Mary Zilba - Out Of The Blue (1999), Fly (2003) & Flashback Fast Forward (2009) TRIPLE POST!!

I have long been a casual fan of American/Canadian pop singer Mary Zilba.  However, I must confess that I never followed her career too closely, and I lost touch with her goings-on somewhere in the mid-2000s.  So not only was I surprised when, late in 2011, it was announced that there would be a Canadian version of the Real Housewives franchise (one of my fave series), but also that Ms. Zilba herself would be one of the "housewives"!  I must admit, I didn't hold out much hope for the show, as most Canadian versions of American shows are embarrassingly weak and uninteresting copies of the American versions.  But soon after The Real Housewives Of Vancouver began, I was hooked, and it has since become one of my faves of the series.  Who knew Canadian women could be SO bitchy!?  Mary is portrayed as the sweet, innocent one who is basically the punching bag for the other ladies, and it seems to reflect her true nature, though this season it appears she may be a little more calculating than she at first appeared...  Anyway, the show renewed my interest in Mary's music, so I dragged out my copy of her first album and was reminded how talented a singer she is and how fun her music can be.  Her story is easy to find on the internet - born in Ohio, Mary sang throughout school and joined a band called Junkyard.  Discouraged by the Ohio music scene, she went to college and got a degree in Journalism.  She worked as a reporter and TV host, and in 1986 (or 1987, depending on the source) she won the Miss Ohio crown, and won the talent portion of the Miss America competition, but not the title (incidentally, she and her sister Juliana are the only sisters to ever have competed in the Miss America pageant - and her sister won the talent portion as well in 1981).  Soon after, Mary moved to Florida and created and hosted a travel show called Eye On Fort Lauderdale.  But her true passion was for music, so she moved to Los Angeles to pursue it and scored a music deal with an indie label.  There she hooked up with popular pop producer Ian Prince (who also worked with previous Isle postees Elisa Fiorillo, Starleana, Adele Bertei, Stacy Earl, Kiara Hunter and Sheree Jeacocke) and released her self-titled album in 1998.  Though it went unnoticed in the US, interest was brewing in Canada, where the album was re-released as Out Of The Blue the next year.  Mary moved to Vancouver to pursue this Canadian interest, and she had three Canadian Top 40 hits off of the album - "Seduction", "Do Me Right" and "See You Again".  Her next album Fly was released in 2003 and produced only minor hits with "Put Your Arms Around Me", "Whatever" and "Give It Up".  Left with no album deal, Mary continued to perform and also pursued acting and philanthropy.  She did release a 'best of' entitled Flashback Fast Forward in 2009 to appease her fans, and it included seven new tracks - "Little Miss Reckless", "Unconditional", "Too Many Times", "This Is Me", "I Will Never Have You", "Delusion" and "Afterglow".  With her interest in music still strong and a desire to promote it, Mary soon applied for the Real Housewives Of Vancouver and got the gig.  Though the show has increased her profile in Canada and given her a minor hit with a song she wrote and performed on the show, "Hero", it remains to be seen if the show will give her the music success she still craves.  But she has used the abuse that she has received on the show to her and others' advantage, as she is now involved in anti-bullying campaigns, in addition to work for PETA, Tuberous Sclerosis and Epilepsy.

Video for Seduction

Video for See You Again

Video for See You Again (Remix)

Download Out Of The Blue

1		See You Again (Radio)
2		Do Me Right
3		Seduction
4		Runaway
5		Groovin
6		The Question Of You
7		All I Wanna Do
8		Right Back In Love
9		Did You Know
10		Big Time
11		Lately
12		Try Again
13		See You Again
14		Runaway - Outro
15		See You Again (Extended Mix)
16		Seduction (Dance 12 Inch Edit)
17		Do Me Right (House Mix Extended)

Video for Put Your Arms Around Me

Video for Whatever

Download Fly

1		Fly
2		All Out Of Love
3		Tell Me, Tell Me
4		Give It Up
5		Put Your Arms Around Me
6		Whatever
7		Everything
8		Last Night
9		All Out Of Love (Remix)

Download Flashback Fast Forward

1		Little Miss Reckless
2		Do Me Right (Radio Mix)
3		All Outta Love
4		Seduction
5		Unconditional
6		Two Many Times
7		See You Again (Radio Mix)
8		Give It Up
9		Put Your Arms Around Me
10		Afterglow
11		Delusion
12		So Right
13		I Will Never Have You
14		This Is Me

Bruce Roberts - Intimacy (1995)

Though you likely don't know Bruce Roberts by name, you know his music. This American songwriter has written hits for Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand ("No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", "I Got Your Love", "The Main Event"), Celine Dion ("Unison"), Laura Branigan ("The Lucky One"), Pointer Sisters ("Twist My Arm"), Jermaine Jackson ("Dynamite"), as well as Dolly Parton, Roberta Flack, Dusty Springfield and Cher, among many others. It's like a gay man's fever dream! The first song he wrote was recorded by Bette Midler for godsakes! LOL Anyway, Bruce actually started out wanting to be a performer, and he was in musicals and reviews as a child. His first "big break" was doing vocal overdubs for Danny Bonaduce's first (and last) album. Yes, Danny from the Partridge Family! That led to more work in the studio and eventually to his first self-titled album on Elektra in 1978. It was pretty straight-forward 70s pop-rock. Though it didn't spawn any hits, they let him record another album, Cool Fool, that was (barely) released in 1980. With his failure as a recording artist, Bruce concentrated on where his success (and the money) was: songwriting. He maintained a very healthy career as a songwriter throughout the 1980's and early 1990's. But he got tired of other people having success with his songs and wanted to sing them himself. He signed to Atlantic and finally got his chance once again as a singer. The first (and only) single was "When The Money's Gone", a dance pop number that featured Elton John on back-up vocals. It didn't really hit except for in a few clubs. The rest of the album was nothing like this single, unfortunately, and consists of mostly MOR ballads. Think of a male Celine Dion. The album also includes his version of friend Donna Summer's "All Through The Night". Though a great songwriter and vocalist, and with assists on the album by people like David Foster, k.d. lang, Luther Vandross, Ashford & Simpson and Sir Elton, his talent and connections weren't enough to get him an audience, so he went back to songwriting. He did record one more track, this time a ballad with Donna Summer for the soundtrack to the movie Daylight called "Whenever There Is Love". It was this track that introduced and endeared him to me, as I heard a Junior Vasquez remix of it that was absolutely awesome. In 1999, a 'euro' remix of "When The Money's Gone" was included on the Flawless soundtrack, with additional vocals from Kristine W and Sir Elton, and was a hit in gay clubs. Bruce also scored some other tracks on that soundtrack. Then, in 2003, "When The Money's Gone" would appear again, as Cher recorded it for her Living Proof album and it was released as a single. It didn't do much better than Bruce's version, however. Bruce created a website sometime in 2006, though it would appear that he hasn't been back much since. But his songwriting career still carries on successfully.

Download Intimacy

1		Intimacy
2		Real
3		Let Me Steal Your Heart
4		When Love Goes
5		My One Joy
6		When The Money's Gone
7		Raise The Population
8		All Through The Night
9		Emerald
10		The Man Who Loves You

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.

Video for You Read Me Wrong

Video for Steep

Download Lauren Christy

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

Video for Breed

Download Breed

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

Heather Mullen - Heather Mullen (1991)

So, once again I present an artist who I cannot find a thing about on the internet. All I know is that she released one self-titled album on EastWest Records, which was produced by two men, one who earlier produced acts like The Flirts and Divine, and one who later was a guitarist on songs by the likes of J. Lo and Celine Dion. Heather's album is nothing like those artists, however. The other day I was on a long car ride and popped this CD in, and once again I was stunned by it's simple beauty. Heather has a very clear, strong voice, reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, and her lyrics are very uplifting. It's a very pleasant pop-folk album. Basically, if you like the work of Des'ree, you should love this, as it sounds to me like it could be a lost Des'ree album (but with better lyrics!). I would love to know what happened to Heather, and why she never released another album. I realize that this album was not successful and the label likely dropped her, but surely she recorded an indie album or two? Anyone? Hello?

UPDATE:  Someone named Cherry Pepper posted the following articles about Heather from back in the day on Youtube, which fill in a lot of her story:

"Out of the angst of a troubled childhood and the many painful years that followed, song stress Heather Mullen has crafted a debut album that's both poetically beautiful and a testament to her survival. Simply titled Heather Mullen, this lush album delivers soul-searching lyrics amidst a gentle back drop of acoustic instruments. At 31 years old, Mullen realizes that neither she nor her music falls into an easily definable category. But her blend of pop-, jazz- and folk-influenced music draws from a well of deeply personal themes. One of the most compelling cuts, "She's a Soldier," masterfully recalls how she healed her relationship with her white mother.

Much of the anguish of Mullen's childhood was caused by the fact that she is biracial. Born in impoverished conditions on the Lower East Side of New York and raised in Philadelphia, Mullen never knew her Black father, who left when she was a year old. Her African-American heritage was something she had to discover on her own. "When no one teaches you your roots, it takes a lot more work to figure out your identity, your place in the world," she says.

Mullen says she was "completely lost from within" when she left her mother's house at 17. She discovered her passion for singing while waiting tables at local lounges. Forming a duo with a girlfriend who played guitar, Mullen began 11 years of traveling, waitressing and singing. Last year Mullen arranged a showcase for herself at a Manhattan club, paid for out of her own pocket. A record-company president saw Mullen's performance and promptly signed her to the label. Mullen doesn't focus on potential commercial success: "I just want to continue my journey--to accept myself for exactly who I am."

Essence Jul 92"

"She's one of those rare singers whose voice bends with the rest of the instruments, taking on a sound of its own and making us wonder: Where have you been hiding all those years, Heather Mullen?

Although her self-titled release is Mullen's first achievement that features her as a solo and background vocalist/composer, the 31-year-old musician from back East--she grew up in New York and Philadelphia--has paid her dues.

After waitressing, trying to do jingles, singing for obscure, small-scale coffeehouse lineups and a top-40s band, Mullen was finally discovered about a year ago when she played a showcase gig in front of family, friends and music industry executives.

Consequently, Mullen recorded her debut release last summer in New York where she worked with a handful of musicians thoughtful enough to let Mullen be the foremost musician.

Musician?  Well, she doesn't exactly play any instruments--her voice becomes one with the sound of her accompanists, of whom she said: "It's so rare that musicians pay much attention to the lyrics. And these guys would make a point of understanding the words and what I was saying, because it was going to affect what they played."

Her ability as a songwriter puts Mullen on one level with other great female artists who make similar music, such as Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Sally Oldfield, the not-so-well-known sister of British guitar genius Mike Oldfield, whose voice sounds as pure as water from a deserted island's cascade.

What's there to sing about with a voice as colorful and interesting as Mullen's? Hmmm, how about liking yourself, "Be Who You Are", joys of friendship, "Free Ride Home" and "You'll Never Be Alone", and getting rid of fears, "How Do You Know" and "When Dreams Come True?"

Dagi Binggeli, Deseret News, Apr 9 92, 6C"

Download Heather Mullen

1		Night By Night
2		Be Who You Are
3		Movin' On
4		Forgiveness
5		How Do You Know (When Dreams Come True)
6		Drinking The Rainwater
7		You'll Never Be Alone
8		Runnin' To Your Love
9		Tidal Wave
10		Free Ride Home
11		Slipping Thru The Cracks
12		She's A Soldier
13		Adventure
14		I Have Always Known You

Sulk - Only You (2000)

Okay, kids, here's an interesting one for you. Sulk was Canadian duo Sherrie Lea Laird and Blair O'Halloran. After unsatisfying stints with other bands, the two hooked up to pursue their shared love of pop music. They apparently released a self-titled album (I say apparently as I've never seen it) that garnered some critical praise. They soon hooked up with Hi-Bias records and Nick Fiorucci, the same label and producer responsible for previous postee Oval Emotion. While Hi-Bias was primarily a dance label, Sulk were more pop rock, but with a very electronic undertone. The album was basically a repackaging of their debut, and they had some success with the dance mixes of "Only You". Soon after, their song "Anyway" was remixed and released, but it was attributed to Sherrie Lea as a solo act. In 2005 she released her solo album, which is full on dance music (and may be featured here in the future). Sherrie had international dance chart success with her remake of Sade's "No Ordinary Love" and continues as a solo act, though Sulk does have a Myspace page which seems to indicate that they may reform as a duo. But the truly interesting part of this story is that Sherrie has had a book written about her, claiming that she is the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe! It's called Marilyn Monroe Returns: The Healing of a Soul, and I must get my hands on it! She had disturbing memories of being Marilyn and sought a psychiatrist who is sure she is in fact Marilyn reborn! There is even a documentary on it! Now she is more famous for this than any of her music. Spooky, non?

Here is the BBC documentary (and there are many more features about this on Youtube)

Download Only You

1		Only You
2		You're A Man
3		All You Gotta Do
4		First Time
5		Appreciation
6		Don't Tell Me
7		Anyway
8		Lately
9		Beautiful In Every Way
10		If I Love You (All Night Long)
11		Sextasy

Julie Masse - Circle Of One (1994)

Julie Masse was a French Canadian success before releasing her only English language album, already having two platinum French albums in her native Quebec. But with the huge success of fellow Quebecois chanteuse Céline Dion, it was obviously thought that the same English language success could be Julie's. After all, she also had a great voice and, let's face it, she was far more attractive than Céline. For a producer she chose Canadian golden boy Corey Hart, who was far from his "Sunglasses At Night" glory days but was still releasing material of his own. And she hooked up with him not only professionally, but personally as well. She began a torrid affair with Corey, and he dumped his long term girlfriend and she divorced her husband. They would later get married and have four children together. But let's get back to the music. It is pure pop-rock lite, not unlike tracks on Céline's first English album. (I bought the album solely for her cover of Dalbello's "Devious Nature", as Dalbello is one of my fave singers.) The video for her first single "One More Moment" was played quite a bit on Muchmusic. But she failed to get anywhere near the success of Céline, indicating that looks and voice don't always guarantee success. Céline is proof that personality is also a major factor, even if that personality IS a bit wacky. ;) (And interestingly enough, Corey would go on to work with Céline on several of her later albums.) Julie has only released one more album thus far, a French best of in 1996. She now resides in the Bahamas with Corey and her kids.

Video for One More Moment

A live performance of You Don't Have To Worry

A live performance of I Will Be There

Download Circle Of One

1		Circle Of One
2		Love Is All I'm Looking For
3		You Don't Have To Worry
4		One More Moment
5		I Will Be There
6		You Left Your Kiss
7		Devious Nature
8		Ice Cream
9		Wherever The Music Goes
10		Letting Go

Francesca Beghe - Francesca Beghe (1991)

Here is another case of a good and unique singer who for some reason just didn't click with the public despite good songs and good publicity. Francesca Beghe was kicking around New York City, performing and honing her singing and songwriting skills, when in 1987, Joe Cocker chose to record her song "Trust In Me". This led to a major label deal and her debut album. It was co-produced by one of Joe's producers Charlie Midnight (who has also recently worked with Hilary Duff). The music is therefore pop rock, with a bluesy tint, very much like Taylor Dayne's rockier moments. Francesca's voice is unique and strong, and the songwriting is good. She released "Heaven Knows" as her first single, though it didn't chart, and neither did her second, "Something About Your Touch". She also included her own version of "Trust In Me" on her album. She worked on a follow up with Alanis Morissette and Wilson Phillips producer Glen Ballard, but label turmoils prevented it from being released. Luckily she finally resurfaced a couple years ago with a new independently released album, Dreamworld, which you can buy from CD Baby should you like what you hear here.

Studio footage from the recording of Hold Back The Night

Download Francesca Beghe

1		Heaven Knows
2		Something About Your Touch
3		Trust In Me
4		Let Me Show You What Love Is
5		Names On A Wall
6		Lost In America
7		Closer To The Night
8		Should've Been Me
9		Let Your Spirit Fly
10		Little Angelina
11		Hold Back The Night

The Graces - Perfect View (1989)

After the initial break-up of the Go-Go's, all of the members went on to individual music projects. Lead vocalist Belinda Carlisle became a hugely successful solo pop artist, while guitarist Jane Wiedlin pursued a less successful solo pop career and also fronted the alt-rock band (and Isle postees) froSTed. Drummer Gina Schock fronted the band House Of Schock, and bassist Kathy Valentine joined the Bluebonnets and the Delphines. Guitarist/keyboardist Charlotte Caffey formed a new girl group, enlisting Meredith Brooks and Gia Ciambotti to form a vocal trio. They were quickly signed by A&M Records and had production assistance from Belinda's producers Ellen Shipley and Rick Nowels, who had been primarily responsible for her solo success. The resulting sound was more Bangles than Go-Go's. Their first single, "Lay Down Your Arms", was a middling hit, reaching #56 on the Billboard Hot 100. "50,000 Candles Burning" was released next without much fanfare. Brooks left soon after for a solo career, and was briefly replaced on the tour circuit by Chrissy Shefts from House Of Schock. But Ciambotti soon left as well to tour with Bruce Springsteen, and the Graces were no more. Of course, Brooks' solo career was a great success, and Caffey reunited with the Go-Go's, while Ciambotti recently released her first solo album. Belinda Carlisle later released a version of their only hit, "Lay Down Your Arms", to lesser success.

Video for Lay Down Your Arms

Video for Perfect View

Download Perfect View

1		Lay Down Your Arms
2		When The Sun Goes Down
3		Perfect View
4		Fear No Love
5		Time Waits For No One
6		50,000 Candles Burning
7		Should I Let You In
8		We Never Met
9		Tomorrow
10		Out In The Fields

Adele Bertei - Little Lives (1988)

Adele Bertei has been involved in the music scene for quite a long time. She has been a back-up singer on albums and tours for a diverse array of artists, including Sandra Bernhard, Tears For Fears, Thomas Dolby and Lydia Lunch. She has been a member of several groups, exploring the far reaches of many genres of music. To the mainstream pop world, she would likely best be known as the lead singer on some of the best dance tracks by uber-producers Jellybean Benitez ("Just A Mirage", "Hypnotized (By Your Touch)" & "Am I Dreaming") and Arthur Baker ("Kiss The Ground (You Walk On)"). She also released a few solo pop-dance singles of her own: "Build Me A Bridge", "When It's Over" (which you can get HERE on Lost Pop Treasures), and "Zami Girl".  So I was thrilled when I found this album for a dollar, especially when I saw that it was produced by 90's pop producer Ian Prince, who has worked with Paula Abdul (and featured artist Kiara Hunter), among others. But I wasn't excited for long. Alas, while Adele has a very unique voice, she chose to record it on an album of middle-of-the-road adult contemporary music. I can't say any track stands out for me (though "Can't Stop The Dance" has promise). It's in a synthy Vonda Shepard vein, not something I'm very into. And no one else was really interested either, as it flopped (though, to be fair, even Adele admitted she wasn't really interested in a solo recording career, and she's still recording today with a diverse array of acts. Definitely look up her work on the internet.). Anyway, maybe one day when I'm older I'll realize this album's genius. For now, you be the judge...

Video for Little Lives, Big Love

Download Little Lives

01		Little Lives, Big Love
02		The Green Suit
03		Truth And Lies
04		Babes In Moneyland
05		The Lonliest Girl
06		Can't Stop The Dance
07		Golden Square
08		Fool For Love
09		Hollywood
10		Love This Way

Katey Sagal - Well... (1994)

You want another actress turned singer? OK. So, who knew that Peg Bundy was such an accomplished singer? Riding on the success of Married...With Children, Katey decided to record and release her debut album (I just found out from dear bomitoni that she had a follow-up called Room). Any fan of hers would have known that she previously was a backing singer for Bette Midler, part of Bette's Harlettes. So her singing chops should really come as no surprise. The album was produced by the legendary Rupert Hine, and is very Adult Contemporary. I liken it to Vonda Shepard, only much more bearable. A very pleasant listen, surprisingly soulful, and a lot like Olivia Newton-John's Soul Kiss album (the title track of which Katey sang back-up on). Of course, no one could really have thought that Peg Bundy would have a successful recording career. But thank goodness for those actresses who have the clout and voice to make it happen anyway!

Video for Can't Hurry The Harvest

Download Well...  

1		Thunderhead (I Just Wanted A Little Rain)
2		Can't Hurry The Harvest
3		Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid
4		That's How Love Goes
5		September Rain
6		Peace
7		All Is Well
8		Act Of Faith
9		I Don't Wanna Know
10		Don't Know How To Let You Go
11		Best Part
12		Dignity