[paulbax]

Up until recently I'd never heard of Dina Carroll as I was too young when she was popular (I'm only 19) but at christmas I discovered her classic song "The Perfect Year" thanks to a "Now thats what I call Xmas" CD that my family were playing at christmas dinner and was really amazed by her voice. I'm a big fan of big female vocals and also 90s music in general so I was quite shocked that I'd never heard of her before, but decided to download her debut album "So Close" and later her greatest hits and love both. She's got to be one of the most underrated singers in history! Can anyone older than me please give me some insight into how she totally disappeared in the late 90s after so much success and even a sold out arena tour? It just seems so confusing to me that someone that good would just be dropped suddenly. Anyway, heres some of my personal favourite songs of hers (Unfortunately she doesn't have a lot of music videos on youtube so most of them are live performances) -

Escaping - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLqtY70aArc

Don't Be A Stranger - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyHmmyGJ6AQ

The Perfect Year - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPt2fuW3sYI

Ain't No Man - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONpJdwbK95o

Special Kind of Love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfJUXgsuPB8

Hold On - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mJJxJ0VsaI

[chrissielatham]

Hey paulbax, I got so excited when I saw the thread. Love Dina Carroll. I am 28 and I think it would have been just over 20years ago when she was absolutely massive with Don't Be A Stranger. Pretty sure she played at theBrits one year and I also think she won Best Female at the Brits. Also remember The Perfect Year, which was big at the time but has resurfaced more and more over the last decade thanks to that particular Now cd and the festivecperiod in general.

She had a bit of a comeback in 1996 with Escaping, a brilliant song, I remember loads of people in my class singing it. She had a few minor hits near the end of the 90s and then disappeared.

I agree with you, it's a shame because she was a big talent and definitely one that could have went very far.

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by chrissielatham

Hey paulbax, I got so excited when I saw the thread. Love Dina Carroll. I am 28 and I think it would have been just over 20years ago when she was absolutely massive with Don't Be A Stranger. Pretty sure she played at theBrits one year and I also think she won Best Female at the Brits. Also remember The Perfect Year, which was big at the time but has resurfaced more and more over the last decade thanks to that particular Now cd and the festivecperiod in general.

She had a bit of a comeback in 1996 with Escaping, a brilliant song, I remember loads of people in my class singing it. She had a few minor hits near the end of the 90s and then disappeared.

I agree with you, it's a shame because she was a big talent and definitely one that could have went very far.

Hey, I'm actually jealous of you being old enough to remember her success, I wasn't born until 94 . I often wish I was older though as 90% of the stuff I listen to is from the 80s/ early 90s! It seems that you just don't get many great singers singing songs with meaningful lyrics these days, very sad!
And you're right, she did win Best Female at the Brits in 1994 and also performed with Bon Jovi that night (The official Brits channel have uploaded both)

Award - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5hg-R1574E
Performance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_jy0sQmnUc

And I absolutely love "Escaping", easily one of her best songs. I read that she discovered she was going deaf due to a family illness and had to get her eardrum reconstructed shortly after the release of her second album "Only Human" but I also read that Tommy Matolla thought she was competition for Mariah and sabotaged her chances of a career in the states. Who knows for sure, its shame she's not still famous and working at the level of Mariah or Celine nowadays

[chrissielatham]

That's quite interesting youmshould say that, when I was about 8 or 9, I always used to confuse her with Mariah Carey lol.

Awh man, I love the fact that even though you were born in 1994 you have love for 90s music, I agree, they don't make music like that anymore. I'm a big Ace of Base fan, massive band in the 90s

Perhaps Dina may make a comeback???

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by chrissielatham

That's quite interesting youmshould say that, when I was about 8 or 9, I always used to confuse her with Mariah Carey lol.

Awh man, I love the fact that even though you were born in 1994 you have love for 90s music, I agree, they don't make music like that anymore. I'm a big Ace of Base fan, massive band in the 90s

Perhaps Dina may make a comeback???

Yeah her and Mariah are quite alike, they're both Mixed race (black father and white Mother) and both have huge belt voices. Mariah is my all time favourite artist so I think thats what brought into my love for older music. Its a shame though if Tommy really did wreck her US career before it began, He was probably the most powerful man in music at the time.
And funny you should say that, I read that she was planning a big comeback in 2008 and was making a new album but nothing materialised. I can't imagine the buying public would be very interested in a woman in her 40s from the 90s nowadays, sad but true

[chrissielatham]

Have quite a few Mariah albums, yeah I think Tommy M was 'the man' back in the day, didn't he sort of control Mariah a bit?

Yeah sad but true they prob wouldn't

[paulbax]

Yeah she married him and apparently he controlled everything she did and wouldn't let her leave the house without minders etc. He also helped her earn millions in both sales and cash though so she can't complain too much! And yeah I don't think theres many people my age who share my music taste so a comeback from Dina would probably go ignored outside of her existing fans.

P.S. Funny you should mention Ace of Base, I just read that their single "All That She Want's" was the number one single the day I was born

[chrissielatham]

Originally Posted by paulbax

Yeah she married him and apparently he controlled everything she did and wouldn't let her leave the house without minders etc. He also helped her earn millions in both sales and cash though so she can't complain too much! And yeah I don't think theres many people my age who share my music taste so a comeback from Dina would probably go ignored outside of her existing fans.

P.S. Funny you should mention Ace of Base, I just read that their single "All That She Want's" was the number one single the day I was born

No way! I remember it going to number 1. That is my favourite song of all time - no joke. I could listen to that song over and over

[Pippa2012]

I was around when Dina started off and slowly grew to becoming quiet popular, i remember when dont be a stranger and perfect year became big hits and i was like ya Dina is finally achieving big top 10 hits. I still adore her so close album to this day, it was a fantastic debut album and sold very well for her. Her second album was great too but just not as good, its such a shame it all went wrong from there, her third album sadly never got released. I still live in hope that someday she will release a new album.

[JasonWatkins]

One of my biggest disappointments is the night when I went with a couple of friends to Wembley Arena to see Dina Carroll in concert. We got to the tube station at Wembley to be met by a minion who told us that due to unforseen circumstances, the gig was cancelled.

I can't remember ever seeing her advertised for gigs after that -she may well have been, but I certainly didn't see any. Would have loved to have seen her.

This absolute belter was her first appearance on a single .. a cover of "It's Too Late" with Quartz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbgSFN5MWM0

(It's a bit out of sync, so this is the TOTP performance ..)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSwekflTlVQ

[Bluray]

One of my favourites back in the day.
I saw her live in about 1992/3, she was very good.

It's a shame she faded a little but that doesn't take away how great she was.

Check out the Brothers In Rhythm mix of Ain't No Man - awesome!

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by JasonWatkins

One of my biggest disappointments is the night when I went with a couple of friends to Wembley Arena to see Dina Carroll in concert. We got to the tube station at Wembley to be met by a minion who told us that due to unforseen circumstances, the gig was cancelled.

I can't remember ever seeing her advertised for gigs after that -she may well have been, but I certainly didn't see any. Would have loved to have seen her.

This absolute belter was her first appearance on a single .. a cover of "It's Too Late" with Quartz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbgSFN5MWM0

(It's a bit out of sync, so this is the TOTP performance ..)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSwekflTlVQ

Yeah I read that she had to cancel her first show in Wembley because her voice had gave out but did another night there eventually. That must've been horrible to arrive only to be told the show was cancelled! Did you get a refund at least? Apparently she did a concert in the SECC in Glasgow that year too, if only I was 10 years older!

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by Pippa2012

I was around when Dina started off and slowly grew to becoming quiet popular, i remember when dont be a stranger and perfect year became big hits and i was like ya Dina is finally achieving big top 10 hits. I still adore her so close album to this day, it was a fantastic debut album and sold very well for her. Her second album was great too but just not as good, its such a shame it all went wrong from there, her third album sadly never got released. I still live in hope that someday she will release a new album.

Yeah "So Close" is such a classic. I can't help but think it could've been even bigger had it been released in the US too! I haven't listened to "Only Human" yet (Except for Escaping which I love) but someone is selling it on eBay for a pound so I may just buy that one next.

[JasonWatkins]

Originally Posted by paulbax

Yeah I read that she had to cancel her first show in Wembley because her voice had gave out but did another night there eventually. That must've been horrible to arrive only to be told the show was cancelled! Did you get a refund at least? Apparently she did a concert in the SECC in Glasgow that year too, if only I was 10 years older!

We did get a refund, yeah. I wasn't too much of a gig-going person back then as it is, so it's probably why I missed any subsequent gigs - I was up for going if asked, but never actually sought out any gigs to go and see, mainly because I lived outside London and didn't want to travel back late at night.

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by JasonWatkins

We did get a refund, yeah. I wasn't too much of a gig-going person back then as it is, so it's probably why I missed any subsequent gigs - I was up for going if asked, but never actually sought out any gigs to go and see, mainly because I lived outside London and didn't want to travel back late at night.

Yeah, its a shame it was cancelled though. Thats never happened to me thankfully, I even managed to see Whitney Houston in concert in 2010 despite the fact that the arena was half full (It was sold out originally but many people asked for refunds whens she postponed the show by a month).
Anyway, apparently Dina's Wembley show that she did go through with was on the 14th December 1994, someone has put a review of it online -
http://www.marksykes.org.uk/Concerts...inaCarroll.htm
The last paragraph of the review is pretty sad, "She could become as big as Whitney". Too bad her health really seemed to hinder her chances.

[Black Velvet]

I like Dina Carroll. Love her songs. My favourite is' Ain't no man'

[GeminiBoy123]

I bought her first album in the early 90's and loved it.

"Don't Be A Stranger", "This Time", "Special Kind Of Love" are all wonderful.

[chrissielatham]

Didn't she have a song in the late 90s called Without Love? I remember it being pretty good!

[RUKIA212002]

i love Dina she's a very underrated singer with such a beautiful and powerful voice. She was one of the most talented female artists of the 90's,i always wonder whatever happened to Dina Carroll? i miss her so much. I remember I bought Dina's first album on cassette way back in the 90's and I loved that album. So Close is a brilliant album and Only Human is a underrated gem and I still love this album a lot..
I loved her songs in the 90's Ain't No Man, So Close, This Time, Don't Be a Stranger, The Perfect Year, Escaping and One,Two Three these songs stand the test of time and probably will for always, my favorites Special kind of love a classic 90's gem and one of best songs.

[marcina bolan]

LOVE Dina Carroll. I'm 25 and have loved her since I was about 7, I think she's fab. Got a lot of her stuff on my iPod.

[chrissielatham]

A comeback would be great! She was always so beautiful too - stunning!

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by marcina bolan

LOVE Dina Carroll. I'm 25 and have loved her since I was about 7, I think she's fab. Got a lot of her stuff on my iPod.

Good to know I'm not the person under 40 who loves her music!

[paulbax]

Originally Posted by chrissielatham

Didn't she have a song in the late 90s called Without Love? I remember it being pretty good!

Yeah she did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr5Iw5s4hV8

[paulbax]

This performance is absolutely amazing, probably the best I've seen of "The Perfect Year". Especially at 8am!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxsubgBfdDs

[michaelkeates]

My mum used to listen to her back in the early 90's along with Lisa Stansfield, I have her greatest hits and so close albums on my iPod and listen to them regularly. My favourite song from her is Special Kind Of Love.