Laura Larue & Lee Dagger - Capture Your Love

After the breakout success of "San Francisco Is My Disco" last year, she is back with a new single. She teams up with Lee Dagger of Bimbo Jones on this cute little song. There are remixes for this by Bimbo Jones, Gregor Salto, and Tracy Young. Bimbo Jones offers up a funky, piano-driven mix. Gregor Salto's mix is a harder electro-bass styled one. Tracy Young's circuit-oriented mix is a bit lighter than her usual. All 3 deliver solid mixes, however Bimbo Jones's mix is the clear winner. Overall, this one is shaping up to be another hit for her.

• Listen to the Bimbo Jones mix here
• Listen to the Gregor Salto mix here
• Listen to the Tracy Young mix here

Grade: A-

Stefano Langone feat New Boyz & Rock Mafia - I'm On A Roll

The former American Idol contestant and fan favorite's debut single is finally here. The Dance/Pop track feels like a mishmash of "Love At First Sight", "I Gotta Feeling", and any of the recent Jason Deulo singles in terms of the production. In similar fashion, far too much autotune has been used on his vocals. Given that he is a reasonably good singer, this much was unnecessary. The song feels rather ordinary amongst other similar songs that are flooding the airwaves right now. It's not bad, nor is it great. It's just okay.

Listen to the song here:
 

Grade: B-

O'Mega Red feat Donna Summer - Angel

This is the latest single from the rapper. He teams up with Queen of Disco Donna Summer for this midtempo track. O'Mega raps while Donna sings the hook and vocalizes in the background. This is yet another new avenue for the veteran singer. They complement each other wonderfully. Compared to most contemporary rap, the lyrics are quite positive and tell a story. Donna sings the hook in a vocal style that is different from what most are used to, but you can tell it's her. Overall, this is quite lovely.


Purchase the song here (iTunes)
Listen to the song here:

Grade: A-

The Str8jackets and Sam Obernik - Love & Oxygen

This is a new release from the Strictly Rhythm label. "Love & Oxygen" is a fun Summery type of song with a folksy guitar loop, a trippy electro break, and Sam Obernik's mesmerizing vocals. How all these seemingly unusual elements work together is just spellbinding. The chorus is just so catchy. The song could have crossover potential on U.S. radio with a good edit. The Xilent mix is a gritty dubstep-styled is less effective as it is quite noisy and the production does not complement the vocals. Expect this track to be pretty massive this year.

Listen to clips and purchase the mixes here (Beatport)

Grade: A (for the Extended Mix)/C (for the Xilent Mix)

Kelly Clarkson - Dark Side (Billy Waters & Floor One Mix)

After the smash success of "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" comes "Dark Side." This Pop/Rock song is perfect as the followup. Lyrically, it is a bit of a departure from what some of us may be used to from Kelly, but this shows another dimension of her. Kelly's vocals are stunning as can be expected.

There is a wonderful dance remix of this by Billy Waters and Floor One. They have done an impeccable job of preserving the integrity of the original while making it danceable.

Listen to the Billy Waters & Floor One mixshow:

• Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Grade: A (for the original)/A+ (for the remix)

Adele - Rumor Has It (Joel Dickinson & Billy Waters Remix)

This is the 4th single off of her extraordinarily successful album 21. The sassy Motown-inflected song shows yet another side of the diva. Remixers Joel Dickinson and Billy Waters have reworked this song for the dancefloor. They give it a techy-tribal treatment with all the vocals taking center stage. The airy synth riff that calls to mind Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" is just so cute. This remix is fantastic, taking this song to another level.

Listen to the remix here:


Grade: A

Kristine W - Don't Wanna Think

This song originally appeared on Kristine's 1996 album Land Of The Living. It was to be a single and a number of remixes were completed however they were never properly commercially released until now. A couple of the versions had leaked online throughout the years. The wait is over as Champion has made them available for purchase. There are remixes by Sister Bliss, Rollo, Our Tribe, Kerri Chandler, and Junior Vasquez. Kristine absolutely shines on this underrated gem that finally sees a proper release. Most of the mixes are in the mid 90s circuit house style capturing the variety of sounds that were around at the time. Sister Bliss and Rollo's mixes are harder while Our Tribe softens things. Kerri Chandler's mixes are in a deep house vein. Junior Vasquez's mixes are every bit the anthem as one could expect from him and Fred Jorio from around that time. Only his Factory mix appears on this release while the slightly different Club mix still remains unreleased. Overall, all the mixes are excellent with the Junior Vasquez, Sister Bliss, and Our Tribe main vocal mixes being the picks of the bunch if one had to choose.

Listen to clips and purchase the mixes (both MP3s and WAVs are available):
Kristine W - Don't Wanna Think - Traxsource.com - Download Underground House and Electronic Music in WAV and MP3 format

Hopefully there are many more unreleased gems in the pipeline.

Grade: A+

Tony Moran - The Event Unmixed Total Collection 2012

The double disc compilation containing mostly brand new material was originally released in 2007 along with a modified digital edition the following year. This special unmixed edition includes 41 tracks comprised of full length versions of most of the songs that appeared on both compilations plus some alternate versions, radio edits, dubs, and some previously unreleased tracks.

Some of the highlights include the alternate mix of Kristine W's "Walk Away" that is far more hard-hitting and anthemic than the well-known original version. The full length version and alternate mixes of Nicki Richards' "Freedom" are lovely as well. The previously unavailable 10 minute Altar mix of "La Fiesta (Relive Your Kiss)" featuring vocals by Kara Dioguardi is a floorburner. The original version of that song appeared on one of Tony's compilations over a decade ago.

Overall, this is an excellent collection at a great price.

Purchase it at Amazon | iTunes

Grade: A

The Wanted - Chasing The Sun

This is the new single from the UK boyband whose single "Glad You Came" finally broke them into the U.S. market. "Chasing The Sun" is a brand new song written by Example that will be released on their U.S. EP due out on April 24. Their signature harmonies and a super catchy hook are there. The melody of the chorus and post-chorus chants call to mind the 2011 Britney Spears hit "Till The World Ends." Overall, this looks to be another hit for them.

The single will be available for purchase on April 17 in the U.S.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Kris Allen - The Vision Of Love

After initially surfacing in remixed form, the original version has been released. As expected, it is an uptempo Pop/Rock song. Additional lyrics not heard in the remix are there in the verses. Also, some of the vocals sound like they are from a different take than what were used in the remix. The new "whoa oh..." ad libs after the choruses are a really nice addition. The chorus sung at the end of the song in a lower octave with the piano almost feels like it could have been used as a bridge. Overall, the song is really great.

Watch the music video:

Purchase the song on iTunes here

Grade: A

Lenny B - Look At Me Now

Not to be confused with veteran U.S. producer/reixer Lenny Bertoldo who sometimes goes by Lenny B on his work, this one is a new singer from Brazil. Her latest single "Look At Me Now" is a Rihanna meets circuit type of Dance/Pop song. Her vocals are pleasant and the lyrics are really catchy. The production is really great too. This has the makings of a future club hit.

Listen to the song here:


Grade: B+