Taja Sevelle - Taja Sevelle (1987), Fountains Free (1991) & Toys Of Vanity (1997) TRIPLE POST!!!

I have loved Taja Sevelle from the very start of her career and have enjoyed all of her musical explorations.  I've wanted to feature her here for years, but at one time Taja was offering her albums on her website so I resisted out of respect.  However, someone recently requested her work, and I checked her website and the albums are no longer available there, and they don't seem to be available digitally either, so I thought it was time to share her amazing music.  As her biography is available on her website, I'll give the condensed version.  She was born Nancy Richardson in Minneapolis.  While working in the health food industry and farming, she also pursued music, fronting several local jazz and R&B bands and also working as a radio producer and DJ.  She was accepted at the Berklee College Of Music, but passed when Minneapolis' most famous citizen, Prince, offered her a record deal with his vanity label, Paisley Park, which was distributed through Reprise Records. She had previously done background vocals on his track "The Ladder" in 1985, and obviously this impressed him enough to sign her to a solo deal.  Hooking up with Minneapolis musician Chico Bennett (aka George Bennette), she created an album that incorporated the red hot Minneapolis sound, but with her own folksy, hippiesque vibe. Her first single, the self-penned ballad "Love Is Contagious," became a huge hit in Europe, reaching #7 on the UK charts, and a modest hit in the US, reaching #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains one of my favourite ballads ever.  She followed it up with the funky Prince-penned "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me," but it only managed to reach the middle of the UK Pop and Billboard R&B charts.  Follow-up singles "Popular" and "Take Me For A Ride" failed to chart.  Paisley Park's run would soon end, but Taja stuck with Reprise, and four years later released her second album, Fountains Free.  While Bennett still produced a few tracks (and would go on to work with superstars like Lady GaGa, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake), she also worked with various other R&B and pop producers, most prominently pop producer du jour Ian Prince and the legendary Burt Bacharach.  As a result, the album was much more pop-oriented, but the direction didn't seem to work, as the only single, "Trouble Having You Near," did not chart.  For awhile it seemed that was the end of Taja's musical career, but six years later she surprised her fans by signing with 550 Music and releasing the album Toys Of Vanity.  This time she worked with producer R.J. Rice (of R.J.'s Latest Arrival fame) and she delved deeply into the trip hop sound that was hot at the time.  No doubt she didn't expect the album to become a huge pop hit, but she released the singles "I & I" and "A Lot Like You" to critical acclaim. Personally I was thrilled to discover the album a couple years later, as I was a huge trip hop fan.  During the recording of the album in Detroit, Taja was struck by all of the poverty there.  This led to her greatest passion, the founding of Urban Farming, which encourages people in cities to grow their own food on unused land, and the group helped to plant vegetable gardens around the world for those in need.  Though she has also written books, acted, and even patented her own invention, Urban Farming has remained her passion, and she has made more of a name for herself in this respect than from her music, having appeared on numerous television shows, including Ellen.  But she has still managed to release new music, including the underground house music hits "Never Givin' Up" in 2000 and a remake of The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For The Devil" in 2003.  She also independently released the Good Times EP in 2004 and continues to occasionally independently release various singles on her e-store.  I have had the pleasure of corresponding with her on her blog and Facebook page, and I can tell you that her personality is as sweet as her voice and her conscience.

Urban Farming

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Music

Berklee College of Musi

Video for Love Is Contagious

Video for Wouldn't You Love To Love Me

Video for Popular

Download Taja Sevelle

1	Love Is Contagious
2	Wouldn't You Love To Love Me?
3	Popular
4	How Could You Do Me So Bad?
5	Take Me For A Ride
6	If I Could Get Your Attention
7	Infatuation
8	Baby's Got A Lover
9	Mama 16
10	Fly For Your Painted Rainbow

Download Fountains Free

1	Trouble Having You Near
2	Chase Temptation
3	I'm Givin' In
4	Even Odd You
5	Fountains Free
6	The Power Of Your Love (You And I)
7	Perpetual Motion
8	What A State Of Love
9	Fierce Desire
10	Forever In Love
11	Died Alive
12	Trouble Having You Near (Radio Mix)

   
Video for I & I

Download Toys Of Vanity

1	I & I
2	Us
3	Wake Before I Die
4	A Lot Like You
5	I Feel
6	Killing Time
7	Making Love To The Air
8	Fleet Of Angels
9	Toys Of Vanity
10	Sub-Conscious Me
11	Why?
12	Fleet Of Angels (No Drums)

Gypsy Sōl - Sudden Move (1998)

So I was looking through some old boxes of CDs and I ran across this dusty one.  I'm sure I picked it up for $1 somewhere and am sure I only listened to it once, so I had no idea what it sounded like.  Thinking of this blog, I pressed play and am glad I did as it is quite good and perfect for the Isle!  A little research reveals that the band was originally known as Gypsy Soul and released one independent album, but had to change the spelling of their name due to an American group using the same name.  Formed in Toronto in the mid-90s, they were originally a heavy funk rock band, with a male lead singer.  After exploring R&B, they swapped their lead singer for Katey Morley, and with her came a more pop rock sound, albeit with healthy doses of funk and jazz and even trip hop.  With Morley on lead vocals, the total count was seven members: Darren Shearer (drums, percussion, didgeridoo, human beatbox), Evan Cranley (trombone, congas), Ewan Miller (guitar), Trevor Bedard (bass, acoustic guitar), Nat Roman (guitar), and Cathy Craig (trumpet, percussion - interestingly Cathy also appeared on my last postee What Is's album as well).  The band toured locally and eventually caught the interest of Universal Records.  Their album was well reviewed, as were their shows, but the band remained only a local success, and some believed their change to a poppier sound may have been their undoing.  They broke up, and since then many of the members have went on to greater success.  Darren Shearer immediately went on to form progressive electronic trio The New Deal, who broke up in 2011.  Evan Cranley is a member of both successful indie pop band Stars and hugely successful indie rock collective Broken Social Scene.  Ewan Miller and Trevor Bedard have recorded and toured with independent singer-songwriter Amanda Kaye.  And Katey Morley has done session work for other acts in genres as diverse as jazz and trance, and also formed her own jazz band.  She is currently a solo act, touring around her native Toronto in support of her folk-jazz solo work when not busy at her job as a DJ.

Download Sudden Move

1		Dinner For Two
2		Quitters
3		Leakin' Out The Bottom
4		Hooked
5		Sudden Move
6		I'm Sure You'll Be Pleased
7		Green Butterfly
8		Together Again
9		Same Day
10		Deeper Down
11		Unfinished

Oui 3 - Oui Love You (1993)

Oui 3 was a multicultural trio comprised of American singer/songwriter Blair Booth, Swiss programmer Philipp Erb and British rapper Trevor Miles. Booth and Erb hooked up in the early 1990s after taking part in other projects, she primarily in retro-pop trio Terry, Blair & Anouchka and he primarily with controversial industrial/EBM band Psychic TV. The two decided that they wanted to create something new by taking the 1960s Buffalo Springfield protest song "For What It's Worth" and using it in a modern day protest song with a hip hop bent. To complete the song they enlisted Miles to provide a distinctly British rap. On the strength of the song they were signed to MCA Records. The song itself reached #28 on the British charts in early 1993 and, according to Booth's website, would have went higher if there wasn't a mix-up with the CD single's formatting. Whatever the case, it's success led to a second single, "Arms Of Solitude", which reached only #58. A third single followed, "Break From The Old Routine", and it became what would be their biggest hit, reaching #17. It helped their debut album, released soon after, reach #39 on the album charts. The album, which featured Miles' raps and Booth's soulful vocals equally, followed the same sound as their debut single, trippy hip-hop with a 60s pop aesthetic, and was often labeled Acid Jazz or Trip Hop, though the band didn't agree with those classifications. They toured extensively supporting acts as diverse as Jamiroquai and Body Count. They released a remix of "For What It's Worth" and it reached two spots higher on the chart than the first time, and their fourth single, "Fact Of Life", reached #38 in early 1994. They began recording their follow-up album Threedom the same year, wanting to diversify their sound and lose the Acid Jazz tag. They released the single "Crazy", but it failed to chart. The follow-up, "Joy Of Living", did manage to reach #55, but the band was soon dropped by MCA, equally due to dwindling sales, management issues, and label indifference. As a result, their second album was shelved and the band broke up. Since then, while Erb and Miles have maintained a very low profile, Booth has created her own music production company, Blair Booth Music, which operates out of the UK. In 2005 Break From The Old Routine: The Collection was released in the UK, a compilation of hits that also features some of their unreleased work.

Video for For What It's Worth

Video for Arms Of Solitude

Video for Break From The Old Routine

Video for Fact Of Life

Download Oui Love You

1		For What It's Worth
2		Schemer Supreme
3		Arms Of Solitude
4		Fact Of Life
5		Great Expectations
6		Reason To Believe
7		Break From The Old Routine
8		Accessory After The Fact
9		Persona Non Grata
10		Arms Of Solitude (Orange Hill Indica Mix)
11		Oui Love You

Lori Yates - Untogether (1997)

Lori Yates was raised in Toronto, and began her singing career at 19 in a new wave band. But despite her city upbringing, her heart was more in the prairies and roots country music. She formed the band Rang Tango and was successful with the "cowpunk" sound made famous by k.d. lang in her early years. This got her the attention of Sony Nashville, who signed her on as a solo artist. She relocated to Nashville, and in 1989 released her first album of contemporary country music, Can't Stop The Girl, but it was not a big success and the label dropped her. She moved back to Canada and Virgin Music, who released the album Breaking Point in 1993, which was still country, but also roots rock and soul. This album also met with only minor success and it would seem she took time off to rethink her direction. Apparently looking for a new audience and perhaps pop chart success, she came back with Untogether, which was a total departure from her previous work. This time she chose to hook up with a group of trip hop musicians called Opium Concepts. She was clearly taken with the sounds and success of groups like Portishead, Morcheeba and Sneaker Pimps and attempted to emulate their sound. While she came close, with a poppier and more accessible sound, she could not emulate the success of those groups. While the single "Lost Highway" received minor radio play in Canada, a second single, "Frequency", tanked, as did the album, and the label dropped her. The audience just could not accept that a country thrush could transform into an electronic diva. Realizing her strengths, she formed the band Hey Stella! a couple of years later and returned to country and roots rock. Over the years she played in various venues and with various bands, and in 2007 she independently released another solo album, The Book Of Minerva, which remains in her comfort zone - acoustic country music. Unfortunately, she stands as a sad example of an artist who shouldn't have strayed so far from their niche, even when the results are as good as this album.

Download Untogether

1		Lost Highway
2		Free Me
3		Frequency
4		Winterland
5		Superstar
6		Untogether
7		Make You Stay
8		My Oh My
9		Sweetest Times
10		The Future Is Here

Forest For The Trees - Forest For The Trees (1997)

Forest For The Trees was basically a one-man show, masterminded by producer and musician Carl Stephenson, with a little help from his friends. Stephenson initially found success as a hip hop producer in the late 1980s, his greatest success coming from his work with the Ghetto Boys and Paula Abdul's animated friend MC Skat Kat. He eventually moved on to work with alternative rock bands, and this combined production experience attracted the attention of musical provocateur Beck. Beck enlisted Stephenson to co-produce the majority of his 1994 major label debut, Mellow Gold, which itself was a hip hop/alt rock hybrid. Obviously the album was a huge success, and this afforded Stephenson the profile to embark on a career as a recording artist in his own right. He gathered many diverse musicians, including Beck, to assist on an a largely experimental album, which included doses of rock and hip hip but also utilized various world music sounds and electronic flourishes. Interestingly the album took much longer to complete than anticipated due to Stephenson's having a nervous breakdown after the success of Mellow Gold. It has a similar vibe to Mellow Gold but is even more "adventurous", if possible. Surprisingly the first single, the trippy "Dream", was a minor hit, reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100. But follow-up "Planet Unknown" didn't catch on and nothing else was released from the album. Though he did release an EP entitled The Sound Of Wet Paint in 1999 that included two versions of the track "Wet Paint" as well as three new songs, nothing else has been released under the Forest For The Trees moniker since. It is rumoured that another album exists but has yet to be released, and Stephenson continues to dabble in production work for others.

Video for Dream

Download Forest For The Trees

1		Dream
2		Infinite Cow
3		Fall
4		You Create The Reason
5		Tree
6		Wet Paint
7		Stream
8		Ohm
9		Algorithm
10		Green Light Street
11		Planet Unknown
12		Thoughts In My Head

Leomoon - Leomoon (1999)

Here is another of those mysterious bands that appeared in the late 1990s, when there seemed to be an explosion of electronic acts influenced by the likes of Portishead and Everything But The Girl. Leomoon consisted of three members: singer Erin Moran (no, not Joannie from Happy Days), musician and producer Stephen Harris, and DJ Sae 1. Their music is indeed very much like earlier Everything But The Girl, but with a lot more trip hop and lots of samples and scratches thanks to the enigmatic DJ Sae 1. The album was released on the indie American label Topaz, and they managed only one single, "Frequency". It went unnoticed and the three obviously decided not to pursue any further music together. But Stephen Harris was already an established producer and engineer before the group formed, and he has continued as such, working with acts like U2 and Dave Matthews. Erin Moran took on the moniker A Girl Called Eddy and released a highly acclaimed self-titled album in 2004 that hearkened back to the 60's soul-pop of Dusty Springfield. She is said to be releasing another album under that moniker this year. As for DJ Sae 1, it is likely he is still involved in music, probably using his real name, whatever that is. But this album, though it encompasses a sound that was then very fresh but is now somewhat dated, still remains a fond tribute to a very particular style and time in music, and it deserves more attention than it received the first time around.

Download Leomoon

1		Intro
2		Frequency Part 1
3		Stay
4		Jeremy's Least Unweak
5		Jesus Boots
6		Freebyrd
7		The Orchid
8		It's You
9		Leaving California
10		Always Tomorrow
11		Frequency Part 2
99		Final Outro

Sara Lee - Make It Beautiful (2000)

Sara Lee had been around for a long time in the music scene before she finally released her sole solo album. Though involved in music from a young age in her native Britain, she took a job as a secretary for Polydor Records while also honing her bass playing skills. She was discovered at Polydor by Robert Fripp, who asked her to join his experimental band The League Of Gentlemen in 1980. After one album with the group, Sara was asked to replace Dave Allen in popular post-punk band Gang Of Four. But after only one album with that group, she decided to leave and continued working as a session and live musician for acts like the Indigo Girls, the Thompson Twins and, most notably, the B52's, with whom she appeared in the "Love Shack" video. She eventually hooked up with riot grrl Ani Difranco in 1996 and toured with her as well. This led to Ani signing Sara to her Righteous Babe label, on which she released her album. The album failed to make an impact, though it contains pleasant, trippy pop songs. Vocally Sara isn't the strongest, but the music is very tight and funky. Undeterred, she's continued on as a session and live musician, for acts like Fiona Apple, Joan Osborne and Difranco. She is also rumoured to have (or have had) a relationship with a possible future Isle addition, Gail Ann Dorsey, who is best known as David Bowie's longtime bassist, which is a match made in bass heaven...

Download Make It Beautiful

1		Make It Beautiful
2		Grace
3		Traffic
4		My Way
5		I'll Wait For You
6		Gone
7		Hood Over Hood
8		Thin Ice
9		Come Round
10		All Cried Out

Trinity Hi-Fi - Fuego (2000)

There is perhaps no band more enshrouded in mystery on this blog than Trinity Hi-Fi. My research has led me to many dead ends. The fact that the CD includes no artist images and few credits certainly doesn't help. But I have managed to find out a few details. First, the act is apparently from the UK. They were signed to alt label TVT Records. A songwriter (and vocalist) credited as 'Kay Dee Kay' is really Kathryn Dion King. In the early 1990s she recorded a couple house tracks ("You Send Me" and a remake of Dead Or Alive's "You Spin Me Round"), and was featured on rave favourite "Brothers & Sisters" by 2 Funky 2. The rest of the people involved in Trinity Hi-Fi were mostly involved in those tracks and seem to be part of a collective called Airdog Funk Research Laboratory, which was part of their original label, Airdog Records. One member, Jon Davies, also released music under aliases such as Ill Disco. Trinity Hi-Fi released one single, "Turn The Lights Down", which was a minor club hit. And that's about all I could find out. I can get no real indication of what any of these people are up to now. But I suppose what matters most is the music itself. And it is very nice, I must say. There are elements of so many kinds of music: electro, drum 'n bass, trip hop and straight up pop. The pop aspect is further solidified by the quiet, sweet voice of 'Kay Dee Kay'. I have no doubt that this is a gem most of you will love.

UPDATE:  Received a message from Kay Dee Kay herself!  Thanks for visiting, girl!

"Oh my God, this is so funny I feel the need to say hello, I am Kathryn Dion-King aka Kay Dee Kay aka Trinity Hi Fi thank you for appreciating my work your detective work is impressive. KDK xxxxxxxx"

Download Fuego

1		Lazy Afternoon
2		Hey Joe
3		Turn The Lights Down
4		Never Gonna Let U Go
5		So Glad
6		TV Dinner For One
7		Lost You
8		Take It Slow
9		If Only
10		Certainly Not
11		It's Not You
12		Inside

Sister Soleil - Soularium (1998)

Almost two years ago now (!!) I posted the brilliant pop album from 2001 by aspiring pop starlet Stella Soleil aka Stella Katsoudas. Unfortunately, her solo attempt at mainstream pop stardom never caught on despite great songs. I kept forgetting, until now, to post her debut musical foray as part of group (though really it was mostly her baby) Sister Soleil. According to legend, the Chicago native recorded a 7 track demo EP, and after getting no reaction from labels, created her own label Katharis and acted as her own A&R rep, eventually releasing the EP as Drown Me In You. Universal Records were impressed and signed her, re-recording some tracks from Drown Me In You and releasing them as part of a full album. She got a band together and though they had some underground success, they failed to catch on. As I mentioned previously, the music was very rock-oriented, with large doses of techno and industrial, reminiscent of Garbage or previous Isle postees like Transister. It was even less accessible than those groups, IMO, and remained an acquired taste, with the singles "Torch", "Blind" (which utilizes vocal "inspiration" from Peter Gabriel) and "Butterfly" relegated to late night alt-rock radio. Stella took some time off to reassess her career and 'Stella Soleil' was born a couple years later. After the failure of the Stella Soleil project, she made some guest vocal appearances and formed the rock group Whorse in 2002. They released one self-titled album in 2003 and then split. Eventually Stella reclaimed the name and sound of Sister Soleil. A few demos as Sister Soleil and an EP as Stella Soleil later appeared but that project once again ended when she formed an experimental rock group with Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan in 2009 called Dirty Little Rabbits, who released an album in 2009. But Stella was drawn back to the Sister Soleil project and they most recently independently released a mini-album in 2011 entitled Eskimo, focusing on a more accessible sound. Check out the first video for "Water".

UPDATE: I just found a link to Dirty Little Rabbits' debut album! It's a very strange trip indeed! Go HERE.

Video for Torch

Download Soularium

1		Feel My Love
2		Red
3		HB's Dream In Red
4		Torch
5		Chair
6		Stella's Obsession With Satie
7		AOL
8		Dial Up
9		Hit Me
10		Little Girl
11		Blind
12		"Alright"
13		Liar
14		Strength
15		Lounge Lizard
16		Jacquie And The Bob-Elvis
17		Butterfly

Lisahall - Is This Real? (1998)

Lisahall is a UK band that emerged during the tail end of the trip hop and brit pop movements. They were a combination of the two, surrounding poppy lyrics with electronics and guitar. They released a few singles from the album, including "Comatose" and "Connection 17", and they had tracks on a few soundtracks, including the title track, which appeared in the movie Practical Magic with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. But, as with so many groups here, their only minor hit was the dance mix of "I Know I Can Do It", which reached the lower end of the Billboard Dance top 40. Though the music is very catchy and well constructed (to me they sound like a poppier and more uptempo Sneaker Pimps fronted by Natalie Imbruglia), it came at a time when it's two greatest musical genre influences were both on their way out of public favour. Also, the band was named after their lead singer, the ethereal Lisa Hall, which added confusion as to whether they were a band or Lisa was a solo artist. They were dropped from their label, Reprise, and kept a low profile until they popped up on Myspace in 2006. As of 2007, they were still working on new recordings, which are posted on their Myspace page HERE, but, as they themselves say, it is a slow process when you don't have major label support and money and need to work for a living. But the fact that they've managed to stay together this long bodes well for their future!

Download Is This Real

1		Comatose
2		Connection 17
3		Is This Real?
4		I Know I Can Do It
5		It Takes A Little More
6		The Sign
7		All I Am
8		Chocolate
9		Don't Want To Talk About It
10		Secret

Banderas - Ripe (1991)

Banderas was a British duo comprised of vocalist Caroline Buckley and violinist/musician Sally Herbert. They formed after working with Jimmy Sommerville's group the Communards. Their one and only album was produced by American Stephen Hague, who had had huge success producing British synth bands like OMD, Pet Shop Boys, New Order and Erasure, among many others. The sound was very much in the vein of those - danceable, sometimes funky synth-pop, with some trip-hoppy slower numbers. The real difference is Caroline's vocals, which are both ethereal and soulful, and the lyrics, which are very positive and uplifting. The first single "This Is Your Life" (which samples the fabulous Grace Jones' "Crack Attack") was a top 20 pop hit in the UK and top 40 dance hit in the US. The follow-up singles "She Sells" and "May This Be Your Last Sorrow" did not fare nearly as well, and though the album made the British top 40, the duo was largely ignored. It's likely that their image, that of two older, shaven headed and very androgynous women, was not what the audience associated with or wanted from female dance artists at the time, the majority of which were very young and sexualized. The two continued to work with Sommerville, and Sally has appeared and several albums since, both playing violin and doing string arrangements. Caroline has kept a lower profile (though a girl with the same name appeared on the first season of Pop Idol in a classically bad performance). According to one site, Sally is working with Caroline on writing some new songs, so who knows, we may hear more from them still. For now, download this lovely album, especially if you like previous postees Waterlillies.

Video for This Is Your Life (UK Version)

Video for This Is Your Life (US Version)

Video for She Sells

Download Ripe

1		This Is Your Life
2		The Comfort Of Faith
3		May This Be Your Last Sorrow
4		First Hand
5		Why Aren't You In Love With Me?
6		She Sells
7		Too Good
8		Don't Let That Man
9		It's Written All Over My Face
10		Never Too Late

Orchestra JB - Tambourine Fever (1991)

Orchestra JB was an alias of Jimmy Brown, a British DJ and musician. In the late 1980s he recorded a few house tracks, such as "On A Love Groove", for indie labels under the moniker. The track "Free Spirit", which was based on samples from various sources, became a fave of the rave crowd. It's follow-up, "Come Alive", garnered even more attention and praise, even though it was a downtempo track. It was favoured as a chillout track at the end of raves, along with tracks by the likes of The Orb and Massive Attack. A remix featuring the same hip hop baseline utilized by Madonna that same year in "Justify My Love" was it's most popular mix. On the track, Miss Bliss (better known as Sister Bliss from Faithless) spits a smooth rap, while singer Lydia Steinman provides soulful vocals. The song utilized a lot of harmonica, as well as other horns and acoustic elements. This song would serve as the blueprint for the whole album, which is mostly down-or-mid-tempo and utilizes actual instruments (most prevalently harmonica and, of course, tambourine) as well as electronics, with Steinman providing most of the vocals. A major label, EastWest, snatched the act up and wanted more of the same over an entire album. If you're looking for something to chill out to, look no further. But it can wear thin, and the rave crew didn't exactly embrace the album, which would be the only one from Orchestra JB. There is no sign of Jimmy Brown or Lydia Steinman anywhere on the internet, though, as with most of the acts on the Isle, we can assume they are still working in music to some degree.

Download Tambourine Fever

1		Greetings To The Riptide Moon
2		Come Alive
3		This Is Frightening
4		Drowse
5		Burn The Sky
6		Free Spirit
7		Lunar Beach
8		Pleasure Head
9		Up Before Dawn
10		Wide Open Space Cowboy
11		Blow Your Head Forever

Móa - Universal (1999)

Móa (full name Moeidur Juniusdottir) is another artist who no one would have expected to have a massive pop career. Her music is too eclectic. But no doubt her label Tommy Boy noticed the huge following that Bjork had and they snatched up this equally eccentric Icelander in the hopes that they could snatch some of that audience. Móa began her music career focusing on jazz music, releasing a jazz/lounge album locally in Iceland in 1993 entitled 'Syngur Login Vid Vinnuna'. But she also gained a love for electronic and dance music along the way, and in 1994 released an album as half of industrial/techno duo Bong with Eythor Arnalds. They were apparantly quite successful in Iceland, but Móa had other ideas. She wanted to merge the electronics with the jazz, and thus 'Univeral' was born. It was actually originally released in 1997 as 'Cool, As In Hot', but only in limited countries and soon grabbed the attention of Tommy Boy, who released it with some song changes and remixes. But the album was lost in the influx of eclectic electronic music that was being released at the time, and Móa remained relatively unknown. And the album is an acquired taste, despite the production by primarily pop producers (as well as Eythor Arnalds). More than anything, her voice was likely challenging to some. If you know and like Helicopter Girl or Nicolette, then you'll love this. If not, maybe you won't. Whatever the case, Móa's very Uma Thurman-like looks attracted Calvin Klein, who used her in a campaign, and she later went on to form the synth-pop/new wave group Lace.

Video for Joy & Pain

Download Universal

1		Joy & Pain
2		Toy
3		Memory Cloud
4		Rockets
5		Can't Forget You
6		Tenderly
7		Declaration
8		Raining in My Heart
9		Forever
10		Overcome
11		Virtual Affair
12		Raining in My Heart (Remix)

Amar - Outside (2000)

This album is yet another that I saw in a delete bin and was intrigued by, mostly because I noticed that there was a version of Prince's "Sometimes It Snows In April" on it. What I didn't expect was that it would be so eclectic and electronic. Amar Dhanjan is both British and Indian, and her songs are a mix of English and Hindi. The music behind them is generally downtempo and involves a lot of programming, samples and world beats, with some drum 'n' bass elements. The closest music I could compare it to would be Goldfrapp's first album Felt Mountain. Very ethereal and complex. The singles "Red Sky" and "Sometimes It Snows In April" (which was produced by the incredibly popular Guy Sigsworth) were both remixed into drum 'n' bass and UK garage versions and were underground successes. But Amar's music was obviously too left-of-centre to attract a big audience and she seemed to disappear. So I was surprised to discover that she is currently working with Timbaland on a new album! She appeared on Asian mixes of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater" and "Promiscuous", and from there Timbaland asked her to sing on the song "Bombay" off of his Shock Value album. This led to collaboration on her solo work, so expect her to release a new and much more popular album next year. It pays to make friends in high places!

For the maxi-single of "Sometimes It Snows In April", go to my other blog HERE.

Download Outside

1		The World
2		Sometimes It Snows In April
3		Claustrophobic
4		Maybe
5		Rain
6		To An Alien Land
7		Demons Win The Game
8		Red Sky
9		Another Tune
10		Tere Bina
11		After Sunset
12		Morning

Lamya - Learning From Falling (2002)

Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to see most of the artists featured here perform during their 'heydey'. Lamya, however, is one whom I did have the pleasure of seeing live. Upon arriving in San Francisco I noticed in the local paper that Lamya was performing a short set at Tower Records. I raced down to Tower just in time to see this exotic beauty perform, singing with the voice of an angel and pounding two large drums! She was singing "Empires", the most successful single off of her album. It was a great performance and she was a delight. Lamya moved from Egypt to New York, apparently being inspired by a TV interview with Madonna. She was soon asked to sing with Soul II Soul, and then did back-up for Duran Duran and David Bowie, among others. She was signed to a major label and the hype machine went into overdrive. Every magazine and TV show was interviewing her, before she'd even released anything, focusing on her exotic looks and opera-trained voice. After being remixed, "Empires" became a huge dance hit. Two other singles, "Black Mona Lisa" and "Never Enough" failed to generate the same heat, though, and critics were disappointed with the album. No album could have lived up to that much hype, and it's genre-defying music (think eclectic electronic soul) seemed to scare the public away as well. She has laid low since, but I think it's safe to say we'll be seeing more of her at some point in the future. You can't keep a good woman down!

**UPDATE: Sad news. The beautiful and talented Lamya died on January 8, 2009, of a heart attack. She was only 35! She was planning on releasing a new album in 2009, but unfortunately it may never be released. Very sad indeed, but we will remember her with fondness and I will cherish that I actually got to see her perform live. R.I.P. beautiful lady. Go HERE for more.

Video for Empires

Download Learning From Falling

1		Empires
2		East Of Anywhere
3		Black Mona Lisa
4		Never Enough
5		Judas Kiss
6		Full Frontal Fridays
7		I Get Cravings
8		Splitting Atoms
9		Never Such A Long Time
10		The Woman Who
11		Perfect Girl
12		Pink Moon

Terra Deva - Pulled Apart (1998)

Terra Deva McNair got her first taste of fame as a Mouseketeer, appearing on two seasons of the Mickey Mouse Club. Unlike her castmates JC, Justin, Xtina and Britney, upon leaving the show Terra decided to focus on music far outside the mainstream. She traveled to the UK and befriended several DJs in the rave scene. Spurred on by the exciting sounds around her, she recorded her debut album using several producers from that scene, the result being an electronic exploration in trip hop and drum 'n' bass. The album was an underground success, and the singles "Fresh Start" and "Inside" were club faves. But the music was far from the pop music recorded by her contemporaries that was favoured by the public, and Terra and the album remained underground. She continued on as a featured vocalist on several club hits by acts like Furry Phreaks, Pete Moss, Charles Webster, Who Da Funk and, most successfully, Shakedown, whose "At Night" with Terra was a UK hit. Excitingly, her website indicates that she is recording a new album, and she states her current obsessions are disco, freestyle and the Mary Jane Girls, so consider me excited for her next release!

Download Pulled Apart

1		Rain Rays
2		Over It
3		Inside
4		Fresh Start
5		Lethal
6		Pulled Apart
7		Devastate
8		Inside (Bugs Remix)
9		Gratify
10		Speak Low
11		Fresh Start (House Mix)

Rosey – Dirty Child (2002)

Rosey (née Nancy Kaye) is a perfect example of the many artists who, despite lots of label hype and critical acclaim, fail to catch on with the public. She had everything going for her – great looks, a soulful voice often compared to Nikka Costa (but to my ear closer to Alana Davis), tons of publicity from her label Island Def Jam, and fantastic reviews across the board. She had a hot producer in Darryl Swann, who had achieved success with Macy Gray. Some of her tracks even appeared on soundtracks to films like Bridget Jones’ Diary and Shallow Hal. Her music was an eclectic mix of many styles – trip hop, funk, jazz, rock, blues, hip hop and pop – that blended together to create a pleasing sound. And some remixes of her tracks “Love” and “One” also garnered praise. There really was no way that the woman could fail to set the charts afire. But unfortunately public response was barely even lukewarm. I had thought this was the end of her career until looking her up for this post. But fortunately I discovered her Youtube page, Facebook page and Reverbnation page. She did indeed record a few more albums on an independent label, as well as an album with her electronic group Lal Meri. So this is one lady who shouldn’t be written off just yet…

UPDATE:  So the delightful Rosey herself visited and left the following message.  Thanks for checking us out, and we will continue to check you out, Rosey! xo  :)

"Just found this article, almost 10 years exactly after it was written! There was a time when it wasn’t considered that cool for an artist to have too many different kinds of song styles on one record, which seemed to be my only “problem,” according to the press. Now artists like Beyoncé are making that dynamic approach to album making not only acceptable, but praised. Sometimes I feel like I’m on a deserted island of my own making, but I certainly am no failure. I have had an incredibly blessed and happy life supporting myself doing what I love, making music and art and for that I consider myself a great success. It certainly didn’t help my pop career that I refused to model practically naked in a bunch of men’s magazines lol. I have always wanted to be a positive role model for my sisters and I sleep very well at night knowing I didn’t have to literally sell my soul & body for fame. I took time away from the limelight to get away from the entertainment industry and all of its agendas, etc., so that I could nurture my own creativity and that of many other artists as well. I live in Atlanta now and have my own recording studio where I engineer and produce and support amazing artists while also making my own records. It’s a lot of fun helping to shape so many new talents and sing harmonies on all of their records. I have a band in Atlanta that I’ve been performing with for 6 years and we are getting ready to release some new music that we’ve been recording the last few years. Luckily I’m in no rush to put it out, as the longer I wait, the more artist friendly the music industry seems to become. I also grow tons of fresh herbs and vegetables in Georgia to feed myself and my musical community which has made my music more organic and my vibration that more in harmony with nature and all things beautiful. Seriously though, thanks for giving a sh$t. It warms my heart. Blessings to all of you music lovers now and forever. Xo Rosey @roseymusic roseymusic.com"


Video for Love 

Video for Beautiful

Download Dirty Child

1		Love
2		Afterlife
3		One
4		The Time
5		Beautiful
6		XX
7		Desperate
8		Like A Dream
9		Cozy
10		Dirty Child
11		Heaven
12		My Baby