Review of
Marcella Detroit Bows Post-Shakespear Set"
As former Shakespear's Sister member Marcella Detroit steps up to the plate with her debut solo single, 'I Believe' going to top 40 June 16, PolyGram Label Group senior director of marketing is hoping for some immediate results. "We've all felt for a long time that this is a one-listen record that will cover several formats," he enthuses of the track, a No. 11 hit in March in the U.K., where Detroit's career was nurtured during her days in Shakespear's Sister with Siobhan Fahey and where her solo venture has already had great acceptance. Detroit's first album since splitting with Fahey showcases her multi-instrumental talents on various musical styles, from pop to funk to ballands. "I come from Shakespear's Sister, but I still have other influences; classical, Beatles, Motown influences," says Detroit. "They're much more naked on this record." Detroit, born with the surname of Levy but who adopted the city of her birth as her stage name, was a song=writing and touring veteran long before Sister, most notably writing "Lay Down Sally" with Eric Clapton and singing in his live band, and winning covers of her material by the likes of Chaka Khan and Belinda Carlisle. Sister, in which she teamed with former Bananarama pop queen Fahey, had U.K. top 10 success with the single "You're History" and the album "Sacred Heart" in 1989, before breaking worldwide in 1992 with the song "Stay". Not long after the resultant "Hormonally Yours" album and tour, Detroit found herself presented with the chance to go solo somewhat earlier than she imagined. "When I joined Shakespear's Sister, I told Siobhan I'd like to do a solo record eventually. She agreed and encouraged me, but I didn't know that the band would end right then." Pressed on the reported acrimony between them, Detroit says, "I don't know, there was not a whole lot of communication at the end, which was a little disappointing. We were business partners, but we helped each other." Fahey is now continuing the band name on a forthcoming album with husband and producer Dave Stewart, while Detroit's "Jewel" extends her association with Sister producer Chris Thomas. "He's the one who remixed 'Stay' and saved it, really. He heard it the first day we wrote it, and said 'Smash, No. 1.' I talked to a few other producers (for this album) but none of them really understood. Chris didn't try to take it away from my original ideas." Detroit's track record, strong visual image, and striking vocal sound have combined to make her a popular item at U.K. radio. Keith Pringle, head of music at commercial outlet Piccadilly Key 10 in Manchester, was among the first to add "I Believe" and says "It was an incredibly refreshing record to have on the playlist. We tested it a couple of weeks in, and we were quite pleased that people were picking up on it. I hope there's a lot more of the same to come." Retail reaction in Britain has also been good. "We pretty much sold out what we bought in the first week," says Steve Mitchell, assistant manager at Tower Records' store in Kingston in southwest London. "The single was strong, and people remember her from Shakespear's Sister. Those are the two aspects selling it." At PolyGram, Hart says that London Records will maximize a promotional visit to New York in June by Detroit, who lives in Los Angeles but spends much of her time in the U.K. and Europe. "We're going with the song ("I Believe") up front, then we're surrounding that with some special performances. Marcy's doing a couple of very exclusive shows during 'Stonewall 25' (the forthcoming gay rights anniversary event) and the Gay Games at Yankee Stadium. She's also going to showcase at our company convention in June. 'I Believe' is a song that can be about a lot of human rights issues. It's about faith over fear. Shakespear's Sister had a big gay following, and I think she does too." Prior to the U.S. trip in June, Detroit plays a British tour this month, and her itinerary also calls for promotional trips to Australia and Japan. Hart adds that Detroit's highly credible resume as a musician, combined with the top 40, alternative, and AC-friendly flexibility of her sound, gives his team an unusual amount of promotional scope. "It's useful when the promotion guys are pitching the record. She's crossing from heritage into pop, which is a unique situation." Reprinted w/o permission.
