how do you say…deee-lite? October 30, 2007

 

not everyone gets deeelite.

deeelite were retro at a time when retro was not cool. in 1990 we looked to the future not the past and the 70s sound was a stark reminder of the recent past. we laughed at photos of our parents in flares, platforms and afros – deeelite defiantly wore all three and looked cool. we were dumbstruck, and fell in love with their barefaced cheek.

their sound and their image complemented each other perfectly. swirly, quirky and full of colour. as 60s babies, the trio had updated the 70s rainbow funk of their childhood and updated it for the new generation. they were so not cool in terms of the new age image of the time that clothed itself in crystals and white chiffon, but their positive vibes complemented the ethos perfectly.

when they broke up in the mid 90s, it was probably just in time. their skippy, flower fairy psychedelia was still working. bjork didn’t manage to maintain it beyond one album. look what could have happened…

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apple juice kissing

grass roots soul – like any of today’s screechy r&b divas on valium and forced to sit in a garden all day.

groove is in the heart

this is the sampladelic relics… version as i’m sure you all have the original by now.

how do you say…love?

early house/bleep with a human edge.

picnic in the summertime

i remember the cd single cover looked like a victoria plum pencil pot i had in infant school. actually i still have the pot somewhere – and this guru remix.

power of love

the second single from their debut album ‘world clique’ and long a bone of contention for me as the single remix is vastly superior to the album version. and yet you can’t find it anywhere – so, this is a ‘pitchy’ as paula abdul would say, youtube rip.

pussycat meow

anyone remember mtv europe in the good old days? well during fashion show ‘the pulse’ (with swatch) this was often the soundtrack of choice. god the early 90s were camp…

runaway

from second album ‘infinity within’ this was a clubbier direction.

say ahh

chilled jazz hop with a floral trim.

somebody

ravey, rumbling track that was a bit darker than anything else on ‘dewdrops’.

stay in bed…forget the rest

lady miss kier can get down with the best of them…its not all butterflies and eyeliner.

what is love

bouncy rave track wth breathy vocals.

who was that?

popcorn style electro.

saturday night divas October 28, 2007

so, apparently next saturday these acts will perform together as ‘divas’ on behalf of breast cancer awareness month. fair enough.

its clearly an odd mix of actual divas, those with an album to promote and those that are lucky to be asked. i’m surprised that local girls beverley knight, sugababes, shola ama and keisha white aren’t involved. i would have liked to see amerie, letoya and kelis make the trip, and kelly rowland is already here.

beyonce, mariah, mary and rihanna perhaps had more pressing engagements…saturday night divas is on itv1 next saturday.

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leona lewis – loving you

this is really a showcase for leona, she will certainly benefit from this event more than any of the other acts. it was funny watching her being forced to smash a bottle on loose women last week (gotta love that ‘working from home’). she clearly is so uncomfortable being anything less than nice to people and this is why she’ll prove that you don’t have to be a bitch to be recognised for your talent.

alicia keys – a woman’s worth

a proper role model and a diva who can actually play her own instruments. plus, there’s nothing more diva-like than making a man wait for you. you have to love someone who chooses to do an unplugged session in this era of miming and autotune.

chaka khan – i feel for you

i wish they’d got some more old skool divas to represent alongside chaka. some idiot news bimbo on another blog with a write up of this show was all like ‘omigod, chaka khan, like, who knew she was still going?’ words fail me.

celine dion – misled

this is the only celine dion song i could stand to put on here, from back in the day, before she perfected that weird, spaced out, ‘i’m above all this’ glare.

jennifer lopez – feelin’ so good

a true diva in every sense bar her voice. which would not have won her a recording contract if she hadn’t had the looks, rhythm and acting ability to pull off the performances. so fair play to her, and her voice does appear to be improving.

jamelia – stop

brummie bigmouth jamelia is talented but suffers from beverley knight syndrome, ie, much of her music is too MOR, in a vain attempt win over middle britain. she also has the most obnoxious PR ever, assuming they are the reason she is always desperately bitching about other artists to gain publicity.

girls aloud – the show

clearly only invited as they are the product of an itv reality show. not that i dislike the girls but divas, purlease…WAGs, yes. nadine is the only one who can really sing like a diva but ok, cheryl cole certainly has the deluded self belief.

natasha bedingfield – unwritten

why are the bedingfields so annoying? is it just the big teeth or the ‘i’m really wholesome and i know how marketable that is’ attitude. you can imagine the bedingfield family upbringing – member of every kids club going, meals at the table and constant affirmations as to their allround wonderfulness. but diva? not a hope in hell.

under the sea October 27, 2007

i love anything that sounds watery. as an aquarian, perhaps this is to be expected. my favourite fairytale was always the little mermaid and this is what i used to say i wanted to be when i grew up.

when i was very young, we had actual aquarium photo style wallpaper in our bathroom and i was so upset when my mum redecorated to some beige early 80s monstrosity but lacked the articulation to tell her so at the time.

i can stare at fishtanks all day and when i play ‘kitty goes fishing’ a dvd for cats, that i bought for my little fluffballs, i often end up mesmerised right along with them.

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air – sexy boy

like swimming with frogs, and no not because they’re french, i  just hear frog noises in there. so less of a sea on this one, more like a pond. with lily pads.

all saints – pure shores

purpose built wateryness as this was on the soundtrack for ‘the beach’. at the time this track was a huge departure for the girls –  a long way from the met bar and maharishi.

carnival of the animals – aquarium

this used to play as we filed into the hall for assembly at infant school. hearing it takes me right back to that huge wooden floor and the sun beaming in through the windows.

fish go deep – the cure and the cause

this act were aptly named as their track sounds like the theme to a deep sea adventure.

grid – flotation

so much better than their later efforts, especially the ghastly ‘swamp thing’. if only water had become a theme instead rednecks…

maxwell – submerge

like the aural equivalent of a jacuzzi. or, sticking your head underwater in the bath, for those on a budget.

prince – diamonds and pearls

no obvious watery theme here but thats what it sounds like to me. i suspect prince was actually going for ‘twinkly’.

sade – no ordinary love

i seem to remember that sade was a mermaid in this video, so it seems that the director agreed with me that it sounds aquatic.

smoke city – underwater love

obviously.

sos band –  weekend girl

something very tide in, tide out, about this one.

ten sharp – you

this sounds so aquatic to me that i once had a dream in which it was the soundtrack to big crashing waves.