Julia Fordham - Julia Fordham (1988)

Julia Fordham is one of those rare singers whose work crosses the lines between jazz, folk, and pop, and whose career has unquestionably suffered because of, not in spite of, her versatility. Radio simply doesn't know what to make of her, though she did enjoy some play on VH1 around the time of her sophomore set, Porcelain. Some find Fordham a bit of a cold fish, thanks to her debut's studied production, yet the album finds Fordham coming nicely into her own in a variety of lush settings on songs such as "Happy Ever After," "Invisible War," "Where Does the Time Go?" and "Woman of the '80s." --Daniel Durchholz