Welcome to Poptastic Confessions! This blog is dedicated to glorious, unashamed alternative pop music! We hope to share new music with you that you might not have heard before because it is usually overlooked by the masses. Of course, we'll always encourage you to buy the music legally to support the artists. Enjoy! —Davearama, editor of Poptastic Confessions
Dear Poptastic Readers, A few years ago I was introduced to Armin van Buuren when he collaborated with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on their song "Not Giving Up On Love", which was at #15 in my favorite songs of 2010. Well, he's back with a new song called "This Is What It Feels Like" with Trevor Guthrie on vocals.
The song has been out for a month or so and it is featured on Armin's album "Intense." But I just discovered the song and I quite like it. Perhaps you will, too. It's a tad bit catchy!
The video is shot in the desert and has two convertible Mustangs driving around, plus a cameo from Ron Jeremy.
Dear Poptastic Readers, In May, we featured "Union" by Rebecca & Fiona, which we still think is FABulous! But we forgot to feature their song from earlier this year called "Taken Over."
"Taken Over" is a bit relentless. Perhaps that is what we like about it. The pounding of the keyboards and what sounds like a motorcycle in the background plus the atmospheric synths make for an incredibly awesome song. Plus the melody is quite nice. The song features Swedish DJ/Producer Style of Eye (aka Linus Eklöw), however he isn't in the video (that we can tell). Speaking of the video, it's quite odd. What a storyline! Oh my!
Dear Poptastic Readers, While we wait for the new single "Nightlife" by Jody Watley, the group French Horn Rebellion have a new song featuring Jody Watley called "Dancing Out." The song also features Young Empires, too.
You might remember that earlier in the year, Poptastic Confessions featured a song by French Horn Rebellion featuring Jody Watley called "Cold Enough", which was featured on their "Love Is Dangerous" EP.
While "Cold Enough" was funky and fresh, "Dancing Out" is a bit retro ... but it is still good fun. Unfortunately, Jody isn't in the video. However, there is a picture of her right before the girl in the video lip synchs to Jody's vocals. It's a cute video. Hoop earrings are missing, but it has some 80s freestyle dancing!
"Dancing Out" is available on iTunes and it has remixes! So go buy the EP and support the artists! And remember, "Nightlife" should be coming soon! Cheers then, —Davearama
Dear Poptastic Readers, What a fun, busy week it has been here. We started off with an interview with Lisa Cork-Twiss, formerly of Real McCoy and yesterday we celebrated our two-year anniversary. Good times! Well, today I'm just going to tell you about the new video for the latest Pet Shop Boys single called "Vocal." You might remember that I wrote about it earlier this month. And I'm very happy to say that the song has indeed grown on me, and I quite like the melody.
Here's what the Pet Shop Boys say about the video on their website ... This short film has been produced and directed by the filmmaker and photographer, Joost Vandeburg. He has created it using authentic amateur film footage shot at various raves in the late 80s, along with some footage from the Haçienda in Manchester. The video (and the song) was inspired by the way British youth at this time found its own freedom with a new culture epitomised by dance music and raves: "It's in the music/It's in the song/And the feeling of the warmth around us all is so strong."
The blog wasn't always called Poptastic Confessions. It was originally called Davearama's Guide to Poptastic Music. However, I wanted to give the blog a name that didn't actually focus on me, so in March of 2012, I changed the name. I chose the name because sometimes admitting that you like glorious pop music can be sort of a confession. It didn't hurt that Bananarama's third album was called "True Confessions."
I hope to bring you more poptastic interviews in the future. If you are new to Poptastic Confessions, I hope you look around and explore some of the music featured over the past two years. And as always, please support the artists! I appreciate those of you who have commented or shared links with friends on Twitter and Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, Poptastic Confessions has a Facebook page. Please like and share it. I even have a Twitter account if you are so interested. Thanks for stopping by! An extra special thanks for sharing the blog with others! Cheers then, —Davearama
Dear Poptastic Readers, In early May of this year, Poptastic Confessions featured a song called "Festival" from Victoria and Jacob. My friend Aug did a remix of it.
Well, the video is on YouTube and the song is available on iTunes. It's quite the dreamy summer song. Oh those legs! Check it out ...
There. Isn't it cute? iTunes awaits your purchase. ~:-) Cheers then, —Davearama
Dear Poptastic Readers,
Exciting news! I have interviewed Lisa Cork-Twiss, formerly of the 90s dance group Real McCoy. She has been very kind and gracious. She is also a wonderful singer and songwriter. Now, before we get to the interview, I thought it would be good to give you a brief history of the group.
Lisa Cork-Twiss
The group started in 1989 and it was called M.C. Sar and the Real McCoy. They consisted of O-Jay, Patsy and a rapper named Shampro who sometimes mimed O-Jay's raps. Five singles were initially released: "Pump Up The Jam", "It's On You", "Don't Stop", "No Showbo" and "Let's Talk About Love" as well as the album Make A Move! in 1990.
Shampro left the group and O-Jay became the front man. O-Jay and Patsy started working on their next album called Space Invaders. The songs were great, but the company executives weren't happy with Patsy's vocals. A session singer by the name of Karin Kassar was hired to sing all of the female vocals.
Clive Davis at Arista Records took notice of the group and brought them to the United States, but dropped the name "M.C. Sar" and the group name was shortened to "Real McCoy." Some new songs were recorded and the Space Invaders album was reworked and rereleased as the title Another Night. The female vocals were still sung by Karin. New videos were made for "Another Night" and "Run Away", but the latter wasn't released until YouTube came along.
The Real McCoy 1995–1996:Vanessa, O-Jay and Patsy
During the promotion in America, another female singer named Vanessa Mason was added to the group. She had similar vocals to Karin making live performances more credible. Up until then, they had always lip-synched their performances.
After the promotion for the Another Night album, Patsy left the group. She went on to have one solo song called "Money 4 Me." And in 1996, Lisa was brought in to part of the Real McCoy.
The Real McCoy 1996–1998: Vanessa, Lisa and O-Jay
Lisa's first performance with the group was at the World Music Awards in Monaco. Sadly, the performance isn't on YouTube. But here are some small photos from that performance.
Real McCoy released new music in 1997 with a fantastic album called One More Time. This time, Vanessa and Lisa sang all the vocals themselves. They even helped write the songs! The first single had the same name. And two more singles followed: "I Wanna Come (With You)" and a remake of Shaina Twain's "(If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here."
After the album promotion, the group disbanded. In 1998, a remix of their early remake "Pump Up The Jam" was released. And in 1999 a new Real McCoy lineup surfaced with a remake of one of their early songs called "It's On You." The new lineup of Real McCoy featured two new female singers named Gabi and Ginger. A man named Jason was in the video miming to O-Jay's vocals. However, O-Jay did have a cameo in the video. Another single came in 2000 called "Hey Now" ... this time Jason was doing his own vocals.
In 2006, O-Jay used the Real McCoy name when he joined the Polish group Ich Troje on their song "Follow My Heart."
In 2009, O-Jay formed a new version of Real McCoy with himself and two new singers named Debbie and Gemma. Gemma had some fame as a solo artist and as in a group called Kissing Freddie in the UK as she had been on X Factor twice. The new lineup did some live shows. And even debuted a new song called "Two Hearts." But it got no official release, and then it all went silent again.
The Real McCoy 2009: Gemma, O-Jay and Debbie
Real McCoy used to have an official Facebook artist page run by O-Jay, but that is no longer. There is a website, but currently it has no information on it. Hopefully that will change soon! I've always loved the Real McCoy and One More Time is my favourite album by the group. Lisa and Vanessa's vocals are awesome and the melodies are quite nice. So I took a chance and reached out to Lisa for an interview. She seemed to be the person I knew the least about. So I thought interviewing her would be great for fans to hear. Thankfully, she said yes! My questions are in bold. Lisa's answers are in italics. Enjoy!~
***
Before
you joined Real McCoy, what was your music path like? How did you get in the
business?
I grew up
singing in the church as many singers of color in the South. My Mother was a
pianist/composer and I come from a musical family. My Uncle Carl Perkins, jazz
pianist, was renowned in the 50's West Coast scene and recorded with many
greats.
I started
my 1st band in High School called, Lisa Cork & The Screws in the 80s, my
spiked dog collar phase. I was in and out of a few bands and then joined the
Houston, TX based band in 1986 called SoWat where I met Brent Argovitz. SoWat moved
to NYC ... well Hoboken, NJ; unfortunately we broke up soon afterwards. Which
brings me to question 2.
"This pic is me in my band SoWat circa 1987. That's Brent Argovitz
next to me and my eraser head fro... hehe"
"Me in my SoWat days taken from a fashion blurb in the Houston Chronicle"
"Haha!! Me, on the left, when I used to sing back up for Carl Lewis, yes the runner."
Awesome! "Lisa Cork and the Screws" is hilarious! How
did you come to join Real McCoy? Wikipedia says songwriter/producer Brent
Argovitz brought you into the group. Is that true?
Brent
Argovitz later was to become the musical director for such acts as Haddaway and
Taylor Dane before becoming involved with The Real McCoy in the same capacity.
He also toured with them on drums. He asked if I would like to audition after
Patsy was no longer involved. The audition obviously went well, I think based
on the fact of how well my voice blended with Vanessa Mason as most of the
vocals were in unison. My 1st show with The Real McCoy was at the World Music
Awards in Monaco in 1996 which was a whirlwind of an incredible experience
considering that 2 weeks prior I was literally working as a waitress in a
cocktail bar; so sharing the same televised stage with the likes of Michael
Jackson was mind blowing.
"Here's a Real McCoy pic taken in Monaco while we were there
for the World Music Awards in 1996, before I went blond."
Were
you aware that the album “Another Night” had all female vocals by Karin Kasar?
I was not
aware of Karin's involvement when I joined The Real McCoy.
Me, either. Do
you know why Karin never joined Real McCoy?
I have no
knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Karin's experience with The Real
McCoy.
I was wondering if you ever met Patsy Petersen?
I was never
introduced to Patsy although I did see her once at a club in Berlin.
How
did O-Jay and Vanessa welcome you to the group?
O-Jay and
Vanessa were both very welcoming and we all got on like a house on fire which
was beneficial considering the amount of downtime one is forced to spend
together while traveling/touring, recording and promoting an album.
One
More Time is one of my favourite pop/dance albums. How was it recording the
album?
Most of the
album was recorded at the Studio/home of the Executive Producer Jurgen Wind in
a small village in East Berlin. He also owned a small group of flats there down
the road where we were accommodated. The track "Love Save Me" was recorded in
Sweden. The overall experience was very enjoyable and professional with lots of
downtime in between takes making comradery essential!
The "One More Time" CD Booklet
I noticed that you
co-wrote two of the songs on the album, and they are two of my favourite tracks
“The Sky Is The Limit” and “Tonight.”
It was
awesome, as a new member that they welcomed my creative input to the writing
process and I’m proud of my contribution to the album. I'm happy that you like
those songs in particular.
Euro cover for "One More Time"
“One
More Time” was the first single. How was it making the video and promoting it?
The video
for "One More Time" was shot in LA in a nightclub. A huge production with lots of
very excited extras. There was a real party atmosphere and the energy was
incredible.
My all time
favorite version of "One More Time" is the Bass Bumpers Remix. To be honest, I
don't have a preference for "I Wanna Come With You."
US cover for "I Wanna Come (With You)"
I prefer the US versions. Whose idea was it to remake the Shania Twain song “(If You’re Not In It For Love) I’m
Outta Here”? Did you ever hear from Shania about what she thought of the
remake?
The idea to
remake the Shania Twain song was that of our A&R Rep at Arista. I have no
knowledge of her response.
I'm sure that she loved it. Why
weren’t videos made for “I Wanna Come” and “I’m Outta Here”? And did you like
the ones I made from the CD-Rom?
I think the
decision was made not to incur more expenses based on lack luster sales...but
I'm only guessing. I loved your vids, Dave! Thank you for taking the time to do
that. Very entertaining!
The
group disbanded after the promotion for the album. What happened?
See the
above answer....
In
1999, another Real McCoy single was released with all new singers. It was a
remake of their early song “It’s On You.” Was there ever any talk of you and
Vanessa to sing on that?
No...not to
my knowledge.
That's probably why the single flopped! In
2009, O-Jay and two new singers named Debbie and Gemma did some shows as the
new Real McCoy. Were you and Vanessa not asked back?
No...not to
my knowledge.
Do
you keep in touch with O-Jay and Vanessa?
I kept in
touch with them for a while afterwards and visited them in Berlin.
I
always wondered what had happened to you after Real McCoy. I think last year I
discovered that you had music on SoundCloud under your new last name
Cork-Twiss. You’re solo music is very varied. I really like
"Hand Me Down", "Change", "Tonight", "Stone Cold Smiling Faces" and "Black Coffee."Are there any of songs that you are most proud of?
Thank you
for your interest, Dave. My music on Soundcloud is mostly a plethora of original
demos recorded before and after The Real McCoy; with a variety of collaborators
and some completely solo undertakings. I
have dabbled in a bit of jazz before and after The Real McCoy and a good
representation of that is my Soundcloud demo of Black Coffee. I also
collaborated with my husband Jeff Twiss in our home studio we called 'Jam
Boudoir" on a track called Naked Soul. I am proud of those songs in
particular. I also quite fancy all of the tracks that I co-wrote with Brent
Argovitz who is still my dear friend until this day. He is currently based in
Hawaii and plays drums for an awesome band called Bub n’da Smack Dab among
other collaborations.
"I might mention that the jazz act I was in at the
time was called Feed The Kitty. Here's a promo pic."
Besides
listening to your solo music on SoundCloud, is there a place where fans can
purchase your solo music?
Not at
present but I will keep you posted! I currently live in Austin, TX and am in a
band called Deep Eddie. We play mostly classic rock and it is great fun!!!
"Me in my current band, Deep Eddie, not the best shot. We are
fairly newly formed and do not have any pro promo pics yet."
Would
you ever consider re-recording some of the Real McCoy tracks from the album
“One More Time”? May I suggest the wonderful “The Sky Is The Limit”?
I would not
rule out any musical opportunities. I will sing until the day I die!
Would
you ever have a reunion with O-Jay and Vanessa as Real McCoy?
Would I
reunion with The Real McCoy?...absolutely! Great memories deserve repeating.
***
Thanks
again, Lisa! I’m very excited to give fans a new perspective. If you don't have the album One More Time by Real McCoy, go out and get it! And if you are in Austin, check out Lisa's band Deep Eddie! And if O-Jay and Vanessa are reading this ... Get together with Lisa and do it "One More Time!"
Cheers then, —Davearama P.S. Also available with Lisa on the cover ...
Lately, I've taken to listening to Dannii Minogue's back catalogue. And what a fun catalogue it is! I miss Dannii's music career and I really wish she would return to making music.
Dannii Minogue
Dannii is indeed the younger sister of Kylie Minogue. But what most people don't know is that Dannii actually started in show business before Kylie in the 80s in popular Australian show called "Young Talent Time." Dannii followed that show with soap opera called "Home and Away."
A very young Dannii
While older sister Kylie's music career took off in 1988. Dannii's first single "Love and Kisses" debuted in 1990. It was top ten hit in Australia and the UK. Her debut album featured four more singles: "Success", "I Don't Want To Take This Pain", "Jump To The Beat" and "Baby Love." The US got one single ... "Jump To The Beat" in 1991 and it didn't make much a splash.
In 1995, Dannii went back in the studio to record her third album. The album was recorded and the first single "Free Your Love" was about to be released when the label shelved the whole project. Also in 1995, Dannii contributed vocals to two songs with Eurogroove: "Rescue Me" and "Boogie Woogie."
A blonde Dannii came back big time in 1997 with the comeback single "All I Wanna Do" that went to #4 in the UK. Her amazing "Girl" album had two more singles "Everything I Wanted" and "Disrememberance." All three singles went to #1 on the UK dance charts. There was another single in Australia ... a remake of "Coconut." It was recorded in 1995 and a remix was used as a hidden track on the Girl album. After that, her first "greatest hits" compilation was released called "The Singles."
In 1999, Dannii released a song called "Everlasting Night" in Australia for Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras compilation.
A DJ by the name of Riva invited Dannii to sing on a song in 2001 called "Who Do You Love Now?" It was a massive club hit in 2002 as well as going to #3 in the UK. It got Dannii's music career back on track. Another single in 2002 followed called "Put The Needle On It" and it went to #7 in the UK.
2003 saw Dannii's biggest hit ever. The super smash "I Begin To Wonder" just missed the #1 spot in the UK as it went to #2. Her awesome album "Neon Nights" went Gold. Another single came in the form of a remixed version of "Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling" and it went to #5 in the UK. Strangely enough, no more singles from the album were issued. Except in Germany, a promo single of the album's hidden track "Come And Get It" was released.
In the Fall of 2004, Dannii got everyone dancing again with the amazing single with Flower Power called "You Won't Forget About Me." And then a year later, the next single with Soul Seekerz called "Perfection" that sampled "Turn The Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson was released. Still, no new album.
Finally, in 2006 ... a greatest hits album called "The Hits and Beyond" with 5 new songs on it was released. The single to promote the album was "So Under Pressure." One of the new songs was "I Can't Sleep At Night" for which a video was made and the single would get a digital release in 2007.
Dannii recorded a remake of the Sister Sledge classic "He's The Greatest Dancer." It was released as a single, but no video, just a couple of TV performances.
Finally, Dannii's last studio album "Club Disco" was released. However, it contained the last six singles as well as some of the tracks from "The Hits and Beyond." But it did have some new tracks, too. Especially a chill version of "Xanadu."
Dannii put her singing career on hold after that. She has been very successful as a talent judge on Australian's Got Talent, The X Factor UK, and The X Factor Australia.
She started a family and has written a style book as well as an autobiography.
While Dannii might have put her music career on hold, fans were delighted when three compilations came out: "Unleashed", "The Early Years" and "The 1995 Sessions." As well as Deluxe versions of her albums. My good friend Kurt helped work on those wonderful CDs.
But pop music misses Dannii. I know I do. Here's hoping she makes a return to music. Who cares if it isn't at the top of the charts? She just needs to make music again.
