The Rose of British Soul - Dina Carroll

Dina Carroll's story is one of constant struggle against adversity - which, sadly, she has frequently lost. She was born to an Afro-American G.I. father and an English mother who separated when she was two. After this, Dina and her mother went to live to Cambridge, where Dina was often a victim of racist bullying due to her mixed heritage. This, however, didn't keep her from participating (and often winning) many talent competitions, and when she entered her teens she started sending tapes to recording companies in London. She was soon signed to a tiny label called Streetwave. Sadly, the label couldn't support launching Dina even at a local level, and she left them soon enough. Unfairly ignored, she decided to go to the U.S. to gain some experience. There she was signed by Jive/Zomba, and the rest is pop/soul history!

Dina met the success she deserves with her first album, which was the first album by any British female artist to break the 1 million sales mark in less than a year. However, her hectic touring schedule and problems with her contract delayed the release of her second album, and when it was released, reception was, well, blah... success could have been greater, but Dina developed a disease that affected her hearing, and this almost destroyed her career.

A couple of years later, after corrective surgery , she was staging her comeback when her management company entered in crisis: most of their artists, who had been really successful until then, were dropped by their record companies - at the same time! Needless to say, this didn't help Dina's career, and she left both her recording company and her management after a couple of very bad years.

Dina has been touring since then, as many of her songs remain popular to this day. Sadly, she is still looking for a new contract... Since she needs all the help she can get, I would really recommend you to buy her AWESOME records. You can do so at Amazon.



It's Too Late featuring Quartz

This was Dina's first substantial success, with the production team Quartz. It's a cover of the Carole King classic (No! Really? You must be asking yourselves - I amsooo bright, ain't I? :-D ), and it features some really interesting production that suits the song really well - who would have imagined that a Carole King song could be reworked as a rousing dance anthem? Here, Quartz did it with the help of Dina's spectacular vocals, which make her version a classic on its own right. Video.

Ain't No Man

This is FUN! Seriously, this is one of the best dance songs I've heard. Yes, the production's a bit dated, but this song would have been a classic at any point in history regardless of the production it could have had. Here Dina shows what a diva truly is with her wonderfully unaffected and cheerful delivery. Unlike other singers (ehrm, Beyoncé? Christina?), Dina manages to communicate sensuality without having to look like a total whore. Isn't that what a diva is all about? Class? Yeah! That's Dina for you all. Video.

Escaping
This is a really, really sweet song, the first single off her second album, Only Human. This song will lift your mood even at your worst times, even if the lyrics are a bit sad - the melody is lovely and bright and you can almost feel yourself being filled with light as this song progresses. Gorgeous stuff :-). Video.


Son Of A Preacher Man

This is Dina's somewhat urban-ish version of the Dusty Springfield classic. Now, I have always liked Dusty, but I have to say that Dina's version is a thousand times better. Dina's voice is far richer, has more weight and is much, much more beautiful. Her delivery of the song is not self-conscious at all, but she sings the lyrics with a certain flair of mischievousness that really captures the message behind them. Again, lovely.