Vanessa Marquez - Good Girl (2005)

Vanessa Rosalia Marquez was born on 21 December 1968, and is primarily know as an actress, appearing in the first three seasons of 'ER' as nurse Wendy Goldman, as well as her role as Ana Delgado in the 1988 biographical drama film, 'Stand And Deliver'. Her success with 'Stand And Deliver' led to a career in film and television, with roles in the crime drama 'Blood In Blood Out', and the independent film 'Twenty Bucks', both in 1993. In addition to her acting credentials, Marquez appeared as a singer in the 2000 thriller film 'Under Suspicion'. A few years later, produce Pharrell Williams, one half of The Neptunes, had a vision of putting together a Latina R&B girl group, inspired by The Supremes, and as Marquez had been signed as a solo artist to their imprint Star Trak Entertainment since 2001, she was considered for the group. By that point, she'd recorded vocals for Justin Timberlake's 2002 megahit 'Rock Your Body', as well as touring with him to promote his debut album, and she was also featured on 'Good Girl', a single from the compilation 'The Neptunes Present...Clones'. When the idea popped into William's head, Marquez had just started working on her debut album, and so he offered her the chance of joining his group, to be named Affair, along with Natasha Ramos, and later being joined by Tiffany Villareal. 

The timing felt impeccable, as in the summer of 2005, Destiny's Child, the biggest girl group of the 2000's, announced they were parting ways, and while no one could match the trio's groundbreaking contribution to pop, a fresh, talented, and bilingual group seemed like the right way to carry on the momentum that they'd leave behind. The music was going to be in English and Spanish, and they would have the star power of The Neptunes on their side, and as Marquez already knew Ramos there was a connection there from the start. Williams wanted three Hispanic females who could really sing R&B, so a search started for a third member of the group, and after a few try-outs a third girl was picked, but she didn't click with the rest of the group, so the search continued. Meanwhile, Marquez and Ramos had already formed a bond, and with both of them having similar husky voices, the songs sounded complete, and they felt that there wasn't a need for a third member. However, Williams was obsessed with "the power of three. The Supremes. The Trinity. The power of three" and so after six months of auditions, the third slot was filled by Tiffany Villarreal, a Texan of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent. With Affair finally complete, the label sent the group to Hollywood for a few weeks to bond and lay down some tracks. 

Villarreal continued singing with Affair while she waited for her Star Trak contract to be finalized, but a few weeks turned into three months, and doubts started to creep in. While she ruminated on her future with Star Trak, another offer came along, with Dr. Dre wanting to sign her to Aftermath Entertainment, and with no paperwork from the Pharrell side, and a contact ready to go with Dr. Dre, she signed with Aftermath, and the remaining girls found themselves back at square one. They finally accepted that a duo, even with their seamless vocal synergy, wasn’t going to be enough, and so Marquez left the label after her contract expired. Ramos signed as a solo artist after Marquez left, but it only lasted for a few years, and she let her contract expire too. As for Tiffany Villarreal, it didn’t work out with Aftermath, and she, like Ramos and Marquez, went independent. In her short musical career, Marquez had exploded on the scene with her collaboration with Justin Timberlake, and then  featured on The Neptunes' album, but not much else that she recorded was ever released, apart from a guest appearance on Butch Cassidy's debut 'Back B4 You're Lonely' in 2007. A year before Affair's debut album was due to appear in 2005, Marquez was recording her own solo record, and luckily there's enough material out there to piece together what it could have sounded like, so here it is, including a couple of tracks featuring Ramos and Villarreal. 

Track listing

01 Good Girl 
02 Daydreaming 
03 Friends Are (feat. Pharrell) 
04 Rider (feat. Natasha Ramos)
05 Do It Right 
06 Shorties (feat. Natasha Ramos & Tiffany Villarreal)
07 Want You to Know (feat. JR Huston) 
08 If You Keep on Askin' 
09 A View From The Top (feat. Butch Cassidy, Bishop Lamont & Damizza)

10 Runnin' Back (feat. Natasha Ramos & Tiffany Villarreal)
11 You Should Know (feat. Pharrell Williams)

12 One Small Kiss (feat. Damizza)