Rca Trio Wild Orchid's On "fire' With Help From "n Sync's Chasez

NEW YORK-With a little help from "N Sync belter J.C. Chasez, RCA trio Wild Orchid is in the studio cutting an album with a decidedly more street-wise, teen-friendly sound.
Tentatively titled "Fire," the set is planned for a late-August release. It has three songs by Chasez, as well as cuts by Oliver Lieber, John Shanks, Bradley Spalter, Diane Warren, Epicentre, Robbie Nevil, and J-Slamm. The project also has the members of Wild Orchid-Stacy Ferguson, Renee Sandstromm, and Stefanie Ridel-stretching out as tunesmiths themselves.
"This record is going to be all about energy and spirit," says Ridel. "Our last two records were a little too down and overly serious."
Wild Orchid first came into prominence in 1997, when it enjoyed a multi-format hit with the power ballad "At Night I Pray." That single was followed by an eponymous album that spawned two additional hits, "Supernatural" and "Talk To Me." The follow-up, "Oxygen," was issued in 1998 and boasted a ballad-heavy, R&B-inflected sound.
"This album's lighter, more fun-and more in step with how we feel about ourselves," Ridel says.
She credits Chasez, a longtime friend of the act, for setting the tone for the project. "He asked us if we'd be willing to work with him," she recalls. "He played this track that he wrote especially for us. Before it was finished, Stacy, Renee, and I were jumping up and down, screaming like crazy. It was exactly the direction we had in mind."
Chasez says he was inspired to write that track, "Fire," after he and Wild Orchid took a trip to Las Vegas.
"Stacy was playing craps, and she was on a crazy winning streak," he recalls. "She kept yelling about how she was on fire. It became this joke for the entire time we were hanging out: "Watch out, Stacy's on fire.' The next thing I knew, I had a groove in my head and words coming to me. I knew it was perfect for [Wild Orchid] to record."
Beyond the star power of Chasez's contributions, RCA senior VP of international A&R Dave Novik says Chasez's tracks "push the envelope" for the album's creative direction. "He has a unique take on music, and he expresses it well," Novik says.
In addition to collaborating in the studio, Wild Orchid may open a few dates on the "N Sync tour this summer.