Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time (Remixes)

The evergreen classic has been remixed by Alex Gaudino, Bent Collective (Danny Verde and Steven Redant) LordWardd, and Nervo as part of the promo for the 30th anniversary edition of the She's So Unusual album which includes additional material in the form of alternate remixes, edits, and dubs that were previously unreleased on CD or in digital form. This song was also remixed by Eddie Baez and Josh Harris in 2005 when Cyndi remade the song with Sarah McLachlan for her The Body Acoustic album.

Alex Gaudino's mix is the most melodic of the bunch, using all of the vocals and some of the chords and keys from the original. Bent Collective's big room mix is vocally driven but takes an unorthodox approach to the backing melody. LordWarddd's mix has an 80s synthpop vibe. The dissonant melodic structure is a bit jarring at first, but it's actually done quite well. Nervo's experimental approach omits most of the vocals. It's understandable that they tried something different but it doesn't work well here. Alex Gaudino and Bent Collective's mixes are the best of the bunch.

Listen to some of the mixes here: (YouTube)

• Bent Collective
• Nervo

The Nervo mix is available as part of the pre-order for the new edition of the album here (iTunes)

Grade: A-

Artist Feature: Crystal Waters

Known for her soulful and sultry vocal performances, singer-songwriter Crystal Waters has been a major force in Dance music for almost a quarter of a century.

The Wanted - Glad You Came

Shifting gears in the U.S., the UK boyband's current UK single is now the single set to be released in the U.S. after "All Time Low" was inexplicably canceled or failed to catch on--it isn't clear which of these is the real reason. It has an adds date of September 13 in the U.S. Beginning seemingly as a ballad, it jumps into an electro-pop synthy production with hard dance beats. The group's vocals are sublime. This one is slightly stronger than "All Time Low" and may have a better chance at catching on. So far, there are remixes by Alex Gaudino. His mix just ups the energy ever so slightly, toning down the pronounced synths from the original.

-Watch the music video for the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Alex Gaudino mix here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Jessica Sutta - Show Me (Remixes)

After the former Pussycat Doll's successful foray into clubland a couple of years ago with the hits "White Lies" and "Make It Last", she is back with a new single. The original is a playful electro/rock/dance song with Jessica's infectious vocals. A plethora of remixes by Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney, Dave Aude, and Ralphi Rosario have been made for the clubs. Alex Gaudino & Jason Rooney deliver a set of bassline-driven electro-house mixes. Dave Aude opts for a piano-driven mix this time around. Ralphi Rosario has the essential circuit mix covered. All three sets of mixes are really well-done.

Grade: A-

Alex Gaudino feat Kelly Rowland - What A Feeling

Italian producer/remixer/DJ Alex Gaudino teams up with Kelly Rowland for this brand new song. This is not a remake of the Flashdance song. This is a refreshing track with another solid vocal by Kelly. She is perfectly in her element when it comes to dance music. The Disco/House production of the original is wonderful. The I'm Still In Love Remix has a production similar to Alex's 2010 smash "I'm In Love (I Wanna Do It)". This is a very energetic electro/house production. The Nicky Romero mix gives the song a minimal electro feel. Overall, all three versions are great.

Listen to the original here
Listen to the I'm Still In Love remix here
Listen to the Nicky Romero mix here

Grade: A

Ultra Naté - Automatic 2008

Her fierce cover of the Pointer Sisters 80's classic topped the club charts last year. It got a release overseas with some additional mixes which were unavailable until recently. Some new mixes by Tikaro, J. Louis & Ferran (all one remixing team for this one), Riff & Rays and Alex Gaudino, Discode and eSQUIRE make up this release. This is one of several new mixes of songs from Ultra's forthcoming Alchemy: GST Reloaded collection (coming out in August). It consists of remixes of songs from Grime Silk Thunder. These new mixes breathe additional life into an already strong song. It's worth mentioning that this song's steamy music video was directed by famed photographer/director Karl Giant. He is reportedly directing the video for Ultra's next single "Twisted 2008" which is a revisit of a song from Stranger Than Fiction.

Grade: A

Enur - Calabria 2007

The familiar sax sample has made regular appearances in clubland for the last 5 years. It most notably was used in the official mashup "Destination Calabria" by Alex Gaudino and Crystal Waters. The song did pretty well on the European charts and did only slightly well on the Dance radio chart here. Signed to Ultra Records in the U.S., this mishmash of Reggae, Rap, Hip Hop and Dance has already begun to get considerable airplay. Pop and Rhythmic stations are jumping on board and giving this one prime exposure. Mega station Z100 has championed this one and the other stations are following. "Calabria 2007" also features a somewhat scandalous video that is worth noting as well.

Miami-based rapper Pitbull has gotten into the act and has recorded a track called "The Anthem" that also contains the ubiquitous sax sample. It almost sounds like the familiar Latin drum beat used in Bob Sinclar's "Rock This Party" from last year. This one could be huge in clubs with the right remix. Although, all is really needed here is an extended version.

Overall, the "Calabria 2007" track would work well in the clubs as it would be a floorfiller, but maybe not so much on the radio, but it's doing well. The vocals could grate on your last nerve after a short time.

Grade: C+ (for "Calabria 2007")

Grade: B+ (for the Pitbull track)