Vitamin C’s infectious debut album just may be the most pure pop record of 1999. But pay attention. Appearances can be deceiving. Both accessible and daring, Colleen Fitzpatrick - alter ego for this new female singing sensation - offers no apologies for what she calls "the-girl-next-door-you-think-you-know" attitude. "You’re going to get something a little different everytime you walk across my lawn."

She remembers spicing up the old record collection. "It contained what we called the B’s - Beach Boys, Beatles, Blondie - " She pauses for dramatic effect, " - and the Breeders...." Her quick laugh fills the room. "Well, maybe I was the girl next door and a little left of center." On her self-titled premier, she cleverly mines pop’s past and present, utilizing some unique producers to help expand her coat-of-many-colors approach, offering up 12 eclectic gems in the process. From the disc’s indelibly catchy opener "Smile" - destined to be a summer classic, complete with reggae star Lady Saw’s own delectable toast - to a nastier swath of funk-punk-playfulness, "Fear Of Flying," (tugging affectionately on the hem of The Clash’s "Magnificent Seven,") Vitamin C knows exactly where she’s going. And how she got there.

"I started out as a dancer. I’ve always loved to dance," she says matter-of-factly. "Later, when I got into a few bands, I didn’t dance as much. I wanted my new album to reflect all the different aspects of my personality, to be fun and positive in spirit." Hailing from Old Bridge, VC danced her way through high school, harboring many of the star-crossed dreams that pop’s ex-dancer-female iconoclast-of-the ‘80’s - ol’ what’s-her-name - also touted in early interviews.

"Madonna has definitely been an inspiration to me," she says. "She has always been able to make good pop records - but with an intensity and intelligence that also hinted there was much more going on." VC’s early showbiz dreams led to a few acting roles. Eventually she decided she wanted to play music. It absorbed her. She began to like the idea of being in a band. "It’s funny, but I always found no matter what band I was in, even if it had a slightly more frayed edge to it, I was drawn to the more tongue in cheek elements, but it always had to have that edge."

She discovered that precise chemistry in the plucky Eve’s Plum. After a grateful run, and two acclaimed LP’s, she would exit the band on good terms, excited about the prospects of going solo. Her dream was to combine a lot of her unrealized, "more playful/optimistic" notions into one persona, Vitamin C. "I remember when I wrote "Smile," which is a really positive song, I was feeling very down. The song kind of lifted me up. A little of that remedy, now and then, is good for the soul."

In 1998, Vitamin C landed a development deal with Elektra. "I felt really good about it. I felt I had the experience to take artistic control and prove that this album could be an extension of my vision, as well as the sum of everything I had learned along the way." Sr. VP of A&R for Elektra, Josh Deutsch, (Third Eye Blind, Alana Davis, Vast) recognized Vitamin C’s vision right from the start. Josh’s background includes both production and writing experience, including a stint as a songwriter for EMI publishing. The two became instant collaborators, with Josh co-writing and producing several of the tracks with Vitamin C."I was amazed at how focused she was," says Josh. "She’s an excellent lyricist. She has a million ideas for songs and she brings such strong concepts to the table that it makes collaboration easy. She’s an amazing performer who is able to power all these songs with her own experience, which is why they’re all believable."

Deutsch helped enlist other producers. One of them, Garry Hughes (who has worked alongside Trevor Horn for many years) became a mainstay of the project, working with Vitamin C and Deutsch as producer/keyboardist/programmer to help bring more of Vitamin C’s ideas to life. Other producers include Fred Maher, (Matthew Sweet, Eve’s Plum, among others), Jim Harry (RuPaul), and Matt Mahaffey (Self). Vitamin C co-wrote the feisty "About Last Night," with Robbie Nevil.

"It was great working with the different producers and writing with Robbie," she recalls. "And Josh was the ultimate writing partner because he had an understanding of the big picture. He’s one of those rare, old-fashioned A&R guys who comes from a musician’s point of view. He’s lived through this whole experience himself."

Vitamin C’s subject matter runs the entire gamut of coming-of-age experiences. Some frothy samples are the punchy "Me, Myself, And I," produced by Josh, Garry and Fred Maher’s gated guitar styled/throwback-club-romp "Not That Kind Of Girl," with VC’s unshakable confidence shining through. She even quotes Digital Underground’s "Doowutchyalike" on the funky "Do What You Want to Do." However, VC can strike a wistful note when necessary. The album’s closer, "Graduation," touches a chord in anyone who has ever looked back on life’s changes. "It’s about moving on. I used graduation as the setting because it is such a universal and pivotal point in people’s lives.

For so many of us it’s both a beginning and an end. We used a real high school choir, NYC’s All City Chorus, to enhance the spirit of the song. When I was talking to the kids in the choir their outlook was inspiring. So many of them believe that they will be ‘friend’s forever.’ I wanted to keep a touch of idealism as part of this album."

Has she accomplished her goal?

"I like music that’s larger than life," she laughs. "And I set out to make an intelligent pop record. I want people to look twice, think twice and -- well, smile."