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Vitamin C's infectious debut album just may be the most pure pop record of 1999. But pay attention. Appearances can be deceiving. Both accessible and daring, Colleen Fitzpatrick - alter-ego for this new female singing sensation - offers no apologies for what she calls "the-girl-next-door-you-think-you-know" attitude. "You're going to get something a little different every time you walk across my lawn."
She remembers spicing up the old record collection. "It contained what we called the B's - Beach Boys, Beatles, Blondie..." She pauses for dramatic effect. "...and the Breeders...." Her quick laugh fills the room. "Well, maybe I was the girl next door and a little left of center." On her self-titled premiere, she cleverly mines pop's past and present, utilizing some unique producers to help expand her coat-of-many-colors approach, offering up 12 eclectic gems in the process. From the disc's indelibly catchy opener, "Smile" -- destined to be a summer classic, complete with reggae star Lady Saw's own delectable toast -- to a nastier swath of funk-punk-playfulness, "Fear Of Flying" (tugging affectionately on the hem of The Clash's "Magnificent Seven"), Vitamin C knows exactly where she's going. And how she got there.
"I started out as a dancer. I've always loved to dance," she says matter-of-factly. "Later, when I got into a few bands, I didn't dance as much. I wanted my new album to reflect all the different aspects of my personality, to be fun and positive in spirit." Hailing from Old Bridge, VC danced her way through high school, harboring many of the star-crossed dreams that pop's ex-dancer-female iconoclast-of-the '80's -- ol' what's-her-name -- also touted in early interviews.
"Madonna has definitely been an inspiration to me," she says. "She has always been able to make good pop records -- but with an intensity and intelligence that also hinted there was much more going on." VC's early showbiz dreams led to a few acting roles. Eventually, she decided she wanted to play music. It absorbed her. She began to like the idea of being in a band. "It's funny, but I always found no matter what band I was in, even if it had a slightly more frayed edge to it, I was drawn to the more tongue-in-cheek elements, but it always had to have that
