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In the mid-'80s, Tracie made a splash as the singer of dance pop singles like "The House That Jack Built" and as a protege of Paul Weller. Signed to his Respond label, she guested on the Jam's last single "Beat Surrender" and was an early member of the Style Council. Her 1984 album Far from the Hurting Kind is a bubbly mix of girl group exuberance and dance pop cool that seemingly positioned her for a long career. After switching labels and recording an album that was shelved for decades, a disheartened Tracie quit the music business. Reissues of her debut and the previously unreleased No Smoke Without Fire showed that she wasn't at fault for the brevity of her career, as the records remain bright and shiny mementos of the sophisti-pop '80s at their best. Tracie Young was a music-loving teen and avid Smash Hits reader who one day in 1982 spotted an ad posted by Paul Weller's newly formed Respond Records looking for singers aged 18-24. Though she was only 17 at the time, Young taped herself singing a Phoebe Snow-inspired version of the Betty Wright song "Shoorah Shoorah" and after a week, she sent it off to the label. Three days later, she got a phone call asking her to come into Weller's Solid Bond studio for an audition. She and Weller dueted on a couple of soul classics -- "Band of Gold" and "Reach Out I'll Be There" -- and got to know each other a little. Three days later, Young received a tape in the mail consisting of the song "The House That Jack Built" and a note asking if she could learn it. She did, and another package arrived with what was to be the Jam's next single " A Solid Bond in Your Heart." Singing on this song was intended to get her some name recognition before her first single hit the shops. Plans changed, however, and she ended up singing on the final Jam single, "Beat Surrender," instead. It was released in late 1982, and when Weller formed the Style Council, he asked Young to sing on their first single "Speak Like a Child," and to join the band on their initial run of live shows. The gigs were also meant to spotlight the artists signed to Respond so Young had a set of her own backed by labelmates the Questions. Her debut single, "The House That Jack Built," was released in March of 1983. It was produced by Weller and he played all the instruments as well. The sound was an appealing blend of bouncy pop-funk inspired by groups like Shalamar and snappy girl groups of the '60s; Young's vocals captured that mix perfectly. The single hit the Top Ten of the U.K. chart and the similar-sounding "Give It Some Emotion," which was released in July, reached the Top 20. Meanwhile, Young had assembled a band consisting of bassist Kevin Miller, keyboardist Helen Turner, and drummer Steve Sidelynk for live shows and they joined Weller (who played guitar) on sessions for Young's 1984 album Far from the Hurting Kind. A mix of sophisticated dance pop and lush, synth-heavy ballads, the album featured a song written especially for her by Elvis Costello. It spawned three singles that landed near the middle of the Top 100, and the album itself reached a similar destination. Young continued to tour and in July 1985 released a cover of the George McCrae song "I Can’t Leave You Alone," then followed it with a pair of singles ("Invitation" and "[When You] Call Me") in 1986. The latter was her first release on Polydor, which had signed her when Respond shuttered. Young recorded an album at this time, a more mature set of songs that split the difference between Madonna-styled bubblegum and Swing Out Sister glamor. The label decided to shelve the album, which was to have been titled No Smoke Without Fire, and dropped her from their roster. Young retreated from making music at this point, and in the late '90s began a career in radio, working as a presenter on a variety of stations. She returned to performing live in the late 2000s doing the occasional radio session and appearing with Billy Franks of the Faith Brothers at Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2009. Soon afterward, she and the Cherry Red label worked together on a reissue of Far from the Hurting Kind; it was issued in 2010 and featured a batch of rarities alongside a bright new remaster of the album. Four years later, No Smoke Without a Fire finally saw the light of day. Released under the name Tracie Young, the disc included a number of unreleased tracks. A decade later all of the Tracie (and Tracie Young) recordings were collected under one roof on Cherry Red's Souls on Fire: The Recordings 1983-1986. Along with four discs of music, there was an extra DVD consisting of videos, Top of the Pops appearances, and a live show recorded in Japan. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi