May, 19, 1992

Speak-singing breathy vocals over atmospheric dance beats, 26-year-old Mexican-American poet Ingrid Chavez could have inspired an entire movement of slam poets with this self-titled album. She’d already appeared on Lovesexy, written Madonna a number-one hit (“Justify My Love”) by way of producer Lenny Kravitz, and co-starred in Prince’s commercially ill-fated Purple Rain sequel, Graffiti Bridge. Her album boasts Prince-produced singles like “Heaven Must Be Near” and “Elephant Box,” as well as the Michael Koppelman-produced “Hippy Blood,” an underrated standout. Nothing charted. Chavez rode her disillusionment with the recording industry away from the music business for almost 20 years.