The 28th St. Crew - I Need A Rhythm (1989)

Sometimes I enjoy featuring an album that I don't have to do much research on, as it can take hours to compile info on some of the artists featured here! Though you may not be familiar with the name The 28th St. Crew, you definitely know the men behind the group: Robert Clivillés and David Cole. Before they formed C+C Music Factory, they were known as very sought after producers and remixers, but not as artists in their own right. They did release a couple of singles as part of '2 Puerto Ricans, A Blackman & A Dominican', with David Morales and Chep Nuñez, most notably "Do It Properly". But they soon decided to create their own 'group' The 28th St. Crew, named after the New York street that they were based from. They were credited as 'The Done Properly Posse!' on production, named after their previous hit. Their first single as The 28th St. Crew was "I Need A Rhythm". It was essentially a combination of three popular house songs of the time: Jomanda's "Make My Body Rock", Maurice's "This Is Acid" and Adeva's version of the Aretha Franklin classic "Respect". The song was so popular, as was their work with girl group Seduction, that they recorded an entire album for Vendetta Records. The album followed the single's lead and was a house trip all the way, utilizing many samples and various vocalists. No other single was issued from the album, but this was likely due to the fact that they had formed C+C Music Factory and were prepping material for that album. The styles that they would utilize for their C+C sound emerged on this album but were polished to a poppier gloss for that act. And of course we all know how successful their work as C+C Music Factory was. They did release another single, "O", using The 28th Street Crew moniker in 1994, but unfortunately David Cole passed away soon after due to spinal meningitis, and the name died with him. Robert Clivillés continued the C+C Music Factory for one more album after that and then retired that as well. He remains active in the music industry, and you can follow his goings on and get more info on his history on his Myspace page as well as the page for C+C Music Factory.

Download I Need A Rhythm

1		I Need A Rhythm
2		Inch By Inch
3		Steppin' Out
4		Get It Up
5		Where's The Party
6		It's In The Groove (No Games)
7		Pump It Up (Let's Groove)
8		Sex On The Dance Floor (LP Version)

Ariél - Ariél (1995)

Here is another little-known 90's gem for you, in response to a request to feature more 90s R&B girl groups. Ariél were an R&B trio consisting of Zwehla Taylor, Simone Harrison and Alana Wilson. From what little info I can gather, the group was formed by multi-talented jazz trombonist Gregory Royal (not to be confused with hip hop producer Greg 'Ski' Royal), who was also their producer. At least one member, Simone, attended the 'Fame'd LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York. The other two members were perhaps Canadian, as Royal's Wikipedia entry claims that the group was Canadian and charted in Canada with two songs, "Can't Let Love" and "Trust The Love You See". I find this unlikely as I am from Canada and I had never heard of them until I picked this up for $1 several years ago. Whatever the case, Royal constructed a 'new jack swing' sound for the girls, which was popular at the time. He also added plenty of jazz flourishes, as is evident on tracks like "Jazz Horn Players", "Ariél's In The House" and "Traffic Cop", which utilizes an unreleased track by Duke Ellington, whom Greg Royal worked with extensively. There is also some rap and spoken word courtesy of Zwelha. The first single was "Do The Boodiewop", which was one of the most straight-forward 'new jack swing' tracks on the album. The song was not a hit, and it would seem that no other singles were released, despite the claims of the Wikipedia entry. The group likely broke up soon after. What Zwehla and Alana got up to remains to be seen, but I did find out that Simone is working as an adviser with The Artist's Playground Theatre in her hometown of Brooklyn and also does voice work. She has also kept busy as an actress and apparently works behind the scenes on the TV show 30 Rock. She also released an independent solo album, Spoken Emotions, in 2002. As for Greg Royal, he has kept busy in many different areas, as a musician, author and even a football player. And, surprisingly, he has kept the music of Ariél alive. His off-Broadway musical play, It's A Hardbop Life, which debuted in 2004 and still continues to run in New York City, utilizes seven tracks that first appeared on Ariel's album. Royal has also been in the news recently for an odd lawsuit against Sarah Palin, claiming that she failed to issue a proclamation in Alaska in 2007 for a celebration commemorating the freeing of U.S. slaves! I truly never know what to expect when researching for this blog! LOL

Download Ariél

1		Can't Let Love
2		Jazz Horn Players
3		Poem Of Love
4		Afrika
5		Do The Boodiewop
6		Traffic Cops Oops
7		Ariel's In The House
8		I'll Hold On To The End
9		If I Had The Chance
10		Work Me!
11		Feel The Beat Rock The Beat
12		Trust The Love You See
13		Traffic Cop
14		Wonderland
15		Can't Let Love (Smooth Mix)

Roonie G. - Beyond The Looking Glass (1994)

I've been posting so many 80s albums lately, it's time to step back into the 90s. Here is a CD I picked up in a dollar bin somewhere that remains an interesting sidenote to the career of an artist who has flourished in a different aspect of music - as a DJ. Roongsak Griffeth was born in Thailand but traveled the world from a young age due to his father's station in the army. He eventually settled in Georgia in the US and began DJing as a teen. He eventually attended college and obtained an electrical engineering degree, but stayed employed as a DJ. His specialty was old R&B music, and he ended up getting a residency at an Ohio bar where he remained for 10 years. After honing his remixing skills, in 1989 he was hired to remix many songs for the popular club remixing service Ultimix, where he remixed songs for the likes of Janet Jackson, Naughty By Nature, and Salt 'N' Pepa. His specialty was hip hop and electro, and this led to more work with another DJ service, X-Mix, where he remixed songs by artists like Aaliyah and Chingy. Along the way, it was only natural for him to explore making his own music, and he decided to release an album that would feature his considerable mixing skills. He released the album on his own label. It is very electro-influenced, with a ton of samples and Roonie rapping on most tracks. It also uses heavy doses of freestyle and Miami bass elements, and features female vocals and child voices. At times it's even reminiscent of Snap!. Though he released two singles, the double-sided "Change The Beat/Dirty Mind" and "Voice Of A Nu Generation (The Baby Song)", the album went unnoticed and Roonie returned to DJing. To be honest, with the over-abundance of samples and Roonie's sub-par rapping, it is an acquired taste. But he did carry on very successfully as a DJ, DJing several Superbowl and NBA parties, and he still tours the world, as his website will attest. He also got a reputation as a pioneer of video DJing, mixing sounds and visuals together for a show that goes beyond just music, indeed beyond the looking glass. ;) It is interesting that most of the biographical info available on him doesn't mention his one album as an artist, but it's definitely a rare curio that you should give a spin.

Download Beyond The Looking Glass

1		Intro
2		The Future
3		Merri Go Round
4		Thro' Your Hands In Da Air
5		Beyond The Looking Glass
6		Change The Beat
7		Rush
8		Voice Of A Nu Generation (The Baby Song)
9		Dirty Mind
10		April Fools
11		Girl, U Turn Me On
12		Deeper
13		The G-Spot
14		Worth The Wait
15		Forgive Me Girl

The Fetish - The Fetish (1992)

Here is an oddity that is definitely an acquired taste, but these ladies seem to have quite a cult following considering the requests I've had for their music. I already featured their 1989 12" single (released as Stiletto Fetish) containing the tracks "I Think I Love You" and "Broke On Coke" on Lost Pop Treasures. To repeat what I wrote there: "Stiletto Fetish were a sassy Canadian female duo who had a small underground cult following in the late 80s/early 90s. Kim Jacobson and Liane Alliston specialized in provocative rap rock with a goth edge. This was their first self-released single, a remake of the Partridge Family hit along with an original track "Broke On Coke". The video got a lot of play back in the day. They later changed their name to just The Fetish and released one self-titled mini-album in 1992... According to Kim (on another website) they were signed to Warner UK (but never released anything on it), and she is now a flight attendant and Liane is apparently married to a rich man." This self-titled mini-album, released three years after their debut single, was recorded mostly in England. According to the ladies in the interview I also posted a link to on LPT, famed producer Zeus B. Held, who has worked with acts like Dead Or Alive, Nina Hagen, Transvision Vamp, Men Without Hats and Isle postee Annabella, called them up and told them he had heard their single and liked what he heard. He asked them to go to London and said he'd help finance their new music. They managed to record six tracks that were published in part through Warner, but for some reason a major label deal didn't materialize. They ended up releasing the resulting music independently, though after changing their name to just The Fetish, it's likely people didn't realize that the ladies behind "I Think I Love You" had new music. After that they went their separate ways. To be fair, it's not likely that their music would have appealed to a large audience, as its mix of hard rock, hip hop, synths, off-key vocals and strange white girl raps are certainly not for everyone. But the album is a very rare and interesting reminder of an underground duo who may have been on the edge of 'stardom', and have somehow maintained a cult following since.

Download The Fetish

1		Vampire Love
2		Sex Time
3		Crosstown Traffic
4		Black & Blue
5		Psychotic Sympathy
6		Sex Time Extended
7		Black Tears