Lopez Blogs

THE GROUP THAT COULD’VE BEEN:

Sigh. Digital are no more. After numerous line up changes that put the Sugababes to shame, pop scandal with allegations of rent boys & poor performance sackings and more changes of image in 6 months than Madonna got through in the back part of the 90s, the boys called it quits. Which is a shame, because all the settings were there for becoming the male version of Girls Aloud. The debut single should’ve been the deliriously addictive Get Your Kit Off, which would then have been followed by the rather pervy Do Me Dirty. A souped up version of SanFranDisco bought a new clubby vibe to their music, while the electro-cover of Blur’s Girls and Boys that went down a storm at pride festivals across the country would’ve rounded off a selection of singles nicely from their debut album. As it is not to be, find below for a very limited time only a zip file of the Digital album that will forever remain a footnote of possibilities in the annals of pop...

Since that very popular series ended, its cast have had varying fortunes. Matt Le Blanc’s "Joey"...well let’s not go there eh. Meanwhile Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry now have leading roles in two new TV shows, both of which are now being broadcast here in the UK.

I wanted to love "Dirt" - it sounded as if it would be a cracker, set in the world of a stop-at-nothing paparazzi magazine, with Ms Cox as the editor. But I watched the first episode and found it to be shockingly bad, so bad that by the end of it I felt "there goes one hour of my life which I will never get back".

Unlike "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip", a highly intelligent drama from the USA. Sadly our TV here in the UK is so dumbed-down at this point that it’s not being shown on Channel 4, but on the more serious/highbrow More 4.

It kicked off in fine style, with a "Saturday Night Live"-type show being halted by the producer’s disaffected speech reminiscent of the "mad as hell" moment in "Network". It may focus a bit too much on the politics of US TV networks, which may go over the head of many a viewer, but I thought it was a rather good opening which set the scene very well. Matthew Perry and his sidekick are brought in to rescue the ailing entertainment show, and you can’t help feeling that it won’t be an easy ride for them.

For a long time, I have wanted to do an 'imaginary' box set covering Debs career and i finally got all my notes together to come up with the following - i realise i have taken liberties (particularly with the SkiRts disc which i have kinda dumped non Skirts 60s ish sounding songs on there) and added demos to the eras they were recorded in. Plus some of the more recent stuff like Naked and Christmas Without You has been missed off That will be on disc one of box set three…

Box Set One ~ The Atlantic Years

Disc One (the early years)

Loves starting again / Broken Record Machine / Settle The Score / When I Look At You / Dance / Eating To Be Social / Be My Guy / On and On / Shy / Touch

Disc Two (out of the blue)

Out Of The Blue / Staying Together / Out Of The Blue / Foolish Beat / Red Hot / Wake Up To Love/ Shake Your Love / Fallen Angel / Play The Field / Between The Lines / Spotlight / Everything

Disc Three (electric youth)

Who Loves Ya Baby / Lost In Your Eyes / Love In Disguise / Helplessly in Love / Silence Speaks / Ton Of Bricks / Should've Been The One / Electric Youth / No More Rhyme / Til You Come Back Again / Over The Wall / We Could Be Together / Shades Of The Past / Lost In Your Eyes (piano and vocal mix) / No More Rhyme (acoustic) / WE Could Be Together (campfire mix) / Silence Speaks (demo) / Who Loves Ya Baby (demo)

Disc Four (anything is possible)

Another Brick Falls / Anything Is Possible / Reverse Psychology / What You Mean To Me / Stand Your Ground / One Step Ahead / Speed Of Light / Deep Down / It Must Have Been My Boy / Lead The Home / The Most Beautiful Love Song / One Hand One Heart / Sure / So Close To Forever / Negative Energy / Mood Swings/ Try/ Without You / In His Mind / Where Have You Been/ This So Called Miracle

Disc Five (the body mind soul experience)

Different Time / Love Or Money / Do You Have It In Your Heart / That Way /Free Me / Feels So Right / What If / Sleigh Ride / Shock Your Mama / Losin Myself / How Can This be? / Behind The Eyes / When I Say No / Little Birdie / Kisses For One / Tear Down These Walls / Love or Lust / Heart and Soul / Taken By You / Goodbye

Disc Six (collaborations)

Ana - Everytime we say goodbye / Ana - Friendly / Chris Cuevas - Hip Hop / Chris Cuevas & Deborah - Someday / JoBeth Taylor - Worth My Time / JoBeth Taylor - Snatched Down / JoBeth Taylor - Have Things Changed? / Jo Beth Taylor - everyones Not Me / JoBeth Taylor - Ways Of The World / The Party - Ton Of Bricks / Jennifer Love Hewitt - Bedtime Stories / Remy - Speed Of Light

Box Set Two - Doing It Her Way

Disc One (skirts)

Eyes Of A Child / Love's Under A Pillow / Don't Flirt With Me / Come Home / In The Still Of The Night / Back Of My Mind / Sex / Joey / Will YOu Still Love Me Tomorrow?

Disc Two (think with your heart)

For Better Or Worse / Didn't Have The Heart / Dancin In My Mind / Doncha Want Me Now / Daniel / Can't Do It Alone / Think With Your Heart / Too Fancy / You Don't Have To See / Keyhold / Two Young Kids / Interlude&Tony's Rehearsal / Lets Run Away / CAll Yourself A Lover / You Know Me / Take Me Home For Christmas / Silent Night

Disc Three (moonchild)

Prelude / Ode To A Would Be Lover / Moonchild / Only Words / My Girlfriends Boyfriend / Naturally / Nobodys you / Cry Tonight / Where I Wanna Be / Butterflies Are Free / Give Me Your Love / Just Wasn't Love / I Can't / I Will Let You Go / Until You're All Mine / Only Words Radio Mix / Only In My Dreams remix

Disc Four (MYOB)

MYOB / Your Secret / What You Want / You Belong To Me / Right On Time / Down That Road / Comes Right Back / The One / Wishing You Were Here / With All My Heart / Run To Her / What Part Of No / In Blue / Jaded / Any Other Man / Knock Three Times / Portrait In Loneliness / Light The World

Disc Five ( Coloured Lights Plus)

Let Me Entertain You / Blame It On The Summer Nights / Raise The Roof / I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love / On My Own / Coloured Lights / Don't Rain On My Parade / I'm The Greatest Star / Who Are You Now / People / Hopelessly Devoted To You / They All Laughed / New York New York / Maybe This Time / I Enjoy Being A Girl / Anytime / What Makes A Hero / Some People

PHEW!! That was a bit of a mission. You could make your own Deborah Gibson boxset by buying the albums as indicated in the links in yesterday's retrospective!

I refer of course to SVT's "Grattis Victoria" concert which was on their website then disappeared for a while. Hooray! It's back! (for how long I just don't know). Anyway the point of all this is that it was the very first place where I ever saw and heard Salem Al Fakir, so I took the opportunity to go back. And indeed he's as brilliant as I remember him from 2 weeks ago.

You'll find him about 25½ minutes into the show when he did a brilliant medley of "It's True" and "Dream Girl". Although his career is only beginning, this young man performs with the confidence, charisma and star quality of someone in their absolute musical prime. This performance had everything we love about him:

1. Demented piano-headbanging!
2. Great, distinctive, jazzy vocals (and those delightful little off-key moments which make him even more special!)
3. The utter joy which he transmits with every performance.
4. That hair....oh yes!
5. Those big piercing blue eyes.
6. That smile which just melts me every time.

Yes, OK, I'll admit that I am completely in love with this man, but first and foremost I love his music, his songs and his voice. He is a truly special, gifted, talented artist whose music is unique and timeless.

If it ain't broke don't fix it. BBC1 had two series of the excellent "Strictly Dance Fever", but they decided to scrap it in favour of "Dance X", a new competition which was devised by Arlene Phillips and Bruno Tonioli, presumably in Simon Cowell style to fill the gap till their next dance contest panel appearance ("Strictly Come Dancing" and also in Bruno's case, "Dancing With the Stars"). What we are left with is a rather stupid rehash of the X Factor, with the focus all on the judges/mentors and the contestants are just an irrelevance. As if that's not enough, why did they have to bring singing into it? It's a dance contest for goodness sake. Last night saw the departure of Becky from Group Bruno. Two weeks in and we'd dare to suggest that it's already Group Arlene for us (which would be complete if they ditched Ashley and replaced her with Marie from Bruno's team). Bruno has not grasped the concept of singing and dancing at the same time as he's chosen to make irritating Claire the lead singer...but she can't dance to save herself.

Then you've got to feel the heat....feel the heat.

Our 80s night continues with another forgotten classic. "Feel The Heat" by Jean Beauvoir was a great tune, very much of its time but none the worse for that. Jean himself was a visually striking man with a blonde mohawk hairdo and he totally rocked. This song featured on the soundtrack of a film called "Cobra" with Sylvester Stallone. This was big in Europe at the time but sadly overlooked in the UK.

Whipping up a storm, what a hue and cry.

Still in the 80s tonight and time for another neglected oldie. "Strength to Strength" by Hue and Cry is even more stunning today than it was back then. H & C always made music which was far too mature and intelligent for your humble top 40 and in an ideal world this would have been no.1 forever. As ever, confident vocals by Pat Kane mixed with a solid, brassy backdrop, building to a strong finale. Amazing song.

Fantastic electronic 80s music, no more, no less.

Can it really be 20 years since Act's "Absolutely Immune"? Act were a duo of ex-Propaganda singer Claudia Brucken, and Thomas Leer, and this was and is a wonderful record, as was their other finest moment, the superb "Snobbery and Decay". Propaganda were of course one of the most glorious bands of the 80s, and Act didn't disappoint either. Fantastic production which you just don't get these days, sadly.

Not often we do one of these so I thought it was about time. Kurt Nilsen won Norway's "Idol" of course then went on to win "World Idol" and he's still doing well in his native country, no.2 in the Norwegian download chart this week with an impressive rock number called "Push Push" just behind the ubiquitous "Umbrella". Another former Idol contestant Venke Knutson is also in the chart with "Holiday" which is a little reminiscent of Britney Spears.

With any luck, Tokio Hotel will break through in the UK, just as they have done all over Europe. Their music has strength and maturity beyond the band's youth. It took a while for me to get into their music but I really like them now and hope they make it over here.

In the German chart it would appear to be a battle between Popstars and DSDS winners. Most recent Popstars winners Monrose are at the top with "Hot Summer" which is very reminiscent of Nelly Furtado's "Maneater". They have beat off Mark Medlock, the most recent winner of "Deutschland Sucht Den Superstar" whose duet featuring Dieter Bohlen, "You Can Get It" is at no. 2. It's catchy and cheesy. If EuropeCrazy had its way, neither would be at the top and we'd have "Vayamos Companeros" by Marquess. Great stuff.

It looks as if Markoolio has finally been dethroned by former Idol contestant Ola's latest hit single "Natalie". It's very catchy and commercial and certainly makes a change from "Umbrella-ella-ella-ay-ay-ay".......

This time we're not going into the numerous scandals in this year's Tour de France: instead we're going back a couple of weeks to France 2's concerts celebrating Le Tour, held in various stage towns. Didn't see last week's show as the line-up didn't impress, however the previous week had a good line-up: Christophe Willem sang "Double Je" whilst the-bloke-from-Le-Roi-Soleil-who-isnt-gorgeous-Emmanuel-Moire, that is Christophe Mae, looks the part of a pop star even if his yelping vocals still don't float my boat.

I really like Amel Bent. There is something refreshingly real about her, and "Nouveau Francais" is very good although it's not in the class of "Ma Philosophie" but then again what is?

In any France 2 music show you are always guaranteed an old smoothie in a cream suit and open-neck shirt: Philippe Lavil just upped the cheese quota.

David Hallyday! Singing "My Sharona" and hammering the life out of a drum kit. We like him. A lot.

Faudel has done more in recent years to bring his blend of radio-friendly rai to the masses and once more he delivered.

In 20 years time, the lovely Frederic Lerner will probably wear that cream suit. In the meantime he is still a very good looking young man with a nice soft rock musical style although still owing a huge vocal and musical debt to a certain Mr Goldman, IMHO.

Perle Lama is another one of the new breed of r'n'b girls and her music is pretty interchangeable from the rest.

All in all a good show. Just hope that the participants stayed clean! (...more than can be said for some of the race participants...!)

Dream Girl/Good Song/Count Me Out/Tell Me/It's Only You/This Is Who I Am/Devil Look/It's True - Salem Al Fakir: we never get enough, always wanna have some more. Still in love with this man and his utterly beautiful, melodic, addictive music. Salem - where have you been all my life?

All Rise/Fly By - Blue: decided that a Blue revival at EuropeCrazy HQ is on the cards.

Double Je/Kiss The Bride - Christophe Willem: the geek shall inherit the earth.

Please Me/Work Of Art - Måns Zelmerlow: will he ever not be on this playlist?

The Worrying Kind/I Pathologize - The Ark: and indeed there will always be a place for the lovely Ola Salo and his merry men.

Max 500 - Kent: getting excited by the thought of the forthcoming album; a chance this week to remember a recent gem.

Inga Problem - Snook: Ice-cool rap from a very talented and different Swedish duo. Great backing track, cracking chorus. Oh and Salem is in the video looking cool and thoughtful .....oh I need a cold shower quickly.

Same Jeans - The View: and why not?

Girls Aloud ~ Sexy No No No:

Well usually, pop groups would have split up after their greatest hits collection, but not The Aloud. They continue to crunk out edgy, strangely eclectic and structureless songs. Sexy starts off with a synth enhanced spoken intro, before going into a lengthy verse and a virtually invisible chorus. It sounds like a negative thing, but once again, the Girls (production team) makes it work. Still, I stand by my view that they possibly choose these songs because they think they are edgy and cool, rather than they love the tune. Still, it’s working for them...

Hard-Fi ~ Suburban Knights:
Ooh, see the clever play on words? I loved Tied Up Too Tight and their debut album, so I’ve been looking forward to the sophomore set. While not quite as brilliant as any of the singles from Stars of CCTV, it is somewhat of a grower with voodoo chants, clash inspired telecasters and innovative beats. A simple but effective chorus enhanced by a staccato guitar gives the song an extra layer of charm. I am hoping XO will grow to love it...

KT Tunstall ~ Hold On:

Ooh, after whoring out Suddenly I See and Black Horse & Cherry Tree to every tv singing contest out there, KT is back and seems to be quite enjoying her uptempo songs. And quite rightly she should. Hold On is a peppy, strumming slice of summery guitar pop that has the feel good factor baked right into it’s lively chorus and singalong lyrics. Nice to see KT back, and I can’t wait to see her set at V Festival in a couple of weeks time...

James Blunt ~ 1973:

I feel somewhat proud that one of my original 7 to watch in 07 now has an album on the shelves of your local record emporium. And even more proud that it is such a great rock-pop album. In fact, in parts it could almost be a solo McFly album, and that’s high praise indeed. Lead single Take My Breath Away is a swoony ballad that is ripe for AC radio, but it’s tracks like the peppy, uptempo Voices and Fingertips where Justin really soars. The production values are top notch, with the right amount of balance between lush instrumentation and Justin’s confident vocal style. There are even elements of cabaret in the music – for example Closer to You starts out as a sweet serenade before morphing into some medieval type lute and a rocking instrumental that is at odds with the start of the song, yet works perfectly! Hold On is perfect summer radio fare, with perky Feeling/Beach Boys style harmonies and guitar strummings. The final and title track is lovely piano ballad that tackles the subject of bullying and the psychological effect it can have on an individual. I’ve listened to the album complete a few times now and it is full of passion and heart, and reveals a little more of itself with each listen. I always expected Justin’s album to be good, I’m just so glad that it’s actually great.

Singles ~ Take My Breath Away, Voices, Hold On, Closer To You

Justin chats about what life will be like in two years time…

In 2 years time I would like to be touring on my second record, have Justins World on MTV and continue to have the most fun ever doing what I love!

I believe my record appeals to a wide audience. Yet, my core audience are females from 10 - 18.

I really made sure that every song was incredible. I really want to be a stand out artist that has an entire record of singles. which I feel I was successful at doing. my favorite song on the record is "Waitin' on You" I co - produced it and it just resonates deeply within my soul. another track that I am particularly fond of is "Find a Way" and it brings me back to that place where I was in... and every time I listen to it, it humbles me.

The singles you picked are right on!!!
"Take My Breath Away" is the first single off the record.. the next in line is "Voices" and after that "Hold On" or "Closer To You"

The videos I make are very important to me and I spend lots of time on them. I'm into shadowy lighting, artistic sets and interesting story lines. The videos are meant to move people.

my ideal tour is High School!! I've played a couple high schools/ middle schools and the kids go NUCLEAR!! its way too much fun and I want to do a high school tour across the nation. and while performing, have a section where I'm able to speak on pertinent world issues and health... my ultimate goal is to help to heal the world and to do my part in making the world a better place. we gotta start with the kids, they are the future.

Every show opens with "Voices" and every show closes with "Light on My Face" (shhhh!! its a secret! lol)

The 2008 Grammy's ROCKED!!! LOL!!! I rocked out with McFly (one of my FAV groups) and I TOTALLY stole the show!! we sang IMAGINE... by JL... john lennon of course.
I won for Best Record!!!

the most outrageous headline i've read about myself was, "JL caught in the act of eating a thick, juicy steak!! PETA fires JL then apologizes when the investigation proved that the meat was a soy based product"

Have just discovered a very good Swedish rap band called Snook, discovered them by chance as I was trawling the web looking for more Salem stuff (quelle surprise) anyway it turned out that the great man makes a couple of blink-and-you'll miss-them appearances playing guitar in Snook's "Inga Problem" video. He has played on their album and as this song has some great piano going on, I wouldn't be surprised if it was him playing on this track.

Anyway Snook look and sound cool and different, with their very own Swedish take on hip hop. Had a listen to some tunes on their MySpace and they definitely need further investigation.

Another summer tour package has taken to the road in Sweden, reported Aftonbladet. "Svensk Sommar" features an unusual line-up: Nisse Hellberg, The Refreshments, and two more recent discoveries: Marie Lindberg, the bespectacled schoolteacher from Munkedal who shot to fame in this year's Melodifestivalen with her gentle song "Trying to Recall"; and the most recent Idol winner, Markus Fagervall. Needless to say you can always depend on Aftonbladet never to give five stars when one will do: in this case the recipient being poor old Markus.

Wow! When I started this blog back on 11th March 2007, I didn't know how long it would last, but here we are 4 months on and this is the 200th post!

Can I just take the opportunity to thank everyone who's stopped by to read my random ramblings, and special thanks to those of you who've left comments, which are really appreciated as I'm still making my way in the blogging universe. Particular thanks to everyone who shares my interest in European music and travel - it's great to read all your blogs as well and realise that there are so many others out there who love the same things that I do.

I'm enjoying it so much that I'm planning to keep this blog going for a long time to come. When there's so much good music to listen to, so many good places to visit, and just so many random obsessions in life, then this blog will always be around. Keep reading, keep enjoying, and keep the comments coming!

To the uninitiated, Christophe Willem was the winner of France's "Nouvelle Star" 2006, which is that country's equivalent of "Pop Idol"/"American Idol". It would be fair to say that the recorded output of previous NS winners didn't exactly set the French chart on fire. Until now.

3 months on from my trip to Stockholm and I am still fondly reminiscing about how much I loved it so I thought it was about time to share some random thoughts....


1. A great hotel

The Rica Hotel Kungsgatan is the only hotel you need if you're going to Stockholm. Clean, classy, affordable by Swedish standards, big breakfast buffet and helpful staff.


2. An old town

Gamla Stan is the ultimate must-see in Stockholm: ok it's a tourist trap but hey, it's beautiful and every street and every corner brings a photo opportunity.


3. Back to nature

Skansen is described as an "open air museum". But don't be put off by that. It's much more. It's like a trip round Sweden in a day. I can't describe it in a sentence. I can tell you though that few things in life will equate with the joy of seeing moose. But that's just me.


4. Going underground

Use the metro - a fast, effective way to island hop when you don't want to get sore feet from walking down all those cobbled streets. (Although Stockholm is walkable!)


5. Discovering you can afford to eat out

Shop around, stay away from those super-cool upmarket places and you'll discover that your kronor will go further than you first thought. Honourable mentions to the Barcelona Tapas Bar (behind Kulturhuset at Sergels Torg) and Taverna Efes on Brunkebergstorg, both in Norrmalm.


6. Shopping (ok you need money for this!)

Shops, shops, shops, there's lots and lots of them, some of them even sell clothing designed by Bjorn Borg (yes its true!). Get all your souvenirs in Drottninggatan, and while you're there, stop by Bengans record shop which is cheaper and way cooler than Ahlens.

7. Messing about in boats

Because Stockholm is a wonderful watery city you must must must take a boat trip. Where you go is up to you - everything from an excellent hour-long trip round Djurgarden to a full-blown archipelago expedition.


8. Not entirely unattractive people (no pictures here sadly!!)

Forget the stereotypes. They're not all blonde and they're not all drop-dead gorgeous but both faithful travelling companion and myself have some very fond memories....!


9. Turn the radio on

To drown in a sea of cheese, tune your radio to Svenska Favoriter, the most schlager-tastic radio station ever. If you love Melodifestivalen then you will get more than you bargained for.


10. Sodermalm

The clouds hanging over my favourite annual sporting event, the Tour de France, just got a whole lot darker today. Alexandre Vinokourov, our pre-race favourite, suffered a major setback early in the race thanks to a bad crash, but incredibly recovered in the last few days, winning two stages. We always love a comeback story in Le Tour, and this was a cracker.

This month our Hall of Fame is featuring France's most unique female singer of recent years. If you haven't heard her music before, check these out.

Libertine / Tristana (from Cendres de Lune): even at this early stage of her career it was clear that her mixture of dark lyrics and breathy vocals set to cracking electronic beats would be an unique musical blueprint.

Pourvu Quelles Soient Douces / Sans Logique (from Ainsi Soit-Je): by her second studio album the words just got more controversial...and the music more beautiful.

Desenchantee / Je T’Aime Melancolie / Beyond My Control / Que Mon Coeur Lache / Regrets / Pas de Doute (from L’Autre) : the first Mylene album I bought, and she was arguably at the peak of her career at this time. "Desenchantee" is, to many of her fans (including me) her finest moment.

Vertige / California / Comme J’Ai Mal / XXL / Et Tournoie... (from Anamorphosee) : For a long time this was my favourite Mylene album. Influenced by the time she spent living in America, more rock-influenced but still distinctively Ms Farmer.

L’Ame-Stram-Gram / Dessine-Moi Un Mouton / Je Te Rends Ton Amour (from Innamoramento): It took me a long time to warm to this album. Less uptempo and a bit more wistful than previous offerings, but there are still those wonderful sounds. A couple of the tracks are maybe below par IMHO, but the whole of it is still way better than "Avant Que L’Ombre".

L’Histoire d’une Fee, C’est (from Les Mots) : stand-alone single from, bizarrely, the Rugrats in Paris soundtrack! It wouldn’t be the first time she was involved with the movie world, as she starred in Laurent Boutonnat’s "Giorgino" and later lended her voice to the French version of the animated film "Arthur and the Invisibles".

F*** Them All (from Avant Que L’ombre) : Mylene’s most recent album was OK by anyone else’s standards, but disappointing as we’ve come to expect an impeccably high standard from her. What it did prove was that she still had the ability to shock: even if she had to resort to using a well-worn English word to do so.

Other things we like about Mylene:

Her blazing red hair (and its occasional extensions): short, long, straight, curly, spiky.
She’s reclusive and mysterious: never (or extremely rarely) gives interviews, doesn’t even have an official website. Perfect fodder for the rumour machine which never stops.
Creative control: no-one ever tells her to do anything - she’s in control of every aspect of her career.
Her live extravaganzas: Mylene doesn’t just do a live show, it’s an event. Dance routines, costume changes and excellent musical backing from some of the best musicians in the business. Check out the "Live A Bercy" DVD which to me is one of the best concert DVDs I’ve ever seen.

The EuropeCrazy Summer Holiday Countdown 2007 starts here. 7 weeks from today I'll be in the German capital for a week. Really looking forward to this: already I'm planning all my trips and the problem will be fitting them all in. Better start learning some German too (will only be better than my Swedish, lol).

Will I ever be able to get through a day without listening to "This Is Who I Am"? Er....probably not. It is possibly the most joyous, life-affirming CD in many years, but if I don't stop playing it soon I'll probably need admitted to some kind of Salem-free rehab (no, no, no) but on second thoughts that's not such a good idea after all.
After wearing out the CD I've now moved on to the videos....
"Dream Girl": just seen the video on Y** T***. Three minutes of big-haired piano-playing brilliance.
There is also a video mash-up of "Dream Girl" and Kanye West's "All Falls Down" which works quite well as I thought that piano solo would be a great sample for a rap tune.
"Good Song" is still on SVT's site, smashing performance, he looks and sounds wonderful. What I really like about Salem is the absolute joy that he puts into every performance - he looks as if he enjoys every minute of it (as indeed I do of course). It being summer at Skansen, he then leads the crowd in a hilarious cheesy folk singalong. Unmissable!

Back in 1988 in the USA you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing Debs sing Only In My Dreams or Shake Your Love. She was, I guess, the Britney of her day but without going through the whole dodgy marriage/active womb thing. And it was clear Debs had talent - she scored 4 self penned top 5 USA hits and when Foolish Beat hit number one, she claimed the record (that she still holds to this day) for being the youngest person to write, perform and produce a number one single... Her debut set Out Of The Blue sold over 5 million copies worldwide and was a mix of poppy dance tunes and a few piano/sax ballads. Debbie was busy touring the world and recording the follow up....

Electric Youth was preceded by the number one single Lost In Your Eyes, another piano fuelled ballad that I gave to my then girlfriend Jenny Jones (not that one!) on valentines day. Oh how things have changed since then... For the longest time, this was my favourite song, although (despite 4 British top 20 hits from OOTB) it only made number 34 on the British Charts. The album also topped the US charts and went top ten here - selling another 5 million worldwide... The title track was released as a single with Debs most ambitious video to date. Set in a castle with a dance routine that had my video on slo-mo and pause for days (even Darren knows it now!) it came in a variety of club mixes, my fave being the latin edit on a DJ promo disc. EY went all the way to 11 in the US (14 here) and No More Rhyme - another ballad - 17 (unreleased UK)...Then came Debs only UK date in 1989...

And I was there! Bros in 2 Summer was the Bros concert to be at, although I was only there for Debs support slot where she premiered 2 songs from the still in gestation musical Skirts. Live fave We Could Be Together made 22 in England (71 stateside). It seemed sadly that Debs star was waning...

While waiting for the 3rd album to be released, Debs recorded 2 songs for the Wonder Years tv show soundtrack - a cover (her first one) of In The Still of The Night and the lilting acoustic throwback Come Home, which still makes me want to curl up with a mug of cocoa to this day...

By the time Anything Is Possible was released in late 1990, the pop market had changed and was leaning towards the dance-pop of Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson or the emerging grunge scene. The title track however, was another US top thirty hit but sadly the 7+ minute So Called Miracle didn’t click at radio which meant the album was under-promoted. There are some hidden gems on it though - gorgeous piano ballad One Hand One Heart showcases Deb at what she does best - at a keyboard belting out a tune filled with emotion. Sure is also another stunningly perfect timeless piece of work.

With worldwide sales of "only" 1 million for AIP, Atlantic were in panic mode and paired debs up with various writers for her fourth opus Body Mind Soul which followed a stint on Broadway in 1992 playing Eponine in Les Miserables to critical acclaim. For me, Deb produces her best work on her own and therefore BMS is not her strongest entry in the cannon. There were no top forty hits from it, although 4 singles were released. The one that garnered most attention was a sexed up Debs singing about how to Shock Your Mama with the most brilliant rap this side of Madonna’s American Life (which i adore).... but it was too little too late and Debs Atlantic career was over :( It’s too bad, because the album had some gems on it, including the achingly gorgeous Goodbye.

Sadly, a definitive Greatest Hits from this era was not released, but i made my own and the track listing is below with an unreleased track making up the new material - a gorgeous Japanese only b side that shows she has an ear for a lovely melody and great romantic lyrics.

1. Only In My Dreams
2. Shake Your Love
3. Out Of The Blue
4. Foolish Beat
5. Lost In Your Eyes
6. Electric Youth
7. No More Rhyme
8. We Could Be Together
9. Anything Is Possible
10. This So Called Miracle
11. One Hand One Heart
12. One Step Ahead
13. Losin Myself
14. Shock Your Mama
15. Free Me
16. How Can This Be
17. The Most Beautiful Love Song

When Atlantic had chosen not to renew Debbie's contract, strangely enough she started to gain a bit more fame in England by joining neighbours star and sometime chart botherer Craig McLachlan in the London revival of Grease. Deb's made a great Sandy and the show was sold out for the 6 months she was in it. A single was released from the cast soundtrack (You're The One That I Want) which made 13 in Britain, but I was busy swishing away to the always lovely Hopelessly Devoted To You. A fine interpretation of a classic musical that is still the benchmark today for recent productions (check out how ITV used Deb and Craig’s tunes in the promos for Grease Is The Word!)

Well after leaving Atlantic records following the lack of success of the Body Mind Soul pop album, Deborah signed with SBK records and released the most mature sounding and melodic album of her career. Think With Your Heart was a collection of mainly ballad tracks - all sung with deep emotion and high on quality vocal, lush production values and restraint when and wherever necessary. Title track For Better or Worse deserved to be sung at wedding and anniversaries around the globe as it detailed how love conquers all and how your loved one can indeed be your world. Didn't Have The Heart was equally as beautiful and detailed how sometimes trying in a relationship can just be trying too hard while the title track was as close to a Disney ballad as anything Deborah has sung. Over the years, Deb has sung a number of songs that have inadvertantly become gay anthems for her fans, but none more so than You Don't Have To See - a plainative plea for people to accept the lover for who and what they are, with an effective yet understated use of gospel singers, everything about this song is just sublime. There weren't many outtakes circulating from this time, though another Disney-esque Christmas song Take Me Home For Christmas was demo'd and doing the rounds. Sadly America was in the mood for Alanis and her angry girl rock (which i also loved) so Deb's comeback was put on indefinite hold :(

If Deborah was Kylie, then MYOB would have been her Light Years – the most out and out glorious pop record of her career. Prior to that however, was one of the most accomplished releases of her career. Finding herself without a record contract, Ms Gibson went all Ms Independent and released her album Deborah (called Moonchild in some territories) which, while not as "pop" as her next project, was certainly an accomplished set of adult contemporary tunes that was the perfect stepping stone between the ballad heavy Think With Your Heart project and the more up to date pop sensibilities of MYOB. Lead off single Only Wordswas one of several perky pop tunes that reminded us all of the 80s before it was trendy to be reminded of the 80s. Mid tempo grooves like Moonchild and Nobody's You actually dripped with pop quality goodness and again ballads were her strong point with gorgeous tracks like the understated Naturally and the "same script different cast" of the pop world Cry Tonight- which if duetted with a man would make a great gay anthem! The album had different bonus tracks depending on where in the world you bought it. In the US it was storming dance remakes of Only Words and a remix for the 10th anniversary (!) of Only In My Dreams that got a little bit of club chart action. However, Japan got the real goodies - two tracks from Funny Girl. People and a totally popped up Rain On My Parade which I am still convinced says "Don't tell me not to live, I'm Harry Potter..." And naturally there are a couple of b-sides and demos floating around from this era including the fun and sassy My Girlfriend's Boyfriend and the utterly stunning Until You're All Mine which was one of our singles recommendations of the week. All in all a great body of work showcasing a clear knowledge of what makes pop work and a songwriting triumph.

With the new millennium, came a new attitude for Deborah and she stopped trying to figure out what the pop world wanted and just get on and do her thing. First out the box was a piano only with vocal accompaniment track written especially for those new year feelings called With All My Heart. Certainly one of Deborah's most stunning vocals to date, it was a fan club only release that would do just fine chart wise if farmed out to Leona Lewis or someone of her "ilk"… Also floating around at this point was a charity track called Right on Time, another tender ballad that showcased Deborah's vocal capabilities and pure pop voice. Around April 2000, the album (at this point untitled) was tentatively mooted as on the way and You Belong To Me, a perky if somewhat tinny pop song circulated as first single. After two strong ballads, this was a little bit of a let down, so it's no surprise that it was quickly forgotten and the much sturdier poptastic What You Wantreleased as the first single proper. (B)rimming with a chunky chorus, pop beats and a little bit of sassy attitude it was the ideal song for Debs to crack the British pop charts with (particularly as pop was at a peak with Kylie, S Club and Steps all dominating the charts). Even the b-side (Comes Right Back) was a stand out gently strumming acoustic mid tempo romp. However, the real joy was to come when MYOB was released as the title track from the album. Written and produced by the Alessi Brothers, how this song wasn't topping the charts for weeks continues success in later years, the song took a playground chant and took it into a gloriously dark disco influenced journey of a tale of love spurned, jealousy, gossip and mistrust. And the to keep me awake at night. Utilising gimmicks that would give Gwen her dance remixes were pretty spectacular too – particularly as vocals were re-recorded to match the mood of the remix, rather than just cutting them in after. Then in March 2001, the album dropped and was an instant pop classic for me, along side Light Years, Like A Prayer and Music Box. 3rd single – Your Secret – was another dark dance stomper (being tired of being the other woman has never sounded so frug-worthy), but overshadowed by other tunes on the album. Down That Road was another great ballad, while The One was co-written with Chynna Phillips and featured a soaring vocal on an almost midtempo number. In Blue and Jaded saw Deborah embrace a more jazz influenced sound, while a remake of Knock Three Times with Tony Orlando was a lot of fun, but completely unnecessary considering the quality of the rest of the disc. Around November 2001, Deborah re-recorded a track from a musical about Zorro she had been in entitled What Makes A Hero and sang it live at a benefit for those affected by the twin towers disaster. Even in it's original form, it's a beautiful tale of the ordinary among us doing extraordinary things. 2002 dawned and saw an unofficial remix of album track Wishing You Were Hereturned from a soothing AC type tune into a pulsating dance anthem to great effect. And when two futher demos from this period appeared on Memory Line (Any Other Man and the gorgeous ballad Run To Her echoing the more sombre themes of Your Secret), it was clear that this overlooked cd saw Deborah at the top of her pop game.

When Coloured Lights was released late in 2003 – an album of broadway tunes done with a pop sensibility, I was in near nirvana! Mixing well known tunes with more obscure songs was a wise move and contributed to a well rounded set of ballads, jaunty pop and dramatic showstoppers. Had tracks been released as singles from this set, I would have gone for On My Own(Les Mis) as the haunting Christmas single, followed quickly by I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love (The Boy From Oz) just in time for valentines day. And then check out the sex and the city-esque intro to pop gem Raise The Roof(The Wild Party) – a track that could have been huge with a few scissor sisters remixes. And she was then perfectly placed to host BBC's Sound Of Musicals experiment. But we got some pregnant woman instead. Oh well. Still, this is a great album to check out – Deb even has her own song "sex" on it from her long in production musical Skirts.

It's been 3 years since her last studio album was released, but in that time Deborah has been as productive as ever, and produced some great pop songs that deserve to be collected up and acknowledged for the talent they show. The new music started flowing in December 2004, when Deborah released the sublime festive ballad Christmas Without You as part of a compilation cd. Quite rightly, as with all Deb's ballads it is heavy on melody and intrinsically beautiful in it's use of piano and sweet vocal. It was a perfect lead in to 2005, which was a busy year for fans. Not only were there two cds rounding up unreleased demos (Memory Lane 1&2 featuring some classic tunes such as Cinderella theme Some People and a number of songs deemed not good enough by Atlantic for the Body Mind Soul album in 1993 that far outshine much of the material eventually put on it…), there was a fan club day in Florida which I attended and was rather brillo, the naked but tasteful Playboy spread and of course the accompanying single Naked. This track was a great slice of guitar spangled pop that would have easily held it's own upside songs that Daniel Powter and Kelly Clarkson were releasing at the time. It was at this time that Rich Girl (a cover of the Hall & Oates song way before Nelly Furtado got the idea) was touted as a second single and prelude to an album, but sadly that has yet to materialise. 2006 saw Deborah back on tv lasting a few episodes into Skating On Ice and touring with the O'Neill Brothers, with whom she released a single Someone You Love – another piano and strings ballad that had some elegant and uplifting lyrics and a timeless chorus. Just beautiful. Sadly, her second collaboration of the year – with Jordan Knight on Say Goodbye – wasn’t written by her, though did give her a minor AC smash, for which we should be grateful. And 2007 sees rumours of an album once more as 3 new songs have been released to fans – Sounds Like Love is a mid tempo ballad a la Irreplaceable or We Belong Together and is the most contemporary thing Deb has done in a while. Famous is a slightly rocking tune berating those who are famous for the sake of being famous. And Rich Girl – I seem to remember the version played at the fan day being slightly rockier and dancier, though I am completely enjoying the pure pop interpretation of this version. Just lovely.

BUY THE MUSIC:

Out Of The Blue

Electric Youth

Anything is Possible/Body Mind Soul

Think With Your Heart

Deborah

MYOB

Coloured Lights

Z - The Masked Musical

Grease 1993 OCR

Good Song/Dream Girl/Count Me Out/Tell Me/It's True/Devil Look/It's Only You/This Is Who I Am/Thank You - Salem Al Fakir: you know by now how much I love this man and his debut CD.
It's True - Axwell & Ingrosso vs Salem Al Fakir: Cracking dance mix which has 'summer anthem' written all over it.
America - Razorlight: Another recent oldie which I've been playing a lot for no reason.
Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5: One of the year's best pop songs which I still like a lot.
Work Of Art/Please Me/Miss America - Måns Zelmerlöw: By now a fixture on this playlist.
Crying at the Discotheque - Alcazar: To celebrate their reunion, a bit of retro-Alcazar for this week's playlist.
Double Je - Christophe Willem: Neat French electropop which is a well deserved hit in France.
Not much room for any more tunes this week: too busy playing a certain album of course.....