Erika Jayne - Pretty Mess

This is her 4th single off of her debut album of the same name. This song is not a cover of the Vanity 6 guilty pleasure of the 80's. The song is a cute midtempo in its original version. Erika sounds wonderful on this. The remixes by Dave Aude, Larry Tee, Klubjumpers, DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious, Tracy Young, Bill Hamel, Marshall Stack, and Peter Rafelson give every dancefloor a little something. Dave Aude's version gives the song a fun edge. This version is also used in the music video. Larry Tee's is a gritty electro affair. Klubjumpers' is a bit laidback compared to their usual. DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious offer a tribal/electro mix. Tracy Young's is gorgeous big room mix. It maintains the pretty vibe of the original. Bill Hamel's resembles 80's synthpop at its finest. Marshall Stack's has an 80's feel in some parts but with some gritty electro thrown in. Peter Rafelson's is electro-ish with an 80's touch too. Some parts resemble Coldplay's "Clocks". Overall, this is a solid package. Tracy Young's is the standout.

Purchase the digital single at Amazon: Club Mixes | Radio Edits | Dub Mixes and at Masterbeat

Shontelle - Licky

This is the lead single off of her upcoming second album. With "Licky", she has gone into a direction that is radically different from her first album. This song is rather sexual, and in-your-face versus the subtle sexiness on earlier songs. The song's chorus comes from the Larry Tee and Princess Superstar collaboration of the same name from a while back. This song is catchy and goes beyond the earlier song, however that works better. This song is very much in the same vein as Jordin Sparks' "SOS (Let The Music Play)" which has new verses but the chorus comes from an older song. This is a great opportunity to introduce the Larry Tee/Princess Superstar song to the mainstream.

Listen to the Shontelle song here (YouTube)
Listen to the Larry Tee & Princess Superstar song here (YouTube) NSFW

Grade: B+