Basia

Polish singer and songwriter Basia became prominent during the 1980s, first for her membership in the polished British pop-jazz vocal outfit Matt Bianco, and later as a solo artist. Her first three wildly successful recordings – which sold by the truckload in the U.S. and U.K. – made her something of a household name during the MTV era. Her Brazilian-influenced jazzy soul helped to create a standard of excellence in adult contemporary on par with peers Everything But the Girl, Swing Out Sister, Level 42, and Sade. She all but disappeared after the '90s, but did take part in a reunion with her former band for 2004's acclaimed Matt's Mood. In 2009, she returned to solo recording with It's That Girl Again. The album resonated with longtime fans, but failed to rival the large sales of her earlier outings, perhaps due to a transitioning industry landscape. But everything in pop is cyclical.

With over 3 million albums sold and countless radio hits to her credit, Basia is a bona fide adult pop sensation. At the top of her game, she retired from the music business to concentrate on a quieter domestic life. Now she's back better than ever, still collaborating with her msuical partner Danny White, and delivering fresh songs that effortlessly update the beautiful spirit, timeless melodies and latin-jazz rhythms of her greatest hits.

London Warsaw New York is the second studio album by Polish jazz and pop singer–songwriter Basia, released in the United States on October 23, 1989 by Epic Records. The album's title comes from a line in the song "Copernicus" (included on the album): "Our love will take this globe by storm/If it's London, Warsaw, or New York". Basia performed this song live on Late Night with David Letterman on Thanksgiving night on November 22, 1990.The album earned a platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 11, 1992 for sales of over one million copies in the United States.

Polish singer and songwriter Basia became prominent during the 1980s, first for her membership in the polished British pop-jazz vocal outfit Matt Bianco, and later as a solo artist. Her first three wildly successful recordings – which sold by the truckload in the U.S. and U.K. – made her something of a household name during the MTV era. Her Brazilian-influenced jazzy soul helped to create a standard of excellence in adult contemporary on par with peers Everything But the Girl, Swing Out Sister, Level 42, and Sade. She all but disappeared after the '90s, but did take part in a reunion with her former band for 2004's acclaimed Matt's Mood. In 2009, she returned to solo recording with It's That Girl Again. The album resonated with longtime fans, but failed to rival the large sales of her earlier outings, perhaps due to a transitioning industry landscape.

The classic tracks were recorded in Basia's native Poland before an adoring crowd in June of this year. Longtime collaborator Danny Whites arrangements are fresh and exciting, and Basia is in absolutely spectacular voice.

Brave New Hope is an EP that emphasizes Basia's club leanings, featuring remixes of "Cruising for Bruising" and "Until You Come Back to Me." It's an enjoyable listen, though it gives a portrait of the singer that isn't entirely accurate. Basia always wanted to be more sophisticated and not be another dance-pop diva. Nevertheless, she is quite good at being a diva, as Brave New Hope proves. For fans, the EP is a nice diversion.

The sweet voiced Polish girl continues to set the standard by which other, less inventive adult contemporary vocalists should be measured. Her tender yet powerful feelings take listeners' hearts to places with fascinating, sometimes surreal imagery. Basia and partner/producer Danny White's real gift is rhythmic diversity, and the tandem take the artsy route on a big, brassy tour through Brazil and Latin America, employing jazzy touches that keep even the most staid tune hopping. The ballads are sweet as well. Nobody in this crowded genre outclassed or outperformed Basia, but as welcome as this comeback after four years was, the singer never followed up with another full-length studio project.