Lydia Rhodes - More To Life! (1991)

I know it's been awhile yet again since I've posted, but what can you do? ;) I can't remember how I came across the name Lydia Rhodes, but I suspect it was when I was looking into the production work of Junior Vasquez, the legendary producer and remixer who's worked with everyone from Prince to Madonna, as well as several Isle postees (though his greatest claim to fame is likely the 1996 underground house hit and Madonna diss "If Madonna Calls").  From what I gather, Brooklyn native Lydia and Junior were friends and her album was the first full album that Junior ever produced.  Other than that, info on Lydia's origins is still oddly scarce. But out of curiousity I sampled her only album and liked what I heard, so I managed to piece it together from various places and am glad I did, as it is a delicious pop rarity that covers many genres.  The first single, the house track "DJ Give Me That Funky Bass" released on MCA, hit the ground running and managed to reach #3 on the Billboard Dance chart.  The album followed soon after, and the majority of it was also house-based.  But the next single choice was the mid-tempo reggae jam "Unitize", and despite house remixes from Vasquez, the song failed to chart.  It seems MCA gave up on Lydia after that.  But she wasn't done with the album yet, because in 1996 the sexy mid-tempo spoken word track "Live It Cool" was heavily remixed by Vasquez and managed to reach #33 on the Billboard Dance chart.  Since then, Lydia has continued to periodically release dance singles, such as "Until The Moment" in 1999, "I Can't Deny" in 2000, and a remake of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" in 2002, and has been a featured vocalist with acts like Jahkey B, Mantra, Ananda Project, and most recently Nef Nunez and Tommy Bones.  She's also done backing vocals for acts like Bat For Lashes and Roberto Rodriguez, and even co-wrote Lisa Lisa's solo single "When I Fell In Love" from 1994.  She is apparently working on an EP to be released in 2013 that will feature different genres like house, jazz and dubstep.  You can hear a recent short interview and live performance with Lydia HERE.

Download More To Life!

1		Boogie Oogie Oogie
2		More To Life
3		Unitize
4		One Sensation
5		Don't Hate Me
6		The Way You Make Me Feel
7		Flower Power
8		DJ Give Me That Funky Bass
9		Do A Good Thing
10		Live It Cool
11		Sitting In The Dark
12		The Edge Of A Dream / More To Life (Reprise)