Ray of Light is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released in early 1998 by Maverick Records. A stylistic and aesthetical departure from her previous work, Ray of Light is an electronica and techno-pop record which incorporates multiple genres, including ambient, trip hop, psychedelic music and Middle Eastern music, while also seeing Madonna singing with greater breadth and a fuller tone. Mystical themes are also strongly present in both the music and lyrics, as a result of Madonna embracing Kabbalah, her study of Hinduism and Buddhism, and her daily practice of Ashtanga yoga.
After giving birth to her first child, Madonna started working on the album with producers Babyface and Patrick Leonard. Following failed sessions with them, Madonna pursued a new musical direction with English producer William Orbit, which resulted in a much more experimental sound being produced for the album. The recording process was the longest of Madonna's career, and she experienced problems with Orbit's hardware arrangement which would break down and cause delays until it could be repaired.

Like a Virgin is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna, released on November 12, 1984, by Sire Records. Following the success of her self-titled debut album, Madonna wanted to become the record producer of her next album. However, her label was not ready to give her the artistic freedom and she chose Nile Rodgers instead to produce the album due to his work with David Bowie. Madonna wrote six songs on the record, five of which feature Steve Bray as a co-writer. The album was recorded at Power Station Studio in New York at a quick pace. Rodgers enlisted the help of his former Chic bandmates Bernard Edwards, who was the bassist, and Tony Thompson, who played drums. Jason Corsaro, the record's audio engineer, persuaded Rodgers to use digital recording, a new technique introduced at that time.

Hard Candy is the eleventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on April 19, 2008, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was her final studio album with the record company, marking the end of a 25-year recording history. Madonna started working on the album in early 2007, and collaborated with Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, The Neptunes and Nate "Danja" Hills. Hard Candy is primarily a dance-pop record, incorporating hip hop, electropop, disco, electro, funk and R&B. The Pet Shop Boys were also asked to collaborate with Madonna on the album by Warner Bros., but the record company later changed their mind and withdrew their invitation.

Affection is the debut solo album by British R&B recording artist Lisa Stansfield, released by Arista Records on 21 November 1989. Stansfield co-wrote all songs with Ian Devaney and Andy Morris. Devaney and Morris also produced the album, except for "This Is the Right Time" which was produced by Coldcut. Affection received critical acclaim from music critics and was commercially successful. It reached top ten on the charts in many countries and has sold over five million copies worldwide.

Back to Front is the first compilation album by American singer Lionel Richie, which was released on May 5, 1992. It contains songs from both his successful solo career and as part of the band the Commodores, along with three new tracks (1-3). The international version of the album also includes the tracks "Dancing on the Ceiling" and "Stuck on You". It debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart and spent 12 weeks at number one in the Dutch Album Top 100.

"Ocean Drive" is a song written by British duo Lighthouse Family, for their debut album, Ocean Drive (1996). The song was produced by Mike Peden. It was released as the second single in October 1995 and reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom. It was later re-released in May 1996 and reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom. The song was slightly remixed for this single release, with new vocals. This version also appeared on their 2002 greatest hits album.

Truly: The Love Songs is the second compilation album by Lionel Richie, released on November 25, 1997. The international version included the tracks "My Destiny", "Don't Wanna Lose You", "Ballerina Girl", "Still in Love", and "Oh No". Many of the tracks included on this album were performed with the Commodores.

The Best of Laura Pausini: E ritorno da te (English: "The Best of Laura Pausini: And Back to You") is a compilation album of Italian singer Laura Pausini's greatest hits, issued by CGD East West (Warner) Records in 2001. Lo mejor de Laura Pausini: Volveré junto a ti is its Spanish language edition released for the hispanophone market.

Fever is the eighth studio album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, released on 1 October 2001 in Australia and the United Kingdom by Parlophone. The album was later released in the United States on 26 February 2002 and was Minogue's first album release in the region since her second studio album Enjoy Yourself (1989). Minogue worked with writers and producers such as Cathy Dennis, Rob Davis, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, TommyD, Tom Nichols, Pascal Gabriel and others to create the disco and Europop-influenced dance-pop album. Other musical influences of the album range from synthpop to club music.

Never Say Never is the tenth studio album by Kim Wilde and was released in September 2006. It was a comeback album after being away from the music business for a number of years and her first studio album for eleven years. The album features several of Wilde's hits that have been updated with modern dance beats, interspersed with eight new songs.

Breakaway is the second studio album by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 30, 2004, by RCA Records. The album is a follow-up to her successful debut album, Thankful (2003). Executive produced by Clive Davis, Breakaway sees Clarkson collaborating with various producers and songwriters for the first time, primarily Dr. Luke, Max Martin, John Shanks, Kara DioGuardi, Ben Moody, and David Hodges; the latter two are former members of American rock band Evanescence. Despite the established commercial success of Thankful, music critics still continued to typecast Clarkson as an American Idol winner and were also critical of her attempts of establishing a commercial appeal on her own. Wanting to stray from those, she was convinced by Davis to work with Dr. Luke and Martin in Stockholm, and with Moody and Hodges in Los Angeles, in pursuit of a pop rock direction. This also led her to part ways with her manager Simon Fuller and hire the management services of Jeff Kwatinetz before the album's release. Breakaway is primarily a pop rock record with elements of rock and soul music, marking a departure from the R&B-oriented sound of Thankful; its lyrics explore themes of heartbreak, love, and escapism.