Vanessa Amorosi's Forgotten Debut

"Get Here" is the holy grail for Ness Ness fans. Recorded as a promo single for Sydney Central Plaza (a shopping centre) in 1998, the track is notably absent from the Australian version of Vanessa's debut album. I have no idea how many copies were pressed - I'm guessing quite a few if it was randomly given away to shoppers - but it rarely appears on eBay and usually goes for a small fortune. Well, it popped up again recently and I finally gave into temptation. I didn't know what to expect when the disc arrived but I was genuinely surprised to learn it was a cover of Oleta Adam's 1991 classic. Before the Brenda Russell fans start a smear campaign, I know she did it first! I'll just always associate the song with Oleta. Her version was hugely popular during the Gulf War and became a massive hit in America and the UK. Strangely, it never took off in Australia - which is probably why someone thought it was ripe for the picking. More perplexing is the decision to transform Oleta's touching ode to deployed soldiers into a cheesy dance anthem. Not that I'm complaining. Vanessa's version of "Get Here" is a trash lover's wet dream. I love the tacky 90s production and dubious arrangement, while the so bad it's amazing House Mix defies belief! With a bit of touch up this hot mess would have made a nice addition to "The Power". Someone really needs to mash it with "Absolutely Everybody" for a near lethal dose of late 90s/early 00s fabulousness. I just wish Ness Ness recorded a ballad version. Her vocal is beautiful. She was only 16 when this was recorded but you can almost smell the raw potential. Anyway, ready yourself for a screaming trashgasm. This is the campest thing you'll hear all week!