Sam Smith - Stay With Me (Mark Picchiotti remixes)

The haunting ballad by the English singer-songwriter has topped the charts in nearly all parts of the world. The song has struck an emotional chord with many due to the relatable lyrics and the genuine vocal performance by Sam. There have been dozens of bootleg remixes which just did not mesh that well with the sentimental vibe of the song, however, the legendary Mark Picchiotti stepped up to the plate and produced some unorthodox Chic-inspired remixes which work perfectly. The Disco/R&B-styled remixes are at a lower tempo. The song is less melancholy in this arrangement.

Listen to the remix here: (it is also available as a free download if you 'Like' Mark's Facebook page)


Grade: A+

Amy Grant - In Motion (The Remixes)

The Christian/Pop artist's highly anticipated remix album was released today. It was announced late last year that this was in the works. A handful of some of her biggest hits were selected for this collection and they were remixed by an A-list team of remixers. Every remix is produced in an uplifting style that maintains the emotional and spiritual message of the original songs. Some of the songs will take some getting used to with the club-oriented productions. This is another rare case where every remix is well-produced and suits the songs. The remixes of "Say Once More", "You're Not Alone", "Better Than A Hallelujah", and "Stay For Awhile" (both of them) are outstanding, though every remix is excellent. The only downside of this collection is that 90% of the main tracks are radio edits and not full length or mixshow length.

Tracklisting:
01. That's What Love Is For (Chris Cox Radio Edit) (3:12)
02. Stay For Awhile (Tony Moran Radio Mix) (4:08)
03. You're Not Alone (Guy Scheiman Radio Edit) (3:46)
04. Every Heartbeat (Moto Blanco Radio Edit) (3:24)
05. Better Than A Hallelujah (Mark Picchiotti Gospel Radio Edit) (3:47)
06. Find A Way (Ralphi Rosario Big Room Radio Edit) (3:37)
07. Baby Baby (Dave Aude Radio Edit) (3:57)
08. Say Once More (Hex Hector Radio Edit) (3:32)
09. Out In The Open (7th Heaven Radio Edit) (4:04)
10. Stay For Awhile (Tony Moran Destination Mixshow Edit) (6:45)
11. Mega Mix (DJ Andy 7th Heaven Medley) (8:49)

-The album can be purchased in physical formats including CD and vinyl on Amazon
-The album can be purchased digitally on Amazon and iTunes

Grade: A+

Official Hank - Gonna Get Better (Remixes)

The remixes for this song released nearly 2 years ago have just come out. Official Hank is a singer-songwriter releasing his brand of positive music. "Gonna Get Better" is a straightforward, uplifting song. Though the lyrics are quite simple, given all that is happening in the world at the moment, one could always use some encouragement that it will get better soon. The original is a string-drenched Dance/Pop track. The autotuned vocals give the song a robotic feel which does work quite well here.

House luminary Mark Picchiotti provides the remixes. His main version takes the original up several notches with added piano elements and layers of synths. The dub bears only some resemblance to the main mix in certain sections. This works as a great tease to the main version. Overall, the remixes are wonderful.

Listen to the original here:


Listen to the Mark's vocal mix


Listen to the Mark's dub


Grade: A-

Ralphi Rosario feat. Shawn Christopher - Menergy

This is indeed a remake of the Patrick Cowley song from 1981. Red hot producer/remixer/DJ teams up with Shawn Christopher for this remake. The main version only slightly captures the essence of the original, especially the vocals but with a modern twist. The dubs are far more exciting with the tease of the vocals. Barry Harris, Giangi Cappai, and Mark Picchiotti provide the remixes. The Barry Harris version however is very true to the original song. It's extremely well-done. Giangi Cappai keeps things really minimal and tribal. Mark Picchiotti's is a little techy and has some good buildups. Overall, the Barry Harris mix is the best of the bunch.

Buy and listen to clips here (Amazon)

Grade: A-

Matt Zarley - WTF

He is back with a new song about a relationship that went bad. The oft-used expletive makes appearances during the chorus only. The song's impact would be rather similar had another word been used instead. The Dance/Rock song is pretty catchy. The 'parental advisory' vocals appearing at the beginning and middle of the song seem really unnecessary. There are remixes by Cutmore, Mark Picchiotti, Wideboys, and Joe Gauthreaux. Cutmore's big room house mix captures the fun vibe of the original nicely. Mark Picchiotti's mixes are in a similar vein as the original. Going in a more electro direction, the Wideboys mix is good too. Joe Gauthreaux's dubby treatment has lots of fun vocal loops and stuff, but isn't quite as exciting as his usual. The Cutmore and Mark Picchiotti mixes are the best of the bunch.

Grade: B+

Ralphi Rosario and Abel Aguilera vs Tamara Wallace - C'mon Get Funky

This is their second major collaboration after the track "Lookin' 4 Men" a couple of years back. "C'mon Get Funky" is a straight up, fun song that is perfect for the clubs. Tamara's vocals playful while being soulful. The lyrics a tad cliche, but they're nice. The "where'd you learn to funk like that?" line which is used as an alt hook throughout the song is taken straight out of the underground disco classic "Come On And Do It" by Poussez. The main version by Ralphi Rosario has a disco-tinged circuit sound with strings and plenty of horns. There are additional mixes by Ralphi with Abel (as Rosabel), Mark Picchiotti, and Maurice Joshua. The Rosabel mix is the hard, tribal stormer that one would expect from the duo. Both the club and dub are fun. Mark and Maurice both go in a disco/house direction. Mark's has some electro sounds as well. Maurice's piano-driven mix is very classy and soulful. His mix truly embodies the classic disco aesthetic. Overall, all versions are great, but the standouts are the Ralphi and Maurice treatments.

Purchase the digital single here (Amazon), and at iTunes and Masterbeat

Grade: A-

Bebe Zahara Benet - I'm The Shit

She is the winner of the first season of RuPaul's Drag Race on LOGO. Now she is all set to begin her music career with the song "I'm The Shit." The song is in the genre of those runway/bitch tracks which has been sorely missed for some time. Unfortunately, this pales in comparison to almost any of the other songs like this. However, Bebe has the potential to find further success with the right song. There are plenty of mixes for this. Mark Picchiotti's original mixes are circuit-lite with a hint of electro. The production is hot though. His Funkadelic Dub has just enough of the vocals to make it enjoyable. Felix Baumgartner's mixes have that minimal electro/house vibe. Ralphi Rosario's mixes are his usual circuit/tribal fabulous with just enough vocals too. Doctorz MD and TommyZero's mixes are in a similar electro/house direction. Overall, the mixes are good considering what they had to work with.

Buy the release here (Juno)

Grade: B-

Win Marcinak featuring Gioia Bruno - Kiss And Tell

This is a cover of the Bryan Ferry song. Win Marcinak (going by just Win right now) is a San Francisco-based artist. He has teamed up with Gioia Bruno, who was formerly a member of the Freestyle trio Exposé. She embarked on a successful solo career some years ago. Win and Gioia turn it into a Dance/Pop track that is accessible enough for radio and the clubs, all with the same version, however, many remixes are planned for the club release. The lineup of remixers who worked on this project is really impressive: Warren Rigg, The Perry Twins, Josh Harris, Dena Cucci, Jake Benson, and Mark Picchiotti. One really cute addition to this is the interpolation of The Adventures Of Stevie V's "Dirty Cash (Money Talks)", resung by Gioia. While only a small part of "Money Talks" is heard, it fits very well. Overall, this is a really great cover.

Listen to the original version of "Kiss & Tell" here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Brian Anthony - Worked Up!

After the somewhat success of "WhatsitgonnaB? (I'm So Ready)" in the earlier part of this year, Brian is back with a new single called "Worked Up!" This is in a similar vein as his previous singles, but this one goes a bit above and beyond. The main version has that post-boyband era sound. He does actually sing a bit more on this one too. The song works a lot better remixed. Mark Picchiotti, Love To Infinity, Raul Rincon and Chris Noxx provide the remixes. Picchiotti's mix is a simple House mix. The 'classic' sound of the production fits the vocals very well and takes the track from so-so to amazing. Love To Infinity and Raul Rincon's are in a similar vein. The Noxx mixes are R&B/Hip Hop-oriented. Decent remix package overall.

Grade: B+