Brenda K. Starr – Temptation (2002)

Brenda K. Starr began as a freestyle and pop vocalist during the mid-'80s, then settled into a lengthy career as a salsa artist. The daughter of Spiral Starecase member Harvey Kaye, she was born and raised in New York and appeared in the 1984 hip-hop film Beat Street. Signed to the Mirage label, she released her debut album, I Want Your Love, in 1985. Though it was produced by Arthur Baker and resulted in some significant club play, she didn't have any pop success until she moved to MCA. That's where she scored a number 13 hit with the ballad "I Still Believe" (produced by Eumir Deodato) and a number 24 hit with the uptempo "What You See Is What You Get." Among her background vocalists was a young Mariah Carey, whose demo she handed to Columbia's Tommy Mottola. Following a 1991 album for Epic that didn't fare well, Starr spent several years away from the music industry, but she resurfaced during the latter part of the decade. A version of "Herida" topped Billboard's Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay chart in 1997 and set her up for several additional salsa-oriented albums through the 2000s, including the Latin Grammy-nominated Temptation. ~ Andy Kellman