Two adjectives familiarize the listener with Billie Ray Martin: experienced and talented. Born in Germany and with a London background, Billie Ray Martin is a Nineties soul queen, as our generation's Techno/Garbo, as the Marlene Deitrich of dance.
The former lead singer of Electribe 101 (best known for the house/soul sound of songs such as "Tell Me When The Fever Ended"), reaches new heights with her solo debut, Deadline For My Memories.
"Your Loving Arms," released in England in 1994, reached the British Top Ten, with sales in the 200,000 range, also faring well in the clubs in the States.
To me, an intriguing facet of the artist is the range of lyrical creativity, from the triumphant "You and I (Keep Holding On)" to the narrative "Hands Up and Amen" to the accusatory "Imitation of Life" to the chronicled love of "Your Loving Arms."
"Space Oasis", an intriguing track, evokes images of a sleeping satellite that awakens to the patrons capturing the magic of the night while the sultry "We Shall Be True" doesn't hesitate to get to the point: "...there is me, there is you, and we know what to do..."
This is highly recommended for anyone into the soul and house dance sound.
