In the mid-'80s, Tracie made a splash as the singer of dance pop singles like "The House That Jack Built" and as a protégée of Paul Weller. Signed to his Respond label, she guested on the Jam's last single, "Beat Surrender," and was an early member of the Style Council. Her 1984 album Far from the Hurting Kind was a bubbly mix of girl group exuberance and dance pop cool that seemingly positioned her for a long career. After switching labels and recording an album that was shelved for decades, a disheartened Tracie quit the music business. Reissues of her debut and the previously unreleased No Smoke Without Fire showed that she wasn't at fault for the brevity of her career, as the records remain bright and shiny mementos of sophisti-pop '80s at their best.