Rihanna - Diamonds

This is the new single of off her new album due this November. The song is produced by Stargate and written by Sia Furler ("Breathe Me", "The Girl You Lost To Cocaine", "Titanium", "Wild Ones"). This is not the Dance/Pop clubbanger many may have expected. It is a mature, atmospheric midtempo. The vocal delivery shows obvious signs of Sia's influence. Lyrically, the song is really simple, and somewhat repetitive, but it really comes together with Rihanna's stellar vocal. The production is very 80s, and almost calls to mind M83's "Midnight City."  The melody and phrasing of the chorus call to mind Lana Del Rey's "Born To Die." Overall, this is a very strong single.

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

Grade: A

The Scumfrog feat Sting - If I Ever Lose My Faith

Sting has been no stranger to clubland with a handful of remixes of his singles having been released over the years (most notably for "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", "Sister Moon", "Desert Rose", "Send Your Love", and "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing"). The Scumfrog's latest is a full vocal treatment of Sting's 1993 single. The light Electro House production fits the vocals very nicely. The vocal stretch however doesn't sound that great in some parts. Carl Cox, Beckers, and Kruse & Nuernberg have done the remixes. Carl Cox's mix is in a similar style as the original, however, it has very few vocals. The Beckers mix is a bit more minimal, however, it has most of the vocals. The repetitive synth which comes in about half way into the mix could be done without. The Kruse & Nuernberg mix ends up being the best of the bunch as a dark, soft Electro-House full vocal mix.

-Listen to previews of the mixes here (YouTube)
-Purchase the digital single here (Beatport)

Grade: A-

Meital De Razon and Asi Tal - Le Lo Le

This is the latest single from the Israeli Dance/Pop diva. She teams up with Asi Tal for this ethnically flavored track. It has elements of traditional Middle Eastern instruments mixed with current Electro Pop. Meital's vocals are hypnotic and soaring. The song is very catchy. There is a remix by Offer Nissim with Asi Tal which picks up the tempo, plays up the ethnic elements, and totally transforms the song for the clubs while retaining the original's essence. This remix improves upon the original making a great song into an excellent song.

-Watch the beautiful music video here (YouTube)
-Purchase the original version from Meital's store

Grade A

Priyanka Chopra feat will.i.am - In My City

The Indian actress and former beauty queen is all set to make her foray into music. She has demonstrated her singing abilities when she went on international performance tours. She teams up with RedOne and will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas on this uptempo song. It is a feelgood Dance/Pop song with some subtle Indian musical elements. Vocally, Priyanka sounds quite good. One could compare her to Nicole Scherzinger and Jennifer Lopez. will.i.am's brief section complements her vocals quite well. Overall, this is a great first single.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Gomi and Don Philip - It's A Good Thing (Remixes)

Don Philip was most notably an early duet partner of Britney Spears on her first album. After parting ways with the major label he was signed to, he released several albums independently. He auditioned on the 2nd season of X-Factor, however, it didn't go quite as planned.

"It's A Good Thing" was quietly released earlier this year. He teams up with longtime producer/programmer/DJ Gomi for this song. Don's vocals are quite good. Despite the simple lyrics, they are good. The uptempo song could easily be on Pop radio right now if were to be worked there. There are some club-oriented remixes by Gomi with Rasjek and Yasuo Yamada. The Gomi with Rasjek mix is more mainstream. It is just as suitable for radio as it is for the clubs. The Gomi with Yasuo Yamada one is harder. Overall, every version is great.

Purchase the digital single here:
-Original Amazon
-Gomi with Rasjek mixes Amazon | Beatport

-Gomi with Yasuo Yamada Amazon | Beatport

(these versions are available at nearly all digital music stores)

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

P!nk - Try

This is the second single from her upcoming album. It is a midtempo Rock power ballad with a massive chorus originally written by Busbee and Ben West, and produced by Greg Kurstin. This is the single many have been waiting for as P!nk really shines on it. The song sounds like something out of the 90s, but not in a dated way. The song has all the makings of becoming a modern classic and a huge hit.

Listen to the song here:


Grade: A

The Wanted - I Found You

This is the lead single off of their 3rd album due out early next year. As "Chasing The Sun" completed its run on radio, this one is all set to launch their next record. The song's production calls to mind their previous hit "Glad You Came" as it has an accordion type of instrumental hook. The guys show off their falsetto vocals on the chorus, something they have only done sparingly on their other songs. It's very Bee Gees.  Overall, this is a great song and should be another hit for them.

Clips of the song (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Alicia Keys - Girl On Fire

This is the latest single from the R&B chanteuse's new album. It's co-written by Alicia herself, Jeff Bhasker, Billy Squier, and Salaam Remi. Alicia delivers a really stellar vocal on this well-written song. Her vocals on the chorus are fantastic. There are multiple versions of the song to make it more suitable for airplay on different formats. The main version has a Pop/R&B type production. The beat calls to mind fun.'s "We Are Young." The Inferno mix has harder beats and features rapper Nicki Minaj delivering some guest verses. Her verses feel a little pedestrian, but they work. The Bluelight version is more suited for CHR/Pop and AC with the lighter production. Overall, this is an excellent song.

Listen to the versions on YouTube:
-Original buy it here
-Inferno Version buy it here
-Bluelight Version buy it here

Grade: A

Voyage - Voyage (Special Edition) and Fly Away (Special Edition)

The highly underrated French Disco group were active from 1978 until 1982. They are best known for the song "Souvenirs" which was a classic at the legendary Saint club in New York. Their first two albums have been re-released as special editions back in July via the Harmless label in the UK. All remastered quite nicely, both special editions contain the original album plus the instrumental versions from the Special Instrumental vinyl collections on the first disc. These instrumental versions have never ever been released on CD previously. The second disc includes additional 7", 12", and alternate versions. Most of the 7" versions have been very hard to get in one place like this. Overall, both of these special editions are very well done.

-Tracklisting for Voyage (Special Edition)
-Tracklisting for Fly Away (Special Edition)

Grade: A

Nicole Moudaber and Victor Calderone - The Journey Begins

They are two underground house DJs/producers who have collaborated on two new recordings released last week. "The Journey Begins" is a 12 and half minute largely instrumental track with and uplifting synthline, twisted filtering, and a hypnotic male vocal. It changes throughout. Although quite well-produced, it could be a bit shorter. "Vertical Limit" is over 11 minutes and is something suitable for play during afterhours. However, the track is extremely repetitive. It could work well with an acapella played over it though.

Purchase the digital single here (Beatport)

Grade: B+

Avicii vs Lenny Kravitz - Superlove

The original song was on his album released last year. The guitar-driven R&B/Pop/Rock track features a really lovely vocal by Lenny. The Avicii remix has gotten a lot more attention as this has been a fixture in his sets for some time now. The rocker's vocals are heavily manipulated and appear in the middle. The main riff sounds like it is based on Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation".

There are additional mixes by Carl Tio & Morjac, Andy Caldwell, Fred Falke, WAWA, Taped & Redtop, Stefan Dabruck, Teddy Douglas, Whatever Whatever, and Redtop. Carl Tio & Morjac's mix is much poppier than the original, however the tempo is almost the same. Teddy Douglas' mix is very hard and tribal. Redtop's solo mix is an extended version of the original.

-Watch the eye-catching music video for the Avicii remix here (YouTube)
-Buy the remixes here (iTunes)
-Buy the Avicii remix here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Exposé - Shine On

The Dance/Pop trio in its original hit configuration is back with their first new single in over 20 years! They released a new version of their big hit "Point Of No Return" last year. "Shine On" is a beautiful, uplifting track featuring the ladies' signature great vocals. The production is very simple and effective on the main Drew Pearson mix. There are remixes by DJ Amy Alderman, Chris Thomas, Klubjumpers, and Oliver Watts. DJ Amy Alderman's mix is really hard and dark, making it perfect for the circuit floors. The Chris Thomas mix is aptly named as the mix is very light and pretty. The Klubjumpers mix is good, however, it feels very basic in its construction. The Oliver Watts mix is the best of the bunch with its uplifting circuit-oriented production. The synthwork really complements the vocals nicely. Also included on the single are re-recorded versions of their hits "Come Go With Me", "Let Me Be The One", "Seasons Change", and "Point Of No Return."

Purchase the CD maxi single for "Shine On" directly from the group's website (a digital download release is expected to happen eventually)

Grade: A

Kristine W - Everything That I Got

This is the latest single from the veteran Dance diva. The song is sassy and festive, recalling some of her earlier songs such as "Clubland", however, it lacks the excitement of her earlier work. Vocally she sounds great though. Bimbo Jones, Stonebridge, Subgroover, and Twisted Dee provide the remixes this time around. Bimbo Jones' mixes are straight-forward mainstream ones. Stonebridge's organ-driven mixes are surprisingly hard-hitting. Subgroover's are string-driven with a hint of electro. Twisted Dee's mix is the most anthemic of the bunch. Overall, Twisted Dee and Stonebridge deliver the best mixes of the bunch. It must be noted that the club mix and dub versions are very short (the longest version on the package is 6:23).

-The digital single is available for purchase here (iTunes)
-The CD maxi is available for purchase from Kristine's website here (purchase includes a free download of a previously unreleased remix of "Shower The People" by Welcome)

Grade: B+

Justin Bieber feat Big Sean - As Long As You Love Me (Remixes)

This is the second single off of his Believe album. The dubstep influenced track marks a major change in the popstar's sound. This is far more infectious than the previous single "Boyfriend." Rapper Big Sean's appearance on the song is pretty good.

This is his second consecutive single to have a full package of remixes for the clubs. There are remixes by Paulo & Jackinsky, Ferry Corsten, Audien, and Audiobot. DJ Paulo & Alain Jackinsky's signature big room sound works very well with the song. Ferry Corsten's electro-house mix feels a tad too aggressive for such a light-hearted and fun song. The Audien and Audiobot mixes are in a dubstep style. Audien's mix is a bit more uplifting while Audiobot's is very dark and aggressive. Fans of the original wanting something similar to that will enjoy the latter two.

Watch the music video for the original version here (YouTube)

Grade: A-