Kiki Dee--I've Got The Music in Me (1974)

     Kiki Dee (born Pauline Matthews), is best known for her duet with Elton John in 1976. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" was a massive number 1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic. However she only hit the charts one more time in the when she paired again with John with the Cole Porter classic, "True Love" in 1993. I suppose it's fitting that way, since her biggest successes occurred when linked with Elton.
     Dee had been one of the top backup/session singers from the mid-60 through the early 70's. She had recorded several singles on Fontana Records, with none of them hitting the charts. For a brief time, she had a contract in the US with Motown, making her the first white woman from Britain to do so. It wasn't until being signed by Elton in 1973 to his new Rocket Records that she began to achieve some chart action.
     She hit the top 20 in America with, "I've Got the Music In Me", which perhaps rocks harder than anything else in her catalog. It reached number 12 here in the states in 1974 and was by far her biggest hit before her collaboration with Elton.  She has a powerhouse voice, and is shown off here to full effect. In fact, like many a top session vocalist, Dee is also very versatile, which that inability to find a niche genre might have hurt her in the long run.
     She continues to tour and record today.