Degrees Of Motion - Degrees Of Motion (1992)

Degrees Of Motion was an act that was pretty much enshrouded in mystery. They burst on the scene in 1991 with the house stomper "Do You Want It Right Now", a song originally recorded by Siedah Garrett (and also covered by Taylor Dayne on her debut album). The song just dented the Billboard Hot 100, but it was a smash hit in the UK. This was followed up with "Shine On", which became a top 40 dance hit in the US. The third single, "Soul Freedom", would become their biggest US success, making the top 10 on the US dance chart. But it was never certain whether Degrees Of Motion was a group or just a collective of vocalists used by producer Richie Jones, the mastermind behind the project. Though they had some success, nothing was written about them. The face of the group was undoubtedly Biti, who sang lead on most of the album and their 'hits', but the rest of the songs on the album were performed by three other vocalists: Mariposa (who does a version of another Taylor Dayne track, "Up All Night"), Balle Legend and Kit West. They also all appear in the videos and on the back of the album cover. Virtually nothing was or is known about these performers. The mystery surrounding the act didn't help their public profile, and this album was their first and last. Only one other song, "Celebrate", was released under the name. But "Do You Want It Right Now" is considered a club classic and has been remixed and rereleased many times over the years, as has "Shine On", so the Degrees Of Motion name still lingers in the public consciousness.

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1		Do You Want It Right Now
2		Xpression
3		Shine On
4		Soul Freedom
5		So In Like With You
6		Feel The Funkiness
7		One Strike
8		Live It Up
9		360 Degrees
10		Up All Night
11		Do You Want It Right Now (King Street Mix)

Lauren Christy - Lauren Christy (1993) & Breed (1997) DOUBLE POST!!

I'm feeling generous once again, as I've been a little lax in my posts as of late. So here I give you a double post of the solo works of Lauren Christy. Lauren was born in the UK and studied ballet as a child, but as a teen decided to pursue music. She formed a band and wrote many songs, signing with Mercury Records based on her songwriting skills. Her first self-titled album was geared toward the adult contemporary market. It consists of mostly ballads, with light synth elements, sort of like Sarah Brightman's Dive album or something more accessible by Tori Amos. (It was produced by Tony Peluso, who also worked with previous postees Apollonia, Teen Dream and Rebel Pebbles, if that helps!) I think it's a beautiful album. I even gave the song "You Read Me Wrong" to a former 'lover' as an apology (so dramatic, LOL). The song "You Read Me Wrong" was a slight hit on the Billboard AC chart, but the album faded quickly. It seemed Lauren's chance at popdom was over, as nothing more was heard from her (aside from the theme song to the Bruce Willis movie "The Color Of Night" in 1993, which almost made the Billboard Hot 100). But four years later Lauren re-emerged with a new look and sound. Instead of soft introspective ballads, her sound was now mostly crunchy rock. Equal parts Garbage, Natalie Imbruglia and Tori, it was an extreme change from her first album. But it was even less successful, alas. The title track was featured on the Batman & Robin soundtrack, the song "Magazine" hit number 40 on the obscure Billboard Adult chart, and the critics loved the album, but the public mostly ignored it. Luckily for Lauren, a few years later she hooked up with Graham Edwards and Scott Spock and formed the production team (and brief recording act, with Katy Perry) The Matrix. Their work with Avril Lavigne catapulted them into the pop conscience, and Lauren finally had her taste of stardom, though behind the scenes. She, with the Matrix, has applied her considerable songwriting and production talent to numerous successful pop acts since.

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1		Rain
2		You Read Me Wrong
3		Steep
4		The Rumour
5		River Of Time
6		Vanessa's Father
7		My Jeans I Want Them Back
8		Adult Afraid Of The Light
9		Meet Me In America
10		Woman's Song
11		Take Me To The Church

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1		Breed
2		I Want What I Want
3		Magazine
4		You Make Me Laugh
5		25 Back Then
6		Boomerang Bang
7		Burn
8		Letterbomb
9		Could've Been
10		The Night I Saved Peter Ustinov
11		Breed

Sandra Bernhard - Excuses For Bad Behavior, Part 1 (1994)

I'm sure most of you know Sandra Bernhard, the comedian/actress probably best remembered in the music world as Madonna's gal pal for awhile. I have been a huge fan of her pop-culture based comedy since before she met Madonna, mostly due to her hilarious appearances on talk shows in the late 1980s. She has always included music in her stand-up act, and she has released several live recordings of her act before and after this release. But this album was her only one recorded in the studio and not based on her stand-up performances. It includes a few remakes and many new tracks, and is mostly comprised of songs, with a few short comedy bits. All of the songs are meant to have a sense of humour and/or social relevance. The album was produced in part by frequent collaborator Mitch Kaplan, who also produced a lot of the Sofia Shinas album also posted here. This music has that vibe, incorporating synth-pop, R&B and house elements. Her voice is quite powerful, if sometimes out of pitch. Her remake of Sylvester's disco classic "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" was a hit on the Billboard dance chart. But otherwise the album went mostly ignored. Though she was hoping for pop stardom, it didn't happen, unfortunately. She also released "Manic Superstar", which is an interesting combination of Jimi Hendrix's "Manic Depression" and "Everything's Alright" from Jesus Christ Superstar, but it failed to hit. She has continued with her successful comedy/music shows (I've seen her perform three times and loved all the shows) and, as I mentioned, has released several live shows on CD. She even had another minor dance hit with "On The Runway". But I eagerly await her return to the studio for Excuses For Bad Behavior, Part 2. Please? (Oops, I stand corrected! She HAS released a Part 2, available from her website. But what I want is an all music studio album!!)

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1		Excuses For Bad Behavior
2		You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
3		Manic Superstar
4		(I'm Waiting)
5		Who Knew?!
6		Innocence
7		The Letter
8		Lonely Town
9		Christmas
10		Prophecies
11		Sympathy For The Devil
12		Manhattan
13		Phone Sex (Do You Want Me Tonight?)
14		(I'm Waiting)
15		50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
16		La Lupe
17		The Woman I Could've Been (Dedicated To Laura Nyro)

Tina B. - Honey To A Bee: The Best Of Tina B. (1995)

Generally I would not post a "Best Of" collection here, as the title would imply that the artist has a lot of popular material to their credit. In the case of Tina B., however, that's not entirely the case. While she did indeed have a few dance hits (the first three songs on here and "Nothing's Gonna Come Easy" all made the Billboard Dance Charts and are considered freestyle classics), she only released one self-titled album in 1984. I have that album on vinyl and perhaps will one day post it when I get the ability to rip vinyl, but I think this is a more enjoyable example of her work anyway. It pulls together all of her singles as well as random tracks from other unknown sources. Not much info can be found on Tina Baker. I do know she is (was?) married to 80's electro uber-producer Arthur Baker and that he produced her solo album as well. She was also part of his Goon Squad and Rockers Revenge groups and did back-up vocals on many of his productions and lead vocals on the track "Jazzy Sensation" by The Kryptic Krew . She also participated in the Artists United Against Apartheid "Sun City" project, the video for which likely gave her her biggest exposure. Other than writing for other artists (including West End Girls, whose collection is also posted here), I can't find out much else about her. Unlike most freestyle divas in recent times, she does not have a Myspace site that I can find. Which is a shame, as her songs "Honey To A Bee" and "January February" helped to define the freestyle era for me, and I would welcome her return to the scene.

**UPDATE: Thanks yet again to Consolecharlie, I have more info on Tina's whereabouts. She actually does have a website which outlines her entire career and includes samples of her music. Go HERE. And she DOES have a Myspace page HERE. Apparently she recorded an album called Artful Dodger that was never released and was part of a duo called A Man And A Woman with Mitch Kaplan, who also worked with Sandra Bernhard on her album also posted here. More recently she has been living in London and has recorded two albums, OperaTronix and Ker, that explore a new type of music, mixing electronic beats with operatic vocals, which is Tina's latest passion. She has also released a DVD of herself performing these albums live (there are clips posted on Youtube). All of these albums can be purchased through her website, along with a singles collection of her own that features more tracks off of her self-titled first album. Go to both websites for much more info on the lady. I'm thrilled to discover that she is indeed still recording and has a considerable web presence!! Thanks again, Cc! :)

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1		Honey To A Bee
2		January, February
3		Miracles Explode
4		Something's Gotta Give
5		Bodyguard
6		Give It All For Love '87
7		Give It All For Love '90
8		Testimonial
9		Every Time I Look At You
10		Fools And Angels
11		How Can A Heart
12		Each Time You Go
13		Hang On Baby (Wild Wild World)
14		Count My Blessings
15		Don't Tell A Soul
16		Nothing's Gonna Come Easy

Pam Russo - A Girl Like Me (1989)

The first time I heard of Pam Russo was when I saw her song "It Works For Me" listed in the top ten in a dance chart magazine. In those days I bought nearly every 12" single by a female artist in those charts, and this was no exception. The song was an excellent freestyle-pop number that I greatly enjoyed, but I thought that was it for her. I only recently discovered that she released an album, and a very generous Isle devotee was kind enough to send me the mp3s. Thanks a ton again!! The album is total dance-pop of the late '80s, with freestyle, house and R&B touches aplenty. Further research reveals that "It Works For Me" reached the top 40 on the Billboard Dance Charts, and an earlier single from 1987, "You Can't Take My Love", almost made it into that chart's top ten. She released two more tracks from this album, "Hold Tight" and "Love Is The Way To My Heart", but neither charted, and nothing has been heard from her since. And that's about all I know, though a Youtube entry indicates that she sang on the demo for the Cover Girls' first hit, "Show Me". And she has a Myspace page, but it appears inactive. If anyone out there has any idea what a girl like Pam is up to now, please let us know and we'll be forever in your debt.

Download A Girl Like Me

1		Love Is The Way To My Heart
2		I Want You For My Own
3		Hold Tight
4		I'll Be There
5		All For You
6		It Works For Me
7		Might As Well Forget
8		Two Lovers
9		I Can't Let You Go
10		A Girl Like Me

Nicki Richards - Naked (To The World) (1991)

Nicki Richards has recently been in the spotlight thanks to her appearance in both Madonna's 'Confessions' and 'Sticky & Sweet' tours. She took back-up vocal duties from another Niki (Haris) (well, actually from her successor Siedah Garrett, whose solo album may also be featured here), and thus had her highest profile gig ever. But the lady has been around for years, doing backing vocals as well as releasing her own material. Well, at least this album. It is a soulful pop-R&B-dance album, made even better by her stellar vocals and it's atmospheric vibe. It also includes a few remakes, the most unlikely being Seals & Crofts' soft rock nugget "Summer Breeze". Her remake was released as a single and it did manage to reach the top 30 of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart, as did her first single "Naked". But that was it for Nicki's moment in the spotlight, and she had to blend into the background for many years as a backing and featured vocalist, most notably replacing another Niki (Haris) as one of Madonna's touring backing vocalists. But she finally released released some solo work again in 2008. The remixes of her songs "Bring The Love" and "Why You Wanna Hurt Me So Bad?", from her independently released album Nicki, both landed on the Billboard Dance Charts, and she released another independent album, Tell Me..., in 2012, giving her a second chance at solo stardom after 17 years!

Video for Summer Breeze

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1		Naked
2		New Days Of Rage
3		Sunshine
4		I Won't Let Go
5		Summer Breeze
6		Voyage To Atlantis
7		What Happened To Us
8		What's Goin' On?
9		Fire's Burnin'
10		Dirty Job
11		His World
12		Paris

Blaise Pascal - Hairspray (2000)

You could say that Blaise Pascal came and went in a 'blaise' of glory. Hailing from Toronto, her songwriting got some notice. In 1996 she won the Annual National Songwriting Competition and came in second in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, for which she won $30,000 from FACTOR (Foundation to Support Canadian Talent on Records) to make her debut album (the grants for the arts are one of the things that makes Canada great, IMO). She chose not to shop the album around and instead released the album on an independent label. This was likely her downfall. Though she had some publicity for the album, she would have had much more with a major label. When you have a low profile in Canada, especially as a Canadian musician, you know you're in trouble. The album came and went with some critical accolades and not much else. It is a pleasant enough pop rock album, reminiscent of singers like Lisa Loeb or Nina Gordon or even previous postee Stella Soleil. I have no idea what she's up to lately, mainly because her name is the same as the famous French mathemetician, physicist and religious philosopher. A name change is highly recommended...

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1		Only Way
2		10 Feet High
3		Rush
4		Angel Baby
5		God Bless America
6		22 Years
7		Order Me
8		Hairspray
9		Walk In Chinatown
10		Worthy

Susie K - Rhythm Keeps Movin (1995)

I discovered Susie K only recently, when I was researching for the David Burrill post. He was a producer and co-writer on this album, along with his DV8 partner Chad Spikes. This album appeared on the same label as his debut, the Hollywood based Macola Record Co.. It was a small label, as is obvious from this album's cover, which looks like it was done in 2 minutes with Microsoft Paint. LOL Anyway, I ordered it immediately, as I really liked the house sound on Burrill's first album and hoped this would be the same. And it is, but better! Susie has a voice reminiscent of Taylor Dayne, and the songs are all upbeat pop-house. It is an extremely pleasant surprise. Who is Susie K? Who knows, but here are the liner notes to give you some idea: "Susie K is a red-haired, green-eyed dynamic singer from Orlando, Florida. This is her first album. Previous to her work on this high energy dance album, she spent six years singing all over the United States in dance clubs, top Las Vegas casinos, performing in musicals, and being featured in commercials, television shows, and talk shows. With a three-octave vocal range, this classically trained versatile singer has also done much studio work and considers herself fortunate that one of her studio jobs led her to her talented songwriters, David Burrill and Chad Spikes. Their collaboration has been magic. " Indeed!

UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, Consolecharlie managed to track down Susie K and located her Myspace site! She is now known as Susie Reale, is a mother of three, and still sings and lives in Orlando. She is currently a singer for hire, looking for part-time work singing at events in Orlando. She even mentions this album and how the label was so small they couldn't afford to promote it. LOL

UPDATE 2: Hooray, Susie just visited and left a comment!  Thanks so much for visiting, Susie!  So glad things are well and you enjoy the post! :)  Here's Susie's comment:

"Well hello! It's Susie...! After looking at some old photos I thought I'd Google myself to see what I'd find... I'm glad the writer above liked my voice. Glad to see I was researched, even if it is for being a 'deserted pop star' LOL!  FYI - I am happily married 14 years, 3 beautiful young girls (all of whom can sing!) and I run a real estate investment company in Orlando. I love to sing as needed but found that sometimes it's better to be rich than famous... :o)"

Download Rhythm Keeps Movin

1		Rhythm Keeps Movin
2		Sanctuary Of Love
3		Someone's Got A Hold On Me
4		Do You Wanna Dance
5		Don't Stop The Dream
6		It's A Love Of A Lifetime
7		Yes, It's Over
8		Walk Away From Love
9		Say Goodbye