Taylor Dayne - Facing A Miracle (New mixes)

First reviewed on September 28, 2010
There are even more mixes for this year's theme for the Gay Games! Additional mixes were done by LA Rush, Joe Marton, and Kinky Roland. LA Rush's mixes are done in a lush disco, funky house style. Joe Marton's mixes are circuit-oriented. These excel in the area that SoundFactory's mixes didn't in that they are anthemic without being overpowering and overproduced. Kinky Roland's mixes are in a similar style, but a little subdued. Overall, these additional mixes are quite good too.

Purchase the mixes at AmazonMP3:
-LA Rush
-Joe Marton
-Kinky Roland

Grade: A

Nelly Furtado - Night Is Young

This is a new song off of her upcoming greatest hits album. The song is a dance/pop track in its original form. The production is somewhat dated sounding. Vocally, Nelly is on point. But it just doesn't work that well in its original version. However, there is a remix for this by Lenny Bertoldo. His Sylvane mix takes some of the edge off and lets the song become much more fun. The mellow production allows Nelly's vocals to shine. Lenny salvaged an otherwise tepid song with his mix.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Listen to the mix here:
Nelly Furtado - Night Is Young (Sylvane Club Vocal) by lennyb

Grade: B (for the original), A (for the Sylvane mix)

Robbie Williams - Last Days Of Disco

This is the latest U.S. single from his Reality Killed The Video Star album from last year. The original version is a bassline-driven dance/pop track. The song is more 80's synthpop sounding than disco, but it's fine. Robbie's vocals are restrained and smooth. There are remixes of this by Roger Sanchez, Black Van, Still Going, and Mighty Mouse. Roger's mixes are very energetic. The synths are really nice. The Black Van mix is in a similar direction as the original. The filtering and buildups are quite good. The Still Going mix has that familiar Giorgio Moroder "I Feel Love" type of sound. This one beautifully captures the vibe of the original while combining it with something else. The Mighty Mouse mix has a slight disco style. Overall, all the mixes are good, but the Still Going and Mighty Mouse ones are the best of the bunch.

Purchase the remixes: EP 1, EP 2 (iTunes)

Grade: A

The Black Eyed Peas - The Time (Dirty Bit)

This is the lead single off of their upcoming album The Beginning. This song begins with the hook of "The Time Of My Life" (the Dirty Dancing song) re-sung. But then it drops into familiar territory with the electro-pop production. Vocally, this one is very similar to their last album and isn't all that different--delivery-wise. Fergie's vocals throughout the song sound jarring and a little dissonant. This one will still prove to be quite the floorfiller and will most likely catch on.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: B

Edson Pride feat Cyon Flare - Free Your Body

This is the latest release from Brazilian producer/remixer/DJ Edson Pride. "Free Your Body" is a circuit-oriented record featuring the soulful vocals of Cyon Flare. The main mix isn't slutty or dirty as the remix name would indicate. It's quite positive actually. There are additional mixes by William Umana, Tony Moran & Mike Lorello, Alexander & Mark VDH, Jonnas Roy & Tony Dark, Jose Jimenez, and Ronald Rossenouff. William Umana's mixes are synthier and feature more vocals. Tony & Mike's mix is very anthemic and showcases the vocals really nicely. Alexander & Mark's mix is a tad darker. Jonnas & Tony's mix is in that familiar Offer Nissim tribal dub style. Jose Jimenez's mix has a Latin tribal feel. Ronald's mix is a bit more electro-styled. Not a bad mix in the bunch. Tony & Mike's mix works the best overall.

Purchase the digital single here (Masterbeat)

Grade: A-

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends (Audio Assembly Remix)

This was the 4th single of their 2004 album American Idiot. The emotional song was an alternative/rock midtempo in its original version. The song never did have any proper dance mixes or remixes, aside from a few extended versions which were in the same vein as the original. Audio Assembly has stepped up to the plate to update this. The 10 minute mix begins with mild techy-tribal beats and synths with just a few vocal samples. It builds for nearly 3 minutes dropping into a production similar to the original--without the beats. The percussion, plus some haunting church bells come in a little later. Billie Joe Armstrong's vocal performance is already haunting and beautiful, and doesn't lose its impact even with a club-oriented production. This mix is truly spectacular.

Listen to the mix here:
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends (Audio Assembly Sanctuary Mix) by djbillywaters

Grade: A+

Ke$ha - We R Who We R

This is the lead single off of her forthcoming EP entitled Cannibal. This comes hot on the heels of her debut album Animal. This doesn't stray too far from her previous album and its accompanying singles. Vocally, she sounds fine. This one is really catchy and has a slight cute factor. The production is electro/pop-oriented.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Grade: B

Giulietta - Vertigo

This is a single off of her debut album. "Vertigo" is a not-so-subtle kiss off to a lying, cheating lover. It's an uptempo electro dance/pop track. Giulietta's vocals are pretty good. Lyrically, it's clever and fun. The main version is dancefloor ready, however, there are additional remixes by Dave Aude, Jeremy Word*, Rob Orton*, and Skynet*. Dave's mixes are basically edgier, clubbier versions of the original. These are very well done.

Watch the video here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

*this mix was not available for review at press time

Josie Cotton - Johnny Are You Queer

This is an update of the 1981 song. The original had that new wave sound which was popular at the time. The tongue-in-cheek song created quite a debate when it was first released. Now it is back again with some new remixes courtesy of Barry Harris, Trypsin, and Donni Hotwheel. Josie also recorded new vocals for these mixes. Barry's mixes are aptly named (the Big Room Drama mixes) with the hard drums and synths and light piano keys. There are many parts which call to mind the classic Thunderpuss sound. Trypsin keeps things hard as well. The synths have a fun retro feel. Donni Hotwheel also keeps some of the aesthetic of the original with his mixes. He captures the playful vibe of the original with a modern twist. Rounding out the package is the Elephant mix which is basically a 2010 version of the original. Overall, all versions are solid, however, Barry and Donni's mixes are the standouts.

Grade: A

Sebastian Krieg and C'hantal - Seduction

The oft sampled House classic "The Realm" by C'hantal is back again in the form of "Seduction." The familiar hypnotic female vocal sounds just as poignant as it did all those years ago. The electro-house production is appropriately hypnotic, meshing very well with the vocals. The Weekend Heroes and Bastique mixes are in a similar vein as the main versions, however, these toughen up the track slightly.

Purchase the release here (TraxSource)

Grade: A-

Olivia Newton-John remixed by Tracy Young

It was announced a couple of months back that a special Austrian re-release of her Grace And Gratitude album would be happening, and it would include two brand new remixes of her #1 hit classics "Physical" and "Magic". Tracy Young did the remixes. Olivia also went into the studio and recorded brand new vocals for the mixes.

"Physical" is transformed from a steamy disco romp into a full blown club-banger. There's only a slight resemblance to the original during certain portions. Olivia's new vocals sound fine on this.

"Magic" is thankfully not as frenetic and busy. It is much faster than the midtempo original. The vocals sound good here as well, but of course, the original vocals reign supreme.

These new versions are good for what they are (major props to Tracy and Joe for stepping up to the tall order of working on these classics), but the originals are such masterpieces the way they were and it's very difficult to match that level of perfection.

Grade: A-

Pink - Raise Your Glass

"Raise Your Glass" is 1 of 2 new songs set to appear on her upcoming Greatest Hits...So Far!! collection. This is a dance/rock styled uptempo. P!nk is in a celebratory, fun mood on this one. Her great vocals and signature attitude make this song shine. This could have easily appeared on her last album had it been recorded at that time. While it is not all that different from her usual, it's good.

Purchase here (iTunes)

Grade: A-

Mariah Carey - Oh Santa!

This is the lead single off of her upcoming new Holiday album Merry Christmas II You. This is meant to be a sequel to her previous Holiday album Merry Christmas, released in 1994. "Oh Santa!" is a joyful uptempo. This is a brand new song. It's a bit whimsical, but it's very festive and cute. Mariah's vocals are in fine form here. While this song may not become a classic anytime soon, it is a lot of fun.

Grade: B+