Talia Coles - See You Again

This is the latest single from the singer/songwriter. The Electro/Pop song is extremely catchy and club-ready. Talia's vocals are sexy and playful. The remixes by Razor N Guido are really hot. They transformed the already danceable song into an even bigger floorfiller. Talia's vocals sound even better with the new production. The Duhb loses most of the vocals but is a hard, thrilling mix.

Listen to the original here (MySpace)

Grade: A-

One Too Many At Midnight starring Joey McIntyre

This is a heads up for fans of NKOTB singer Joey McIntyre and singer/songwriter/producer Emanuel Kiriakou who will be in Las Vegas during the month of February. They will be performing together for a limited engagement every Saturday evening at the Palms.

-Get tickets here (Ticketmaster)
-View a video of Joey and Emanuel talking about what fans can expect at the show here (YouTube)

Oh Land - Sun Of A Gun

This is the Danish singer's latest single. Her vocal style is really unusual and hard to describe. She sounds cute yet mysterious. The original is a genius blend of chilled electro/pop with a hint of swing. There are remixes of this by Yuksek, Savage Skulls, and Jonathan Peters. Yuksek toughens things up losing most of the chill aspect. Savage Skulls do the same, however, this one is a lot more energetic. Jonathan Peters delivers a stunning set of mixes. They are chilled yet hard-hitting. The vocals float beautifully over the layered production. Overall, the entire package is excellent.

-Watch the music video here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Yuksek mix here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Savage Skulls mix here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Jonathan Peters edit here (SoundCloud)

Grade: A+

Nick Harvey Presents Halo - Pure Love (Remixes)

The highly anticipated remix package for "Pure Love" has been released today! Vibelicious, Aulden Brown, Audio Assembly, Matt Moss, Taz, and Brent Hensley provide the remixes this time around. Vibelicious provide a chilled, yet danceable mix. Aulden Brown's minimal electro/house mix is good. Audio Assembly's interpretation is drummy and driving. Their mix best utilizes the vocals. Matt Moss's circuit-oriented treatment is energetic as well. Taz's mix is a tribal dub using only some of the vocal. The real action kicks in during the second half. Brent Hensley's mix is tribal as well. His mix calls to mind some of Hex Hector's darker mixes from the earlier part of the 2000's. Closing out the package are two dubs by Nick Harvey and Audio Assembly. Nick Harvey's dub is a minimal, percussive piece suitable for afterhours. This one would also work well when layered with the break of a synthy track. The Audio Assembly dub is largely based on the vocal version, but is a bit more underground sounding. Overall, every mix on this package is really good.

Purchase the digital single here (Juno)

Grade: A

Tiffany Evans - I'll Be There

This is the lead single off of her upcoming second album. In its original version, it is an uplifting, powerful song. Tiffany delivers a superb vocal performance on this one. The midtempo ballad is transformed for the dancefloor by remixers DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio, Karmatronic, and Wawa. Escape and Coluccio turn the song into a melodic big room anthem. Despite the hard nature of the production, the integrity of the song is maintained. Karmatronic's mix is tribal as well, but not as dark. Wawa's is milder, on the funkier house side. Overall, all versions of the song are excellent, in addition to the original.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A+

Tino Coury - Up Against The Wall

Following up his debut single "Diary" is his new one "Up Against The Wall." The Electro/Dance/Pop song is much catchier and better showcases Tino's vocals. He is much more in his element with a song like this. The production is gritty and energetic. The remix by Jump Smokers adds some additional rap, plus a grimier Electro sound. The original is the better version though.

-Listen to the original (YouTube)
-Listen to the Jump Smokers remix (YouTube)

Buy the original here (Amazon)

Grade: A-

Britney Spears - Hold It Against Me

This is the highly anticipated lead single off of her new album due in the Spring. Produced by Max Martin and Dr. Luke, "Hold It Against Me" is an Electro/Pop club-banger with just a hint of Dubstep. The lyrics are insanely catchy and are classic Britney. Her vocals are cute and flirty. These sound a lot less processed than the ones on her last couple of albums. The bridge is where the Dubstep production comes in. Overall, this is a great start to her new album era.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Annie Lennox - Universal Child (Remixes)

This special song was recently included on Annie's Holiday album A Cornucopia Christmas. Originally a ballad, the song has been remixed for the dancefloor by Bellatrax. It's an uplifting electro/house mix. The production is simply beautiful. Although this song may seem like an unlikely candidate for the remix treatment, it works very well.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Bellatrax remix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Erykah Badu - Honey (Ron Trent remixes)

Although "Honey" was the lead single off of her 2008 album Nu Amerykah Part One (4th World War), the Ron Trent mixes were only released last month. Ron transformed the R&B song into a laidback, festive Disco/House gem. Erykah's warm vocals sound great with a club-oriented production such as this one under them. Ron's production is simply brilliant.

Purchase the remixes here (Amazon) and here (Juno)

Listen to the radio edit of Ron's mix:
Erykah Badu - Honey (Ron Trent's Radio Mix) by [mike-spinline]

Grade: A+

Tony Moran featuring Michelle Weeks - La Musica

This is the second of two new releases from Tony Moran rounding out 2010. "La Musica" is a new version of an instrumental track called "La Muzika" that he first featured on his The Event compilation a couple of years ago. It is an updated version of the track featuring Michelle Weeks and Trey Lorenz on vocals. The vocals are hypnotic and powerful. The main mix is a gorgeous big room stormer, as is the alternate mix with Dave Saronson. There are additional mixes by Edson Pride and Alexander & Mark VDH. Edson Pride's mixes have thicker, stackier riffs. Alexander & Mark VDH's mix is a tad milder. However, all versions pack quite a punch.

Purchase the digital single here (Masterbeat)

Grade: A

Tony Moran and the Party Starters - Jump MF (Motha Fucka)

This is the first of two new releases from Tony Moran rounding out 2010. "Jump MF (Motha Fucka)" is an energetic tribal track with minimal vocals. The main version is pretty straightforward with semi-filtered vocals. The Alex Cohen mix is even harder and synthier. The vocals are a bit clearer and louder. Overall, both versions are very hot.

Purchase the digital single here (Masterbeat)

Grade: A

Usher - More

Originally "More" was a bonus track on his Raymond v. Raymond album. It has been remixed by RedOne (who also produced it) for the single release. The original version is more in line with Usher's usual uptempos, calling to mind songs like "Yeah!". However, the new RedOne remix is much more club-oriented. It considerably improves upon the original. Usher's recent singles have been much more Electronic, riding the recent wave of such singles flooding the airwaves. In this particular instance, such a production works extremely well.

Listen to the RedOne remix here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Sam Sparro - Pink Cloud

This is a song reportedly to be a preview of his sophomore record due next year, tentatively titled Return To Paradise. The mostly instrumental song is in the style of early 90's House music. It immediately calls to mind the work of legends including Steve "Silk" Hurley, Shep Pettibone, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, and Masters At Work. It is definitely an interesting track overall, but Sam's usually soulful vocals are sorely missed. Only a handful of vocals and spoken parts are peppered throughout the track.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Enrique Iglesias feat Ludacris - Tonight

This is the latest single from his album Euphoria (the French edition). Produced by DJ Frank E, this song is Electro/Pop-oriented. This song comes in two versions, one is the clean one, entitled "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)", and the other is the explicit one, entitled "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)". Compared to his earlier material, this one is much racier, but it is meant to be in a fun sort of way. One would think that it is explicit because of rapper Ludacris' verse, but that's not the case. Overall, the song is pretty danceable and fun. There is a remix of this by Dresden & Johnston. It is in a similar style as the original. Think of it as an alternate take on the original.

Purchase the clean and explicit versions (Amazon)

Grade: B+

Offer Nissim - Love Child

Yes, this is a remake of the classic by Diana Ross & The Supremes. Offer features a trio of vocalists on this including Maya Simantov, Meital De Razon, and Maya Buskila. The concept of doing a remake of this was nice in principle, but in practice is just so-so. Only a small portion of the lyrics are used (just the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus). The vocals are decent, but all three singers are usually quite great, and consistently deliver, just not here. The production is not that different from his usual. Only the strings from the original are recreated here. The studio version lacks the passion and vocal power that was present during this live performance (YouTube) back in October.

Grade: B