November 25, 2010

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Katy Perry - Firework (Remixes)

This is the third proper single from Teenage Dream. The anthemic "Firework" is catchy as it is empowering. The uptempo number has an underproduced electro/house sound to it.

There are plenty of remixes of this one by The Wideboys, Fred Falke, Jump Smokers, and Nick Harvey & Billy Waters. The Wideboys mix is in a similar vein as the original with a slightly funkier sound. Fred Falke's has an 80's synthpop sound to it. The Jump Smokers mix is a tad edgier than the others. Finally, there's the circuit mix by Nick Harvey & Billy Waters which truly turns this song into the anthem it was meant to be. This is the strongest mix of the package. Overall, all versions are good, but the last one is great.

-Purchase the digital single here (Masterbeat)
-Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

November 23, 2010

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Floor One and Farley and Feldman feat Nadia B - Just Me

This is a brand new vocal track from the Continuous Cool label which has been putting out some great releases lately. "Just Me" is an extremely catchy song. Nadia B's vocals are really beautiful. There are three main sets of remixes of the song. The Classic and Club mixes are funky, piano-driven house oriented, while the Anthem mixes are slightly darker. All three are circuit-oriented as well. Overall, the Classic and Anthem ones are the best of the bunch, however they are all quite good.

Purchase the single here (Juno)

Grade: A

November 20, 2010

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Cher - You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me

This is one of two solo songs sung by her on the soundtrack for the movie Burlesque. This is a dramatic, power ballad written by Diane Warren. Vocally, Cher sounds fantastic. Her voice has held up quite well. The song starts off slow and then builds to a massive climax. It's great. There are remixes for this by Almighty, Dave Aude, and Stonebridge. Unsurprisingly, Almighty's production fits this song the best. They have remixed Cher numerous times to great effect. The piano-driven production is uplifting and allows the vocals to truly shine. Dave Aude's mix is a tad on the minimal sound. It calls to mind the 2008 revisit of "Infinity" by Guru Josh Project in some parts. The vocals sound good on this one too. Stonebridge's mix leaves much to be desired as much of the vocals are not used for whatever reason. It's a shame because the production is quite good. Overall, the Almighty and Dave Aude mixes are the best of the bunch.

Grade: A

November 15, 2010

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Michael Jackson feat Akon - Hold My Hand

This is the first proper single off of his first posthumous release simply titled Michael. "Hold My Hand" is a return to form. This song is a midtempo pop ballad (pretty close to one). The production is smooth and uplifting. Michael's vocals are excellent here. Akon's appearance on the song is nice as well. His vocals blend well with Michael's. Overall, this song has the makings of a new hit for the legend.

Listen to the original version here (Michael Jackson's official website)

Grade: A

November 8, 2010

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Salme feat Noa Tylo - So Delicious

After the success of the fun "C'mon Y'all" comes the sexy new single "So Delicious". It is a sultry electro-pop romp in its main version. Noa Tylo (of "Let's Do It" fame) provides some ad libs and backing vocals. He complements Salme's hypnotic chant. The remixes by Massi & De Leon and Junior Vasquez make this even more dancefloor friendly. Massi & De Leon pump up the sleaze factor with their mix. Junior Vasquez offers up a hard, darker Earth era sound with his mix. Additional mixes by David Knapp & Martin Fry and Tribal Injection are coming soon. This song is hot and should be filling dancefloors everywhere real soon.

Listen to the Massi & De Leon and Junior Vasquez mixes here (MySpace)
View the original music video here (Facebook)

Grade: A

November 1, 2010

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Dionne Mitchell - I Love Music

Yes, this is a cover of the O'Jays classic. It was most notably covered to great effect by Rozalla during the 90's. Dionne, a former contestant on the British singing competition X-Factor takes on this gem in 2010, delivering a passionate, delightful performance. The main version is piano-driven, feeling like a modernized, freshened up version of the original. There are remixes by Chris "The Greek" Panaghi, Joe Gauthreaux, and William Umana. Chris "The Greek" keeps the piano heard in the main version, making it just a little more hi nrg-sounding (in the vein of that genre). Joe also maintains that piano in his mix, offering a mix much more underproduced than his usual, which works well here. William's mix is the only to deviate from that characteristic of the original. The circuity production does sound good, but is a tad simple to work with the vocals. Overall, the original, Chris "The Greek", and Joe's mixes are outstanding.

Purchase the CD single here (Perfect Beat)

Grade: A
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DJ Blaine and Barona - Lane McCray - Pump It

Best known for his rapping and occasional singing with successful Eurodance duo La Bouche during the 90's, Lane McCray is back, guesting on a brand new single. "Pump It" is a floorfilling circuit track with Lane's soulful vocals taking center stage. The remix package is quite extensive, with remixes by DJ Blaine and Peter Barona, Solar City, Edson Pride, Rafael M, William Umana, DJ Juanito, and Brian McCombs. DJ Blaine and Peter's mix (which is also the original version) is very hard and dark. Solar City's mix is synthy, but isn't as hard-hitting as his usual. Edson Pride's mix is harder, but stays really one-note at times and doesn't go very far. Rafael M's gets there a little faster with his synth-driven mix. William Umana's mix is synthy as well, but feels a bit underwhelming. DJ Juanito's is really minimal and sparse. Closing out the package is Brian McCombs with a funky electro/house mix with hints of disco. Coupled with Lane's vocals, this one works the best overall.

Purchase the CD single here (Perfect Beat)

Grade: A- (for the track)/B+ (for the remix package)/A (for the Brian McCombs mix)
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Erika Jayne - One Hot Pleasure

This is her much-awaited new single. It has received a rather warm response when she performed it during her tour over the summer. This song showcases the naughty side of Erika that we first saw with "Rollercoaster" years ago. Produced by Dave Aude, his electro/house production coupled with her breathy vocals make for a fun track. There are remixes by Ralphi Rosario and Sultan & Ned Shepard, so far. Ralphi's mixes are perfect for peakhour sets with the blinding synths and tribal beats. The dub is much more exciting with the few vocal samples sequenced with the buildups and breakdowns. The Sultan & Ned Shepard mixes are a bit more laidback with the chilled synths and lighter beats. These pack quite a punch too. Overall, all versions on this package are great. This is one hot floorfiller.

Grade: A
 
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