Happy Birthday, Jody Watley!

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Today is The Queen of Cool Jody Watley's birthday! Happy Birthday, Jody! We (Arturo, Janice, Edith, and Dave) saw Jody in concert in Napa, California at the Blue Note on Saturday night! There were 2 shows that evening and we attended the first show. And what a show it was!

Jody started off the night with the feel-good track "Whenever" from her 2001 album Midnight Lounge. Then she stepped it up with her 1992 hit "I'm The One You Need." That was from her stellar album Affairs Of The Heart. She then followed with one our favourite songs "A Beautiful Life" from 2008. That from her album The Makeover. It was the first time we saw Jody sing this wonderful song. 

Jody continued with "Saturday Night Experience" (from 1999), "Borderline" (her soulful cover from 2006 of the Madonna classic), and then Jody announced her next solo single! She said it would be a new version of her remake of Bob Marley's "Waiting In Vain." Jody covered this song in 2006 on The Makeover. "Borderline" is also from that album.

Jody then sang a special song that a fan had requested. It was her cover of "After You, Who?" by Cole Porter. In 1990, Jody had participated in the album Red Hot + Blue, which raised money for AIDS benefits. 

Jody then invited her SRL guys Nate and Rosero (who were also 2 of her 4 backup dancers that evening) to come up and sing "The Mood." This song is now climbing up the charts in the UK! Hooray! You might remember that "The Mood" was Poptastic Confessions #1 song of 2016!

Then Jody was treated to a surprise when she was presented with a birthday cake with lit candles. The whole place sang "Happy Birthday" to Jody! Watch it here ...

https://youtu.be/z7AMYfFtdzg

Then Jody pulled out the hits "Don't You Want Me", "Still A Thrill", and "Real Love." She ended the night with "Dancer" from her 2014 Paradise EP. Here's a small clip of "Real Love" ...

https://youtu.be/kerTreTZV8c

After the first show, and before the next show, Dave and Edith went to meet her because they bought Meet & Greet tickets. Jody is always so gracious and genuine with her fans.

Dave and Jody

Since 2013, we (Janice, Arturo, and Dave) have seen Jody Watley 6 times in concert and each time there is something new and special. This was Edith's first time seeing Jody in concert, and she can't wait to join us next time. You can read our reviews here: March 2013 at Yoshi's in Oakland, May 2014 at Yoshi's in Oakland, February 2015 (on Arturo's 50th Birthday) at Yoshi's in Oakland, November 2016 at Yoshi's in Oakland (We actually forgot to write a review as we were a bit depressed about the outcome of the presidential election.), July 2017 at the Alameda County Fair, and now February 2018 at the Blue Note in Napa.

If you haven't seen Jody Watley in concert, you should. She is an amazing artist with a beautiful voice. She really connects with the audience. She found two great guys in Nate and Rosero for SRL.

We love you, Jody! Happy Birthday!

Still a thrill,
—Dave and the Poptastic Confessions Collective

P.S. ...

Please like Jody's official Facebook page. You can also like SRL's official Facebook page.

You can follow her on Twitter. And follow Jody and SRL on Twitter.

Bookmark her official website.

Watch her videos on YouTube.


And purchase Jody's music on iTunes.

Memories by K3Y5HIFT3R featuring The 004

Dear Poptastic Readers,

We ended up taking last week off. Happy Monday! There is a new EP called Memories from an indie pop group called The 004. The music is produced by K3Y5HIFT3R.

The 004 is made up of friends Gita, Janet, Mike, and Kelly from Holland. They have love for 90s dance pop. Who doesn't? There were some amazing dutch dance pop acts in the 90s like Alice Deejay and Ian Van Dahl. The 004 made this EP to sort of recapture their "memories" of that time. Lyrics were also inspired by the Spice Girls. Mike and Kelly have even interviewed Melanie C. And Mike, Kelly, and Janet did Spice Girls Trivia with Melanie C.

The first song on the EP is the endearing "Song For Me" and it is also their lead single. This is a fun pop song that has a catchy chorus that will get stuck in your head! Check it out here ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-_wCHlz0WA

The second track is the 90s-inspired dance track called "Can't Let You Go." It's really quite epic. Trance-pop galore with strong synths with a tears-on-the-dancefloor vibe to it. 

"Funky Vibes" is the third track and this is a bit a slower pace. However, this isn't a slow song. It is just a mid-tempo darker track. The chorus really brings the song together.

"A Note (To My Younger Self)" picks back up the pace. Again, the music is pure 90s trance pop. We are reminded of Amber on this track. The lyrics are empowering. The last track is called "Summer of '05" has a tropical feel to it that will have you tapping your foot in no time.

Memories is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today. We've even added "Song For Me" to our 2018 Poptastic Confessions Spotfiy Playlist. Enjoy!~

 

Something Kinda Funny,
—Albert Green

P.S. For more information on The 004, follow them on Instagram.

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Dancing by Kylie Minogue

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Kylie Minogue has released her new single today "Dancing" from her upcoming album Golden. This isn't your typical Kylie single ...

In fact, "Dancing" has been described as country pop by almost every reviewer. Fans are having a mixed reactions. Some love it, some aren't so sure. It is the same at Poptastic Confessions. No one in our collective dislikes it — but it is sparking mixed emotions. 

February 2018 UPDATE: A glorious country line dancing video here! Woooo! We love it! Especially the all of the sequins!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BDImdAfodA

Definitely interesting. It has also been described as Kylie does Dolly Parton! For the fans that don't love it, just keep playing. Ultimately, it was a nice melody and Kylie does an amazing job singing it. So give it chance, and we will too!

"Dancing" is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today. We've added the song to our 2018 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify. Enjoy!~

Cheers then,
—The Poptastic Confessions Collective

P.S. For more information on Kylie, like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter. Don't forget to like our Poptastic Confessions Facebook page.

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What We Remember by Anggun

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Indonesian popstar Anggun has a new single “What We Remember” and a new album! Who is Anggun? She had a big breakthrough hit with “Snow on the Sahara” in 1997. She is most famous in France, where she’s been based since moving from Indonesia in the late 90s.

Since she began recording in English and French in 1997, she has released 7 studio albums (most of them have versions in English and French), and many amazing singles. Some highlights are: “Still Reminds Me” (2000), “In Your Mind” (2005), “Saviour” (2005), “I’ll Be Alright” (2006) and “Echo (You and I)” (2012, which was the song she performed at the Eurovision Song Contest that year, representing France).

Her new album, 8, was released in December, but we could only pay attention to it now, and we love it. The lead single “What We Remember” starts as an acoustic pop song, but as the chorus comes in it turns into a lovely dance song. Her voice sounds amazing in it, as usual! She released the music video for it recently, and she looks stunning in it! Have a look …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V34Fhl9PPrk

She’s been posting on Facebook about a batch of remixes that were made and that her team is pushing it to be played in clubs in America, let’s hope she conquers the dancefloors worldwide! We've added the song to our 2018 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Shine on,

—Raoni

P.S. For more information on Anggun, like her Facebook page and follow her on Twitter. Don't forget to like Poptastic Confessions Facebook page.

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Holiday '17 by Parralox

Dear Poptastic Readers,

For the fourth year in a row, Parralox has released an album at the end of year in their Holiday series. Don't be fooled by the title, as it isn't always a Christmas theme. Instead, it is mostly made up of covers and the name was inspired by The Human League's Holiday '80. So far, Parralox have released Holiday '14, Holiday '15, Holiday '16, and you guessed it ... the latest release is Holiday '17.

We didn't review it in December because of our countdown of our favorite songs of 2017. In case you missed it, Parralox had the #1 song of 2017 with the fantastic "Electric Nights."

First up on Holiday '17 is "O Tannenbaum" featuring Katja von Kassel. Yes, this is the original German lyrics that many of us English speakers know as "O Christmas Tree." This is a lovely version. Listen here.

Now this next track is the shining star in our opinion. It their remake of Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams" written by Stevie Nicks. This is simply AMAZING! Louise Love takes the lead vocals and her vocal warmup inspired John to cover the song. We love how Louise always gives a cool vocal performance, and she really shines on this. John also does a great job on backing vocals and he just makes the music so hypnotizing that you want to hit repeat as soon as it is done. We just can't get enough. Listen to Parralox's version here.

The third track is a cover of an instrumental Human League track called "The Dignity Of Labour (Part 3)." We like it! Listen to Parralox's version here.

"I'm Not Scared" is the fourth track. It was originally recorded by the British group Eighth Wonder. However, it was written by the Pet Shop Boys. Louise takes on the vocals here. This is such a lush song. It's also a bit of a long one as it clocks in at over 7 minutes. Listen to it here.

The fifth track is a cover of Depeche Mode's "Shine." We weren't familiar with the original track as it appeared on their 2001 album Exciter and it wasn't a single. Kudos to Parralox for picking this jewel. John sings lead vocals to this one. Listen to it here.

Track 6 is a remake of "Who Knows What Love Is" by Strawberry Switchblade. We didn't know this one either. Apparently it was a single for the group in 1985, but it didn't set the charts on fire. Louise sings the lead here. It's happy and dreamy. Have a listen here.

The seventh track is another Depeche Mode cover. This time for the song "Fools." You guessed it. We didn't know this one either. It was the b-side to the band's 1983 single "Love, In Itself." John is lead here, too. Listen here.

Out of the blue comes this down-tempo Elvis Presley cover called "Love Letters." John takes the lead and sounds great. Hear it here.

The beat picks back up with Track 9. It is a cover of "The Dancer" by Secret Service. We didn't know anything about them other than they were an 80s new wave group from Sweden. This has a great melody and John sings this. You can hear Parralox's version here.

The tenth song is a remake of the 1980 single "A Forest" by The Cure. John is on lead vocals on this one, too. It's a great song. Listen to it here.

The album ends with a cover of "Stop/Start" by The Assembly. This song was the b-side to the group's only single "Never Never." Vince Clark (of Erasure, and formerly of Depeche Mode) was in the group. This song is an instrumental. Have a listen to Parralox's version here.

All-in-all, Holiday '17 is a great album, even if you have never heard the original songs before. It just makes it that much more special. You can hear the album on Spotify, but to really help support Parralox, please buy the music so they can have more money to keep making fabulous records. We've added our favourite  "Dreams" and some other tracks to our 2018 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Cheers then,
—Davearama


P.S. For more information on Parralox, check out their official website. You can also like their official Facebook page and follow them on Twitter. While you are at it, you can like our Poptastic Confessions Facebook page! 

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Friday Night by Laser Dreams

Dear Poptastic Readers,

The 80s-influenced Laser Dreams are back with another synthpop special called "Friday Night."

You might remember that we first heard of Laser Dreams last year with their song "Stupid Lovesong." This new single doesn't stray far from that. Just have a listen ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaWGd7uxkPE

Totally tubular! "Friday Night" is available on digital outlets everywhere. Buy your copy today! You can hear the tune on our 2018 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

More than physical,
—Sausi

P.S. Remember to like Poptastic Confessions Facebook page!

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Rocket by En Vogue

Dear Poptastic Readers,

En Vogue have a new song out called "Rocket" and we quite like it. If you just asked yourself, "Who is En Vogue?" Well, that is an interesting story ...

En Vogue is a girl group from originally from Oakland, California that was originally made up of Terry, Cindy, Dawn, and Maxine. Their debut hit single was the AMAZING "Hold On" in 1990 that really showcased their powerful vocals. They went on to have huge success with their first 3 albums and hit singles with "Lies", "You Don't Have To Worry", "Don't Go", "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)", "Giving Him Something He Can Feel", "Free Your Mind", "Whatta Man" (with Salt-N-Pepa), "Don't Let Go (Love)", and "Whatever."

En Vogue in 1990: Dawn, Terry, Cindy, and Maxine

Along the way, the lineup changed. Dawn left in 1997 before their third album leaving the group a trio. In 2001, Amanda joined as the fourth member, but later that same year, Maxine left. Amanda left in 2003 and in came Rhona. In 2005, Dawn and Maxine rejoined the group, and Rhona was out. However, by the end of 2005, Dawn left again. Rhona came back in 2006 and was with them until 2008, when (you guessed it) Dawn came back. This time, Dawn stayed until the end of 2011 when she left again. Then Maxine left again in early 2012. Rhona came back in 2012 and Terry, Dawn, and Rhona have been En Vogue ever since.

En Vogue 2012-Present: Terry, Cindy, and Rhona

However, if all those lineup changes weren't enough. Something else happened in 2012. Dawn and Maxine started performing as En Vogue with another singer named Shaunté. The two En Vogues went to court to see who would get the name. Terry and Cindy won and had the rights to name En Vogue. The other group disbanded. What a history!

We'll admit, En Vogue have been off our radar for sometime and we didn't even know about all the lineup changes. We did know they were a trio as they came in at #17 in our favorite 100 girl groups countdown in 2016. Last month, we came across an Instagram ad of their new song "Rocket." We checked it out and we quite liked it. Perhaps you will like it too.

UPDATE: New video of them looking fantastic! Have a look ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Geg4yDxZZDs

Now that you've got your RnB groove on, go out buy the track as it is available on digital outlets everywhere. We've even added the song to our 2018 Poptastic Confessions Playlist on Spotify.

Cheers then,
—Davearama

P.S. For more information on En Vogue, like their official Facebook page and follow them on Twitter. Don't forget to like Poptastic Confessions Facebook page and you can follow Davearama on Twitter.

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Timebomb by Post Precious

Dear Poptastic Readers,

Post Precious are a recently-formed pop duo from LA. They have an amazing debut single — it’s the infectious synthpop song “Timebomb.”

It sounds like something Kylie Minogue could release and drive her fans crazy with (even though she already has a song called "Timebomb"). The exquisite music video for the song was released just before Christmas. The choreography in it is very unusual and, at the same time, lovely. And those scenes with sand blowing on their faces look like they were very difficult to shoot. Have a look …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwxQ567um7Y

Let’s hope they don’t take long to follow it with another single, or a full-length album. If it sounds anything like this, we’ll definitely enjoy it!

Post Precious are Max Hershenow and Alex Winston

Until then, there’s a just-released remix they did for a Wolf Alice song, called "Don’t Delete The Kisses", which also features Charli XCX. We like it too! Check them out on Spotify.

Shine on,
—Raoni

P.S. For more information on Post Precious, please like their official Facebook page and follow them on Twitter. Don't forget to like Poptastic Confessions Facebook page.

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