Of Vanity
10	Sub-Conscious Me
11	Why?
12	Fleet Of Angels (No Drums)

PAL - Truth For The Moment (1986)

Four years ago I posted the one and only single. "Talk We Don't", from 1980s funk/synth pop trio PAL on Lost Pop Treasures.  I have had their album on my wantlist ever since, and finally I have it to share, thanks to longtime Isle friend Robert G! :)  And it is every bit as good as I'd hoped, definitely something different from the "R&B" girl groups of the time.  PAL was Rebecca A. Sweet (aka Rebekha Sweet) and sisters Lanetta and Laretta Collier (aka Sinden and Rhett Cellier).  Luckily two thirds of PAL themselves saw my post on Lost Pop Treasures and filled us in on their past (which I've since also shared on Discogs), so I'll simply just repost that here.  Enjoy!

PAL's musical influences included Eurythmics, Sting, Joni Mitchell, Steve Winwood, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac... Most notably, it was Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) who telephoned Motown and inquired about the group after meeting them at an Eurythmics concert. He had assumed that PAL was already signed to Motown and upon being told they were not, asked "Why."  The group's name was inspired by "Pal" Shazar of Slow Children as it aptly represented the relationship of the members of the group.  PAL's music was only released in Europe as it was welcomed by the European licensees who had been anxiously awaiting a new fresh sound from Motown.  PAL's CD was somewhat altered from their original sound and true musical instincts, but they were lucky enough to maintain some elements true to their musical integrity as was showcased in "Talk We Don't." Simply told, PAL was not an" R&B" group but the record company enlisted the services of a Motown producer attempting to infuse R&B into their music in hopes of serving the American R&B base. This approach was again exercised in Motown's 12 inch remixes of "Talk We Don't" down-playing the breathing drums that were an integral part of the song's original music.  In January 1986, PAL embarked upon a promotional tour at the request of Motown's European licensees. The official video for the single "Talk We Don't" was produced in London utilizing the original track. PAL was told that their single at that time was the highest debuting single by any new group in Holland. PAL toured England, France, Spain, Germany, Holland and Belgium. They loved it!
Upon returning to the U.S., Motown was still at a loss as what to do with PAL. Even though the music had been so positively accepted abroad, America was not Europe. Motown never released PAL's music in America and this freed the group from any further recording obligations to Motown.  Around 1988, PAL disbanded and went on to lead very successful lives in other creative genres.

Here is a live performance of Talk We Don't

Download Truth For The Moment

1	Man About Town
2	Like It
3	Her Husband
4	On The Edge
5	Everybody's Nasty
6	Panic
7	Talk We Don't
8	Spellbound
9	Strange Dreams
10	Checkin' You Out

Jacci McGhee ‎– Jacci McGhee (1992)

Jacci McGhee's brief time in the spotlight came as a result of being Keith Sweat's singing partner on his R&B hit "Make It Last Forever" in 1988.  Born in the Bronx, Jacci mostly did back-up vocals until Keith decided to feature her voice front and centre.  Despite the feature, Jacci went back to the background, mainly as vocal support for rock group Toto.  She did get another coup on the charts in 1989, singing the chorus to Salt-N-Pepa's second top 40 hit, "Expression".  It would be three more years before she would get a solo deal, when MCA signed her.  Her first single, the upbeat "Skeeza", was produced by Salt-N-Pepa's producer Herby Luv Bug and was a minor R&B hit.  It's follow-up, the ballad "It Hurts Me", was produced by Keith Sweat - as were a couple other songs on the album - and it climbed a little higher.  The final single was another upbeat number, "Something's On My Mind", but it didn't chart and she was dropped.  She was pregnant at the time and spent the next few years raising her child.  Then, in 1998, she joined funk/soul group The Family Stand, replacing their female vocalist Sandra St. Victor.  I personally loved that group and was happy to hear that she had joined.  They released only one album with Jacci, however, and after their single "You Don't Have To Worry" failed to generate interest, she split from the group. According to member Peter Lord, Jacci and he never saw eye to eye, as she was hoping to go in a more rock direction, likely stoked by her time with Toto.  Jacci again disappeared from the limelight, but about a year ago she left hints around the internet that she was working with a new act called "Billy Scott the band".  Not sure what, if anything, that band is up to, as nothing has emerged since, but it is good to know that Jacci is still at it.  Her one album displays a voice that definitely has a rock swagger and needs to be heard, and it shows her diversity over dance, soul and new jack swing tastiness. She was definitely head and shoulders above her contemporaries and deserved better.

Video for Skeeza

Video for It Hurts Me

Download Jacci McGhee

1	Something's On My Mind
2	It Hurts Me
3	Skeeza
4	Good Old Fashioned Love
5	The Closer I Get To You
6	What R U Gonna Do?
7	Been A Long Time
8	The Other Woman
9	Denied
10	That's How Much I Love You