Artists from the eighties coming back and hitting the dancefloor with even more wonderful dance music
And critics say that dance music doesn't spawn real artists... Twenty-five years into their career as the most successful girl group of all time, Bananarama (the duo of Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin) have released "Drama," a defiantly dance album, featuring the singles "Move in My Direction" and "Look on the Floor." Already a hit on satellite and dance radio, will the 'rams conquer the states again?
Everybody loves Tiffany. Her hits "I Think We're Alone Now," "I Saw Him Standing There," and "Could've Been," launched from her infamous mall tour, became pop classics. After spending a couple of years in Nashville, releasing the critically acclaimed Color of Silence album, and a popular Playboy layout, Tiffany moved to Los Angeles and created "Dust Off and Dance" – the high energy dance album that her fans have been clamoring for.
For twenty years now, there has been no more tireless a pair of advocates for the glory of synth-pop than Erasure. Andy Bell and Vince Clarke have been making outstanding pop music that moves the dancefloor and the pop charts, and even when exploring new sounds and textures, their devotion to electronic music has never waned.
Unlinke Madonna, unlike Cyndi Lauper, unlike Whitney Houston, she was never an icon of that particular decade, though her music from that time period remains just as relevant as that of those artists. She was a singer (and occasional artist) who for a brief period of time embodied the gloriously schizo nature of what pop music can encompass, spanning aerobics anthems (calling "Gloria"), searing ballads ("Ti Amo"), dancefloor apocalypses ("Satisfaction"), and girly-twirl disco ("Solitaire").
Cyndi Lauper's unique voice and vision have provided us not just with great pop records, but with standards. When you hear a song like "True Colors," "I Drove All Night," or "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," only Cyndi comes to mind. Her new album At Last features her interpretations of other's standards inspired by the stories she has lived. Cyndi's voice is also memorable whether you hear her live in concert, captured on DVD, or in the mix at your favorite nightclub.
Robert Clivilles is truly a dance music legend. Together with his late partner David Cole, C&C Music Factory redefined dance music as a producer-driven artist medium and successfully brought their international smash hits “Gonna Make You Sweat,” “Things That Make You Go Hmm,” and “Here We Go,” to the people through clubs, video and touring. As a remix team, their work on Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and many others introduced many to the concept of remixing.
When a performer is noted for finding the drama in a song and bringing it forward, you'll notice a pattern. You can always find vocal drama at its finest in whatever songs that recur with drag queens throughout the world, and that tradition is a mark of quality for those who delight in musical performance.
Not many bands can claim that they have lasted for nearly 20 years, making music both creative and relevant. Always embracing dance music to enhance their innate r&b/soul flavor, Simply Red continue to produce wonderful music that spans all genres.
The ladies of Seduction gave us hits like "Could This Be Love," "Two to Make It Right," and "Heartbeat." With constant requests for live performances, original member April Harris has reformed the band and is readying a brand new album for release. It may "Feel Brand New," but Seduction is back and ready to give us dance music that we love.
