One of the hottest pop bands of the 90's, REAL McCOY, is back bigger and better than ever. Their highly anticipated follow-up to "Another Night," the multi-Platinum 1995 smash, "One More Time" debuted on Billboard's Top 200 Album chart at number 90. As of April 12, 1997, the first single and title track "One More Time" is number 27 on the The Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.
The trio that is REAL McCOY (O-Jay, Vanessa Mason and Lisa Cork) is back with their unique sound, but with a more varied and mature side of the group showing. Pop and Techno harmonies exhibit the incredible talent and ability to blend their unique personalities into an exciting new album that invites you to sing along and hit the dance floor.
"This time we feel much more in control of what we want to express through the music," says O-Jay, the founder of the group. "We've all grown and tasted both the trappings and pleasures of fame. I think that the songs, while still dance-oriented, are a little more reflective, because our lives have changed." Together, the transatlantic, multi-cultural trio (O-Jay is from Berlin, Vanessa was born in Berlin and raised in Philadelphia, and Lisa is a native Texan transplanted to New York) of songwriters, producers and performers, unleash the terrific music of REAL McCOY.
In addition to twelve outstanding musical tracks, the album also includes a bonus multi-media enhanced CD track - an interactive three-dimensional club world inspired by the group and it's music. Produced by David Greene and Nathan Vogel, with the help of O-Jay, this enhanced CD track is full of biographical information, interviews, music and videos, including behind the scenes footage from the making of the "One More Night" video. It's also one of the best looking and most informative enhanced CD tracks I've seen, so make sure you put that CD ROM drive to good use and check it out.
Of course, what's an album and a group without the music, and this release has great music in spades. Every track on the album is exceptional, but there are always a few that stand out. The first single, and the title track, "One More Time," is an upbeat, techno-pop dance number that just won't let you sit still. I expect this song to be extremely successful in clubs all over the world, along with dance music radio stations. With a different pace and beat, "Give A Little Love" is another attractive dance tune, and the cover of Shania Twain's #1 Country record "(If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here" definitely does NOT resemble a country song, but it's a great cover. Vanessa and Lisa make sure that "I'm Outta Here" means exactly what they say!
A few other tracks that really caught me attention were: "Love Almost Faded," with it's jeep-funk sound; "Look At Me," a beautiful, heartfelt ballad, with a totally different sound from most of the songs on the album; "The Sky Is The Limit," a happy, upbeat number that has a great beat and it's easy to dance to (Geez, I'm quoting rate a record from American Bandstand!); "Love Is A Stranger," my personal favorite after "One More Time," has a minor key melody, a different pace and beat, and is the most interesting song on the album. The perfect blend of Vanessa's and Lisa's voices is very obvious in this tune and it's the kind of song you play over and over to catch what you missed the previous time - or because you just plain like it!
I rated this album a 5 because it has great music, is well produced, has enough of a difference from song to song to strike a good balance, is upbeat and pleasant listening, and I most certainly reccomend it as a worthy addition to any music collection.
Interview With Vanessa Mason and Lisa Cork
Singers and Song Writers for REAL McCOY
Interview Conducted by Mary Ellen Gustafson
4/1/97
AMZ - How long was real McCoy a group before cutting your smash debut "Another
Night" in 1995?
RM - O-Jay is like the father of Real McCoy, because he came up with the name. But
Real McCoy has been out there since 1989. Before that O-Jay was already producing
other things with different artists.
AMZ - Most bands take years to even get a record contract, let alone a debut that goes
Gold, and this one went Platinum in only 8 weeks. What are your thoughts on the success
of "Another Night?"
RM - I think a lot of people, especially with the success that album had, want to kind of
put you in the "overnight success" category. I think a lot of people, if they hadn't heard
from you before, come out with "Wow, where did they come from?" We also have the
danger of being called "One Hit Wonders." There were other hits on the album
internationally prior to "Another Night." "It's on Me" was a big song for Real McCoy
internationally, so a lot of people knew us prior to that, but totally "Another Night" was
the break in the States. This wasn't overnight though. Usually people trudge along for a
really long time before they get a hit song.
AMZ - To what do you attribute the success of your first album?
RM - I think the market was really good for dance music. There are a lot of dance radio
stations cropping up that just didn't exist before. Why people have brought dance music
out of the clubs and into their homes is kind of a mystery - like maybe aerobics, or people
just doing some dancing outside of clubs. They just want to bring that club feeling home.
AMZ - Maybe they practice before they go to the club! LOL
RM - With Real McCoy songs there's more of a pop blend with dance. With a lot of
dance acts, it's almost like they're doing a lot of ad lib and looping thrown over a beat. A
lot of those songs you can't really sing along. The key to Real McCoy is that you can sing
along with all the songs almost right after you've heard them, which I think is the essence
of pop music. Very easy to relate to and sing along with.
AMZ - The CD Rom portion of the album is one of the more innovative and creative ones
I've seen. Did the band do any of the designing?
RM - No, it's a guy, David Greene out of L.A., that did it. I have yet to see it in it's
entirety, but everyone says it's one of the better ones. I think it's going to be featured in a
book that talks about artists in the music industry, and computers, and the internet, and
the relationships between them all.
AMZ - What's your opinion of the trend toward enhanced CD's in the industry? Face of
the future, or just a fun thing to add in for fans with a computer?
RM - I think it's a very good way for the fans to see a little bit more of you. We did it
because of the questions that we get in our fan mail. We wanted to address some of the
most asked questions, and it was basically just kind of paying homage to the fans. We
thought it was important for them to get a little bit more inside information. I'm thankful
for computers that can allow us to do something like this. The fans don't only see written
interviews which are informational, but also this little bit more personal side. Besides,
people can view it at their leisure, and for people that are really into computers this is just
a great way for them to get information about us. I think it's also like a new thing right
now, because I heard Warren G. was doing the same thing, and like Lisa said, it's not only
music, it's also what fans want to know. They want to know what was the funniest thing
that happened to you, and things like that. I think it's good that they get to see as well as
listen. It's a really great way for artists to take advantage of answering some of those
questions that are often asked, and because it's at no additional cost, I think it's a great
thing to have on there.
AMZ - Do you write your own songs? I saw O-Jay as producer on most of them, but I
couldn't read the small print to see who wrote them.
RM - We write our own songs, and O-Jay produces them. All three of us have written
songs on the album. With O-Jay, if you look under the song headings it says O. Jeglitza,
which is his full name. So it doesn't say O-Jay songwriter, it's Jeglitza, and you'll see that
on a couple of songs.
AMZ - Have you ever been told that on certain songs (example: "One More Time" and
"Especially If You're Not In it For Love") that you almost sound like ABBA - one of THE
top dance/pop bands of the late 70's? Of course you're here twenty years later, and more
upbeat, but with the harmonies, etc. it does kind of sound like them to me.
RM - Nobody's ever mentioned that one to us. That's one comparison we haven't had, but
I think it's a compliment actually. I like ABBA. But I don't think it was anything
intentional.
AMZ - I didn't think it was intentional. I hope you're not offended when I say that.
RM - No, no that's not an insult by any means. I like ABBA but nobody's ever compared
us to ABBA. That's interesting.
AMZ - The harmonies and voice effects you use (example: Love Almost Faded) do add a
more mature quality to this album. Have you developed a system to come up with these
while you're listening to the track, or do you kind of play around with different things?
RM - On "Love Almost Faded" specifically, I don't recall and kind of specific effects.
Now Vanessa and I, our voices are a lot alike, and that's one of the reason's I was chosen
for the band - because we have a great blend. Maybe the effect you're hearing is the fact
that two people are actually singing and it kind of sounds like one person because the
texture of her voice is slightly different from mine, but they fit together in such a way
where they really compliment each other. That could be what you're hearing. There's
actually two people singing one unison part.
RM - As far as how we come up with the sound, we like to sing together when we're just
hanging out, and a lot of times in the studio we would just be sitting around singing and
we would come up with something that sounded great, or just some kind of a blend, and
we'd have an executive producer and some other people there who would say "Okay, now
go do that, but in front of a microphone." It's kind of trial and error, even in front of the
microphone. If we start with kind of a pre-set melody, and then we play around with it, we
take what sounds the best, whether or not it's somebody's original idea that they wanted us
to try. When we're in front of the microphone we do what we feel, and it's that sound that
gets used.
AMZ - I think it's important for people to know that, because that means the talent is
there. It's not just what somebody stuck in front of you and told you to sing.
RM - Yeah, exactly! Then we would be puppets and I think we'd be pretty unhappy.
AMZ - I know it's VERY early, since the album was just released March 25th, but how
are sales and radio air play going for the new CD?
RM - From the 200 charts we're at number 90 with the album right now and the single,
"One More Time," is number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Yes, it's doing
very well. We were just on Regis and Kathy Lee this morning performing the song.
AMZ - Any tour plans yet in support of this CD?
RM - Yes - we're going to be starting a Promo Tour in the United States in May, and
then start our U.S. Tour in June or July. After this interview we're taking a short break,
then on to a tour in Japan and Korea, and we just returned from South America.
AMZ - Anything else you'd like to tell the fans?
RM - The big one is always "Thank You" to all of our fans, and I think that they're in for
a couple of surprises from this album - hopefully welcome surprises. There's some great
dance tracks for the old, and possibly new, fans with some great new sounds and the CD
Rom track added.
