I truly don't like her music, but will give her another chance and keep an open mind
Dance? Hopefully some Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters. Great niece of Ethel Waters! Born in Philly, raised in DC. At 14, she was inducted into the American Poetry Society - the youngest member at the time! She graduated from Howard University and took on 9-5 jobs to support her family.
In 1987, she began writing songs with production team the Basement Boys; in 1989 she joined Mercury Records as an inhouse songsmith. One of the tunes she penned was meant for someone we'll see soon, but her demo was liked by the label and released.
I think you know it.
If you don't, you're welcome! Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless) went to #8 in the US, and #2 in the UK. Her next single, Makin' Happy, wasn't as big of a hit - but it did top the dance charts!
Crystal was thought to be lost to the dance charts, but had another hit a few years later with 100% Pure Love.
Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)
Makin' Happy
100% Pure Love
LeAnn's debut is really impressive imo. I love all the singles and the album tracks aren't bad either.
I never got the love for Gypsy Woman. A dance song about a homeless beggar? I'm all for thinking outside the box and all, but like... Her other songs are great though and, damn, was she gorgeous. Still is actually!
You know the country girls are the hardest for me to get through. I don't know Pam, but I have heard Shake the Sugar Tree before. And of course I know LeAnn Rimes.
Marie-Claire "Amber" Cremers. Singing with a pretty noticeable Dutch accent, Amber was signed to Tommy Boy Records (which was the most LIT/Guido record label of the 90s!) and took off, as American radio still played Euro-Dance. (93-97 was such a goldmine for it! Bubblegum pop must have killed it off here, relegating it to KTU and the Dance charts.)
This is Your Night was her first single, and went to number twenty four on the charts. It later appeared on the soundtrack to The Roxbury Brothers!
I'm partial to the Hani Club Mix of her third single, One More Night. LEGENDARY in the late 90s!
A few years later, Amber made more of a concentrated move to the middle of the pop charts. Sexual (La Da Di) is a bop, but she almost gets lost in it? Listening to OMN again, her tone/timbre is pretty unique!
This is Your Night
One More Night
Sexual (La Da Di)
Ultra Naté. Her birth name! Born and raised in Maryland, UN got her start in the industry when she signed to UK Warner Bros in the early 90s. She released two albums with them, and declared herself a definitive dance diva. She turned down Gypsy Woman, but kept songs like Show Me - her first number one of the dance charts.
In 1995, she recorded the theme song to cult classic Party Girl. Warner Bros was dismayed by her house influenced direction, and kindly told her to aim more mainstream.
She told them to eff off. The two parted ways.
But let's get to nitty gritty. Free. Balearic bliss, it's one of the most uplifting, spiritual, and beautiful dance songs of the past twenty years.
Check me.
Show Me
Party Girl (Turn Me Loose)
Free
THESE are the Ultra Naté singles you'll be rating.
Jocelyn Enriquez. Born and bred in San Francisco, and one of the few Asian performers to have hits (on the dance charts) in the US. In the mid 90s, she was in a girl group called Pinoy Divas - the Filipina answer to En Vogue.
Obviously that didn't take, so she went solo!
Her first single was I've Been Thinking About You, which set no chart on fire!
Freestyle deliciousness, for all the Rockell haters from the last rate!
She went to Tommy Boy records, and her lead single from her self-titled second album would be her biggest hit.
My dream is to dress in neon green and make it rain. Thanks J!
It went to #49 on the Hot 100! Her next single, A Little Bit of Ecstasy
Quote:
Originally posted by Wikipedia
is remembered to this day, due to its recent inclusion on the DDRMAX2 PlayStation 2 game.
I've Been Thinking About You
Do You Miss Me?
A Little Bit of Ecstasy
Obviously this brings me to the greatest girl group that never actually happened.
Some movie producer got the bright idea to reanimate Gordon Lightfoot's 1974 classic If You Could Read My Mind for the 'film' 54. It makes sense, as the 90s featured a lot of female singers covering 70s AC staples.
But to double down, they went dance! Who else to call but the three ladies I've just mentioned?