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+

Priyanka Chopra feat. Pitbull - Exotic (Remixes)

This is the latest single from the Bollywood actress and red hot rapper Pitbull. Produced by RedOne, this club banger is in a similar vein as Jennifer Lopez's "Live It Up", which also involves RedOne and Pitbull. Despite the seemingly ordinary lyrics and conventional production, the addition of the Hindi language hook after the chorus makes it stand out. There are remixes by Cahill, Moto Blanco, and Zumba. Cahill's is their usual funky house goodness. Moto Blanco and Zumba's are a bit closer to the circuit/big room style. Every remix is great.

Listen to the original here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Adele - Set Fire To The Rain

Already a fan favorite, this is the next single off of her 21 album. Produced by Fraser T. Smith, this is a midtempo power ballad. Adele's vocal performance is just fantastic. There are remixes for this by Moto Blanco (in terms of official ones). They give it a nice Disco makeover, losing some of the emotional aspect of the original. The unofficial Plastic Plates mix is in a similar tempo as the original, giving the song an 80's synth pop feel. Both mixes are very well done.

-Listen to the original here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Moto Blanco mix here (YouTube)
-Listen to the Plastic Plates mix here (YouTube)

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

Shayne Ward - Gotta Be Somebody

A former winner of the UK's X-Factor, Shayne Ward is back with a cover of Nickelback's "Gotta Be Somebody". He takes the midtempo Rock song up a few notches, turning into a Dance/Pop song. The electro/pop production, however, is ill-fitting. It just doesn't work. Shayne's stellar vocals are the saving grace. Remixes of this by Almighty and Moto Blanco save this one from being a total disaster. Almighty's Eurodance/Funky House mix is perfect. It is a little on the cheesey side, but the uplifting production works well. Moto Blanco's mix is a bit more sophisticated with its disco throwback sound. Both are exquisite.

Watch the hot music video here (YouTube)

Grade: C+ (for the original)/A (for the remixes)

Agnes - Release Me

This song had a considerable amount of success in Europe earlier this year, and now it looks like it may do the same in the U.S. Agnes was the winner of Swedish Idol back in 2005. "Release Me" is from her third album. She was recently signed to a label in the U.S. The Dance/Pop track is light and pretty. It is very catchy. Agnes' vocals are pretty good too. The various remixes, particularly the Cahill and Moto Blanco ones are great. Additional mixes for the U.S. release are in the works.

Purchase the original here (iTunes)

Grade: A-

Head to Head Battle: Buzz Junkies vs. Booty Luv - Don't Mess With My Man

This is not the first time, nor the last time that two (or more) covers of exactly the same song on different labels have been released within a very short time span. This time the song being covered is by Lucy Pearl from 2001 which had a set of palatable remixes by Mood II Swing and Wookie.

First we have Buzz Junkies featuring Elesha on the All Around The World label. AATW has released a good number of covers every year for the last several years. Mixes are by Moto Blanco. The Moto Blanco mixes are quite simple and straightforward. They are pretty good.

And then we have Booty Luv on Hed Kandi (in association with sister label Ministry Of Sound). Their cover is a bit more electro-sounding. This is their fourth cover in a row. "Boogie 2Nite" (originally by Tweet), "Shine" (originally by Luther Vandross with some amazing mixes by the Freemasons) and "Be Without You" (originally by Mary J. Blige, and was also covered by the AATW label's WiFi; it is worth noting that this was not issued as a single but was just for a compilation). Mixes for this one are by Seamus Haji and Thomas Gold. This single is to precede the release of Booty Luv's debut album Boogie 2Nite by a week in September.

Vocals on both are rather decent. The Buzz Junkies one is slightly better on vocals though. Same with production of the Moto Blanco mixes. The Booty Luv's remixes are decent too. Seamus Haji's mix is highly reminiscent to his mix of "Boogie 2Nite." The Thomas Gold mix is much funkier.

The Winner: Buzz Junkies featuring Elesha

Buzz Junkies featuring Elesha
Grade: A-

Booty Luv
Grade: B+