British R&B vocalist Gabrielle began her career singing for free in London West End clubs whilst temping in offices during the day. Her big break came when she recorded a demo, called “Dreams,” based around Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which subsequently fell into the hands of an A&R man at London’s Go! Beat records. With the hit came a head-
turning image, complete with kiss curls and sequined eye patch as Gabrielle’s right eye has a drooped lid.
Her debut album, Find Your Way, sold over a million copies worldwide, and paved the way for her sophomore, self-titled album, released in 1996 . In three short years, those two albums and nine singles — five of which were Top Ten — established Gabrielle as the U.K.’s premiere soul vocalist.
In 2000, Gabrielle followed up with her appropriately titled third album, Rise, which followed a difficult time for her personally and creatively. Widely publicized reports concerning her ex-partner’s criminal conviction threatened to overshadow her musical accomplishments, not to mention her creative potential. The songs on Rise spoke of optimism, romanticism, devotion, and a keen survival instinct. The lead single, “Sunshine,” was a spirited thank you to those friends you have on hand to boost your confidence when you’re low. Her 2001’s world-wide hit “Out of Reach” was the feature track from the Bridget Jones’s Diary soundtrack.
Now if you feel in the mood , listen to her hit “Out of Reach”, my “moody” choice this week, especially dedicated to you know who.
Want to sing ?
Knew the signs
Wasn’t right
I was stupid for a while
Swept away by you
And now I feel like a fool
So confused,
My heart’s bruised
Was I ever loved by you?Out of reach, so far
I never had your heart
Out of reach,
Couldn’t see
We were never
Meant to be
Back from Congreso Anota I want to thank the organisers of the event sponsored by Pearson for treating us so well. To tell you the truth I would have liked it to last a bit longer as we were treated like royalty. I also want to point out the remarkable lecturers ranging from the good-natured Luis Rojas Marcos to the smart Pilar Jerico who taught us the value of the concept No Miedo, never forgetting the moving account of Sebastian Alvaro’s incredible experiences with his team or the quick-witted Emilio Calatayud with his down-to-earth view of our increasingly permissive society towards our children.