Tino Coury - Diary

"Diary" is the debut single from singer-songwriter Tino Coury. He sings about looking through his girlfriend's diary. It's not as sleazy and tacky as it sounds. It's somewhat cute. It's a bit cliché lyrically, but it's fine. Tino's vocals are pretty good though. This is a decent choice for introducing him to the music-buying public. It's an uptempo pop track with an electro undercurrent. There are remixes by Roger Sanchez and Groove Police. Roger's mixes have that electro/house sound he has been doing for the last couple of years now. The song doesn't really fit his production. Groove Police's mixes are more in line with the original and work better.

Watch the video here (YouTube)

The digital single will be released on May 4.

Grade: B+

Dangerous Muse - I Want It All

This is their highly anticipated new single. It's electro/dance/pop track. Their underlying rock sound can be found on this song too. The vocals are pretty good. There are remixes by Tracy Young, Jake Shananhan & E-Marce, DJ D-Major & Lindsay Luv, Apres Garde, and Ian Nieman. Tracy's is a nice, laidback big room mix. Not as hard as her usual, but still good. Jake & E-Marce's feels like a souped up version of the original. DJ D-Major & Lindsay Luv and Apres Garde's are both electro/house-oriented. Ian Nieman's is circuit oriented with a nice hint of electro. The whole package is really good. Tracy and Ian's are the standouts.

Buy the original here (Juno)
Buy the remixes here (Juno)
Watch the music video here (YouTube)



Grade: A

Kelly Rowland - Commander

After her collaboration with David Guetta which resulted in a huge worldwide hit, her new single "Commander" is also produced by him. She performed this song to a warm response at this year's Winter Music Conference. Ms. Rowland previously recorded mostly in the R&B and Hip Hop styles but has had remixes for some of her singles. The Dance/Electronic sound really suits her well. Her vocals are exquisite on this. The lyrics are great as well. The production is hot and dancefloor ready. This is sure to be a smash as well and is a great preview to her upcoming third studio album.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Annie Lennox - Universal Child

After some time away from recording, she is back with a new song. Performed during the 2010 edition of  American Idol Gives Back, "Universal Child" is a beautiful ballad sung the way only Annie Lennox could. She sounds fantastic on this. That haunting, ethereal quality that has made her voice loved by so many has changed very little during her impressive career. This one is a must-listen.

The digital single will be released later on and a link to purchase it will be added.

Grade: A+

Katie Melua - The Flood

This is the lead single off of her upcoming 4th album. Produced by William Orbit (best known for his fantastic work on Madonna's Ray Of Light album), this song bears only a fleeting similarity to his work of the past. "The Flood" is absolutely gorgeous. It's a perfect mixture of ambient electronica and pop/rock. Katie's vocals are wonderful as well. The music video is really stunning as well.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Lady Gaga - Alejandro

This is the 3rd single off of her The Fame Monster EP. "Alejandro" has been a fan favorite ever since the demo version leaked a few weeks prior to the release of the EP. The song is a cute throwback to the Eurodance and Reggae-Pop sounds of Ace Of Base during the early 90's. The song bears a striking resemblance to several Ace Of Base songs including "Don't Turn Around", "Happy Nation", "Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry." This song isn't a rip off of those songs. It could be thought of as a homage. This one is really simple in terms of the lyrics and the vocals are good. The song is very catchy though. The version on the EP is significantly different from the original demo which was much harder and had a different vocal take. The new version feels slightly watered down in comparison to that, however, the album version is good.

Grade: A

An important note from the author

Dear readers,

I must apologize for the lack of new posts and reviews on here. I have been unusually busy this month with school and things happening in my personal life. I will continue to post as I have in the past, but it may be with greater gaps in between.

I want to thank you all for your continued readership and support.

Reina - Just Let Go

It has been nearly 2 years since she has last released a single. Her much awaited new single "Just Let Go" will be released on April 13. Vocally, she sounds just as fresh as she did on "Find Another Woman" nearly a decade ago. The lyrics are really nice too. Paul Wonder's main mix is funky house-oriented. His Alarm mix is a bit harder and more peak hour. Jupiter Ace's mix is in a similar vein but is a lot synthier. All versions are quite good.

The single will be digitally released via iTunes on April 13.

Grade: A

Kimberley Locke - StrobeLight

The former American Idol contestant is back with a new single! Produced by Cutfather & Paparazzi, the song is a fun throwback to the disco era. This could easily pass as something from that time period with the lush strings and infectious bassline. Kimberley's vocals are great. Regardless of the genre, she always delivers, and this is no different. Additional remixes are to be released in the coming weeks.

Purchase the original here (iTunes)


Grade: A

Kimberly Davis - Get Up

This is the first club-oriented single from Kimberly Davis. "Get Up" is a rousing club anthem that urges clubbers to get to the dancefloor. Kimberly's vocal performance is top-notch. The first package of mixes featured an outstanding big room mix by Oxford Hustlers. Bobby Rios, DJ Payback, and JMBW & Joel Dickinson provide the mixes on this part 2. Bobby Rios' has the feel of a eurodance/circuit track. DJ Payback's is a bass-driven mix with old school rave elements. JMBW & Joel Dickinson's are circuit/tribal-oriented. Their mixes are a little lighter than their usual, but they are still quite hard-hitting. Their Riff Dub has some fun old school references (Jonah's "Ssst...Be Quiet" and Ke's "Strange World" immediately come to mind). That can be thought of as an almost entirely new track. JMBW & Joel's mixes are the ones to play from this new package.

Both the part 1 and part 2 remix packages can be purchased at Masterbeat.

Grade: A