Aiden Leslie - Nobody Said (The Remixes)

The Dance/Pop song's remix package was released yesterday. Aiden shows off his smooth falsetto along with some great harmonies on the catchy song. The remixes are by The All Nighters, Frank Lamboy, Georgie Porgie, Joe Gauthreaux, and Klubjumpers. The All Nighters deliver a mix that is electro house driven. Frank Lamboy's 80s Hi Nrg meets contemporary House mix is so pretty. Georgie Porgie and Joe Gauthreaux both deliver big room mixes, however, Georgie's is darker while Joe's is more peak hour. The Klubjumpers mix has a big room undertone but it's more mainstream. Overall, every mix is great, but Frank Lamboy's is the best of the bunch.

-Listen to clips and purchase the mixes here (iTunes)

Grade: A

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

Tony Moran feat Jennifer Holliday - Magic

This is the latest single culled from Tony Moran's Mix Magic Music compilation. Legendary singer Jennifer Holliday delivers a fiery vocal performance. Her voice is in excellent form. The main version produced by Tony Moran, Warren Rigg, and Dave Saronson is every bit the big room anthem one would expect from them.

Wayne G feat Melissa Totten - Beautiful Stranger

This is indeed a remake of the Madonna song from 1999. This remake began life as a private mix featuring the original vocals, however, professional Madonna impersonator Melissa Totten has recorded new vocals for it. She tries to remain faithful to Madonna's vocal performance, managing to capture some of the subtle nuances and affects of Madonna's voice. But nothing compares to the real thing. The big room production on Wayne G and Andy Allder's main mixes contains some replayed elements from the Victor Calderone club mix of the Madonna one. Joe Gauthreaux, Casey Alva, and James Torres provide additional remixes. Joe's mix is far less dramatic than his usual. Casey Alva's mixes are really synthy. And James Torres's are more dubby. Overall, the main mix is the best of the bunch. Please do check out the Victor Calderone mixes of the original if you haven't already.

The digital release will happen on November 8.

Listen to clips of the mixes:



Grade: B+

Matt Zarley - WTF

He is back with a new song about a relationship that went bad. The oft-used expletive makes appearances during the chorus only. The song's impact would be rather similar had another word been used instead. The Dance/Rock song is pretty catchy. The 'parental advisory' vocals appearing at the beginning and middle of the song seem really unnecessary. There are remixes by Cutmore, Mark Picchiotti, Wideboys, and Joe Gauthreaux. Cutmore's big room house mix captures the fun vibe of the original nicely. Mark Picchiotti's mixes are in a similar vein as the original. Going in a more electro direction, the Wideboys mix is good too. Joe Gauthreaux's dubby treatment has lots of fun vocal loops and stuff, but isn't quite as exciting as his usual. The Cutmore and Mark Picchiotti mixes are the best of the bunch.

Grade: B+

Charo - Sexy Sexy

The legendary performer is back with a feisty new single entitled "Sexy Sexy". Despite the jejune and lyrics, the song would be best enjoyed on a dancefloor. The straightforward original version is just average. The remixes by  Twisted Dee, Joe Gauthreaux, Barona and Hull vs Rafael M, and Peitor Angell give this song greater dancefloor appeal. All are circuit-oriented with Twisted Dee and Joe Gauthreaux providing the best ones of the bunch, however, all are pretty good. A minimal amount of vocals would make these mixes better.

Grade: B+

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