Friday Night Dance Party • 2006

Clockwise: Madonna; Kristine W; Tarkan; and Bananarama.

Well, the holidays might be over, the the work week has come to an end, and it is time to party! So I decided to go back 6 years to find the music we can dance to tonight. That is right, hitting the music of 2006, and although I am not going with the top songs on the chart, I just decided to go with some of the songs/performers I really enjoyed that year. And I will start with the queen of it all, the majestic Madonna. She had hits in the 80s, and more in the 90s. But who would have thought she would be releasing hits in the 2000s, too? Get Together was a release from the hit-ridden album, Confessions On A Dance Floor. While it didn't show up on the Pop chart, it was #1 on the
Billboard Dance chart. You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.



For many, Kristine W has been making some of the greatest Dance music for the last 15 years or so, since 1994. She is a great talent, with a voice that is amazing. In 2006, she had the wonderful I'll Be Your Light, from the 2004 album Fly Again. I'll Be Your Light soared to #2 on the Billboard Dance chart. Check out the cool video for the song. You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.



While many remember Bananarama to be a trio, for the last 20 years they have performed as a duo. Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin have taken the sound over, after Siobhan Fahey left in 1988, and her replacement, Jacquie O'Sullivan, bowed out in 1991. In 2006, they had a fantastic single with Move In My Direction, off the 9th studio album, Drama. The album was their first on the charts in over a decade. And this video is hot! You can find it on iTunes and Amazon.



I am such a fan of Tarkan, for he not only is gorgeous, but he is also a talented singer and a great dancer. So when he released his first (and so far only) English-language album I went online to import it. When Come Closer arrived at the door, I was excited. And am I glad I purchased it. It is a great collection, and I still listen to it now. This is the single Start The Fire, one that always gets me moving! You can find it Amazon.



Enjoy the weekend!

Tarkan • Kuzu Kuzu • Akustik

This video by the incredibly beautiful Tarkan just seemed like a perfect pick for this summer night. It has that languishing, sweaty, a bit sticky, feel to it. Of course, just the thought of an insanely handsome Turkish man singing to me could cause the ssweatiness, I know...



I was intrigued by this song, for more than just the obvious reasons. Now, like many of my readers, I cannot understand a word of Turkish, so I went out to find a translated lyric, which I did. Here they are:

Look! My arms and wings are broken
No, I couldn't hold on
Hard! To be without you is hard
I couldn't get used to
Hit this stupid head by the stone
Against the wall - to get sevap*
Then forgive me, come to me
Lean my head against your heart
I felt blue, wasted away without you
Here I came back just like you said before
How much times I wanted to bring myself to your knees
This time I burned my pride down and came to you
You can leave me if you want to
And you can kiss me
But look into my eyes and listen to me first
Trust me, I understood this feeling inside without you
I repented
Spread this hot pepper on my lips

I first watched this video because Tarkan was beautiful. I kept watching because his voice and sound intrigued me. I bought his music because it was good. Did I mention he quite sexy, too?

Turkish Eyecandy - Tarkan Akustik

Eyes can be so bewitching, it is scary. Tarkan is like that for me. His eyes, they just hypnotize me, draw me in and make me go all silly putty. In a video for the song "Kuzu Kuzu", which apparently translates into "Like A Lamb" - not that knowing this helps with anything here at all - and the song was released in 2001, and shortly thereafter was an acoustic version, which you can find here.



Tarkan's easy sensuality in the video is rather remarkable. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he is just stunning to look at. But here is a Turkish man who, min many ways, spent much of the 90s redefining masculinity in Turkey, which, as an ancient Middle Eastern country, had the definition in place for a few centuries. But Tarkan helped to redefine it, to modernize the concept of a man for a country that has often had a tough time holding a discussion. Just for your own amusement, I thought I would also run a clip from the original release of the song "Kuzu Kuzu". Enjoy.

Great Music - Tarkan - Come Closer

OK, I have to say this right away, Tarkan could be the sexiest man alive. I accidentally ran across a video - singing in his native Turkish -and I was mesmerized. His beauty, his dance, and his easy sexuality, it all just made me melt. But I also liked the music - the Middle Eastern flavor appealed to me. I did my research, and discovered he had an English language CD out there, couldn't find it at first, but then bought it at Amazon.

The CD, Come Closer, was mainly a pop/dance selection, but with some great stuff on it. It permanently lives on my hard drive and my iPod. All 15 tracks are worth listening to, with extra-special points going to Just Like That, Start The Fire, Bounce, Shikidim and If Only You Knew.

I don't know if this was ever released in the US, since the copy I purchased had an Import sticker on it, but have to believe if it ever crossed my path, I would remember. I have read that he is the number one singer in Turkey [although it might not still be the case - what do I know?] and that he has been plagued by rumors about his sexuality for most of his career - although it ultimately didn't hurt as much as one might suspect in an Islamic culture. But he says he is str8, as did his girlfriend, so I am willing to take him at his word. But it won't stop me from looking at him, that is for sure.