Grace - Not Over Yet

The club classic has been revisited yet again. Jonas Hornblad, Robert Vadney, and Max Graham vs. Protoculture provide the mixes this time around. Jonas Hornblad's mix channels the classic Perfecto mix, turning it into an uplifting trance epic. Robert Vadney's mix is also a big room trance stormer, with only fleeting elements of the Perfecto mix. Last but not least is the Max Graham vs. Protoculture mix. This one combines an uplifting trance sound with a progressive electro-house edge. All three mixes are equally palatable and exquisite. A whole new generation of clubbers get the opportunity to discover this gem.

Listen to clips of the mixes and purchase them here (Beatport)

Grade: A

JLS feat Dev - She Makes Me Wanna

Formerly runners up on UK's X-Factor a few seasons back, the boyband is set to finally make their breakthrough in the U.S. with this song. Club and radio-ready with its electropop production, this one has the makings of a hit. Vocally, the guys are good. Although it is rather vanilla lyrically, it isn't quite as blah as some of the other songs on radio. The synth hook calls to mind some other songs that are hot right now including "Party Rock Anthem", and the "ohohohoh" vocal hook sounds straight out of Britney Spears' smash "Till The World Ends." Hot artist Dev adds an interesting rap to the song as well. There's a whole package of remixes for the clubs, however, none come close to the original.

Watch the hot music video here (YouTube)

Grade: B+

Amber - One More Night

Originally a single from her debut album back in 1997, Amber has gone into the studio and re-recorded this, making it available digitally for the first time. Amber's newly recorded vocals sound virtually identical to the ones from the original recording. Wolfram Detki's production beautifully fuses together recreated elements of the original single version and the popular Hani mix. The Extended version especially plays up those Hani mix elements. The production is solid all around. These new versions do a great job of staying true to the classic while updating it ever so slightly.

Watch the new music video here (YouTube)

Purchase the 3 track digital EP at these digital music retailers on July 26, 2011:
Amazon | iTunes | Juno
(Special note for DJs, collectors, and audiophiles, Juno sells this release in lossless WAV format)

Grade: A+

Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda feat. Deborah Cox- If It Wasn't For Love

Deborah unveiled this new song during several of her Pride performances this year. It was premiered on radio station B96 earlier in the month. It is a club-oriented track featuring Deborah's amazing vocals. Although she has been a little more restrained on recent releases, this one is far more anthemic. The trancey synths as part of the electro/house production are so uplifting and the hard electro buildups are insane.

Listen to the preview here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Coming Soon: Eddie Amador and Kimberly Cole feat Garza - Arrow Through My Heart

She is best known for having some of her music featured on Oxygen's guilty pleasure Bad Girls Club. Now she is all set to take the clubs by storm with her new collaboration with veteran producer/DJ Eddie Amador. "Arrow Through My Heart" is a fun electro/pop song that is totally radio and club-ready. Fans of artists such as Britney Spears, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga will really enjoy this.

This is due for an August 2 release.

Listen to a short preview of the song:
Eddie Amador & Kimberly Cole feat. Garza-Arrow Through My Heart (Preview) by citrusonicpromo

Grade: A (based on the preview so far)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie

This is the highly anticipated new single from their I'm With You album due out at the end of August. Nearly 5 yeas have passed since Stadium Arcadium. Reminiscent of their hit "Dani California", this one has a similar feel mixed in with a bit of late 80's synthpop and 90's rock. Anthony Kiedis is in good form sounding as fresh as ever. Overall, this is a promising preview of things to come with the new album.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

C&C Music Factory feat Scarlett Santana - Rain

This is the latest single from newcomer Scarlett Santana and the legendary Robert Clivilles (of C&C Music Factory). A beautiful midtempo, light electropop ballad in its original form, the song immediately calls to mind Beyonce's "Halo". Scarlett's vocals are absolutely lovely. She also showcases her deft rapping skills towards the middle. This is something that CHR/Pop stations need to jump on immediately. There is also a gorgeous tribal/electro club mix version. This song is wonderful in either version.

-Watch the music video set to the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Dance mix here (YouTube)
-Follow Scarlett Santana's Fan Page here (Facebook)

Grade: A

Avicci - Fade Into Darkness

This is a new track based on the “Penguin” instrumental (which is also the basis for Leona Lewis’ new single). A stunning male vocal appears between the piano samples from “Penguin.” The result is truly remarkable, a stark contrast to the Leona Lewis disaster. One could really compare this with the smash hit “When Love Takes Over” as it has a similar structure and is just as pleasing.

Listen to the vocal mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Leona Lewis - Collide

This is a brand new single from the UK chanteuse best known for the smash "Bleeding Love." She returns with an uptempo, a departure for her. Co-produced by Avicci, the song sounds very similar to the song "Penguin." Unfortunately, the song just does not connect in terms of the vocals. Leona sounds completely bored on this hookless song. The instrumental production on its own is stunning, however, it just doesn't work at all with the vocals. The Afrojack remix sounds a little better, but there's little that can be done to save this snoozer.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)
Listen to the Afrojack remix here (YouTube)

Grade: D- (for the original version/D+ (for the Afrojack remix)

Exposé - Point Of No Return 2011

80's girl group Exposé is back with a rework of one of their biggest hits. Chris Cox is at the helm of this new version. The classic synth hook from the original is beautifully incorporated into the semi-chilled production. It has some hard sections and huge buildups. Featuring new vocals, the Cox mixes do a great job of introducing this dancefloor classic to a whole new audience. Also included is a new 'original' version (the 2011 Version) which unfortunately feels a bit watered down production-wise in comparison to the re-recorded version from the 80's which featured the current configuration of the group and even the original first version which also had another group configuration and name (X-Posed). At times, it sounds like they are singing over a karaoke instrumental. The Chris Cox mixes are the perfect update. There's just a radio edit and club mix. The new vocals do sound drastically different from the familiar original, however, it must be noted that they do not sound overprocessed or have extensive autotuning (T-Pain type).

An exclusive CD single featuring these three versions is for sale on their website here
(there's no word at this time about whether these will be available for purchase digitally through one of the digital music retailers)

Grade: A- (for the new Chris Cox mixes)

Friskoo - Woo Hoo

Belgian DJ/producer Friskoo's latest single "Woo Hoo" is a style known as Dance-A-Billy. It is a remake of the song originally done by Rock-A-Teens. The version by the 5,6,7,8's is very well-known as well. It has been heard in movies and television commercials. There are several versions on the release. The Jive Tech mix is electro house-styled with some of the familiar hook elements of the original added in. In a similar style is the Skreatch mix. Tony Postigo's mix is a bit more big room styled with its harder beats and electro breaks. The vocal samples come in at just the right times. The Original Extended has some hard electro build ups and breakdowns. Overall, the Jive Tech and Tony Postigo mixes are the most exciting of the bunch. This release is perfect for those who enjoyed Yolanda Be Cool's "Americano" last year.

Listen to clips and purchase the mixes here (Beatport)

Grade: A-

Darren Hayes - Talk Talk Talk (Remixes)

There are plenty of remixes, as can be expected for the lead single off of Darren's new album. 7th Heaven, Club Junkies, Fred Falke, and Penguin Prison provide remixes. 7th Heaven pumps up the energy and tempo, staying true to the original. The Club Junkies mix is similar, but a little harder. Fred Falke's is a lush, euphoric electro mix. The Penguin Prison mix is funky, bassline driven 80's sounding mix. Also included is an extended version of the original. Overall, every mix is well done.

Also, look for the Hall & Oates version (aka "Out Of Talk") which is a mashup using the song "Out Of Touch."

The remixes are expected to be released on July 31.

Grade: A

The Wanted - All Time Low

The UK boyband has been signed in the U.S. They made their debut in the UK nearly a year ago with this song and now they are set to do the same here. The semi-dramatic strings based Dance/Pop song is a fun, well-sung song. The song has been slightly remixed for its U.S. release with some more prominent beats. There are some club mixes of this by Digital Dog, Frank E, and Ralphi Rosario. Digital Dog's mixes are funky house, keeping some of the feel of the original. Frank E's mix feels like a slightly dancier version of the original (or the single mix in the U.S.). Ralphi Rosario's big room-oriented mixes have a slight electro feel. Overall, all of the mixes are really well-produced.

-Watch the music video for the original UK version here (YouTube)
-Purchase the U.S. Single Mix here (iTunes)
-Purchase the remix EP (includes Ralphi Rosario, Digital Dog mixes) here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Kristine W - Land Of The Living 2011

Originally released as a single in 1996, this is a favorite among many of her fans. Several new mixes have been released, making over the song yet again. There were already nearly several dozen mixes from the initial releases. The new package includes mixes by Kevin Saunderson, Timothy Allan and Deep Dish. Kevin Saunderson's electro-house mixes are mostly instrumental with just a few vocal samples on the remix. However, Timothy Allan's progressive tribal/electro mixes make use of the vocals on his mixes. Kristine's powerful vocals are beautifully showcased. Finally, there's the Deep Dish mix which is a longer, unreleased version of their already brilliant mix. Clocking in at over 13 minutes, the funky disco/house mix is absolutely stunning. This one is the obvious standout of the package, however, the Timothy Allan vocal mix is a stellar update.

Listen to streams of the mixes here:
Kristine W - Land of the Living (Battle of the Remixers - Round 2) by championrecords

Grade: B+ (for the package overall)/A- (for the Timothy Allan remix)/A+ (for the unreleased Deep Dish mix)

Pitbull feat Marc Anthony - Rain Over Me

This is the latest single from Pitbull's latest album Planet Pit. Latin/Pop singer Marc Anthony makes a guest appearance on the synth-heavy Dance track. This is Marc's first English language musical appearance in over a decade (the last time was on his 1999 self-titled album). Marc just sings the chorus, nicely complementing Pitbull's fierce rhymes. This could hopefully help Marc re-introduce himself to the English market. This is shaping up to be a major hit during the Summer.

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

Grade: A-

Darren Hayes - Talk Talk Talk

The much-awaited new single from his forthcoming new album Secret Codes & Battleships was recently released. The midtempo Dance/Pop number is very much in line with the material from his critically acclaimed This Delicate Thing We've Made. Darren's crystal clear vocals are as beautiful as they usually are. The chorus is pure perfection. This is practically tailormade for the Adult Contemporary radio format and would be a surefire hit.

The B-side to this is a cover of Madonna's "Angel" from her Like A Virgin album. The chilled synthpop production is exquisite. Darren changes up the melody slightly with the vocals in a way only he could giving it a fresh take. This is excellent as well.

-Purchase the single (including both "Talk Talk Talk" and "Angel" here (iTunes)
-Check out the beautiful music video for "Talk Talk Talk" here (YouTube)
-Listen to the B-side "Angel" here (YouTube)

Grade: A+