Lisa Stansfield - Lisa Stansfield (1997) CD-Rip

Born in Manchester, England in 1966, Stansfield grew up listening to soul music. In 1980, she won Search for a Star, a singing competition, and released her first single, "Your Alibis" -- a dramatic ballad seemingly made for a film -- on the Devil label in 1981. Stansfield sounded significantly older than her age. Subsequently signed to Polydor, she was pushed toward slick new wave pop for a handful of singles released during 1982 and 1983. None of them charted. Longer strides were made with Blue Zone, a short-term group formed with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris. Their biggest hit, a mature dance-pop single titled "Jackie," reached number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.

Stansfield's most momentous year was 1989, when she co-wrote and fronted Coldcut's "People Hold On." Arista signed her as a solo artist, though she continued to record with Devaney and Morris, who co-wrote and produced the majority of her debut album, Affection, released in the U.K. that November (and in the U.S. the following February). "All Around the World," a platinum seller in the U.S. and a gold release in several other territories, was its biggest hit by far, but the Coldcut-produced "This Is the Right Time," along with "Live Together" and the number one U.S. R&B hit "You Can't Deny It," were also successful. Stansfield was nominated for Grammy awards in the categories of Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best New Artist.