Steps (+ Member Solo Projects) | General Discussion Thread

[Dax Diameter]

——————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————
Any euro gays here seeking catnip in aural form?

With a hit-making, chart-topping, 25 year career already behind her as a member of STEPS, following on from the 2019 Top 10 album, “My Wildest Dreams”, CLAIRE RICHARDS releases her second solo album, “EUPHORIA”.

Produced by Steve Anderson (Kylie/Britney/Girls Aloud/Take That/Westlife), the album features classics by legendary female singers, of which Claire writes that “This album is a thank you to all the incredible women that inspired me to sing!”

Two special guests join Claire on “EUPHORIA”, with Andy Bell featured on “Summer Night City” and Delta Goodrem on “No More Tears [Enough Is Enough]”.

The album’s lead single “I Surrender”, originally recorded by Celine Dion, showcases Claire’s incredible vocal range by turning the song from a power-ballad into an absolute banging floorfiller, also demonstrating why Claire is one of the best British vocalists.

——————————————————————————————
”I Surrender” (The 1st Single, & Official Music Video, Premiering June 30th at different times in different time zones):

——————————————————————————————
Album Track list:

01. “Euphoria” (Loreen Cover)

02. “Song For The Lonely” (Cher Cover)

03. “No More Tears [Enough Is Enough]” With Delta Goodrem (Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand Cover)

04. “So Emotional” (Whitney Houston Cover)

05. “I Surrender” (Celine Dion Cover) Claire’s Uptempo Re-work

06. “Summer Night City” With Andy Bell of Erasure (ABBA Cover)

07. “This Time I Know It’s For Real” (Donna Summer Cover)

08. “Never Trust A Stranger” (Kim Wilde Cover)

09. “Gloria” (Laura Brannigan Cover)

10. “Never Knew Love Like This Before” (Stephanie Mills Cover)

Tracks 11 & 12 Are Deluxe Edition Only Tracks:

11. “Love Is A Battlefield” (Pat Benatar Cover)

12. “Xanadu” (Olivia Newton-John Cover)

13. “Goodbye To Love” (Carpenters Cover)

——————————————————————————————

Deluxe Edition Only Bonus Tracks:

14. “I Surrender [7th Heaven Remix Edit]”

15. “No More Tears [Enough Is Enough] (Steve Anderson Extended Disco Mix)”

16. “Never Knew Love Like This Before (Mastercuts Extended Mix)”

17. “Song For The Lonely (7th Heaven Remix Edit)”

18. “So Emotional (Le Flex Poolside Remix)”

19. “Euphoria (Orchestral Mix)”

——————————————————————————————
Some of you have the following unreleased cast-offs from the album studio sessions, please consider all you’ve taken from the ‘Latest Leaks’ thread in the past and consider giving something back (from those tracks below), that never made the final cut of the album track-list:

01. Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart *
02. Native New Yorker - Odyssey
03. Brighter Day - Kelly Llorenna
04. MacArthur Park - Donna Summer
05. I Imagine - Mary Kiani
06. Don’t Leave Me This Way - Thelma Houston
07. If I Can’t Have You - Yvonne Elliman
08. More Than You Know - Martika
09. Sweet Freedom - Michael McDonald *
10. Whitney Houston - Love Will Save The Day

Only Confirmed Original Track From These Sessions (and not from the previous album):

11. Forever’s Beginning to Start

——————————————————————————————

* Indicates - Now Leaked

——————————————————————————————
Product + Artist Links:

[Album/ Clothing Product]:

https://clairerichards.tmstor.es/products

[General Site]:

https://www.clairerichards.co.uk

——————————————————————————————

Edited October 22, 2023 by Dax Diameter
Update

[Heartbreak Anthem]

I'm ready for another solo Claire album

[Dax Diameter]

Wondering if @tajd has pre-ordered the “Xanadu Bundle”..

[B.W.O]

Bops, bops and more bops. Claire first album aside the main singles was kinda a bore fest. This album will be amazing. 

[Dax Diameter]

Not many singers would dare touch Donna, Whitney or Celine (even fewer have the genuine ability to even pull a vocal delivery off - on that scale).

It’s a true testament to Claire’s golden vocal chords that she truly has it in her to go there (whilst also making it sound and look like it’s a walk in the park for her to do so).

I’ve secretly always preferred the vocal timbre in Claire’s voice (over that of big glory grabbing U.S singers like Christina Aguilera).

Whilst I secretly wish it was an album of original bops, I believe there is potential for the album to act as a showcase for Claire’s voice, one that makes the writers behind these songs sit up and take notice.

I’m not saying Atomic Kitten’s “Love Doesn’t Have To Hurt” was a bop - but if they had never covered “Eternal Flame” (or rather, if Natasha never had the opportunity to demonstrate her vocal prowess on that track) - then AK would never (subsequently) have been presented with a (then) brand new original cut (written decades later) by the same (now classic) writing team behind both of those tracks.

I hope that many (or at least some) of the writers behind the tracks that Claire presents on this album, similarly sit up and take notice.

What an optimal foundation that would create for Claire solo album number three (after Steps have had another album era/ tour cycle/ break, in-between of course).

Although Claire does not cover Anastasia on this album, it is worth noting that the writer’s behind Celine’s “I Surrender” (link to Claire’s video for this track, above) - are the same writers that wrote “I’m Outta Love” with Anastasia (and several other of her hits). So they are well used to augmenting their writing/ production style around the talents of big-lunged diva vocalists.

[B.W.O]

Claire’s second single from Euphoria “Summer Night City” ft Andy Bell is out at midnight.
 

We never got a remix EP for I Surrender. I hope we get a solo version of Summer Night City also if it gets an EP

Edited July 25, 2023 by tajd

[B.W.O]

lyric video for Summer Night City. I don’t like the duet with Andy Bell. Their voices don’t go well together.

Edited July 25, 2023 by tajd

[Dax Diameter]

I don’t like that one either. I don’t think they should have used it, let alone made it a single (though I did like the original).

I guess someone on Claire’s team thought it was smart to use an up-tempo Abba outlier that wasn’t on their first and (by far) biggest selling ‘Gold’ compilation.

It doesn’t sound like she’s in the zone vocally or even feeling the track.

Bananarama (who co-wrote LTOMM which obviously went on to be a huge hit for Steps), were at one point also going to use that same Abba track but changed their minds and didn’t release it at all in the end.

[Heartbreak Anthem]

I love "Summer Night City" but this mix did not hit.

[B.W.O]

5 hours ago, Heartbreak Anthem said:

I love "Summer Night City" but this mix did not hit.

No more tears is right there with delta. it would have when down with the gays of a certain age and a perfect second single. The song sounds like an opera singer (Andy) singing with Pop star (Claire) 

Only way to save the song is to release a solo version ASAP! 

[B.W.O]

The preview for the music video for SNC is awful. Claire must have zero budget for music videos except for an iPhone but we still love our discount queen. How does it look worse than I Surrender music video and a feature music video doesn’t even have the feature according to the preview. Claire loves to penny pinch.

[Heartbreak Anthem]

Pretty sure that's just a little ditty they filmed on-set of the video..... but whew, she looks amazing.

[B.W.O]

5 hours ago, Heartbreak Anthem said:

Pretty sure that's just a little ditty they filmed on-set of the video..... but whew, she looks amazing.

Getting bad girl sandy vibes from grease she does look amazing! 

Edited August 1, 2023 by tajd

[Dax Diameter]

Loving “Knock On Wood” and goosebump induced by its acapella.

Gorl! Whoever you are (love of LSL aside), just know you are doing God’s work and your efforts are noted and appreciated x

https://krakenfiles.com/view/LAVqdHch4z/file.html

Edited August 3, 2023 by Dax Diameter
Update

[Dax Diameter]

A Welsh Pride performance (during “Euphoria” album promo) from last month of Claire (and H), performing their debut single (and second biggest bop overall) originating from that time period we don’t speak of:

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Dax Diameter