S.H.E. - 3's A Charm (1997)

Though it would take another 8 years, Tyren Perry, whom I featured in my last post, did reappear on a major music label, this time on Interscope sub-label T.W.IsM. Records, a vanity label for basketballer and rapper Shaquille O'Neal. She teamed up with sisters Jania and Jaimee Foxworth to form R&B trio S.H.E.. Tyren and Jania had previously sang together as backing vocalists on Quincy Jones' Back On The Block album in 1989, the same year Tyren released her only solo album, and both continued to take occasional acting and session singing gigs. With their sister Jaimee they had grown up singing three part harmonies, but Jamie soon found another calling, as an actress. Also in 1989, at ten years old, she was cast in the successful sitcom Family Matters as youngest daughter Judy Winslow. She was in the series for four seasons, but after requesting a pay increase which couldn't be justified by the producers, who didn't know what to do with her character anyway, she was let go. She managed to get another sitcom, Getting By, but it was short-lived. While she and her sisters continued to get bit work, she could not find another substantial role thanks to her association with her Family Matters character, a fate which befalls many a child actor. After putting so much into their daughters' stagnant careers, their family began to suffer financial difficulties. The sisters decided to band together as a group in another attempt at a music career. They were noticed by Shaquille O'Neal, who featured them on his second album, You Can't Stop The Reign, in 1996. He signed them to his label and they released their first single, "My Secret Is" the same year. Though the single got little attention, they still managed to release their album the next year. They also managed to get a track, "We Got Heart", on the soundtrack to the movie Steel, starring Shaq. The album was smooth pop/R&B, a less street version of the sound groups like SWV and Total were exploring. I'd compare them to the UK's Cleopatra, but with much better harmonies. Unfortunately the trio didn't stand out from the numerous other R&B girl groups of the time and they were dropped. They remained out of the spotlight after that, which put a strain on their family, and it was rumoured that their parents declared bankruptcy. Jaimee was affected the most and ended up battling substance abuse. In a desperate attempt to cash in on her childhood fame and make some money, she ended up in porn, taking the name Crave and starring in several porn movies. Meanwhile, Tyren and Jania continued to pursue music. Most recently Tyren is lead singer of the heavy metal group Kai's Army, and she promises new music soon. You can watch live performances on her Myspace page. She also still dabbles in acting. Jania did backing vocals and choreography for Heather Headley, among others, and also continued to act. She had a dance hit in 2007 with The Perry Twins entitled "Activate My Body". You can catch up with her on her Myspace and Youtube pages. And Jaimee found herself back on television, this time as a patient in Dr. Drew's VH1 reality show, Celebrity Rehab. She has since had a son and apparently kicked her substance abuse, and is rumoured to be releasing an autobiography. I'll be first in line to get it!

Download 3's A Charm

1		S.H.E. (Interlude)
2		In The Middle
3		I Wouldn't Take Her Back
4		My Secret Is
5		24 Hours
6		I Can Do That (Interlude)
7		I'll Never Leave You
8		Player
9		Get Back With You
10		Summer Rain
11		Hi, Mommy, I Love You (Interlude)
12		Good Thing Going
13		Should I Tell Him?

Tyren Perry - Don't Rush It (1989)

Back in the day I picked up a cassingle for 99 cents by a young American singer I had never heard of, Tyren Perry. The single was for the song "You Are My Everything", which was a pretty unspectacular ballad. But the b-side was a brilliant funk pop jam, "I Get Butterflies (In My Stomach)", in the vein of early Shanice Wilson or Janet Jackson. While I played the single repeatedly over the years, I never thought much more about Tyren. I knew that she had released an album, but at the time it wasn't released in Canada and US imports were hard to come by (thank God for the internet, non?). Anyway, in recent years I have really gotten back into that late 80s pop-funk sound and remembered Tyren. Well, many thanks once again to Adriana, I now have Tyren's album. And it's a solid pop-funk album with great vocals by Tyren that I'm sorry I missed all of these years. But that alone isn't what made me want to post it here. After doing research on Tyren I discovered some interesting details about her past and family. Before she was signed to Columbia Records, she did some acting, most notably a few episodes of Diff'rent Strokes and as a regular on the short-lived sitcom Bustin' Loose in 1987. In 1986 she joined Tonya Townsend as the duo Tahiti, and the two released a soundtrack album to the cartoon The Real Ghostbusters. This work led to Columbia Records signing the then 16 year old and hooking her up with established producer Ollie Brown (one half of disco duo Ollie & Jerry). Unfortunately none of the singles off of the album, which were "You Are My Everything", "I Get Butterflies (In My Stomach)" and "What's Up", had much of an impact, with only "What's Up" barely denting the R&B charts. After Tyren was dropped by the label, she managed to get a few more acting gigs but seemingly disappeared from the music scene...but she did not, as she joined her sisters in the group S.H.E. in 1997, which you can read all about in their post HERE.;)
 
UPDATE:  Hooray, Tyren herself wrote a comment here!  She's back to making music, and we all wait with bated breath for it!  (And girl, I DO like a good ballad in my older age, I just wasn't into them when I was younger. lol) Thanks so much for visiting, Tyren!!  Here's her comment: 

"This post made my day! I am so glad to read that you all enjoyed this album. It's fun and refreshing to know that it hasn't lost it's charm and all of the fun energy that went into it :) I'm working on new music with my band Kai's Army and I am looking forward to sharing it with you all.... Alas, Nasty G, you might have to endure a few ballads ;)"

Download Don't Rush It

1		I Get Butterflies (In My Stomach)
2		What's Up?
3		Do It
4		Hey Mister Postman
5		Don't Rush It
6		I'm Sure It's Love
7		You Are My Everything
8		Better Late Than Never

John James - Big Fat Soul (1989) & Mothers Of Hope (1993) DOUBLE POST!!

Well, I just got back from London, England, this week and am sad to say that I didn't find any gems for the blog. But fear not, I still have tons to share. ;) Next up is Canadian John James. Unfortunately, due to his having such a common name, I can't really give you too much info on his bio and what he's been up to recently. I do know that his home base was Toronto. After signing to Attic Records, he first appeared on the dance music scene with his synth-pop song "She Bought Love". It was his next single, however, that got him the greatest attention. The housey "I Wanna Know" became a minor club hit. His debut album Big Fat Soul contained both of these singles as well as other house tracks, but focused mainly on funk and soul sounds, thus the title. This type of sound was an anomaly at the time from a white male artist (I've been informed that he is half black, but he was still very light-skinned and thought of as white by most), and that angle was likely what attracted the label. It would be many years before Jamiroquai would mine the same genre. Two more singles were released, the funky "Trust Me" and "(Still) The Beat Goes On", and then John soon disappeared from the music scene. Four years later he returned with Mothers Of Hope, preceded by the single "Jack Boogie", and he had moved his music even further into the funk/soul sound, with a heavy dose of acid jazz as well (this, incidentally, was the same year Jamiroquai released his first album, which featured a similar vibe). The next single "Supernatural" got some radio play, as did the single release of the title track, but once again John soon faded from the public eye. He continued to work behind the scenes in the late 90s, however, as a producer and remixer, teaming up with friend John Acquaviva, a respected DJ, producer and co-founder of Pulse 8 Records. They also released an EP as The James Gang that contained the jazzy house track "The Way We Feel" in 1998. Since then little has been heard from John. However, I do know that he still hangs out in Toronto occasionally, as many years ago I was at a friend's house and went tipsily looking for the washroom. I went the wrong way and ended up upstairs, barging into a bedroom, and who should be sitting there but none other than John James himself! It turns out that my friend was living with his mother! I simply excused myself, but had I of known that I'd be doing this blog one day, I would have drilled him for details on what he's been up to! LOL

Video for I Wanna Know

Download Big Fat Soul

1		I Wanna Know
2		Bobbie's Turn
3		Jet Black
4		Lime Light
5		You Really Got To Me
6		Trust Me
7		She Bought Love
8		That Man
9		Red Rover
10		(Still) The Beat Goes On

Video for Supernatural

Download Mothers Of Hope

1		Supernatural
2		Mothers Of Hope - Gospel Segue
3		Mothers Of Hope
4		Pride And Shame
5		Overview Of Madness
6		Blinding Rhythms - Segue
7		Feeling Twilight
8		Deep Inside
9		Jack Boogie
10		Please Do Not Read
11		Bob Had A Dollar
12		Horns Of Time - Segue
13		Close The Mouth
14		Mothers Of Hope - Gospel End