Posted February 24, 200718 yr http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic200/drp200/p236/p23687ha6lq.jpg Anastacia Biography by William Ruhlmann Raised in New York City, Anastacia came from an entertainment-oriented family: her father was a singer; her mother an actress in musical theater on Broadway. Despite being diagnosed with the chronic intestinal illness Crohn's disease at age 13, she developed a career as a dancer, appearing on Club MTV and in such music videos as Salt-N-Pepa's "Everybody Get Up" and "Twist and Shout." In 1999, she was a finalist on the MTV talent contest show The Cut, which attracted the interest of record labels. She signed to the Daylight custom label of Sony Music's Epic Records and recorded her debut album, Not That Kind, which was released internationally in 2000. The result was massive success: the album reached the Top Ten in eight European and Far East countries, selling over two million copies. At home, the single "I'm Outta Love" became a dance hit, paving the way for the release of a revised version of Not That Kind in the U.S. in March 2001. A year later, she was creating a buzz in America. She joined Mary J. Blige, Cher, Shakira, and others for VH1's fifth annual Divas Live showcase in May 2002. She made her proper American debut with Freak of Nature in June. A self-titled album followed in 2004, with the compilation Pieces of a Dream: Best Of arriving a year later.
February 24, 200718 yr Author http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/dre300/e337/e33747e0x9d.jpg Not That Kind (Mar 27, 2000) 4 Stars Review by William Ruhlmann As revealed in the multiple pictures in the CD package and in the video featured as part of the disc's multi-media content, Anastacia is, in appearance, yet another teen dream with cascades of blonde hair and an exposed navel (though perhaps her ever-present, and ever-changing, spectacles are supposed to signal a higher intellectual content). But her musical models aren't Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, they are Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Martha Wash. Anastacia possesses a big, expressive alto voice that her many co-writers and producers (primarily Rik Wake [Celine Dion, Mariah Carey] and the team of ex-Color Me Badd member Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello, though Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, authors of 'N Sync's "God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You," have two tracks) use in updated R&B, dance, and funk tracks. "I'm Outta Love," which just missed topping the dance charts, is an aggressive dancefloor item, and its follow-up, the title song, is in a funk style reminiscent of Aretha Franklin's '80s work. "I Ask of You" is one of those slow, deliberate big ballads that recalls "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" as well as that song's singer, Jennifer Holliday. And so it goes. The only real misstep on the album is the inevitable Diane Warren adult contemporary romantic ballad, "Late Last Night," which forces the singer to rein in her voice, though even then she doesn't really negotiate its lyrical complexity. Despite her toothsome appearance, Anastacia may be too old school to break through in the U.S., though this album has been a commercial success overseas. (The American version has been altered from the foreign one, with a couple of tracks added and dropped.) But Macy Gray demonstrated that a broad audience may respond to an older style if the singer herself is distinguished enough. Anastacia doesn't have the kind of unique timbre that Gray does — in fact, the minute she opens her mouth she starts reminding you of other singers, especially Aretha Franklin — but she is clearly a big talent, and that should count for something.
February 24, 200718 yr Author http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf100/f103/f10374l0pkv.jpg Freak of Nature (Dec 11, 2001) 4 Stars Review by Jose F. Promis Anastacia's sophomore outing, Freak of Nature, continues with the late-'80s bombastic funk/soul/pop revival ushered in by her debut, Not That Kind, but this time there's a few more ballads in the mix. Anastacia also leans more toward straightforward rock on this outing, while still maintaining the irresistible dance grooves that made her debut an international success. The album kicks off to a rocking start with the title track, which boasts a sinuous guitar solo reminiscent of "American Woman" and then leads into the soulful, bombastic rocker "Paid My Dues," a massive European hit. Other shining moments include the dramatic "One Day in Your Life," which follows the same formula as her previous hit, "I'm Outta Love," but better, with more soaring, epic vocals, and sounds like a rock version of a forgotten disco classic. The feel-good soul-funk vibe of "Don't Stop (Doin' It)" is a massive hit waiting to happen, and perfect for a breezy summer afternoon. When Anastacia slows down the tempo for the ballads (some organic and acoustic, some bordering on power ballads), she succeeds by utilizing her strong vocal chops without venturing into vocal histrionics. Reminiscent of Taylor Dayne at times, Anastacia successfully avoids the sophomore slump by delivering an album full of raw emotion, power, and musicality which manages to improve upon its predecessor. As a final note, the Destiny's Child-sounding "Why'd You Lie to Me" and the sassy "Don'tcha Wanna" both appear on the American version of Not That Kind.
February 24, 200718 yr Author http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drg200/g297/g29767vh5g6.jpg Anastacia (Mar 29, 2004) 4.5 Stars No Review :( ------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drh100/h121/h12182namjk.jpg Pieces of a Dream (Nov 15, 2005) 4.5 Stars No Review :(
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