Madonna feat Nicki Minaj - Bitch I'm Madonna

The Diplo produced Trap/Hip Hop song is the 3rd single from her Rebel Heart album. It has been a fan favorite that went viral after Madonna performed this on Jimmy Fallon's show. It's a catchy, silly song in its original form with Nicki Minaj joining her in the middle. Remixes by Dirty Pop, Fedde Le Grand, Junior Sanchez, Oscar Gaeten, Rosabel, and Sander Kleinenberg will be released later this week on the digital remix EP. Dirty Pop's mix is a hard-hitting mainstream Electro/Tribal one. Fedde Le Grand's swing beat mix incorporates some elements of the original but it has lots of fun vocal effects and stutters. Junior Sanchez goes in a Deep House direction, using just a few re-arranged vocal and instrumental samples. Oscar Gaeten's mix is a tribal dub with just a sprinkling of vocals. Rosabel's main mix uses the most vocals and ends up utilizing the vocals the best. The dub mostly uses Nicki's vocals. Sander Kleinenberg's mix is atmospheric with some cool orchestral and EDM elements. Rosabel's ends up being the best of the bunch.

Grade: B+

Kamaliya - Never Wanna Hurt You (Prince Igor)

This is the Ukranian Pop/Opera singer's latest single. Her current album Club Opera fuses together the sounds of clubland with opera classics to make some contemporary Pop songs. The instrumental production of this song is based on The Rapsody's "Prince Igor" from 1995 which featured Warren G rapping and Sissel Kyrkjebø singing. That song incorporated a small part from the Russian opera Prince Igor, specifically the song "Улетай на крыльях ветра" which Sissel performed. That same part is used as the refrain on this song. The song is haunting and gorgeous. Kamaliya has an amazing voice.

An uptempo single mix is expected to be released soon along with a full remix package and music video. Fedde Le Grand also remixed this, however, the song sounds radically different at the higher tempo, though he did create an alternate break with just the opera section.

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

Grade: A

Nikki Williams - Glowing (Remixes)

This is the current single from the South African singer/songwriter. After the midtempo "Kill, Fuck, Marry" comes this Dance/Pop song. In the midst of all the generic Dance/Pop singles that are all over radio, Nikki's song is in a league of its own as the lyrics are not just about dancing and drinking, and the vocals are absolutely amazing. This song could easily be a power ballad if the Electronic elements were removed.

Though quite Dance-oriented in its original version, there are remixes by Cazzette, Danny Verde, and Fedde Le Grand. Cazzette's hard electro/tribal mix pumps up the energy of the song while Danny Verde's mixes are in the same vein as the original, making it just a little harder. Danny's mixes are very pretty. Fedde Le Grand dirties things up with his synthy electro mix. Overall, Danny Verde's are the best of the bunch.

-Listen to a preview and buy the original here (iTunes)
-Listen to a preview and buy the remixes here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Fedde Le Grand - Let Me Be Real

This is the latest single from the Dutch producer/remixer. Having had a single or two out at any given time, "Let Me Be Real" is a more vocally-oriented track. Featuring his signature electro/dance sound, this one is really catchy. The vocals by Mitch Crown are really good. It calls to mind some of the really good male-vocalled tracks of the 90's which are a rare thing these days.

Purchase the digital single here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand - Let Me Think About It

Although this one has been garnering heavy airplay on the Dance stations across the U.S. for the better part of the last year, this was just given a release here a few weeks back via Ministry Of Sound. It was previously released in the later part of last year all over Europe and in some other parts of the world. The Danish singer's sassy vocals take center stage in this slice of Electro-pop. With those hypnotic instrumental loops and killer bassline, this one is sure to be a floorfiller. Some Pop stations are beginning to test the waters with this one. With an even greater number of Dance-oriented tracks making even a minor splash in the U.S., this one may have a shot at doing better than just average.

Grade: A+

Madonna - Give It 2 Me

This is the followup single to the worldwide hit "4 Minutes." There had been some speculation as to whether this would be the single or some other song would be chosen. The lyrics are very fun and are just right for the Summer. Some are either loving or hating the "get stupid, get stupid" break. There are plans for a radio edit that removes that portion or shortens it. The video was released a few weeks back. While it pales in comparison to the over-the-top "4 Minutes", this one is simple and kinda fun.

An extensive remix package is planned. So far, there's the Paul Oakenfold mix. It was available on some of the digital download editions of the album. This mix sounds like it would be perfectly at home with album cuts on Madonna's last album. It's pure electro heaven. Additional mixes by Jody Den Broeder, Eddie Amador, Fedde Le Grand and a couple of more will be released in the next few weeks.

Grade: B+ (Album version)
Grade: A- (Paul Oakenfold mix)