10¢ a Dance

THE FLIRTS are a female trio from NEW YORK that had several dance hits and music videos in MTV in the early 80’s. The group was created by American producer BOBBY ORLANDO. They are best known for their high energy tunes "Passion", "Danger", "Helpless", and "Jukebox (Don't Put Another Dime)". "Jukebox" received significant airplay on MTV and is featured on the popular 80’s New Wave compilation VALLEY GIRL film soundtrack. The Flirts released six studio albums from 1982–1992 and numerous singles and completed several international tours. In 1985, The Flirts had a number one U.S. dance track, "You and Me". Their songs continue to receive radio airplay and are included in various CD compilations.

Given the cold shoulder Madonna's 2003 album American Life received by critics and audiences alike – it may have gone platinum, but apart from the Bond theme “Die Another Day,” released in advance of the album, it generated no new Top Ten singles (in fact, its title track barely cracked the Top 40) – it's hard not to read its 2005 follow-up, Confessions on a Dance Floor, as a back-to-basics move of sorts: after a stumble, she's returning to her roots, namely the discos and clubs where she launched her career in the early '80s…

Given the cold shoulder Madonna's 2003 album American Life received by critics and audiences alike – it may have gone platinum, but apart from the Bond theme “Die Another Day,” released in advance of the album, it generated no new Top Ten singles (in fact, its title track barely cracked the Top 40) – it's hard not to read its 2005 follow-up, Confessions on a Dance Floor, as a back-to-basics move of sorts: after a stumble, she's returning to her roots, namely the discos and clubs where she launched her career in the early '80s. It's not just that she's returning to dance music – in a way, she's been making hardcore dance albums ever since 1998's Ray of Light, her first full-on flirtation with electronica – but that she's revamping and updating disco on Confessions instead of pursuing a bolder direction.

Released in 1987 as a stopgap, the remix album You Can Dance reworks material from Madonna's first three albums…

DuFay Collective are, in a word, brilliant, basically the Pink Martini of the music of the period. Their music never fails to transport you back in time. However, for the most past, medieval music isn't something you plug into the CD player on long drives between cities. This album is an exception. The focus is on medieval dance music of France, England and Italy, and the pieces are light-hearted and "catchy" enough to keep me entertained on replay for hours at a time.