Ricca - Ricca (1994)

Recently I was perusing my dear friend Joe's blog Milk Carton Pop Stars and was reminded that I never did listen to or get my hands on the only album by Ricca. Well, a quick search on eBay and problem solved! Since Joe did the research and found out what he could about the ladies, and some comments on his post filled in some of the missing pieces, I'll do only a quick summary. Ricca were American sisters Natalie & Elisa Soltren and Teresa Rodrigues. They managed to get a deal with Epic Records and worked with a wide array of producers, including Joyce Irby from Klymaxx and people who produced 80s acts like DeBarge, Tracie Spencer, Sybil and Martika, as well as Isle postees like Lisa Taylor and Louie Louie. In fact, this was one of the last major projects from most of the producers involved. The girls released their first single, "Such A Rush," in 1992 and followed it up with "Any Love" (which features a rap from Monica Payne from one-album-wonders The Gyrlz and Terri & Monica) in 1993. Despite the fact that neither song was a hit, they released their album the following year. As Joe mentions, it was unusual for a Latina act to record R&B, 'new jack swing' style music, which was obviously their selling point. It's really more R&B-lite with a lot of pop elements thrown in, similar to other late 80s/early 90s R&B, which is likely due to their producers. Unfortunately their music didn't appeal to a large audience, and there were rumours of label issues, so they were let go. The ladies have all been active since, and you can find updates both on Milk Carton Pop Stars and Rare And Obscure Music. I agree with Joe that it's shame the album didn't do better, and that I didn't pick it up when it was released, as I would have loved it and perhaps would have helped them have a little more success. Oh well, better late than never. :)

Download Ricca

1		Any Love
2		Such A Rush
3		Time Of My Life
4		Not Wishing
5		I Need Time
6		Do I Dare
7		Hear It Come From You
8		My Way
9		Sunshine & Rain
10		You Can't Love Me (If You Don't Respect Me)
11		Don't Waste My Time
12		Any Love (Spyder's Sound)