Kym Sims - Too Blind To See It (1992)

Kym Sims was one of the top requests on this blog, so her feature her was a must. Surely everyone knows Kym's hit "Too Blind To See It", a top ten hit almost everywhere except North America, where it just reached the Billboard Top 40 at #38. Kym moved to California shortly after high-school and was doing back-up vocals at Motown and singing commercial jingles when she hooked up with popular house producer Steve "Silk" Hurley, who was fresh off success with Ce Ce Peniston. Like previous postees Jamie Loring, Malaika and Tené Williams, Kym wanted the sound that made Ce Ce a hit. And she got it in spades. But unlike fellow Hurley-ites Tene, Malaika and fellow postee D'Bora, Kym had a unique style. It helped that she was a songwriter herself, and was behind two of Ce Ce's hits, "We Got A Love Thang" and "Keep On Walkin'" (as well as songs by Jamie and Tené). And her voice was unique, higher and 'poppier', but capable of a soulful diva wail as well. Her album is a solid house and R&B scorcher. She had another top 20 hit in the UK (and hit #86 on the Billboard Hot 100) with "Take My Advice" (which samples underground dance classic "For The Same Man" by B Beat Girls), but follow up "A Little Bit More" didn't fare as well. Then she, like so many others on the Isle, disappeared. She returned to the dance charts a couple of times years later with the brilliant anthem "I Must Be Free" and "We Gotta Love", and released the MP3 only "Just Can't Get Enough". And apparently she showed up performing with Busta Rhymes and Tone Loc on the Early Show in 1999. But little has been heard from her recently, and this is one diva who deserves the spotlight again, as we, her rabid public, demand a little bit more!

UPDATE (May 2013): An anonymous poster just informed me that Kym is BACK!!  She has a new website and an amazing new song, "Good Morning"!  Kym, I can assure you that everyone here is thrilled to have you back and in rare form! :)  Here are links to her sites and songs:

Video for Good Morning

Buy "Good Morning" at CD Baby

Kym's Website

Kym on Twitter

Kym on Facebook

Video for Too Blind To See It

Video for Take My Advice

Video for A Little Bit More 

Download Too Blind To See It

1		Too Blind To See It
2		Take My Advice
3		A Little Bit More
4		Take Me To The Groove
5		One Look
6		I Found Love
7		Shoulda Known Better
8		In My Eyes
9		Never Shoulda Let You Go
10		I Can't Stop
11		Too Blind To See It (Soul Mix)

Tú - Tú (1987) & Secrets In The Dark (1989) DOUBLE POST!!

How exciting is this? Just when I thought I wouldn't be able to share any classic pop cheese with you for a bit, I get links in my e-mail for the two albums released by Canadian twins Cassandra and Amanda DiBlasi, better known as Tú! My first double post (and how apropos as they're twins!), and justified because they had only one top ten Canadian 'hit', "Stay With Me", and are undoubtedly unknown outside of my homeland. And they seemed to disappear after their second album. I have been wanting to feature them for some time but only have their second album on CD, and I needed to feature both. I remember when they first came out, a fuss was made over their image and the fact they were twins - all the better to deflect from their limited vocal talents and beauty. I always thought they looked like a glammed up version of the 'Tiny Tim' twins from Degrassi Junior High. LOL Anyway, they released several singles and videos that were played on radio and TV in Canada, but once again I suspect the Can Con enforcers were behind it. For the purposes of this blog, however, they couldn't be more perfect!! Very 80's dance-pop bliss, with occasional cheesy pop ballads like the singles "Last Embrace" and "I Used To Cry". I think most of you will find this hits the spot. And you've got to love how they've used the same image for both of their album covers! One suspects the second album consisted of outtakes from the recording of their first... Credit goes to Kirk at their Yahoo fan group. Thanks so much Kirk! You've made my week!! (And thank GOD some uber-fan of theirs has posted their videos on Youtube!!)

Video for Stay With Me

Video for The Language Of Love

Video for Last Embrace

Download Tú

1		The Language Of Love
2		She Can Never Love You
3		Stay With Me
4		Hands Off!
5		Romance Under The Moonlight
6		Office Party
7		(How To) Marry A Millionaire
8		Remote Control
9		Le Freak - Tu Freak
10		Last Embrace

Video for I Used To Cry

Download Secrets In The Dark

1		Stop Breaking My Heart
2		Infidelity
3		I Used To Cry
4		Do You Dream About Me
5		Stop Spreading Rumours
6		Secrets In The Dark
7		First Things First
8		Just Stay Away
9		Time Will Tell

Nikki - Nikki (1989)

Here, courtesy of the big heart of Bomitoni, is only my second post by a male artist! One wouldn't blame you for looking at the cover and thinking "Male?", however. LOL I had bought this album eons ago thinking it was a female, both from the name and the cover image, which is very androgynous, IMO. After the first listen, I was disappointed it was a guy and never gave it a chance, selling the CD to the lowest bidder. But now that Bomitoni has shared it again, I realize it isn't half bad! It's obviously influenced by Prince and at times has the Lewis & Jam vibe, like a poppier version of other slightly more successful male artists like Georgio or St. Paul. Nikki released a few singles from this including the dancey "If You Wanna" and "Ooti Ooti", but only the ballad "Notice Me" made an impact, almost making it into the Billboard Top 20, and Nikki faded away. But it has been revealed that Nikki Lee later renamed himself Michael Mozart and married pop starlet Martika, with whom he formed pop-rock group Oppera (though little can be found to verify this, Bomitoni, Martika's biggest fan, is fairly confident it's true!). They have released two albums thus far, and are apparently at work on another. What a match made in heaven for fans of this blog!

Video for If You Wanna (Many thanks to Maxwell K for uploading it to Youtube!!):

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1		If You Wanna
2		We'll Be Together
3		Notice Me
4		Whoa, Whoa, Whoa
5		Ooti Ooti
6		Body Rub
7		Do You Love Me
8		Wild Boys
9		Come On Over
10		Shadow Man

Liz Torres - The Queen Is In The House (1990)

For my money, there is no one fiercer than Ms. Liz Torres. The woman exudes exotic sexiness and attitude. She is indeed, as her album title implies, THE Queen Of House! Born in Puerto Rico, she moved to Chicago with her family as a child. There, she put her sultry and sassy voice to good use, recording with house pioneers Master C&J and releasing underground hits such as "What You Make Me Feel", "Mama's Boy", and "Can't Get Enough" (which appears on this album in an updated form). They were at the forefront of the popular Chicago house scene. Her vocals were often half-spoken and murmured, with bursts of diva passion and snappy retorts, often in her native Spanish. The songs were compiled for an album on an indie house label (and have recently been reissued on CD). She also released a couple of solo singles, "Touch Of Love" and "Out Of My Life" (which is featured on sister blog Lost Pop Treasures).  Given the underground success of the her tracks with Master C&J, Jive Records snatched her up in 1988. She recorded her album with half of Master C&J, Jessie Jones, producing. The singles "Payback Is A Bitch (What Goes Around Comes Around)" (#9 on the Billboard Dance chart) and "Loca" were perfect introductions to the crazy diva that was Ms. Torres, and they were dance floor scorchers. The label delayed the album's release, however, and it wasn't released until over a year later. The single "If U Keep It Up" (#5 on the Billboard Dance chart), produced by then hot Clivilles & Cole, was issued as a proper introduction to the album and was also a dance smash. But the label failed to promote the album further and it disappeared. And for the most part, so did Liz Torres. She released a few other songs, including "I Don't Want You To Stop", "Don't Let Love Pass You By" and "Set Urself Free" (#11 on the Billboard Dance chart), and did lead vocals on Danny Tenaglia's "Turn Me On", both of which were also dance hits. She also guested on industrial group Excessive Force's album Gentle Death (a combination made in heaven IMO). But otherwise she has kept a very low profile. Considering the reverence so many house music lovers have for her, including myself, she simply MUST return to reclaim her throne ASAP! (And please don't mistake her for nowhere-near-as-fierce actress/singer Liz Torres, of John Larroquette Show and Gilmore Girls fame.)

UPDATE (May 2013):  Isle visitor Gemma just tipped me off that the one and only Liz has returned to music and recently released a new, AMAZING single. Check out "Your Love Is All I Need". So excited to have Liz Torres back!

Video for If U Keep It Up

Download The Queen Is In The House

1		If U Keep It Up
2		Payback Is A Bitch (What Goes Around Comes Around)
3		Love Doesn't Last
4		Friends
5		Love Temptation
6		Work This Way
7		I Hear Voices (Voices Inside My Head)
8		Loca
9		Can't Get Enough (1990 Remix)
10		Losin' You
11		I'm On Fire

Ya Kid K - One World Nation (The Kids Shall Overcome) (1992)

Surely everyone knows Ya Kid K (aka Manuela Kamosi), lead vocalist for eurohouse innovators Technotronic. And surely everyone knows that after their first album, she left the group to pursue a solo career. Her first solo track was "Awesome (You Are My Hero)" from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles soundtrack in 1991, and it became a minor hit in the UK. A year later Technotronic's "Move This" was used for a Revlon commercial in North America and brought the group back to the top of the charts. Even though Ya Kid K was no longer a member, she got a "featuring" credit and appeared prominently in the video (unlike Technotronic's first hit, "Pump Up The Jam", where her vocals were credited to model Felly, who also appeared in the video in her place). This success led to an album deal with SBK Records. "Move This" was featured on the album, but this inclusion did little to garner interest in it. Which is too bad, because had people picked it up, they would have discovered an album with much to offer, with pop, house, techno and hip hop songs aplenty. Backed by a bunch of popular producers, including Technotronic's Jo Bogaert, Gail "Sky" King, Dan Hartman, Biz Markie and the lady herself, the album is a fun, danceable mix of singing and rapping. "Let This Housebeat Drop" (featuring a hot vocal by Lonnie Gordon) and "That Man" were released as singles but failed to make much of an impact and she was dropped from the label. A couple years later she rejoined Technotronic (along with previous postee Daisy Dee) for their album Recall, and was the featured vocalist on their first single from the album, "Move It To The Rhythm". The album was nowhere near the success of their debut, unfortunately, and this new version of the group disbanded. Ya Kid K released a couple more singles over the years, and popped up on occasional Technotronic singles, but she has yet to return to the spotlight she deserves. She still occasionally performs with her sister Karoline, however, who has achieved great success as a pop-rap solo artist in Europe under the moniker Leki. Check her out, she's amazing!

Video for Move This

Video for Let This Housebeat Drop

Download One World Nation (The Kids Shall Overcome)

1		Move This
2		One World Nation
3		That Man
4		Jump It Out
5		You Told Me Sex
6		Come Back Home
7		Let This Housebeat Drop
8		Life
9		Break It Down
10		Risky Business
11		Melt In My Arms
12		Question Of Why
13		Let This Housebeat Drop (French Version)
14		Come Back Home (French Version)

Sweetbox - Everything's Gonna Be Alright (1998)

It's amazing that some acts that we see in North America as one hit wonders live on throughout the rest of the world with flourishing careers. One such act is Sweetbox. Created in Germany in 1995 by Roberto 'Geo' Rosan, Sweetbox was to be an exploration of different kinds of music, fronted by different voices over time. They released a few hip-house singles with various rappers/singers to some success in Europe, including "Shakalaka", "Booyah (Here We Go)" and "Wot". Then Geo met American singer Tina Harris, who had previously recorded as part of eurohouse groups B.O.Y., Security and 2 Secure. Impressed by her ability to both rap and sing well, he recorded an album with her, self-titled in Europe and titled "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" in North America. The title cut, which incorporated "Air On The G String" by Johann Sebastian Bach, was released worldwide and became a huge hit everywhere, even almost hitting the Billboard Top 40 (like Isle postees The Braids, almost but not quite). It stood out as it was a hip hop track that incorporated classical music in the background (a theme that the album and Sweetbox's future music would also follow), and also echoed Bob Marley in the chorus. The album followed suit, featuring Tina's raps and considerable vocals over pop-rap tracks. Four more singles were released from the album, but nothing became of them in North America.  After one last non-album single, "Shout (Let It All Out)," Tina left to pursue a solo career, releasing a solo album, Love Makes The World Go Round, in 2003 in Japan, but never managed to reach the same heights. But Geo kept the group alive, hiring Jade Villalon as lead vocalist. With Jade he recorded several albums, with the focus on a more J-Pop sound (they even remade "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"). Unsurprisingly, they were huge in Japan, and also Europe. None of these albums were released in North America, however, and Sweetbox faded from memory. In 2007, Geo and Jade left Sweetbox and now record as Jade Valerie, while Sweetbox - The Next Generation emerged in 2009 with new frontwoman Jamie (and also recorded a new version of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright"). Who knew?

Video for Everything's Gonna Be Alright

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Video for I'll Die For You

Download Everything's Gonna Be Alright

1		Don't Go Away
2		He Loves Me
3		Mama Papa
4		Everything's Gonna Be Alright
5		If I Can't Have You
6		U Make My Love Come Down
7		Never Never
8		Get On Down
9		Never Wanna Be Alone
10		Sometimes
11		I'll Die For You

Amanda Ghost - Ghost Stories (2000)

Here is an album I was drawn to for three very common reasons in my world - a cool artist name, a cool cover, and a wicked dance track. I'm a sucker for a good song. And in this case it was "Filthy Mind". The song ruled the dance charts, and London-born Amanda followed it up with another dance hit, "Idol". I bought the album as a US import, as I just HAD to have it. Once I listened to it I was a bit put off at first, however. The songs were nowhere near as danceable and propulsive as the remixed versions. But with a few listens they and the album grew on me, with the help of Amanda's unique voice and great songwriting and the production's electronic flourishes. It's best described as techno-pop-rock. It was far from the mainstream, however, and the album got little attention on the pop charts. She did release a third single to garner attention, "Glory Girl", but it didn't fare as well as the others and thus didn't improve album sales. She did not disappear, however. In fact, she thrived - as a songwriter. Aside from some work with friend Boy George, she co-wrote three huge hits over the last few years - James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", Beyonce & Shakira's "Beautiful Liar", and Jordin Sparks' "Tattoo" (also, Sonique covered the haunting song "Empty" on her debut album). And she continues to write and record. She independently released an EP called Blood On The Line in 2006, and appears to be getting ready to reemerge, as her official website is 'under construction'.

Video for Filthy Mind

Video for Idol

Video for Glory Girl

Download Ghost Stories

1		Filthy Mind
2		Idol
3		Glory Girl
4		The Wrong Man
5		Cellophane
6		Blind Man
7		Silver Lining
8		Empty
9		A Child Believes
10		Numb

The Braids - Here We Come (1998)

The Braids were, to my surprise (once again), a US based duo consisting of lifelong friends Zoë Ellis and Caitlin Cornwell (from the album cover I always assumed they were from the Netherlands for some reason...). They were sought out and brought into the studio by Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of alt-rock group Third Eye Blind, of all people. He wanted to record a hip-hop version of Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody", which the label wanted for the soundtrack to the film High School High. Though he originally imagined a quartet, the ladies did such a great job that he left it as a duo. The song became a hit around the world, even almost making the Billboard Top 40. They released their only album soon after. It included a pretty diverse collection of original songs as well as a couple more unexpected covers. Jenkins produced the entire album and it seems he wanted an eclectic mix, as the songs range from rock to hip hop to funk to techno and beyond. The Braids also released their covers of David Bowie's "Young Americans" and Cat Stevens' "The Wind" as singles with dance mixes, but they were vast departures from their debut single and they went nowhere. The album was likely too diverse for mass public consumption, though it is good. The ladies recorded nothing more as The Braids, but they continued to do backing vocals together. Zoë has continued to record, releasing an independent jazz album, while Caitlin is part of conscious funk collective Bop City.

Video for Bohemian Rhapsody

Download Here We Come

1		Bohemian Rhapsody
2		The Wind
3		Giant Steps
4		Young Americans
5		I Don't Feel You Anymore
6		Something To Believe In
7		Jazzy Life
8		Static In The Wire
9		Fire Escape
10		Mine Is My Own
11		Bohemian Rhapsody (Acoustic)

Sarina Paris - Sarina Paris (2001)

Once again, when looking for info on one of my 'deserted' artists, I've learned something that totally surprises me. In the case of Sarina Paris, it is that she is Canadian! I always assumed that she was from Europe somewhere, especially given the style of music she performs. But no, Sarina was born in Canada. She did move to Italy in 1996 to take part in a children's project. She had recorded a couple freestyle songs on compilations and was soon discovered and signed to EMI in Italy. Her first single "Look At Us" immediately appeared in clubs and on dance charts around the world. The song even almost made it into the Billboard Top 50 a couple years after it's initial release. She released her self-titled album soon after the single hit the US charts. It made a brief appearance on the album charts and then disappeared. She released the similar-sounding "Just About Enough" to little interest. Indeed, the album is very repetitive, with a constant trancey-eurohouse beat (similar to the Rollergirl album posted previously) supporting her girlish, synthetically altered voice (think Cher's "Believe"). She does slow it down once, with a remake of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", but she still has robotic effects on her voice. Despite the lack of a follow-up hit, she was nominated for a Juno, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. And she has a Myspace page, so perhaps we'll hear more from her in the future.

Video for Look At Us

Video for Just About Enough

Download Sarina Paris

1		Look At Us
2		You
3		So I Wait
4		Just About Enough
5		Love In Return
6		True Colors
7		Angel
8		Dreamin' Of You
9		The Single Life
10		True Love
11		Romeo's Dead
12		All In The Way
13		I Love You

S.O.A.P. - S.O.A.P. (1998) & Miracle (2000) DOUBLE POST!!

S.O.A.P. were Danish sisters Heidi (born Suriyatim) & Saseline Sørensen. After releasing their debut album, Not Like Other Girls, in their native Denmark and achieving local success, they were chosen by Mariah Carey to be on her short-lived vanity label Crave. The teen pop scene was booming, and obviously Mariah (or more likely her 'people') thought S.O.A.P. were the next big thing. They released the album in North America with only the group's name as the title. The first single "This Is How We Party" made it onto the Billboard charts, but only to number 51. They also toured NA with the Backstreet Boys. But thanks to label turmoil and changing public tastes, no other single was released in NA, though "Ladidi Ladida" and "Stand By You" (also recorded by S Club 7) were released in Europe. Again, it's a huge shame that this group did not make it big, as this is one of my fave pop albums ever. The melodies are pop perfection, and the girls harmonies are gorgeous. There are excellent dance numbers, a la fellow Danes Aqua, and the ballads are fantastic (and I'm not usually a fan of ballads). Every song on the album is perfect, IMO, and I was so sad nothing more was released by the girls in North America. They released a follow-up album in 2000, Miracle, but only in Europe, and it fared OK, but not near as well as their debut, with only the first single "S.O.A.P. Is In The Air" hitting the Danish and Swedish charts.. They have recorded nothing together since, though there was talk that Saseline, now known as Line, was recording a solo album. She also hosted a dance music show in Denmark titled Boogie, and models and has a make-up line called Sasé. And I can find nothing solid on Heidi (though there is a former Playboy model and a Norwegian politician who have the same name and much more internet presence). I so wish these ladies would get back together and make my pop fantasies come true once again!

UPDATE: Saseline did indeed finally release her solo album Restart in 2010 as well as the singles "Best Friend" and "I Hate To Say It", which have all done fairly well in her homeland. Her style is still fun dance pop, thankfully. Check out her Facebook page. And Heidi, under the name Suriya, released the fun pop-rock tune and video "My Desire" in 2007, appeared as a featured vocalist in 2009 on the song "Yeah That's Me" by Lexicon Saints and is currently working on her solo album. Check out her Myspace page.

Video for This Is How We Party

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Video for Not Like Other Girls

Download S.O.A.P. 

1		Stand By You
2		This Is How We Party
3		Romeo & Juliet
4		Not Like Other Girls
5		Who Can I Talk To
6		Simon Says
7		Ladidi Ladida
8		Wishing
9		Deep In My Heart
10		Dowuchalike
11		Live Forever

Video for S.O.A.P. Is In The Air

Download Miracle

1	S.O.A.P Is In The Air
2	We Are The Good
3	Mr. DJ
4	One Love Only
5	Welcome To My Party
6	Like A Stone (In The Water)
7	Abracadabra
8	Give It All You Got
9	Smile At Me
10	Good 2 Me
11	I Wanna Go Back

Abigail - Feel Good (1994)

Abigail was the reigning queen of HiNRG/eurohouse by the time her first album was released. She topped the dance charts with several uptempo remakes of songs that most people couldn't imagine as dance songs: Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit", k.d lang's "Constant Craving" and REM's "Losing My Religion (though Rozalla also did a dance version of that song). Her album contained even more remakes, like Tanita Tikaram's "Twist In My Sobriety" (also remade into a dance version by Liza Minnelli) and Donna Summer's Barry Manilow-written "Could It Be Magic". But the album also included hot original dance tracks, like the 'hit' "Don't You Wanna Know" and "Stop The Hands Of Time". The songs were produced by one of HiNRG's premiere producers, Ian Anthony Stevens, so Abigail's music was ensured a big gay fan base. :) But, this being dance music, Abigail didn't achieve much success on the pop charts, though she and the album did win dance music awards. She released a few singles that also became dance hits in the following years but otherwise kept a low profile. She re-emerged with a new album on an independent label in 2005 entitled Home...Again, released under her full name Abigail Zsiga. She left dance music behind, instead focusing on her passion for songwriting and acoustic, pop rock music. She did tickle the dance floor a year later, however, with featured vocals on the house song "Lay Down" by 10 Monkeys. Luckily the lady stays true to her audience while exploring different musical genres.

Video for Smells Like Teen Spirit

Video for Don't You Wanna Know

Download Feel Good

1		Smells Like Teen Spirit (The Guitar Vocal Radio Version)
2		Constant Craving
3		Don't You Wanna Know?
4		How Can You Call It Love?
5		Losing My Religion
6		Feel Good
7		Stop The Hands Of Time
8		Twist In My Sobriety
9		Don't Tell Me Why
10		What Goes Around Comes Around
11		Could It Be Magic
12		Smells Like Teen Spirit (Original Version)

Jane Jensen - Comic Book Whore (1996), Burner (2002) & My Rockabye (2007) TRIPLE POST!!!

Now for something a little different, pop with a heavier edge. Jane Jensen was part of odd, alt-trance industrial group Oxygiene 23 when Nine Inch Nails eventually blew up. Major labels scrambled for any act that had even the remotest similarity to NIN, their prerequisite being basically synthy, danceable, melodic hard rock (see Dink, Filter, Marilyn Manson, Gravity Kills, Garbage, etc.). Jane appeared to be the female answer to NIN's Trent Reznor. She had experience in and a taste for synth-edged pop rock with a hint of industrial bombast, and wrote catchy melodies. Nine Inch Nails' label Interscope snatched her up and released this, her only major label album. The first single "More Than I Can" got some play on alternative radio and the video was also in rotation, showcasing her pretty, innocent-looking image. The song merged Jane's girlish vocals and pop sensibility with a crunchy synth backbeat, leaving a sweet AND sour taste. Her next single and video "Luv Song", which was even poppier, failed to get the same attention, especially in a market that now seemed over-saturated with these industrial pop acts. She began recording her follow-up, Burner, with the label, but ended up releasing it on her own label, Autozen, in 2000. In 2007 she released another more old-school pop-rock album titled My Rockabye on her label, and continues to pursue her passion for music.















Video for More Than I Can

Video for Luv Song

Download Comic Book Whore

1 More Than I Can
2 Luv Song
3 King
4 Cowboy
5 Highway 90
6 Listen
7 Blank Sugar
8 Dream Ridiculous Implausible
9 Clumsy
10 Superstar
11 Be Just Sound

Download Burner

1 Fast Girl U.S.A.
2 Burner
3 Miss You
4 Candy & Razor Blades
5 Happiness
6 Rock That
7 Save The World
8 Illuminate
9 Sick Of Losing
10 Immortal
11 Perfect
12 Angel

Download My Rockabye

1 Bee
2 Bedtime Baby
3 Junkyard
4 Jim Jones
5 Lovers
6 Sweet Child
7 Rollin' In
8 New Love
9 Divorce
10 Last Dance
11 Okay Children Gather Around
12 Saturday Night

M-Appeal - M-Appeal (1999)

M-Appeal was the pseudonym for Tina Savoie, a singer from Nova Scotia (a beautiful ocean-dwelling eastern province of Canada, for those not in the know). I can't really give you much more info on her other than the possibility that her pseudonym is based on a reinterpretation of the name Emma Peel, from the British cult hit TV show (and a fave of mine), The Avengers. Anyway, the album consists of eurohouse/pop remakes of a vast array of pop songs, a few that were hits by fellow Canadian artists, those being Glass Tiger, Jane Child, Sheriff and Luba (whose "Let It Go" was also covered on the Sequal album posted here earlier). Other tracks are covers of popular songs by artists as varied as Dr. Hook, Steve Winwood, Paul Young, Katrina & The Waves and Heart. Alas, the album didn't make much of an impact, even in her native Canada. "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All", an Air Supply cover, was released as a single and appeared on some compilations, but no one was biting, unfortunately. It's good fun if you want some dancey covers of some old pop nuggets.

**UPDATE - I have been set straight on the origins of the term M-Appeal by an anonymous source: "Actually, Emma Peel's name was a cheeky wink at the already-existing phrase and concept of 'M. Appeal'--or 'Man Appeal,' a quality to which women working on television were supposed to aspire."

Download M-Appeal

1		When I'm With You
2		Someday
3		Don't Wanna Fall In Love
4		Sharing The Night Together
5		Higher Love
6		Let It Go
7		Everytime You Go Away
8		I Count The Minutes
9		Walking On Sunshine
10		Don't Say No
11		What About Love
12		Making Love Out Of Nothing At All
13		Someday (DJs Rule Espace Radio Mix)
14		I Count The Minutes (Derek's Wubbie Mix - Radio Edit)

Mikaila - Mikaila (2001)

Mikaila was just another of the many female teen pop tarts, like previous postees Myra and Amanda, that followed in the wake of the pop bulldozer that was Britney Spears. But none had enough vocal personality, presence or sex appeal to eclipse Brit, except Christina Aguilera, and that was no doubt due to her powerful pipes. Mikaila has a nice enough voice and was backed with production by pop giants like StarGate and BAG & Arnthor, both of whom had great success in Britain producing pop songs for groups like S Club 7, Five, and Mis-teeq, and in the US on more hip-hoppish songs by the likes of J. Lo. Rihanna, Mya and Nelly. Her music is definitely pop with a hip hop edge, perhaps a bit more R&B than her peers, but not by much. She had one semi-hit with her first single, "So In Love With Two", which reached number 25 on the Billboard 100 (and has some awesome freestyle mixes). But no hits followed, and like most of her peers, she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared, and with little fanfare. She has recorded nothing of note since, though die-hard fans should track down the gospel album she recorded five years earlier, titled This Little Light and released using her full name Mikaila Enriquez. There are also a couple fan sites out there should you really need more Mikaila. ;)

Video for So In Love With Two

Download Mikaila

1		So In Love With Two
2		Straight To My Face
3		Forever, For Always, For You
4		Playground
5		Talkin' 'Bout Me
6		It's All Up To You
7		Perfect World
8		My Dream Is Gone
9		My Heaven
10		Emotional
11		Because Of You
12		My Heart Can't Let You Go

Solar Twins - Solar Twins (1999)

Solar Twins were former lovers David Norland and Joanna Stevens. They traveled from their native London to Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal. Once there, they didn't have long to wait until they were plucked out of obscurity by Guy Oseary, the head honcho (next to Madonna, of course) of Maverick Records, thanks to a performance at the celeb hot spot The Viper Room. But for every Maverick success story like Alanis Morissette, there were ten stories like that of Solar Twins. Their music was certainly inventive, very electronic, with pop, breakbeat and drum ' n' bass elements. In fact, unsurprisingly, their music was very similar to Madge's 'experimental' Ray Of Light album, released the year before. Unlike Madonna, however, they had no profile of any sort to fall back on, and their experimental music fell on mostly puzzled, deaf ears. They released two singles, "Alleluias" and a remake of the Clash's hit "Rock The Casbah", and had a couple songs on soundtracks, but to no avail. They began recording a follow-up, but Maverick's troubles ensured it would never be completed. Joanna went on to do vocals on albums by electronic acts like Delirium and Conjure One, while David has most recently reappeared as a songwriter and producer for Disney acts like Vanessa Hudgens and the Cheetah Girls.

Video for Rock The Casbah

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1		Puppet
2		Nightfall
3		Better Life
4		Alleluias
5		Rock The Casbah
6		Living Your Dream
7		Earthbound
8		Astral Hymn
9		Out There
10		Splintered
11		Cybersadhu
12		Swayambhu