Rose

Perhaps best known as a backup singer for Jackson Browne, James Taylor, and Bonnie Raitt, Rosemary Butler was also in The Ladybirds in the '60s and later a member of the ‘70s all-female rock group Birtha before signing to Capitol Records in 1983 for a shot at a solo career. Her album Rose is very much a product of the '80s, with a tightly compressed sound that features electric guitars and synths that wouldn’t be out of place on tracks by Pat Benatar, Quarterflash, or Loverboy. The songs are ultra-catchy and sound like they belong in a sleek movie from the era. In fact, “Through Different Eyes,” “You Light Up the Night,” “Call of the Wild,” “Imagination,” and “First to Know” deserve to be rediscovered for the dated but pleasing pop songs they are. Butler’s singing is fantastic, if occasionally buried under clunky keyboards. There’s no good reason these songs didn’t connect with fans of ‘80s AOR, except they probably didn’t hear them on the radio at the time.