Yta Farrow - Neptune's Child (1991)

Thanks to Isle fan Nick, who has generously sent me multiple albums over the past couple of days, we can all enjoy another rare pop gem, the debut album by France's Yta Farrow! Yta's album stood out from the pack due to it's trash-pop goodness and I just had to share it,  with Nick's blessing of course.  I have never heard of Yta, but the limited info I got from Wikipedia tells us this:  She was born in Toulouse, and had a "passion for music".  She released a promotional single in 1985 called "Petrol", and in 1988 released the italo-disco single "Heartbeat" under the pseudonym I.T.A..  In 1990 she released another single as I.T.A. entitled "Don't Be Yourself".  The song was successful enough that she got an album deal with EastWest/Carrere and recorded an album using the new pseudonym Yta Farrow, a tribute to actress Mia Farrow (I could not find her real last name).  The song was included on the album and two other singles were released, "Make Life A Holiday" and a remake of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly (With His Song)".  The album is pure dance-pop, with some house elements, and her high-pitched voice is reminiscent of Italian freestyle diva Nocera.  The album's success led to a second album in 1993, Je Me Damne, this one almost entirely in French and more pop-rock based.  While the album was a critical success, it wasn't a commercial one and she was dropped from the label.  She reappeared in 1996 with the single "Je T'attendrai", which was from an aborted musical, and the following year released several French dance singles on Mercury Records, having her greatest success with the trancey "Le Monde Est Dans Tes Yeux".  In 1999 she appeared on German dance singer Blümchen's "Tu Es Mon Ile", and in 2005 she independently released a pop rock EP entitled Prophétie.  In 2008 she released a video for the song "My Hatred", a combination of dance and rock created with guitarist Damien Hervé, and apparently she worked on other songs with him, so chances are likely we'll be seeing more of Yta again soon.

Download Neptune's Child

1		Neptune's Child
2		Killing Me Softly (With His Song)
3		Innocent Souls
4		Come Back To Me
5		Can't Wait
6		Make Life A Holiday
7		Don't Be Yourself
8		I've Always Believed
9		Felix The Cat
10		I Never Dreamed
11		Move "The Final"

Vanessa Paradis - Vanessa Paradis (1992)

Where does the time go? I cannot believe it, but I'm already at my 100th post!!! That's 99 artists so far who have finally gotten the attention they deserve. And who better than Vanessa Paradis to be my 100th featured artist? Here is a woman who embodies everything the Isle is about - pop songs, eclectic fan base and very limited success in the pop charts (in North America, at least). We all know her story: young ingenue records "Joe Le Taxi" and shocks Europe by having a hit en francais, even in the UK! She records a few albums in French with European success, stars in a world famous Chanel commercial and hooks up with and bears the children of Johnny Depp. Girl has got it made. Except for her only foray into English language music... She lured then boyfriend Lenny Kravitz to produce her English debut. Thus the music is what one would expect, trippy, funky pop-rock with a '60's bent. She even covers the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting For The Man". The video for "Be My Baby" got some North American exposure, and the song itself was a hit in Europe. But North American audiences apparently didn't take to her girlish coo. She has yet to release an English follow-up, but after this she did release more French albums to some success. And by being with Johnny she guaranteed herself a lifetime in the spotlight.

Video for Be My Baby

Video for Sunday Mondays

Video for Natural High

Download Vanessa Paradis

1		Natural High
2		I'm Waiting For The Man
3		Silver And Gold
4		Be My Baby
5		Lonely Rainbows
6		Sunday Mondays
7		Your Love Has Got A Handle On My Mind
8		The Future Song
9		Paradis
10		Just As Long As You Are There

B-tina - Laid Back (2004)

From what I can gather from her myspace site and badly translated Wikipedia entries, B-tina is Bettina Antoni, whose birth name is Krystyna Ferentz. Born in Poland, she moved to France and became a model, most notably for Pierre Cardin. She soon moved into acting, starring in the erotic television series Emmanuelle. She was also a television host for French station Antenne 2. She also obviously embarked on a recording career, first as the voice of something called Froggy Mix, who released eurohouse cheese. A couple years later she released her only solo album on a label, Krysty Music, whose only other notable release was Bananarama's flop album Exotica. The album is dance pop, and would fit nicely beside any recent recordings by Dannii Minogue or Gina G. Given a bigger label and a bigger push, the album could have made a minor splash internationally, IMO. I think fans of this blog will find this one quite pleasing. ;) Recently she is once again recording with Froggy Mix and is also part of the revival of French cabaret act Les Coco Girls.

Download Laid Back

1		Not An Illusion
2		Bright Blue Sky
3		Why Oh Why
4		Good Times
5		A Little Bit Of Fun
6		All I Want
7		Up 2 U
8		I Remember (Kobeto Mix)
9		Artificial Love
10		Laid Back
11		There It Goes Again
12		Open Up Your Mind
13		Here I Am Here I Stay
14		The Reason Why
15		So Hot (Milky Remix Radio Edit)
16		I Remember (Unplugged Mix)