Basia

• Genre: Adult Contemporary

About

This Polish beauty's had a string of pearly smooth jazz and adult contemporary hits throughout the late 1980s and early '90s. Basia's strongly accented, but pleasant vocals were first heard with the English sophisti-pop act Matt Bianco in the '80s. Basia and her band mate, Danny White used the same "American soul meets lite Latin jazz" template for her solo career. After major successes throughout the first Bush presidential term, Basia's 1994 release Sweetest Illusion didn't sell as well as her early albums and her career started stalling. Like so many artists, Basia now only has a record deal in Japan, where both she and the reformed Matt Bianco continue to experience major sales. Though it sounds vaguely exotic to American ears, Basia is a common moniker in Poland, but the spelling of her last name -- Trzetrzelewska -- helps explain why she's known exclusively on a first name basis.

- Nick Dedina