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This is What I am Listening To with Carol Crincoli

written by Carol Crincoli, Pure Pilates Director

This past fall, Rico and I took a trip to Europe and we had the opportunity to reconnect with our good friends that live in Germany. As we lingered over delicious food, beautiful wines and many, many gin and tonics there was always music playing. One morning, Lisa Stansfield, an English singer/songwriter sang through the speakers and immediately took me back to the 1990’s.  Thank goodness compact discs were “the thing” or I would have worn out her 2 albums Affection and Real Love. To finish my senior year at the Boston Conservatory, I danced to All Around the World for my modern dance final jury and when I pursued a career as an “Aerobics Instructor” I choreographed a dance routine to This is the Right Time to land a gym job.

So for the past few months, you can say that I’ve been stuck in the 90’s, listening to my favorites Lisa Stansfield, Janet Jackson, Lauren Hill and Whitney.   I found myself heading down a rabbit hole on Spotify, becoming reacquainted with artists I haven’t thought about in 30 years, finding interesting new voices and different covers of songs all connecting me back to that decade.

January 1990

Until You Come Back to Me – I first heard this song in Boston, scooping ice cream at Fruzen Gladje. Apparently the ice cream was so good, we had to weigh out the portions! I digress – I believed that Until You Come Back to Me was an original song by Basia, a Polish singer/songwriter.  How wrong I was and a bit embarrassed that I didn’t know that this song was released in the 70’s by Aretha Franklin and one of the writers was Stevie Wonder. Donny Hathaway plays electric guitar on the recording.  While I recommend you take a listen to the Aretha version, I kick off my playlist with a version that has a great vibe from Hil St. Soul.

All Around the World – Lisa Stansfield

This is the Right Time – More Lisa Stansfield

Never Stop – I credit my husband, Rico (boyfriend at the time), for introducing me to the Brand New Heavies.  Never Stop was the groove for my Manasquan Summer in 1990.

I’m Every Woman – I do enjoy the Whitney Houston version of this remake, but no one does it better than Chaka Khan.

I Have Nothing – Speaking of Whitney, she was the queen of love ballads. This song rates higher in my book than her bigger hit, I Will Always Love You. And yes, I will sing this on the top of my lungs while driving solo in my car.

Nothing Compares to You – Made famous by Sinaed O’Conner and written and recorded by Prince. My favorite is this Chris Cornell version.

That’s the Way Love Goes – This is a true, head bobbing vibe for me.  The kind of song that comes on when I’m cooking in the kitchen and I just have to start moving. Anything Janet Jackson produced with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis is the best.

Hey Mr. D.J – So if Never Stop was my summer groove, Zhane and Hey Mr. D.J. was the groove of 1994, working at Gateway Health and Fitness in Newark hanging with co-workers, playing beach volleyball and drinking Jack and Coke.

Whatta Man – These women are from 2 powerhouse groups and are amazing on their own, but when Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue came together it was pretty special.  The lyrics were a bit risque for the time.

Mo Money Mo Problems – A lover of 80’s and 90’s rap, probably because of the songs that were sampled. A fan of Diana Ross and her song I’m Coming Out with the collaboration of Notorious B.I.G, Mase and Diddy made this a fav.

Sure Shot – We continue with rap and old school Beastie Boys.  Their Licensed to Ill album that was released in1986 was my favorite in high school. Sure Shot is from the Ill Communication album.

No Diggity – My final rap selection.  I love this song because it’s rap, rap that sounds like singing (Rapsing), a great hook and melody. This Blackstreet, Dre and Queen Pen collab is the best.

Motownphilly – I am a sucker for tight harmony’s and I am a fan of Boyz II Men. Motownphilly is my favorite uptempo but I love, love all their sappy love songs.

Fairground – If Janet Jackson makes me bob my head, Simply Red’s Fairground is my stop and dance song. When this song comes on, I will stop whatever I am doing and dance.

Can’t Take My Eyes off of You – Only Lauryn Hill could make this Frankie Valli song cool. The album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is one of the best of all time.

Can I Kick It – A Tribe Called Quest came out with this song in 1990, with a great sample of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side. The version I prefer is by Logic and Juto.

Everlong – My favorite Foo Fighters song in any form, but the acoustic version is beautiful and haunting.

Lovesong – When I met Rico, he was a huge Cure fan.  I like the Cure’s version of Lovesong, but loved it even more when Adele recorded it.  I also recorded her version on my own album 15 Years Later.

Never, Never Gonna Give You Up – I LOVE Barry White and when Lisa Stansfield recorded his song Never, Never Gonna Give You Up I was giddy.  Not on the playlist but I recommend you check out their duet of Around the World on YouTube.

Sleep To Dream – Fiona Apple’s debut album Tidal was refreshing and her voice so unique and different from most of the female singers of the time.  Sleep to Dream was so rich and mature for a young singer-songwriter.  Reminds me of Billie Elish.

Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here – Deborah Cox’s super ballad takes me back to high school. If you lived in the NYC area and loved R&B then you listened to WBLS.  This song would be in the rotation on Sunday night’s Quiet Storm.

Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here (Dance Mix) – And if you’re not in the mood for slow jams, then the dance mix version is perfect.  When I come home, I tell Google “I’m Home” and this dance mix comes on.  My way to end the day!

What I’m Listening To 1990s

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Katie is a passionate mover who was brought to Pilates through dance. After a professional dance career, Katie discovered her love of teaching-connecting the mind and body, and working with students of all ages and levels. Her appreciation and understanding of everyone’s ever changing body and needs only became greater as her own body went through pre and post natal stages, an experience which has helped Katie navigate problem solving, and bring a freshness to each session making them feel personal and specific to each body’s needs. Her sessions are full of flow and aim to challenge clients with a sense of comfort, and often a little humor, all of which she has brought to Pure Pilates since 2016. Katie thinks the gift of movement and self care is one of the best things one can do for overall wellness, and is thrilled to seek and fulfill milestones and goals with each of her clients. When she’s not at the studio, Katie is taking care of her three little humans- another job that also makes her smile, laugh, and challenges her on the daily.
Eighteen years ago I discovered my love for Pilates. After having my two children, I felt the need to move my body again. At the time I was living in North Carolina, and worked through many different exercise and training programs. I discovered Pilates, and instantly knew it was right for me. Forteen years later, and a move to New Jersey, I decided to share my love of Pilates with other people looking for some way to move their bodies. Pilates has also been a way for me to keep me strong and flexible to continue many activities. My family loves to be active, and I often find when we are all together (mostly vacations) our days consist of activity and movement such as hiking, kayaking, or skiing(more on this later). As I have gotten older I find it even more imperative now that I keep my body strong. Recently I was in a skiing accident that left me with many knee injuries and ultimately having to go into surgery. I found being able to do light Pilates a few weeks after surgery kept me sane and ultimately helped with recovery time. Pilates has not only helped me be able to keep up with my children, but has also provided me with a body that is able to function at peak performance. My approach to Pilates can be described in one, simple word: movement. Movement can help you, both physically and mentally. Movement, and Pilates, is ultimately about self care. Having a built in time to focus on your body and movement can help relieve yourself of feeling tired, anxious, and stressed. Movement awakens you. Even after one session you can leave feeling calmer and energized.
Enjoyment of life through movement is a vital part of Kathy’s philosophy. When not in the studio she leads an active lifestyle trail running, cycling, skiing and hiking. She also loves connecting with people while traveling with family and friends. One of her favorite cycling trips was riding along the coast of northern California. Learning new things and sharing knowledge is also important to Kathy. She has a passion for food, likes to cook for her family and experiment with new recipes. She is currently trying to achieve the perfect pizza. She is also an avid reader of historical fiction and biographies. Her latest endeavor is learning to play golf.
Carol M. Crincoli, owner Pure Pilates studio, has been in the fitness industry since 1990, with experience in corporate and commercial fitness, recreational programming and teaching as an adjunct professor. She began practicing Pilates in 2003 and received Pilates training through the PhysicalMind Institute in New York, NY. She holds certifications from the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a group exercise instructor, personal trainer and lifestyle and weight management consultant. She was also accepted into the IDEA-PFT Recognition System as an Elite Level Personal Fitness Trainer. She is the only trainer in the NY-metro area for Trent McEntire’s Arcus equipment. Carol graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music with a BFA in musical theater and a minor in dance. Opening Pure Pilates is the culmination of a lifetime dream, and her mission to "inspire life from the core" is a holistic approach to health and wellness—from exercise and nutrition, to stress management and self-care. Carol is also the inventor of 8th Avenue Rail, an organizing solution for Tower springs.