Tarsha Vega - Diamonds And Monsters (2000)

I don't remember how I came across Tarsha Vega's name a few weeks ago, but I became curious as to who this lady was for some reason and I discovered her song "Be Ya Self".  I instantly loved what I heard and hoped that she had an album of similar stuff.  Some quick research uncovered that she did record an album, but it was never released.  Luckily some advance copies were released and I got my hands on one, so here you go!  Tarsha grew up in the Bronx mastering acting and dancing, but her young adventures to dance clubs instilled an interest in making music as well.  Through the New York nightlife she made connections in the music and entertainment world, even working part-time for the CBS Evening News. In 1998 she was introduced to up-and-coming producers Sam Hollander and Dave Schommer, then known as The Freshmaka and Duke Mushroom respectively.  They were recording a drum n' bass album as The Warriors and were looking for a female MC to feature on the album.  Tarsha gave them a sample of her skills and she was hired.  She toured with them and also appeared on the track "The Freshest" on The Freshmaka's album. She soon began working on a demo with the duo, who now went by the name Pop Rox (they would later go on to produce many successful acts such as Baha Men and Wave, as well as Isle postees Cooler Kids.  Hollander continues to produce for hit acts like Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Kelly Rowland and Katy Perry). The demo drew the attention of RCA and they signed Tarsha.  Her first single, "Be Ya Self", was featured in the movie The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle, which got her some attention.  But it clearly was not enough of a success for the label, and despite advance buzz, they pulled her album from release.  Her song "What It Beez Like" appeared a year later in the film Summer Catch, but that was the last anyone heard of Tarsha's music.  Which is very disappointing, considering the album is AMAZING!  She reminds me one of my fave artists of all time, Imani Coppola.  Like Imani she raps quite a bit, but it's all backed by a much poppier vibe and more humour than most hip hop, and she also sings.  She is a surprisingly strong rapper, and her lyrics are very clever and sometimes quite deep.  (The song "Rooftops" even features folk goddess Carole King, who was working with Pop Rox at the time.)  I was very pleasantly surprised by this album, and I'll be giving it repeated spins. Since it's release, Tarsha has done occasional acting gigs, but her main focus has been on her internet radio show and website, theKNU, which she executive produces and hosts with her friend A. Jade Smith.  The site is concentrated on a sort of life coaching through music, which isn't a surprise considering the issues she cleverly covered on her one and only album.

UPDATE:  Sam Hollander, half of Tarsha's producers Pop Rox, just left the following comment in the Chat Box.  Thanks for visiting Sam and glad you approve! 

"Thanks for the Tarsha write up. Broke my heart when it got shelved. Had a blast making it. Sam (formerly of Pop Rox)"

UPDATE #2:  Tarsha herself left a comment!  I'm so excited!!  Thanks for visiting, Tarsha, and rest assured, I have been playing the album on repeat ever since! xo

"Wow! Long time since someone has written about this album. I had a blast making it and working with Sam and Dave. Those were some good times indeed! Yes I am now doing theKNU and loving it! You should chk it out. Wouldn't mind even having you on as a guest?  Thank you again for the great write up! Tarsha Vega :0) theKNU.com"

Video for Be Ya Self

Download Diamonds And Monsters

1		Da One
2		Be Ya Self
3		Diamonds And Monsters
4		Time
5		What It Beez Like
6		Goodbye Girl
7		Celluloid Zero
8		Coney Island High
9		Leroy
10		Shine On
11		Rooftops

Razor N' Guido - Dancefloor (2000)

I've been featuring so many truly old school releases lately, I figured I'd bring it back this time to this decade - barely. Razor N' Guido are Peter Osback and Guido Osorio, two DJs from Long Island, New York. Though they began remixing separately (Guido having the higher profile with mixes for a wide range of acts like Book Of Love, Billy Idol, Captain Hollywood Project and Deep Forest), they teamed up in 1994. They probably first came to mass attention with their 1997 remixes of Robert Miles' "Fable" and Notorious B.I.G.'s "Mo Money Mo Problems". From there there were in demand, taking tracks from all kinds of artists and genres and giving them a very upbeat house vibe. This naturally led to an interest in production and creating songs of their own. They released their first single, "Men Beat Their Men", in 1997. Encouraged by the track's underground success, they released a few more singles over the next few years - "Don't Look Behind You", "Follow Me", "This Joy" with Vernessa Mitchell and Junior Vasquez, and their biggest dance hit to date, "Do It Again", all on the Groovilicious label. They finally embarked on a full album of progressive house music, recruiting a variety of vocalists including Octahvia, Renee Goldstein, Alan T, Darrell Martin, and house diva Reina. The track "Miss The Way", with Reina taking lead vocals, became a dance smash, though it was attributed more to Reina than R&G. They released the title track next, featuring vocals by Octahvia, but it didn't generate the same amount of heat. The album also failed to ignite, and they went back to mainly remixing. But luckily, the quality of acts that they have been remixing since is high, including the likes of Cyndi Lauper and Kristine W. Their latest remix successes are of Korean diva BoA's "Energetic" and British 'next big thing' La Roux's "Bulletproof". They have managed to stay in demand and luckily are having a chance to remix diverse and well-hyped new acts.

Download Dancefloor

1		Intro
2		You
3		Imagination
4		Tweek It
5		Interlude #1
6		Dancefloor
7		In The Music
8		Never
9		Set Me Free
10		Miss The Way
11		Work It
12		Recycled Plastic (Twix)
13		Interlude #2
14		Won't You Tell Me
15		Do It Again
16		Interlude #3
17		Cheesy

Starz!? - Party (2000)

I discovered this group when I bought a used copy of their single "Heaven's On Fire", hoping desperately it was a remake of the Kiss track, which blessedly it was! They were then known as just Star, and their image combined with one of my fave songs (no, I'm not joking) assured me that the song would be a cheesetastic classic! And I was not disappointed, especially since it was remixed into an awesome dance mix. I posted that single on Lost Pop Treasures HERE. Thanks to that post, the awesome Magnuna, who runs the equally awesome Norwegian Music blog, sent me their entire album, entitled Party. I didn't expect to ever hear anything else from them and only found out years after I bought the single that they changed their name to Starz!? (due to legal issues with their original name) and released an album (in Europe only). And thanks to Magnuna, here it is! I can't tell you much about the group themselves. I know that they are Swedish and consisted of four lovely and bizarrely dressed young ladies: Irene Nord, Mia Johnsson, Selma Yasitli and Lotta Josefsson. I did manage to find one site with info on them, but since I am not Swedish and any translation service I use doesn't properly translate the site, I couldn't tell you what it reveals. But HERE it is if you do know Swedish. ;) From the pics I gathered a couple of them also posed nude at one point... Anyway, it's about the music. If you've heard the original mix of "Heaven's On Fire", which was a hit in Sweden, then expect much more of the same. They are like a mix of the Spice Girls and Abba, if they sang in mostly growls and used A LOT of guitar. I'm guessing that was their gimmick to differentiate them from the million other girl groups at the time. They released a couple more singles, a remake of Sweet's "Wig Wam Bam" and the original "This Is My Life", and the album includes a cover of Skid Row's "I Remember You". Though Magnuna claimed to see them open for the Backstreet Boys, obviously their gimmick didn't work and they very quickly ceased to be. But thankfully they left perhaps one of the cheesiest pop-rock dance albums in their wake for us all to enjoy, or something like that. ;)

Video for Heaven's On Fire

Download Party

1		The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
2		This Is My Life
3		God Save Us
4		Fish Out Of Water
5		I Remember You
6		Hey You (What's Your Name)
7		Wig-Wam Bam
8		Girls They Like To Party
9		I Got The Look
10		Air
11		Heaven's On Fire
12		Score
13		God Damn It Move

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

Jodie Resther - Real (2000)

Jodie Resther is yet another in a long line of Canadian pop-R&B singers touted as the next big thing whose singing career really didn't get off the ground (see also Patria and Jazmin, also here on the Isle). Though pop-R&B was getting a lot of attention at the time of her album's release, it was mainly white and/or American acts getting the spotlight. Canadian R&B wouldn't garner attention until many years later, and even still it's limited. Jodie was born in Montreal but had a strong Jamaican influence thanks to her mother. She delved into both music and acting. As a child and teen she starred in successful kids programs like Are You Afraid Of The Dark, Vampire High and the cartoon Arthur. Taking advantage of this success, she signed with Aquarius Records to pursue her true passion, music. Much of her debut album involved the people behind other Isle postees Jazmin, Sugar Jones and Velvet Empire, the go-to guys for the pop-R&B vibe in Canada. She released the title track as her first single, but it generated even less attention than her contempories', and Jodie's music career came and went with barely a whimper. She continued to do voice work for Arthur while still dabbling in music. Finally she reemerged in the music world on an indie label in 2006 with the French album Ma Dualité, the sound of which she dubbed "ragasoul" and was heavily influenced by her Jamaican roots. But since then she has remained rather quiet, and both her website and Myspace page haven't been updated since 2007. Interestingly her bio on both makes no mention of Real or her acting career. However, her song "Soldier" from Ma Dualité was recently chosen as the theme song for something called AquaThon, so chances are she'll be back with more music soon, though my guess is it will be in French, so yay for all you Francophones! ;)

Download Real

1		Real
2		Request For Love
3		Stressin' Out
4		Come A Little Closer
5		I'm Scared
6		Give It Up (You Make Me Weak)
7		Stay
8		Say That You Love Me
9		You Got That Something
10		I Will
11		All You Mean To Me Is Everything
12		We Can Conquer Love
13		Real (Guitar Mix)

Blaise Pascal - Hairspray (2000)

You could say that Blaise Pascal came and went in a 'blaise' of glory. Hailing from Toronto, her songwriting got some notice. In 1996 she won the Annual National Songwriting Competition and came in second in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition, for which she won $30,000 from FACTOR (Foundation to Support Canadian Talent on Records) to make her debut album (the grants for the arts are one of the things that makes Canada great, IMO). She chose not to shop the album around and instead released the album on an independent label. This was likely her downfall. Though she had some publicity for the album, she would have had much more with a major label. When you have a low profile in Canada, especially as a Canadian musician, you know you're in trouble. The album came and went with some critical accolades and not much else. It is a pleasant enough pop rock album, reminiscent of singers like Lisa Loeb or Nina Gordon or even previous postee Stella Soleil. I have no idea what she's up to lately, mainly because her name is the same as the famous French mathemetician, physicist and religious philosopher. A name change is highly recommended...

Download Hairspray

1		Only Way
2		10 Feet High
3		Rush
4		Angel Baby
5		God Bless America
6		22 Years
7		Order Me
8		Hairspray
9		Walk In Chinatown
10		Worthy

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

Sister2Sister - One (2000)

Sister2Sister are Australian sisters (natch!) Christine and Sharon Muscat. As young girls they had a drive to perform, and they were fortunate enough to perform for Australian hitmaker Tina Arena, who was so impressed that she got her manager (and husband) to sign them to a record deal. They were an instant success in Australia, with their first single "Sister" debuting in the top ten, and their second single "What's A Girl To Do" also reaching the top ten. "Sister" also reached the top ten in the UK. But although they went on a Disney tour with other pop acts across North America and opened for Britney, their music never caught on with North Americans. Perhaps the pop world was over-saturated with teen pop acts. Whatever the reason, the girls returned to Australia. But instead of following up their success with another album, they hosted a show on MTV Australia and then opened up their own school, the Sister2Sister School of Singing, which is still going strong.

Video for Sister

Video for What's A Girl To Do

Video for Too Many Times

Download One

1		Sister
2		Differently
3		Never Like That
4		What's A Girl To Do?
5		Tender
6		Too Many Times
7		How Could You Doubt Me?
8		Friend Of Mine
9		Too Close To Heaven
10		Count On Me

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

11:30 (Eleven Thirty) - Olé Olé (2000)

Eleven Thirty (often written as the numerical 11:30, it depends on the source) were twins Toni and Trish Sherwood. They were born in Montreal in 1981 on November 30 (thus their moniker). They burst on the Canadian music scene with their first single "Olé Olé", a hot dance-pop song with a Latin flare. I remember riding through the streets of Montreal at night with some friends with this song blasting on the radio. Really, it was much better than one would expect from a low profile Canadian act. The same could be said for the album, which was produced by their father and is really quite good. It contains mostly upbeat latin-pop numbers, with some hip hop moments, and their harmonies are very pleasant. No doubt the success of Shakira, Ricky Martin and J Lo encouraged these girls to go for some Latin flavour. Think a poppier Nina Sky (another future entry perhaps?). They toured across Canada opening for people like Aaron Carter, tempting the teen audience. But the heat around "Olé Olé" didn't carry over to their next single, "Let's Go All Night", though it followed the same upbeat Latin formula. The ladies disappeared from the public eye soon after, which is too bad as I think this album should have gotten them substantial play. And note, this is the second set of Canadian twins featured here, after Tú. Perhaps in the future I should feature another set, Ryan & Dan from the truly horrible pop trio B4-4, who now record El Divo-ish music as RyanDan. But don't hold your breath for that one!

Video for Olé Olé

Download Olé Olé

1		Olé Olé
2		Ladies Night Out
3		Too Many Lovers
4		I Will Not Cry No More
5		Let's Go All Night
6		Sister
7		More Than Money
8		Dance
9		Jump On It
10		You're The One
11		Slide
12		Someday
13		"U"
14		Olé Olé (Les Déebbes Dubliées)
15		Je Mértie Mieux Que Toi
16		La Nuit Blanche

Boyz-N-Girlz United - Boyz-N-Girlz United (2000)

Boyz-N-Girlz United was yet another obvious attempt to cash in on the teen pop craze. It is simply *NSync meet Britney, down to the bouncy beats and word pronunciation (e.g. Instead of fanta-see they pronounce it fanta-say. LOL). They didn't really offer anything new, aside from being a co-ed group, and with teen pop groups like The Party having appeared some time before them, even that wasn't really original. They were produced by the same slew of producers that worked with *Nsync, they opened for Britney on tour, and *NSync member J.C. Chasez even co-wrote a couple of their songs, including their first single, "Messed Around". That song made a very minor dent on the chart, and it's remix was a minor dance hit (I love the remix of it on this album, BTW). The follow-up "That's What You Get" went unnoticed, and they disbanded soon after. Nothing much has been heard from most of the crew (Criss Ruiz, Rina Mayo, Daniel Dix) since, but one member, Robbie Carrico, did make it to the Top 24 on American Idol, in the 'guise' of a rocker, provoking Simon's ire and his assessment that Carrico was a fake. With this album as proof, he was no doubt right.

Video for Messed Around

Download Boyz-N-Girlz United

1		Messed Around
2		Dance With Me
3		Can't Stop Loving You
4		Beautiful You
5		That's What You Get
6		Don't Get What You See
7		Always
8		They Say
9		Light Of Love
10		Lifetime
11		Just Gotta Make You Mine
12		Lost
13		Messed Around (Extended Rough House Remix)
14		That's What You Get (Extended Dance Remix)

Amanda Ghost - Ghost Stories (2000)

Here is an album I was drawn to for three very common reasons in my world - a cool artist name, a cool cover, and a wicked dance track. I'm a sucker for a good song. And in this case it was "Filthy Mind". The song ruled the dance charts, and London-born Amanda followed it up with another dance hit, "Idol". I bought the album as a US import, as I just HAD to have it. Once I listened to it I was a bit put off at first, however. The songs were nowhere near as danceable and propulsive as the remixed versions. But with a few listens they and the album grew on me, with the help of Amanda's unique voice and great songwriting and the production's electronic flourishes. It's best described as techno-pop-rock. It was far from the mainstream, however, and the album got little attention on the pop charts. She did release a third single to garner attention, "Glory Girl", but it didn't fare as well as the others and thus didn't improve album sales. She did not disappear, however. In fact, she thrived - as a songwriter. Aside from some work with friend Boy George, she co-wrote three huge hits over the last few years - James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", Beyonce & Shakira's "Beautiful Liar", and Jordin Sparks' "Tattoo" (also, Sonique covered the haunting song "Empty" on her debut album). And she continues to write and record. She independently released an EP called Blood On The Line in 2006, and appears to be getting ready to reemerge, as her official website is 'under construction'.

Video for Filthy Mind

Video for Idol

Video for Glory Girl

Download Ghost Stories

1		Filthy Mind
2		Idol
3		Glory Girl
4		The Wrong Man
5		Cellophane
6		Blind Man
7		Silver Lining
8		Empty
9		A Child Believes
10		Numb

West End Girls - The Definitive Collection (2000)

I'm cheating a bit here now, as I'm posting a compilation. It is the entire recorded work of Canada's West End Girls (not to be confused with the Swedish Pet Shop Boys tribute girl duo). Why am I posting what is basically a best of, by a group that released two albums and a remix album? A group that had many hits in Canada at that? It goes against my qualifications for admittance to the island! Well, it's because outside of Canada no one knows who they are, and I think you all would love them. Also, a hit in Canada doesn't mean so much (sorry, my beloved country). And the group really had two incarnations, each being quite different from the other. The short version of their story is that three girls, Camille, Silvana and Aimee, were brought together in Vancouver in 1991 by producer John Dexter to form a pop group. They released their self-titled debut to Canadian success, releasing four top 40 singles: "Not Like Kissing You", "I Want You Back" (a remake of the Jackson 5 hit), "Say You'll Be Mine" and "Show Me The Way". They were a brassy trio and very synth pop (especially the tracks "Fascination" and their remake of Blondie's "Dreaming"). They even had writing and vocal assistance from freestyle diva and Arthur Baker's wife Tina B. Alas, Silvana and Camille left the group, and were soon replaced by Janele and Celia-Louise. The new ladies, with Aimee, released the album We Belong Together. The sound was quite different, this time with a very R&B/hip hop vibe, with a healthy dose of pop, of course. They released the singles "R U Sexin' Me", "Sexy" and "Pure (You're Touching Me)" (a very Madonna Erotica-esque track), which were also Canadian hits. The album wasn't as successful as it's predecessor, however, and the group disbanded. Since, Silvana joined the group Pacifika, Camille was featured on Delirium's song "Duende" and was a back-up singer for Sarah McLachlan, Aimee joined the group D-Cru, Janele became half of pop-rock duo A Perfect Day (whose album will be featured in the future) and Celia-Louise has pursued an acting career. So enjoy the masterworks of a Canadian sensation that will never be heard from again! (FYI - tracks 1 to 9 are from their first album, 10 to 19 are from the second, and the last track is a demo recorded before their first album. Following are the album covers.)











**UPDATE:  I just read an article in a local paper about Silvana's group Pacifika.  They are currently touring Canada.  Check out their website for more: http://pacifikaonline.com/

Go to my sister site for remixes of "Pure (You're Touching Me)".

Video for Not Like Kissing You

Video for I Want You Back

Video for Pure (You're Touching Me)

Download The Definitive Collection

1		I Want You Back
2		Not Like Kissing You
3		A Million Shades Of Love
4		Show Me The Way
5		Dreaming
6		She Doesn't Live Here Anymore
7		Beat Of Life
8		Say You'll Be Mine
9		Fascination
10		R U Sexin' Me
11		Sexy
12		Sweet Emotion
13		Reunited
14		I've Been Thinking About You
15		Anything To Make You Mine
16		State Of The Heart
17		We Belong Together
18		Watcha Done To My Heart
19		Pure (You're Touching Me)
20		Falling In Love

Nobody's Angel - Nobody's Angel (2000)

Nobody's Angel (not to be confused with German girl group No Angels) was a group of four teen girls who got together after enduring auditions for various film, television and music projects. They originally consisted of Ali Navarro, Stacey Harper, Amy Sue Hardy and Sarah Smith. They were obviously meant to capitalize on the success of Britney Spears and the Spice Girls. But, as with my previous postee Innosense and dozens of other girl groups, they were too late in the game. The Spice Girls were out of favour and hip hop was beginning to rule the pop charts. To no one but the record label's surprise, the album flopped. The single "If You Wanna Dance" found itself (just barely) on the dance charts, but that would be the end of any chart appearances for the girls. They did appear on television (with a guest appearance on Boy Meets World) and soundtracks (The Parent Trap), but the exposure did little to form a fan base for the group. Stacey and Amy Sue left the group in 2001 and were replaced by actress Jennie Kwan from NBC kiddie-com California Dreams and Tai Amber Hoo. They recorded a second album, but it was shelved, no doubt due to lack of audience interest. Tai Amber ended up briefly in another girl group, Gyrl, and Ali eventually also joined another girl group, the controversial Fem 2 Fem (also on the Isle). The sound of Nobody's Angel is pure Spice Girls, especially "If You Wanna Dance", which sounds like a Spice Girls outtake. Interestingly, the majority of the album was co-produced by Mike More, one half of Or-N-More, whose album is also featured here.

UPDATE:   Ali, aka Alitzah Wiener-Dallas, just wrote me on Facebook and was more than gracious enough to share a detailed account of the group's experiences.  It is a fascinating look into the machinations of the music industry.  I think you'll greatly enjoy her recollections.  Thanks a TON, Ali. I'm sure many Isle devotees and visitors will be thrilled! :)

"Hi! This is Ali from Nobody's Angel.  First I want to take the time to say thank you for including us in your blog, but I also want to mention there are some false facts in the blog. Nobody's Angel first album was solely produced by Andrew Logan and Mike Moore. Our first album, which was released February of 2000, actually sold very well, almost 500,000 units. We actually did have a very awesome fan base - it was our fan base that kept Nobody's Angel alive in a market that was being over-saturated by manufactured bands. The record industry is very political and there are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes that fans don't know about it. Reality TV started around that time so now Nobody's Angel was competing with bands who were auditioning to be a group and having instant promo on TV that reached the masses, unlike us, who were out grinding on the road only living off of per diem . I know on TV they make it look so glamorous but that's not the way it really is. Nobody's Angel actually had a TV holding deal with ABC and were slated to do a TV show.  That is how we were introduced on Boy Meets World.  The producer/creator of Boy Meets World was to be the producer of the Nobody's Angel TV show. Unfortunately, one of our music producers from our first album became greedy and tanked the deal for everyone.  Nobody's Angel had been approached by WB network to do a reality show but we turned it down because we were gung-ho on wanting to be taken serious as vocalists and actresses. Once I found out there was shadiness going on in our camp from management, producers, etc., I knew we needed to clean house. I then brought in my childhood friends Jennie Kwan and Tai Hoo to become the new Nobody's Angel and we got new management, etc.. With the new Nobody's Angel, we recorded two songs for the soundtrack Princess Diaries, which earned us a Gold Record. We then started writing and producing our second record with producers Matthew Gerrard, Access Denied and Schaffer Smith (Ne-Yo). The album was off the charts ."I'd Like To Be " and "Out Of My Life " were not demos, they were songs from the never-released album. While we were recording we were offered another TV deal with ABC Family, which we were super excited about. We couldn't wait to go on the road and show our fan-base a new grown up look and sound.  We were all very hands on and we were taking our career into our own hands. Well, right when our TV show was supposed to go into pre-production, ABC Family got a new president, so Nobody's Angel had to get re-approved from the new president. The new president approved the forward movement of the Nobody's Angel TV Show, BUT then a week later ABC Family decided to take their network in a whole new direction and the Nobody's Angel show was dropped.  So, now being the end of 2002 and music changing and radio not wanting to play girl bands and boy bands, the record company (Hollywood Records) told us girls that without the TV show they were not gonna put big dollars into marketing the 2nd album, which, if you don't know, means bands go on the road and make per diem only, unless they make TV appearances or make money from sponsorships, etc.. Our advance was almost gone (an advance is what an artist gets from the record company, basically a salary so you can record an album and promote it and live off, but it's given at the beginning of the recording process).  Now a year into an advance, since all of us girls lived on our own and clearly had bills to pay, our advance was quickly coming to an end.  So myself , Sarah, Tai, Jennie, our wonderful manager Wil Sharpe and our A&R Steffen Phelps (who signed Nobody's Angel) all met for dinner to decide the fate of Nobody's Angel. It was a very sad day for us all when we came to the conclusion to end Nobody's Angel, not because we wanted to, but we would've all made more money working a basic minimum wage job then to spend months promoting an album and not have the full support financially of the record company. With the start of illegal downloads, record companies were losing money and reality TV was skyrocketing. It was becoming a whole new world for the entertainment business. 

It was a wonderful time for Nobody's Angel.  We loved every moment of it. We thank everyone who supported us and actually still support us in our new ventures. 

Fem 2 Fem was something I did for 1.5 seconds prior to Nobody's Angel. :) I'm very close still to our manager, our A&R Steffen, Sarah, Jennie and Tai. All 4 of us continued acting, singing, etc., and all are wonderfully happy doing what we love to do. The best thing that came out of a Nobody's Angel was that I met my husband Dallas from the group Youngstown . Dallas and I still write and produce music. Our latest venture is a kid show I created called Twinkle Time!"

Download Nobody's Angel

1		If You Wanna Dance
2		I Can't Help Myself
3		Boom Boom
4		Next Stop Heaven
5		Keep Me Away
6		Right There Waiting
7		Ooh La La La
8		Wishing On You
9		Absolutely Maybe
10		Sugardaddy
11		Nobody
12		Cherry Crush
13		We Are Family (Angel's Style)

Dusty Trails - Dusty Trails (2000)

As promised, here is the one and only album from Dusty Trails, a duo comprised of Vivian Trimble from Luscious Jackson and Josephine Wiggs from The Breeders. If you like those bands you'll love this, though be forewarned - this is nothing like either of those groups. The group name is perfect, as this is music that you would listen to while traveling across the desert, leaving sand and memories in your wake. It has a lilting, melancholy vibe, with hints of Serge Gainsbourg. This could be called coffee shop music, but in the best way, not Starbucks but some independent little corner shop, sitting in the sun on the patio and smoking a cigarette. In fact, there is a song on here just for that moment, "Order Coffee", with a haunting vocal by the one and only Emmylou Harris (who seems to have taken a liking to the Luscious Jackson ladies, having worked on their albums and side projects and also had them appear on her own work). And all of the ladies of Luscious Jackson make appearances on here as well. I challenge you to try to resist this album and it's pure beauty. Too bad these projects were one offs by these ladies, as I would have loved to have heard a follow-up to this brilliant album.

Download Dusty Trails

1		Pearls On A String
2		You Freed Yourself
3		Spy In The Lounge
4		Est-Ce Que Tu
5		Roll The Dice
6		St-Tropez
7		Unhand Me You Wretch
8		They May Call Me A Dreamer
9		Fool For A Country Tune
10		Regrets In Bordertown
11		Order Coffee
12		Conga Style
13		Caught In A Dream
14		Dusty Trails Theme

B2Krazy - B2Krazy (2000)

B2Krazy (not to be confused with the US B2K) was a Canadian teen-pop group formed in Toronto. It consisted of two boy singers, Brett and Zael, one girl singer, Genevieve, a rapper, Revren, and Yahoo, their 'spiritual adviser'. They made fluffy pop music that fluctuated between house and R&B. Their first two singles, "Dream About You" and "Something To Say" were considered 'hits' in Canada, but as I've said before about Canadian charts, that distinction remains iffy. They were obviously formed to capitalize on the teen pop boom of the time, and they had a brief moment in the spotlight, due in part to their gimmick of having Yahoo appear with them in their videos and performances, apparently for no other reason than having some weird old guy in a teen pop band as a gimmick! LOL They soon faded from memory and went their own ways. According to their Wikipedia entry, Genevieve is in a pop cover band, Brett has embarked on a solo career (he has his own website as Bret Ryan), Revren is MIA, Zael is living on the streets (!!) and the whereabouts of Yahoo is mercifully unknown. Another example of the many diverse directions a brief pop career can go...

Video for Dream About You

Download B2Krazy

1		Yahoo Has Arrived (Intro)
2		Give It Up
3		Dream About You
4		Something To Say (Remix)
5		Flower Power
6		B2K Crazy
7		Alive & Kickin' (Remix)
8		See You Again
9		What To Do
10		I Can't Wait Forever
11		Something To Say
12		Dream About You (Club Remix)
13		Something To Say (French Kiss Remix)
14		Something To Say (French Kiss)

Aleesha Rome – Aleesha Rome (2000)

Aleesha Rome was an Australian pop singer obviously modeled to succeed Britney as pop royalty. Of course, as happened to almost every other pop tart pushed into Britney’s shadow, she was a resounding flop. I picked this album up for $1 and figured I’d give it a go. It’s OK, but pretty dated sounding IMO. Her voice is quite Britney-esque and the music is pure pop, without the faux R&B sound of early Britney. But Aleesha is less memorable in looks, voice and sound, and she failed to make an impact almost everywhere in the world (though she did manage minor success in her native Australia). The album does contain fun dance mixes of two of her singles, however – “Search My Heaven” and “One Of Us Has Changed”. And Aleesha has continued on in an indie-rock group called Ivy York. But for the full love on Aleesha, please visit our friends at Pop Trash Addicts, whose tribute I discovered while searching for info on the girl. Thankfully there are sites like this and theirs to keep the flame lit for these types of artists!

Video for Search My Heaven

Video for One Of Us Has Changed

Download Aleesha Rome

1		Search My Heaven
2		One Of Us Has Changed
3		If Only I Could Cry
4		Without You
5		I Didn't Have The Heart
6		Yours Truly
7		Do You Feel Me
8		3 Words
9		Hazy Days
10		Real World
11		Search My Heaven (Mont Blanc House Mix)
12		One Of Us Has Changed (Absolute Spirit Mix)

Innosense - So Together (2000)

Innosense was a female quintet who were just one of many girl groups that followed in the wake of the Spice Girls' success (many of the others will be featured here in the future as well). Unfortunately, the Spice Girls themselves were falling out of favour around the time of Innosense's debut. Teen-pop music was still popular, but it was solo girls and boy bands that reigned. Interestingly enough, the group was created to be the female N*Sync. Even more interesting is the fact that teen pop queen Britney Spears was one of the founding members of Innosense, with member and fellow ex-Mickey Mouse Club member Nikki Deloach, before deciding to go solo. And the band was formed with the assistance of Justin Timberlake's mom and managed by uber-manager Lou Pearlman. The sound was Britney meets the Spice Girls. In fact, "Ride" is a total rip-off of the Spice Girls' "Wannabe". The usual pop producers of the day were involved, including Full Force, Khris Kellow and a host of Swedes. The girls opened for Britney and N*Sync on their tours, but the pop sound was on it's way out, even for those headliners, so Innosense never had a chance. Nikki is now an actress, and other member Mandy Ashford is a 'glamour' model. The fate of the other three remains unknown.

Video for Say No More

Download So Together

1		Ride
2		Say No More
3		Beep Beep
4		So Together
5		This Is It
6		Rain Rain
7		You Didn't Have To Hurt Me
8		www.fant-ta-see
9		A Hundred Oceans
10		A Real Good Man
11		You Can't Touch Me Now
12		I Wish

Kina - Kina (2000)

Kina Cosper was once a member of successful R&B girl group Brownstone, replacing one of the original three for their second album. After the second album failed to meet expectations, the group broke up and Kina recorded her only solo album. Having a love for soul and rock music, she combined the two for her album. Unfortunately audiences in North America apparently weren't ready for a black woman singing pop-rock songs (though Dionne Farris managed a hit years earlier with a similar recipe). A total shame, as the album is a tour-de-force, with Kina's soulful voice front and center. The most obvious comparison would be Skunk Anansie's softer moments, and the influence of one of her idols, Lenny Kravitz, is definitely heard. Of course, as is becoming of a diva, Kina did have a couple huge dance hits with great remixes of her first two singles "Girl From The Gutter" and "Me". But the clubs weren't what her album was geared for and, despite a huge push by her label Dreamworks, it failed to catch on.

Video for Girl From The Gutter

Download Kina

1		Girl From The Gutter
2		I Love You
3		Have A Cry
4		Stop
5		Give And Take
6		Me
7		U Don't Know
8		Loser
9		Hurt So Bad
10		Insanity
11		Still Here