In 1993, Toyah began preparing a musical titled Cindy X, for which several songs were written and recorded. When the project was abandoned, the songs were remodelled for inclusion on this ambient/electronic album.
- Produced by Mike Bennett, the album has elements of electronic, ambient and dance music.
- Two singles were released from the album, Out Of The Blue and Now & Then, and received multiple remixes released on promo and commercial 12″ singles including Tim of Utah Saints.
- The album was re-released and retitled Phoenix in 1997 and in 2010 an expanded edition included the original versions prepared for the Cindy X stage musical.
- Ian Abrhams reviewed an expanded remastered edition, released by Cherry Red Records in 2010.
- No matter how well you think you know Toyah and what’s she’s all about, the reality is that you don’t know her at all. That vivid, brassy character from her breakthrough material is only a momentary snapshot. The reality is far more intricate and intriguing than I Wanna Be Free could possibly suggest.Here’s a juxtaposition: Toyah is bubbly, ubiquitous and taken for granted; Kate Bush withdrawn, full of mystique and lauded. The more creatively varied of the two? Ms Willcox has a fair claim. Take this interesting diversion from 1994, full of sweeping electronic dance rhythms where Toyah is more of an ensemble cast member than at any time in her musical career.Evolving out of the aborted stage musical Cindy X (some demos originally intended for the show are added here), the compositions are written by The Fall’s producer Mike Bennett. Toyah’s contribution is an understated and haunting vocal performance, the least input she’d have on any record under her own name. It successfully added another facet to her work before swerving off into an unlikely Dreamchild acoustic tour that’s far from suggested by the material. But then, delivering the unexpected is central to Toyah’s creative value.
