October 26, 2012

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York feat Jennifer Paige - Lost Under The Sun

This is a collaboration between trance duo York (known for the classics "The Awakening", "On The Beach", and more) and singer-songwriter Jennifer Paige ("Crush", "Always You"). "Lost Under The Sun" is actually a remix of Jennifer's own song "Bloom" released on one of her albums from 2008. Jennifer's voice is perfect for a mellow electro house with a hint of trance song like this. The original light pop/rock with a hint of electronic influence is great on its own, but this new version takes it up a notch. Those who enjoy this new one might want to check out the original too.

-Listen to the song here (YouTube)
-Buy the song here (iTunes)

Grade: A
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Paul Van Dyk feat Plumb - I Don't Deserve You

The German trancemaster has teamed up with Christian artist Plumb for this new single. The emotionally charged song is absolutely gorgeous with Plumb's stunning vocals and the electro-house/trance production. There are additional mixes by Seven Lions, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Jerome Isma-Ae, Lucky Charmes & Tony Verdult, and Maor Levi & Bluestone. With the exception of the Giuseppe Ottaviani mix, all the other ones are variations of hard electro house with a trance undercurrent. Giuseppe Ottaviani's big room trance mix is the best of the bunch. It is styled in the way much of Paul's early 2000s mixes were. The uplifting production complements the vocals perfectly.

Purchase the digital single here (iTunes)

Grade: A
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Wayne G feat Alison Jiear - I Just Wanna Dance 2012 (U.S. Mixes)

This is the part 2 update of the cult classic. The first release happened earlier this month. Rosabel, Manny Lehman, Joe Gauthreaux, James Torres & LFB, and Griffin White & Aaron Christopher provide the additional mixes. All of the versions are big room-oriented.

Rosabel (the production duo of Ralphi Rosario and Abel Aguilera) deliver a hard and dark dub centering around some adlibs, vocalizations, and spoken parts. They have a knack for producing some really fierce dubs and this one is no different. Manny Lehman's mix is very tribal and energetic. He also incorporates the slow section from the original. Joe Gauthreaux's mix is dark as well with a massive synth running through it. James Torres & LFB's mix is minimal and would work as a great segue between electrohouse and tribal songs. Griffin White & Aaron Christopher's mix is quite dark as well. Overall, the Rosabel and Manny Lehman mixes are the best of the bunch even though all the mixes are quite enjoyable.

Purchase the digital single here (iTunes)

Grade: A

October 20, 2012

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Jennifer Holliday - People Come Together

This is the ferocious dub version of "Magic" released last year. It centers around the adlibs, high notes and the title's vocal loops, and a little bit of the chorus. The production is much harder and darker. It is perfect for peak hour and as a teaser to the vocal mix of the song. An acapella version is included on the single for layering and your own productions. This is an exciting release!

Purchase the single here (Amazon)

Grade: A
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Diva Convention - Heartbeat

Taken from the Unloaded Singles Vol. 1, this song is this decade's "Movin' Up" which seems to be a perennial favorite revisited and played regularly. This song is produced by Tony Moran, Warren Rigg, and Giuseppe D, and is filled with an attitude of positivity and energy. All of the versions on the single are based on the original main version. The radio edit and mixshow versions keep just the essential sections. The anthem version is easily the best one. The ending with the actual heartbeat sounds is so perfect.

Purchase the digital single here (Amazon)

Grade: A
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Paul Lekakis - Meet Me On The Dancefloor

The 80s Dance/Pop singer is back with a new club release with remixes by Solar City, Manny Lehman, Scotty K, and George Figares. The Solar City mixes are club-oriented electropop. Manny Lehman's 'radio' mix is a nice big room one. The heavily autotuned vocals work best on this one. They work on the regular Manny Lehman mix too, but the 'radio' one just feels more tailor-made for the clubs. Scotty K's circuit-oriented mix has a lot of energy and utilizes the vocals well.

Purchase the release here (Amazon)

Grade: B+

October 13, 2012

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Kelly Clarkson - Catch My Breath

The first ever American Idol winner is all set to release her first greatest hits album covering the first 10 years of her career. "Catch My Breath" is one of several new songs that will be join her earlier hit singles. It is catchy Pop/Rock uptempo with a hint of 80s synthpop. The song sounds like a classic already. Vocally this is really good. The lyrics capture where Kelly might be at this stage of her career or in general. Overall, this is a great song.

Listen to it here (YouTube)

Grade: A-
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Tony Moran - Sugarhouse Divas

Weeks after releasing a collection of songs from his recent podcast comes another one dedicated to showcasing a number of the dancefloor divas he has worked with recently and in the past. Nearly all the songs are radio edits with just a couple being mixshow length. Several new tracks including "Shine On 2012", "I Give In", "Heartbeat", "Alegria Anthem", and "Over The Rainbow" accompany the older and classic songs. "Shine On 2012" features original vocalist Cindy Mizelle. The new version is an uplifting circuit anthem. "I Give In" is another vocal anthem that had remained unreleased for at least a couple of years. The hard production calls to mind the earlier track "Rock Into Your Soul" which featured Lisa Lisa. The rousing "Heartbeat" appeared on the last collection, however this is a mixshow edit. "Alegria Anthem" is the hands-in-the-air track generally for the Alegria parties. "Over The Rainbow" is indeed a partial remake of the Judy Garland song. It is produced in the style of Tony's early 2000s mixes. Overall, this is a solid collection.

Tracklisting:

# Title Artists
  1. Shine On Tony Moran, Cindy Mizelle
  2. If I Was Your Boyfriend Tony Moran, Anastacia
  3. Live You All Over Tony Moran, Deborah Cooper
  4. Walk Away Tony Moran, Kristine W
  5. You Are Tony Moran, Frenchie Davis
  6. Rising Tony Moran, Elizabeth Withers
  7. Freedom Tony Moran, Nicki Richards
  8. Keep Your Body Workin' Tony Moran, Martha Wash
  9. I Give In Tony Moran, Orion
10. La Musica Tony Moran, Michelle Weeks, Trey Lorenz
11. Destination Tony Moran, Ultra Naté
12. Heartbeat Tony Moran, Diva Convention
13. Tenderness Tony Moran, Deborah Cox
14. Sensation Tony Moran, Orion
15. Alegria Anthem Tony Moran, Zhana Saunders
16. Get Down Tony Moran, Katherine Russell
17. Over the Rainbow Tony Moran, Lilias White, Nicki Richards

Listen to clips and buy the release here (iTunes)

Grade: A

October 4, 2012

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Adele - Skyfall

The much-awaited song from the new 007 James Bond movie is here! Hot off of the hit streak with her 21 album, Adele is back for a bit with this. The song showcases a more subdued vocal performance. It is quite dark and dramatic. The big room orchestral arrangement is a perfect match for Adele's soaring vocals. The song is up there with some of the best Bond film songs such as "Diamonds Are Forever", "For Your Eyes Only", and "Goldeneye."

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A+
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Wayne G feat Alison Jiear - I Just Wanna Dance 2012

Taken from the stage show Jerry SpringerL The Opera, the song "I Just Wanna Dance" was remixed in the mid 2000s by Wayne G and the Sharp Boys and became an underground club classic. It has been given an update for 2012 by Wayne G with Andy Allder and Jon M, plus Pagano with all new vocals by the big voiced Alison Jiear. Wayne and Andy's mix is a modernized version of the original mix Wayne did previously. The slow section which begins the original song is kept in this version building to a nice drama moment. Wayne and Jon's mix is a bit darker. Pagano's largely instrumental dub uses many loops and samples of the more profane lyrics of the song. This works as a fun tease to some of the  other vocal mixes. Overall, Wayne and Andy's main mix is the best of the bunch. An additional package of mixes is expected later on.

Listen to clips and purchase here (iTunes)

Grade: A-
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Sandra - Infinite Kiss

This is the second single from the German singer's new Stay In Touch album which will be released on October 26. Just as with the previous single "Maybe Tonight", this one is a throwback to her 80s Hi Nrg/Italo Dance brand of Pop music. This one calls to mind her classics "Heaven Can Wait" and "Secret Land". Blank & Jones are on production duties again along with Jens Gad and Hubert Kah on songwriting. Overall, this is a nice song. Fans of her earlier work should definitely check this out.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-
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Chris Rene - Rockin' With You

The X-Factor alum's latest single from his I'm Right Here EP is called "Rockin' With You." The 90s sounding R&B/Pop song calls to mind some of Maroon 5's recent singles, which is a good thing. The song's melody resembles Eternal's UK hit "Angel Of Mine" (which R&B songstress diva Monica later covered). Whether intentional or not, it works quite well. Chris displays his strongest vocal performance to date. Each single released so far has been better than the previous one, and this is no exception.

Purchase the EP on iTunes here

Grade: A
 
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