Show Me

by Alex HendersonThe original members of the Cover Girls (Louise "Angel" Sabater, Sunshine Wright, and Caroline Jackson) weren't fantastic singers; their voices were undeniably thin. But then, no one honestly believed that they were the next Martha & the Vandellas. Despite their obvious limitations as singers, the Cover Girls made some memorable contributions to Latin freestyle -- in fact, their debut album, Show Me, is among freestyle's most important releases. Boasting such producers as Andy Panda Tripoli, Lewis A. Martineé (the brains behind Exposé), and Little Louie Vega, Show Me is full of infectious, Latin-flavored dance-pop grooves that no freestyle enthusiast should be without. "Inside Outside," "Because of You," "One Night Affair" (not to be confused with the Gamble & Huff classic), and the hit title track are, without question, some of freestyle's most essential recordings. Meanwhile, the unexpected and very retro "That Boy of Mine" finds the New York trio recalling the girl group sound of the early '60s. Show Me contains a few mediocre tunes, but they are the exception instead of the rule. All things considered, Show Me is an album that anyone with even a casual interest in freestyle should own.