It’s been a while, but this one’s a rull good one.

Lollygagging ’round the streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn last weekend after seeing Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart‘s Heart & Soul Tour (which was simultaneously fantastic and amazing, thank you for asking), my boyfriend and I happened across a series of vinyls against the wall of an apartment, lazily stacked next to a trashcan.

And while I’m not personally one for bed bugs, he had no problem diving in headfirst to see if there were any gems hidden in the mix. (I’ve trained him well.)

Cue the find: Freestyle pop artist Alisha‘s self-titled 1985 debut album off of Vanguard Records.

Immediately struck by the incredible cover art featuring an ’80′s-tastic Alisha chilling in bed, hanging on the telephone and rocking a double-length pearl necklace, I knew I had to have it. So I snatched and ran, knowing full well there was no way the owner could have possibly meant to toss away such a classic.

G-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s.

Alisha, as I soon learned, is a Freestyle pop artist from the ’80′s. She actually had an incredible run on the charts with her debut album, selling over 2 million copies and charting three singles in the Top 10 of the US Hot Dance Billboard Charts.

She would go on to release two more albums (1987′s Nightwalkin’ and 1990′s Bounce Back) and chart a few more singles, including 1999′s “You Wanna Be A Star (Superstar)” for the Molly Shannon classic, Superstar.

As for the tunes featured on Alisha, let’s be honest here: Every song basically sounds like a canned cut from Madonna. Sure, it’s a back-handed compliment…but a damn fine compliment nonetheless! The album is a mix of fierce, cutting freestyle beats worthy of a seriously sweaty workout session on the dance floor.

Click above to watch Alisha–looking something like the love child between Peaches and Barbra Streisand (okay, so maybe just the nose) that’s been slapped across the face by Christina Aguilera‘s “Moulin Rouge” make-up palette–as she struts it out to “Baby Talk,” her first and only #1 on the US Hot Dance Chart (and the best song Love & Kisses-era Dannii Minogue never recorded.)

Yet of all the gems on the album, from “All Night Passion” to “Stargazing,” my hands-down favorite of the bunch is none other than “Too Turned On.” (Too obvious from the title alone?)

The dance floor filler finds Alisha telling her man to stand back and take cover–’cause she’s just too damn turned on! Between infectious hand claps, saxophone synthesizer solos, and even a dazzling xylophone rhythm break in between the chorus and verses–it’s an utterly delicious jam that must be experienced to be believed.

“‘Cause I’m too turned on, can’t hold back / All heated up and can’t cool down,” Alisha cries out. Calling all modern pop artistes: Care to give this one a polishing off please? Dannii, baby?

Whether it’s her homegrown NYC appeal, inimitable stage presence, or the fact that she actually took time to thank “the guys at the Shell station” in her own album credits, Alisha is one MuuMuse Approved mamacita.

I’M TOO TURNED ON!

After the success of my Bardeux post, I think it’s time for another round of bargain bin adventures!

Last Saturday, I found myself rummaging at a Goodwill in Somerville, MA after an amazing brunch with amazing friends at a tiny restaurant in the area that I will not tell you about for fear that many people may discover it and then it will grow popular and then I won’t be able to find a table for brunch ever again and then EVERYTHING WILL BE RUINED.

Buried amongst Jewish Hymns and Color Me Barbra (two not entirely dissimilar titles…and why is it that Barbra Streisand‘s entire discography appears in pristine quality within every Goodwill I’ve ever browsed through?), I stumbled upon a dust-ridden vinyl with all the winning traits: Single name status, stylized font, female pop star, bad ass pose.

And while the album cover already sealed the deal, I found a small blurb underneath the tracklisting on the back of the record which was dedicated to “the spirit” of Marilyn Monroe, who’s silent torment we never knew. Um…SCORE!

The find in question? Corina‘s “Give Me Back My Heart.”

Corina was (is?) a Latin freestyle dance-pop singer from New York, best known for her one Top 10 hit (“hit”?), “Temptation,” which charted at #6 in 1991, a song that makes Dannii Minogue‘s “Success” sound like the “Bad Romance” of its time.

Corina is also responsible for the irresponsibly good “Whispers,” which not only features the dance floor diva busting moves as Marie Antoinette in a Versailles-like palace, but also strongly underscores the fact that Corina bears a striking resemblance to John Leguizamo in a wig.

“Give Me Back My Heart,” however, was Queen C’s first single, which went on to permanently dent the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Chart at #26 back in 1989.

Much in line with the other reigning dance legends of the time including Shannon and Stacey Q, “Give Me Back My Heart” is a pulsating Freestyle jam. “What do you mean I don’t understand you?” Corlegenda demands before the song kicks into its jamming percussion and jagged synthesizers. As a composition, it’s virtually indistinguishable from any other late ’80′s Freestyle dance floor filler…but that doesn’t mean it’s not SLAMMIN’.

Shockingly, the cut was not included on the singer’s critically unclaimed self-titled 1991 debut album, which was awarded 2 out of 5 stars by AllMusic.

In the end, I didn’t end up spending my hard-earned 49 cents on the vinyl. I mean, I was not about to trudge around in the snow with that shit tucked in between my arm! Now…had it been Stacey Q? That’s a different story altogether.

Bonus fun fact: Corina played Frida Kahlo in 1999′s Cradle Will Rock which was, according to my estimation, an arguably more influential moment than her entire music career.

Elouise isn’t your typical pop star.

There are no synthesizers in her productions–no stomping bass lines, no electronic beats, and certainly no Auto-Tune.

Instead, the focus is all on the voice: Elouise is a throwback act, armed with a set of pipes comparable to the belters of yesteryear, including Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield, and Shirley Bassey.

Taken under Steve Anderson‘s wing (the songwriter, producer and musical director for Kylie Minogue, who also mentioned his work with Elouise months back in his interview with MuuMuse), the English singer has crafted two EPs this year: Stardust, a collection of originals, and the newly released Stardust Melodies, a collection of covers.

“Another Day” is one of the tracks from the first EP, Stardust, which was co-written along with Terry Ronald, the songwriter responsible for penning and producing the bulk of Dannii Minogue‘s flawless 2003 record, Neon Nights.

Very high drama, very emotional…think Streisand, James Bond theme style.

And from the newly released collection, Stardust Melodies, a personal favorite of the bunch: “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” which was originally written for the 1945 musical, Carousel. It’s a really gorgeous, sorrowfully sweet number that reminds me a little bit of Charlie Chaplin‘s “Smile.” And of course, the vocals are nothing short of angelic.

While I’m certainly never one to shy away from a pulsating dance beat, Elouise offers a sweetly sung breath of fresh air in a world that’s become increasingly cluttered with overly processed vocals and noisy production. (And really, who couldn’t use a good ol’ torch song from time to time?) She’s a class act old soul born in the wrong decade.

Well–either that, she’s about to inspire a whole new generation of vocalists.

Elouise is in the midst of recording her upcoming debut album, due out in 2011. To find out more about Elouise, check out her official website.

Stardust Melodies was released on November 15. (iTunes)

We’re almost there! It’s the semi-finals of X Factor. Five acts remain–four will go on to the grand finale!

And now, we’re down to all four of MuuMuse’s favorites from the very beginning: Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson, Matt Cardle, and Mary Byrnes. Oh, and One Direction’s still going strong. THANKS A LOT, TEENS.

Tonight’s show has two themes: CLUB CLASSICS (perfect for MuuMuse!) and GET ME TO THE FINALS (desperation!).

And awayyyyy we go!

Read More…

Working with Kylie is like working with every artist I have ever wanted to and continues to be as exciting and fresh every time we do something new.

As promised, here comes part two of my interview with the sensational producer, remixer, songwriter and musical director (amongst other titles!), Mr. Steve Anderson.

Go ahead and read on to learn about Anderson’s unreleased electro-ballad with Britney (“Grow”) and much, much more Kylie gossip (Unreleased tracks! Scrapped setlist ideas!), as well as Anderson’s thoughts on remixing, the music industry today (including a killer list of artists to watch), and his latest project: Launching his latest chanteuse Elouise into the seemingly impenetrable territory that is North America.

Click “Read More…” to read the full second half of the interview.

Missed part one? Or just want to brush up on last week’s installment? Click here to see the first half!

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When she is in the moment, literally it’s like magic flying about all over the place and on stage. It simply doesn’t get any better.

Steve Anderson is a pop nerd’s goldmine.

Known today as a songwriter, a producer, and a musical director (amongst other job titles), Anderson’s career actually took off in the late ’80′s as a remixer, acting as one-half of the popular remix outfit, Brothers in Rhythm along with Dave Seaman.

Working out mixes for some of the most popular artists of the time including Cherrelle, Sister Sledge, and Loleatta Holloway, Steve Anderson quickly began carving himself a comfy niche in the pop industry. Yet one of the most important milestones in Anderson’s career came with eventual introduction in the early ’90′s with a certain Kylie Minogue.

Beginning with Minogue’s self-titled 1994 record and continuing all the way to Aphrodite, Steve Anderson has worked intimately co-writing and recording the internationally cherished diva for nearly twenty years. He’s been responsible for the arrangement and production of many of her hits (“Confide In Me,” “Did It Again”), as well as continuing to serve as the musical director of every tour she’s done since 1997′s Intimate and Live.

As time went on, Anderson soon began taking a hand at penning tracks for a variety of MuuMuse’s most celebrated acts: From Atomic Kitten to Holly Valance, to the legendary Miss Britney Spears.

Since then, the talented producer has only continued to busy himself with work. Anderson is currently in the midst of planning Minogue’s massive Aphrodite Tour as well as executive producing Christophe Willem‘s upcoming studio album. At the same time, he’s been eagerly involved in the launch of two up-and-coming acts: Elouise, a classic crooner who brings to mind yesterday’s greatest voices (Judy Garland, Dusty Springfield), and The Ultra Girls, a new girl group rooted in Spice Girls-esque pop for the sake of pop.

Needless to say, Steve Anderson is a busy man.

As a result, I was delighted when I found out that Mr. Anderson was willing to answer a heap of questions I’d prepared for him, along with several questions submitted by Muusers. A dream!

So without further ado, please read on to see the first part of the interview.

Read More…

Look: I’m not an asshole. Not a heartless one anyway. If you can, I believe you should donate to the Haiti crisis, a disaster of the most immense and terrifying proportions.

That being said, so is the superstar remake of “We Are The World,” recorded as a charity single for Haiti.

I mean, for the love of GOD…to start off the track with Justin Beebop? The Jonas Brothers? Miley Cyrus?! What is this, J-14 and Friends?

I’m surprised K$$$ didn’t come swinging in with a bottle of jack to spit up a few lines before returning to her (RECORD LABEL MANUFACTURED AND ENDORSED) whimsical lifestyle of coke and excess.

Thanks be to Barbra Streisand for providing the hands-down LOLZ of the Century Award with her hilariously over-the-top emoting at the microphone (and uncanny resemblance to my 12th grade English teacher).

Shockingly, Celine manages to bottle up her crazy to a respectable degree for this video, though I suspect it has more to do with her lack of screen-time than her actual ability to subdue the inner dancing panda bear in her ear tempting her to break into the funky chicken at any moment.

As the song goes on it becomes even harder to swallow, as with the directorial decision to crop an awkward looking Janet Jackson next to her late brother as she sadly (and/or weirdly) mouths along to the chorus. Tacky? Why, that would be far too kind of a description.

Oh, and then the rapping. Dear God, the RAPPING.

Also, I love the fact that during Kanye West‘s 15 seconds of fame in the song, it looks as though Nicole Scherzinger keeps trying to sing her line, only to be repeatedly interrupted by the ego himself time and time again. LITERALLY PRICELESS.

Extra credit and love goes out to Pink, M.J. Blige and Jennifer Hudson for maintaining the natural class and dignity that this project really needed.

In the aftermath of this video, only one question remains: What would Michael say?

Don’t call the search crews out just yet everyone, I have returned. I’ve moved back into my college dorm. Naturally, I’m making the most out of my first day back by staying locked in my cold, dark room, browsing the music blogs and checking the gossip forums for any new juicy tidbits.

I’m just kidding. I have the lights on.

So what have I come up with in my Internet journey? Not much. The biggest news is that Christina Aguilera pushed out a Max Liron Bratman from her Lady Marmalade yesterday. Yes, I know it’s the name of her child. But doesn’t it sound more like a little Kosher beef weiner? The name “Max” stands for “greatest” in Hebrew, and “Liron,” for “my song.” Being the good Jewish boy that I am, I had absolutely no guess as to the meaning of either of those words. Instead, I relied upon Perez‘s inevitably incorrect translation. Put them together, and Max Liron means “my greatest song.” I won’t dispute that; I can’t think of a Christina Aguilera song that would be considered great. Or good. Or tolerable. I kid. A little. Congratulations!

OH, and I found the new single by U.K. hip-hop artist, Estelle, featuring modest rapper, Kanye West. Bouncing merrily around a minimal, buzzing electro-beat, Estelle goes simply goo-goo about the lavish American lifestyle. What can I say? We’re just an elitist bunch of fancy pants. Most times during the song, I think that Kanye and Estelle are just engaging in a conversation, and the microphone just happened to be recording at the time. Give it a go here:

DL: Estelle ft. Kanye West – American Boy

That’s kind of it. There were some pictures of celebrities looking awful and music that didn’t matter. Tomorrow is the big snowstorm here in the Northeast, so I’ll inevitably be forced to update in nauseating frequency.

Anytits, I bought a crisp 12″ vinyl copy of Barbra Streisand’s soundtrack to “Yentl” for a mere 99 cents at the local Goodwill, and I’m simply bursting with enthusiasm to hide it in the pillows of unsuspecting friends returning back to campus.

And you, what do you think?