The Graces of British Soul - Eternal

Saying that Eternal are the best group to ever come out of Britain is an understatement. No one can come close to touching them because, quite frankly, no one can match the exceptional vocal talents of its members. Or better said, three of them. The most interesting thing about Eternal is that they gracefully progressed from somewhat tepid R&B-tinged bubblegum to full-fledged soul tour-de-forces in a very short period of time, deploying an astounding degree of musical finesse and good taste in the process. Their rise to the top of the charts can only be described as a shooting star: wonderful, but ultimately too brief and ending in unperturbed darkness (my attempts at figurative writing are awful, I know). Something that is also very curious about them is that their music was tailor made to fit the tastes of American audiences, but most of their attempts to break the American market failed miserably.

Founded in 1993 by four members of London’s prestigious Italian Conti Academy stage school, the group met success almost instantly with the hip hop-ish 'Stay', which rose to number 4 in the charts and paved the way for their enormously successful début album the next year. The girls soon followed with a string of Top 10 hits that established them as one of Britain’s most successful bands ever. Later next year, the group’s only weak vocalist, the ‘there-just-for-ornamental-purposes’ member Louise Nurding left the band amidst some controversy – she was the only white member, and it was suggested that the other girls, along with the group’s management, had pushed her out so that their chances to become successful in the US would increase. This has, however, been denied by everyone including Louise, who went to become a hugely successful performer in her own right, even if said success was also short-lived.



From there Eternal went to produce some of the best, most beautiful and sophisticated soul/pop ever – forget those annoying old crones The Supremes: all of Eternal’s members can sing circles around them (even Louise), and their material is light years ahead of anything that that whiny-voiced skeleton Diana Ross has ever squawked. However, the massive international success they deserved seemed to elude them, and outside the UK their efforts have fared is a somewhat patchy fashion: some of them have stormed the charts, while some others have just had a mediocre reception. Still, Eternal are the only British girl band who can say that they broke the Top 20 in the US and became very successful in Asia and Australia before the Spice Clowns vomited their filthy musical detritus in our ears.

After many glorious hits, Eternal became tangled in internal struggles that would ultimately bring their demise. Fed up of sharing the spotlight, sisters Vernie and Easter (who has a voice that can easily match Whitney Houston’s once perfect instrument), unceremoniously kicked out Kéllé Bryan, who was inexplicably unsuccessful as a solo artist, and after trying to replace her, released a less than sterling album that critics inexplicably loved. However, sales were dismal and Eternal were almost immediately dropped by their record company. This event was part of the debacle that rocked First Avenue Management and would also destroy Dina Carroll’s career (find more about her here) .



Anyway, if you want to buy any one of Eternal’s albums, go here.

Save Our Love

This is, in my opinion, the best track from Eternal’s début album. The production is impeccable and the beat has an urgency that invites you to dance, but doesn’t keep you from appreciating the beauty of the melody, the catchy chorus or the superb vocals. It is also very pleasant as background music (as all of their early offerings), and will lift your mood whenever you’re feeling down. Just what bubblegum ought to be.

Someday

The theme song for Disney’s nasty raping of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece 'The Hunchback of Nôtre Dame', this is one of the most beautiful songs that Eternal ever sang, which is saying a lot. In was released everywhere except in the US, where it was given to the infinitely less talented All-4-One. However, it was a massive hit worldwide, and is one of the finest tracks in their masterful sophomore album, Power Of A Woman. Truly delightful. Video.

Don’t You Love Me?

This is the gorgeous first single for their third album Before The Rain – like I Wanna Be The Only One (keep reading), it was a huge hit, but this song has more merit because it’s very unconventional: there are not many displays of vocal power or range in it, and it addresses social issues such as poverty, racial isolation and homelessness in a naïve, yet very charming way. Needless to say, I LOVE this song, as it’s one of their best. Video.

I Wanna Be The Only One – duet with BeBe Winans

This is just Heavenly (yes, with a capital H). It is the group’s only number 1 hit, and is one of the fondest memories I have of my adolescence – when I first heard it, I fell in love with them and have religiously followed everything they’ve done ever since. Probably most of you already know about it, but just allow me to say that it is a VERY well deserved hit that ought to have won the award for the Best Single category in the BRIT Awards, instead of All Saint’s soporific and shitty Never Ever. The original video is nice enough, but I'd rather post this awesome live performance.

Finally, I’d like to say that I’ve had a really difficult time finding photos of Eternal (I’d never post scans – I hate them), and none of them had all the girls together – that’s why I’ve had to post gorgeous Louise’s photo apart. Sorry. :-)

The newborn star of Israel - Shiri Maimon

Shiri Maimon should be one of Israel’s most promising performers not only because she possesses a superb, metallic mezzo and has the rare ability to engage the audience in her performance, but because she does have an enormous potential for a successful international career. As her impassioned, impeccably professional performance in Eurovision proved, Shiri doesn’t need to resort, unlike many singers, to silly props to distract her public from the tediousness of a mediocre delivery: she commands the stage and the auditorium in equal measure, and does so with effortless elegance. Which is something VERY rare in Eurovision – only a handful of performers have managed to do it… Curiously, they were the only performers who had some talent, or were not long past their prime (Carola, anyone? :-P ).

Shiri was born in the picturesque city of Haifa, but her family soon moved to the town of Qiryat Chaim (in reality a mere suburb of Haifa), which seems to be, for what I have read, notorious for three things: its weight lifting team, the best beaches in Israel and large masses of poor Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Still, Shiri doesn’t seem to have been deprived of opportunities to develop and show her talent, since she was a member of several pop groups since late childhood.

After a stint as a soloist in the Air Force Entertainment Band during military service, La Maimon worked as a bartender-cum-dancer and singer in a club, and then went to present a popular television show called “Exit” – from there she moved on to Kokhav Nolad/A Star Is Born, Israel’s version of Pop Idol (which, unbelievably, she didn’t win) and became a bona fide star who had the dubious ‘honour’ of representing her country in the Eurovision Dumpster Farce. The rest is, as they say, history!



Or not. Her album seems to have had decent sales, but only three singles were released from it and Shiri seems to have abandoned all efforts to keep her musical career going to co-star in one of Israel’s most popular soap operas, called Yeladot Ra’ot (Bad Girls). I don’t know Hebrew, thus for the sake of my sanity, please someone tell that girl to keep singing! The world and I… Well OK, the obsessive stalking freak that I am, need another album from her to stay alive – she is that good!

Without further ado, I present you with her songs but, as usual (and making use of my oh-so-not-original phrase, ehem), go to buy her only record so far (:-( ) here.

Ahava Ktana/Little Love

This is a gorgeous pop/rock song that shows the power in Maimon’s voice. The chorus is…How can I say it? AWESOME? Yes! That’s it! The song begins with a melancholic piano introduction that bursts into sheer pop perfection all of a sudden. It is by far my favourite song by hers, and was a very well deserved hit for her. The video is a Shakira rip off, but the song still preserves all of its magic.

Lean She’Lo Telkhi/Wherever You Won’t Go (Henree remix)

As impossible to believe as it is, this song wasn’t a single – WHY?!?! You’ll ask yourselves. Madness? That’s the best answer I’ve been able to come up with. This is a rather superb dance version of the rocky, gritty original song, which is simply gorgeous. The chorus is anthemic, and it’s carried by an urgent bass line that will make you get up and dance wherever you are. However, in this remix you also get beautiful touches, such as bells and distorted flute descending scales that make it stunning!

Ha-Sheket She Nisha’ar/The Silence That Remains

This is one of the most beautiful ballads to ever grace the Eurovision stage – it deserved so much more than a meager fourth place. The live version is, shockingly, even better, with Shiri reaching the top notes in chest-quality voice, instead of soft head one as in the recording. Still, this is indispensable for any self-respecting ballad freak (like moi! :-D ). The surprising thing is, the rest of the ballads in her album are as good, with a few of them being even better! Before you have an orgasm, please watch a live performance here.

Ad She Tavin Oti/Until You Understand Me

This is a somewhat bizarre attempt at R&B that sounds as dated as it truly is – around 2001 it could have been a hit, but in a 2005 album it is somewhat out of place. Still, it is more melodic than the tuneless crap released by, say, undeservingly successful groups such as Destiny’s Child and the (bad) jokes that are the Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane. Obviously, Shiri pulls it off superbly, and it makes for a curious change of register within the stylistic mode of her album.

The German nightingale - Sarah Connor

Sarah Connor is Germany's fabulous answer to the myriad of melissma-crazy American singers who have become hugely successful since Whitney Houston first appeared in the mid-80's. And this is the most peculiar thing about Sarah - even though she is German, her music has a distinctively American feel to it. She is also very gifted, having started her classical studies at the age of ten in a Performing Arts school where she was the only student allowed to use her voice as an instrument - yep, that's how good she is! :-) However, Sarah's style is justified by the fact that her grandfather was born in New Orleans and was mad about soul music - Sarah spent many times listening to his records and voilà! She became a freak that sang Britney-level R&B with Mariah Carey's voice! WHO else can say THAT?! Oh, and if that's what listening to soul does to you, I'm gonna buy all of Aretha Franklin's records and listen to them 'till I am able to do more than sound like a shrieking pig with a sore throat - be ready world, here I come! ;-P.

The rest of her story is very much one of those boring and predictable Cinderella-modelled tales that record companies send to magazines to promote their artists: at seventeen, she was magically picked by Michael Jackson to have a singing spot in one of his concerts; this was a life-altering moment for her and prompted her to leave school and try her luck by sending demo tapes to record companies... And you can imagine how things went.

When Sarah released her début album in 2001, she was pretty much the only German singer to fully embrace the Mariah Way of ultra-high shrieks and effortless belting, but still things were not so easy for her - not all her singles were successful. After what I guess was a little shifting things here and there, she started delivering increasingly good music - to the point when almost everything that she does is essential for any self-respecting pop junkie like myself (AND anyone visting this Blog, I hope :-) ).



Anyway, something that sets Sarah apart from the rest of the singers featured in this page is that she is not marketed as a diva in any sense, nor does she have any larger-than-life mannerisms - she is just an unadulterated spoonful of wholesomeness directly fed to the public without a single trace of affectation!!!! This is almost enough to make me run away screaming like a hysterical chimpanzee - were it not for the fact that Sarah is WONDERFUL. That's why I've had a hard time deciding what to post here today. However, being the dedicated sweetheart that I am (you BETTER acknowledge it, haha), I have taken on the task of making a few selections that will hopefully make you realize that I am right as usual (as if - please, just ignore me; it's been a hard day :-D ), and go buy her records here or here.

From Sarah With Love (Kayrob Dance Mix)

The SPECTACULAR ballad version of this was Sarah's first really big hit. It was a huge success in Central and Eastern Europe, but for some reason most other countries just ignored it - which proves my point that many people are severely deaf. The original ballad is very sad and melancholic, almost crepuscular - if your heart has been broken, you will understand the feeling of 'all light has been drained from the world' that this song conveys so beautifully. However, this remix version is VERY fun, and if you're still sad while listening to this... Well, you need to book an appointment with your doctor, because you're obviously suicidal. Cheer up! ;-) Video version (the original is much better).

If U Were My Man

This song is pure bubblegum Heaven. It sounds like some of the best slices of teenie pop that have come out of Sweden, only this is sung by someone with actual talent. Here Sarah takes on a slutty persona by making a pass at a random boy who stares at her, ehem , 'charms' while out with his girlfriend. What else could be better?!?! An impossibly catchy piece of disposable music with a really tawdry subject matter! Isn't that what fun's really about - don't answer that!

Music Is The Key - featuring Naturally 7

This is Sarah's monumental duet with the amazingly talented boyband Naturally 7. This is VERY Mariah-esque... Only a thousand times better than anything that Mariah has ever done. This is a gorgeous melodic ballad that showcases what passion and careful arrangement can achieve - and it's undoubtedly my favourite of Sarah's songs. It was her second number one in Germany, and opened a string of huge successes for her :-) By the way, you have to get her album Key To My Soul - it's WONDERFUL! Video.

You Are My Desire

This is from Sarah's latest album, Naughty But Nice. In it, she has made a concise effort to change her sound a little by adding more Eurodance and scrapping a little of the 'American R&B princess' make up that she put on at the beginning of her career, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but kept her from doing things as great as this song – pure electro-pop joy! It is very peculiar: it has ordinary R&B beats under successive layers of electronic effects and sitar arpegios that keep it danceable. The chorus is very catchy sing-a-long-y, but the best thing is Sarah's voice, which manages to take center stage without much effort on her part. Just lovely.

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.