Have you ever heard that old saying, that one person can’t be “a prophet in his/her own land?” This certainly applies to the secretive italodisco singer, Sally Shapiro. In her native country, Sweden, she isn’t very well known at all. Being a music critic here in Sweden, I first heard about Miss Shapiro when an American magazine asked me if I could do an interview with her. Googling away on the internet, I found praise and cheers for her Remix Romance album—the core material for the two remix albums that now are released on Paper Bag.

Time to Let Go (Lindstorm Remix)

And let me say, fans of Sally Shapiro will not be disappointed. With skilled remixers like Junior Boys, Juan MacLean and Lindstrøm (to name a few), this project is not just a fast move in order to cash in on the success of the original album—no. The songs are polished, many of them given either a more direct dance drive (Skatebårds remix of “He Keeps Me Alive”), or have an added electronic depth (like Dntel’s remix of “Find My Soul”)—all the while remaining faithful to the original tunes. The music is great, but I am not partial to Sally’s at-times-weak vocal delivery. Needless to say, Sally Shapiro isn’t a prophet here in Sweden. (Mats Almegard)