As you might expect, the mark of *69 is all over the various artists Divas To The Dancefloor (*69) compilation, from the spoken segments to the distinctive beats. When vocalist Lola Robinson declares “I am the diva. You’d better roll out the red carpet, ’cause here I come,” on the opening track “Heart Attack” by Jahkey B., you know you are on Peter Rauhoffer’s terrain. Listeners are invited to get lost in Presta & Stakey’s “Find Myself” and many will inevitably find themselves clinging to Andrea Martin’s full-throttle diva vocals on Industry’s “Release Me.” Some of the vocalists get the chance to raise the roof diva style on tracks such as Sessomatto’s “I Need Somebody,” Beat Hustlerz’s “Just About Had Enough” (featuring the fierce Thea Austin), Suzanne Palmer’s “Luv 2 Luv,” and “Rhythm Of My Life” by Tush. The compilation also has its share of deviations from the norm, including the alluring “I Try” by Made By Monkeys, “Haru” by Haru, and Bob Sinclair’s “Kiss My Eyes,” which was co-written by new-wave diva Lene Lovich.
Divas with mighty, gospel-choir soloist voices have reigned in dance clubs for many years and Stephanie Cooke is no exception. Everything (King Street) is the right title for Cooke’s eleven-track disc as it compiles a variety of her dance tracks from 1996 through 2003. In “Rain” and “Mind, Body & Soul,” she makes it clear that she’s singing to her Lord, but the atheists and those with other religious
affiliations among us on the dance floor can still be moved by less specific, but equally slamming cuts such as the title track, “Power Of Love,” and “I Thank You.” Talk about the passion for the Christ! Cooke also deftly explores more secular themes on “Alright,” “Holding On To Your Love,” “I Never Told You You Could Stay,” and “If I Have To Change.”