Deborah Cox - Kinda Miss You

This is the lead single from the R&B and Dance diva's new album Work Of Art due later this year. It is a lovely fusion of all the styles Deborah has showcased in the past. It has the soulfulness of her R&B work with the accessibility of her club-oriented material. It begins with a "Rumour Has It" style marching band beat before a short dropout change into a "Latch" style beat that continues after that. Deborah sounds fantastic. It's a cute and catchy song that is just waiting to crossover. This will lend itself well to club remixes.

Listen to the original here:


Purchase the song on iTunes here

Grade: A

MYNC and Mario Fischetti feat Deborah Cox - Everywhere

This is an exciting new collaboration involving producers MYNC and Mario Fischetti and singer Deborah Cox. "Everywhere" is an uplifting big room vocal track with potential to be huge in the clubs and on radio. The song's composition calls to mind Rihanna's hit "We Found Love", however, this goes above and beyond.

-Listen to a radio rip of the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Finbarr Massi & Dan DeLeon Presents Breathwaite feat. Deborah Cox - Show You (Tony Moran Event Mix)

This special private mashup mix was produced by Tony Moran for his 2007 magnum opus The Event. It was combination of elements of Finbarr Massi & Dan DeLeon's track "Show You" and some unused ad libs from Deborah Cox's "House Is Not A Home" which she had recorded new vocals for the club mixes in 2005, and of course some additional production. Additional ad libs from those recording sessions were used on the Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Destroy U Mix of that song. This mashup was one of many highlights on The Event and it had remained unreleased as an umixed track until a couple of weeks back when it was included on a special compilation called Flaunt by Dan DeLeon.

-Listen to a clip and purchase the remix here (Beatport)

Grade: A

Deborah Cox feat Paige - Higher (Remixes)

Nearly 7 months after the original versions were released, some new remixes were released today. Carlos Melange, Chris Staropoli (aka That Kid Chris), Dave Rose & Dimitri Tee, DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio, and Paige provide the new mixes. The Carlos Melange mix is a big room Electro/House style that is rather noisy, focusing on lots of buildups and breakdowns. Chris Staropoli's Moroder-esque tribal mix has a subtle 80s feel. Dave Rose & Dimitri Tee's piano-based Electro mix is uplifting and mainstream. DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio's hard mixes are the strongest of the package, utilizing all of the fantastic vocals. They give the song everything it needs to be an anthem. Both the vocal and dub mixes are well done. Rounding out the package is Paige's own new 'Resurrection' mix which is a much harder, synthier take on the original version.

-Listen to clips and purchase here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Tony Moran's Sand Blast Weekend Podcast

Podcasts are generally not featured here, but this one featured some exclusives that were really worth mentioning. Tony Moran's podcast series regularly includes some classics and unreleased gems from the vault (like the Cher and Donna Summer mixes on prior podcasts).

The latest one includes Tony's rework of The Saint classic "Souvenirs" by Voyage which features Michelle Weeks on vocals which uses just some of the main riffs from the bridge and Michelle singing the vocals. It's a nice update to a song which hasn't really seen any mixes of this sort.

The new song "Where The Sky Meets The Sea" with vocals by Orion is amazing as well. The lyrics are so beautiful.

The main attraction of this podcast is the Tony Moran & Orlanda Fussalva mix of Deborah Cox's "A New Life." This is from the Jekyl & Hyde show Deborah is currently playing the lead in. Deborah is stunning vocally and the production is amazing. This is expected to be released soon.

Also included is the Gustavo Scorpio mix of the top 10 hit "Heartbeat" which features Deborah Cooper and several private mashups and re-edits of some other current Pop Top 40 songs.

Listen to and download the podcast here:

Deborah Cox feat Paige - Higher

This is R&B/Dance diva Deborah Cox's latest single produced by Paige. It starts off slow and builds to a soaring chorus. The dreamy, swirling synths throughout the track are gorgeous. Deborah's vocals are beautiful as can be expected. There are verses and choruses so this isn't a vocal dub with vocals sandwiched between two long instrumental sections. Only a radio edit and club mix are available so far. Additional remixes may be forthcoming, though this one is hard-hitting and suitable for a variey of dancefloors, and should be topping the charts very soon.

Listen to clips of the song and buy here:



Grade: A

Jim Heinz Mixes Now Streaming!

This is a special posting announcing that a number of the mixes Jim Heinz produced with Jonathan Peters from the late 90s up until about a couple of years ago are now being streamed as a part of the Melodic House Renaissance project. Jim was known for his work on the harder, darker mixes often bearing the Sound Factory Mix or Dub name. He has also done a number of solo mixes.

Several of the famous mixes he worked on include Amber's "Above The Clouds" (the Velvet mix), Aubrey's "Angel" (a solo mix), Donna Summer's "The Power Of One" (the Sound Factory mixes), Karissa Noel's "Corrupt", Luz Divina's "In Your Eyes", SaFire's "Exotique" (a solo mix), and Whitney Houston & Deborah Cox's "Same Script, Different Cast" (the dub).

The playlist in which all the mixes are:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgQAQxV07PGnubqgOhLKNaCoo_byTtc0t

Nearly all of the remixes are unreleased and previously unavailable. Some of the highlights include remixes of Alicia Keys, Gloria Gaynor, Kanye West, Kelis, Luz Divina, Roxette, Sash!, Whitney Houston, and many, many more.

-Jim Heinz's Facebook Fan Page is available here for the latest updates and other information.

Deborah Cox and George Vector - Remember Me

After having tackled classics by Dinah Washington on her Destination Moon album several years back, Deborah has done a partial remake of Marlena Shaw's soulful "Woman Of The Ghetto." Some select samples from the live version of that song formed the basis for Blue Boy's 1997 club hit "Remember Me." The "Remember me? I'm the one who had your babies!" and "Ging g-geng..." vocals that were in that one form the basis of the chorus and bridge, respectively on this new song. As she always does, Deborah is in fine form vocally. The Eurohouse production fits the song fine, however, it would have worked better as a soulful House one.

Listen to the song here (Perez Hilton)

Grade: A-

Tony Moran - Unloaded The Singles Vol 1

This is a new collection of remixes and vocal tracks targeted towards DJs and fans of circuit style music. A number of these tracks were showcased in Tony's podcast last month, and now they are available to purchase. All the tracks are full length and these versions are brand new.

3 mixes of the Anastacia track "If I Was Your Boyfriend" are included by Mauro Mozart, Jeff Valle, and Jose Spinnin. All are big room stompers with the Jeff Valle one being the best of the bunch.

Next are two tracks featuring Inda Matrix (a.k.a. Zhana Saunders) on vocals. Her Inda Matrix alias was prominently used in her early 2000s work with Dynamix on "Love Dominates (No Man Can Tame Me)" and "Bodyfly." The song "Let My Mind Play On" could almost fit in with the Dance/Pop music on top 40 radio right now. It's very mainstream. The other one "You Are The Source Of My Energy" could almost be thought of as a part 2 to the Tony and Ultra Naté song "Destination." The vocals on both are wonderful.

"People Come Together" with legendary, big voiced diva Jennifer Holliday is actually a hard-hitting vocal dub of last year's "Magic." The production is much harder and more suited for peakhour. The ad libs and high notes from the main version are utilized to great effect.

Orion's "Sensation" appears in a Mauro Mozart mix. This is a nice alternative to the original version.

A new mix of the Deborah Cox song "Tenderness" by DJ Head is another nice alternative to the La Cha Cha mix from the unmixed Mix Magic Music compilation. The removal of most of the backing vocals makes it sound different.

Last but not least is Diva Convention's "Heartbeat". It is a scorching hot, ass-shaking track. It is one of the many highlights of this collection.

Overall, every single track is really great, however, "Heartbeat", "People Come Together", "You Are The Source Of My Energy", and "Let My Mind Play On" are the highlights. This is a very strong collection.

Purchase in MP3 and WAV formats at JunoDownload here, and listen to previews of all the songs:



Grade: A

Tony Moran - The Event Unmixed Total Collection 2012

The double disc compilation containing mostly brand new material was originally released in 2007 along with a modified digital edition the following year. This special unmixed edition includes 41 tracks comprised of full length versions of most of the songs that appeared on both compilations plus some alternate versions, radio edits, dubs, and some previously unreleased tracks.

Some of the highlights include the alternate mix of Kristine W's "Walk Away" that is far more hard-hitting and anthemic than the well-known original version. The full length version and alternate mixes of Nicki Richards' "Freedom" are lovely as well. The previously unavailable 10 minute Altar mix of "La Fiesta (Relive Your Kiss)" featuring vocals by Kara Dioguardi is a floorburner. The original version of that song appeared on one of Tony's compilations over a decade ago.

Overall, this is an excellent collection at a great price.

Purchase it at Amazon | iTunes

Grade: A

Tony Moran presents Mix Magic Music Unmixed

Nearly 6 months after the release of his highly anticipated mixed compilation album comes the Unmixed edition featuring full length unmixed, and uncut versions of the songs featured on the compilation, along with some additional radio edits and alternate versions.

Deborah Cox - If It Wasn't For Love (Remixes)

First performed and premiered in late July, the new single from Deborah Cox will hit the clubs real soon.

Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda feat. Deborah Cox- If It Wasn't For Love

Deborah unveiled this new song during several of her Pride performances this year. It was premiered on radio station B96 earlier in the month. It is a club-oriented track featuring Deborah's amazing vocals. Although she has been a little more restrained on recent releases, this one is far more anthemic. The trancey synths as part of the electro/house production are so uplifting and the hard electro buildups are insane.

Listen to the preview here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Tony Moran - Mix Magic Music

Nearly 2 years in the making, Tony's new album has finally been released. Continuously mixed by Tony himself, some of the featured vocalists include Deborah Cox, Jennifer Holliday Nicki Richards, Zhana Saunders, Frenchie Davis, Judy Torres, Ultra Nate, Trey Lorenz, some other newcomers and even Tony himself. Every track is top-notch. There is absolutely no filler. Some of the highlights include "Tenderness", "Magic", "Need Somebody", "Fly High", and "Spend My Lifetime Loving You." The latter is a cover of the song originally recorded by Tina Arena and Marc Anthony for the Zorro soundtrack. Most of the songs are around 4 minutes long with just a handful of them being much longer. Hopefully a special digital edition with longer versions will be released later on. Overall, this is one of the best mixed compilations of original material released this year.

Tracklisting:
01. Rolls Like a Superstar (featuring Sugar House Crew and Nicki Richards)
02. Fly High (featuring Judy Torres and Zhana Saunders)
03. Silly Love (featuring Angelica)
04. Magic (featuring Jennifer Holliday)
05. Blow the Top Off (featuring Sugarhouse Crew and Giuseppe D)
06. Destination (DJ Erry Remix) (featuring Ultra Nate)
07. If The World Could Be Mine (featuring Robert Aron and Soul Slip)
08. Need Somebody (featuring Nicki Richards and Trey Lorenz)
09. You Are (Ralphi Rosario Mix) (featuring Frenchie Davis)
10. Viva La Vida
11. Sensation (featuring Orion)
12. Can I Love You More (featuring Trey Lorenz)
13. La Tortuga (featuring Sugarhouse Crew)
14. Giving It Up To You
15. Spend My Lifetime Loving You (featuring Judy Torres and Tony Moran)
16. It Doesn't Get Any Better (featuring Diva Convention)
17. Tenderness (featuring Deborah Cox)

-Purchase the album here (iTunes)
-Masterbeat has it as well

Grade: A+

Axwell, Ingrosso, Angello, Laidback Luke feat. Deborah Cox - Leave The World Behind

There had been considerable buzz surrounding this track ever since it was first discussed a couple months back. A short, live recording of it had leaked on YouTube, but those not in the know didn't know that they could get a taste of this once-in-a-lifetime collaboration. Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Steve Angello and Laidback Luke have been a major force in European Dance music and Deborah Cox has been huge here in the U.S. Dance clubs. What happens when these two forces unite? Something truly major.

The production on the track is quite interesting. It's a little Electro, kinda afterhours-ish, but it's also a little filtered. Deborah's familiar vocals come in about halfway into the main mix after a nice steady buildup. She sounds wonderful.

There's only one version of this so far. That's all it may really need. The way the track is done, it could fit into a variety of sets. This will be huge on both sides of the Atlantic.

This track is available for purchase as an exclusive through Beatport right now. Search for the artist Laidback Luke and it will take you to this track.

Grade: A

Deborah Cox - Did You Ever Love Me

After releasing an album of Dinah Washington songs last year, she is back with a new single. This is the first single off of her upcoming R&B album, The Promise, her first since her departure from Arista/J Records. The album is set to be released in November.

"Did You Ever Love Me" is a simple, downtempo song in which Deborah is asking her man if he had actually ever loved her. She builds and builds in each verse up to the bridge where she really lets loose.

While the vocals are on point, as is the production, the song does not feel like a lead single. It could work better as a second or third single. Only promoted to Urban Adult Contemporary stations, it is possible that an uptempo remix might be promoted to other formats, or there might be a different single.

While not as strong as expected, it is still quite good.

Grade: B+