Canadian singer France Joli is best known for her much-loved disco hit “Come To Me.” The classic gained notoriety when she performed it on Fire Island at the age of 16 and eventually topped the Billboard Disco chart for three weeks. A few more club hits followed (“Don’t Stop Dancing,” “Gonna Get Over You”) as did a few club records in the late 90s (“Touch,” “Breakaway”). Recently a UK number 1 for The X Factor’s Alexandra Burke and used in the movie Shrek, Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah” is an interesting choice for a cover. Not that dance music doesn’t have ties to spiritual and church music, as classic disco singers like Donna Summer and Candi Staton got their starts singing in church or recording religious music, and for a time in the late 90s, it often felt like Church on the dance floor with uplifting songs by Kim English and Vernessa Mitchell in heavy rotation. With a sweeping gospel choir in the background, France Joli sounds remarkable- though the original production sounds a little dated. The Julian Marsh remix is more energetic, with an uplifting Hi-NRG feel that is perfect for Sunday tea dances (after going to Church, of course).
Continue reading SONG OF THE DAY: France Joli – “Hallelujah”