Daft Punk feat Pharrell Williams - Lose Yourself To Dance

This is the followup to the surprise international success that was "Get Lucky." This also features Pharrell Williams on vocals. Given his return to the music scene with a number of production and vocal appearances, this should also do fairly well, though not quite on the same scale as "Get Lucky." The repetitive nature of the vocals and production will necessitate a succinct edit. The funky song's tempo is a bit slower, but that would really help it to stand out on radio.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Daft Punk - Get Lucky (Daft Punk Remix)

After a whole slough of bootleg mixes flooded the market, the first and probably only official remix of the song has surfaced. Staying with the Disco aesthetic of the song, they opted for a mix which doesn't stray much from the original. The song has been re-arranged considerably with some new sounds and changes to the way the vocals are sequenced, particularly during the chorus. The song has an overall fuller, warmer sound to it. The single edit had some of that though it seemed like the album version was missing that.

Listen to the full mix:
 

Grade: A

Daft Punk - Get Lucky (feat Pharrell Williams)

The French duo's first studio album in almost 8 years, entitled Random Access Memories will be released in a few weeks. The first single is a collaboration with the legendary Nile Rogers (formerly of Chic) and singer/producer Pharrell Williams (of N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes). "Get Lucky" is a funky Disco-flavored number with Pharrell singing in falsetto for much of it. He is a perfect match for the smooth, soulful production. The song sounds like it could have been made during the Disco heyday of the 70s, but it sounds fresh. With Dance music being ubiquitous on Pop radio right now, it would be an excellent opportunity to send this song to that format. Only the Radio Edit is available right now. The full album version that is 2 minutes longer will be released later on, probably when the album is.

-Purchase the song here (iTunes)
-Purchase the song here (Amazon)

Grade: A

Robin Thicke feat T.I. & Pharrell Williams - Blurred Lines

The R&B crooner is back with a new party jam enlisting the help of T.I. and Pharrell Williams. The funky song is incredibly sexy and playful. This song has that je ne sais quoi that George Michael's late 80s/early 90s material had. Robin sounds amazing and rapper T.I. complements him with his verse. Pharrell's backing vocals and ad libs add further atmosphere to the frenetic track. This could be a potential dancefloor smash without the aid of remixes though this could be quite the floorfiller with the right old school House mix. This should be a smash into the Summer months.

-Check out the naughty music video featuring Robin, T.I., Pharrell, and plenty of hot dancers here (YouTube) [the video really helps you to get into the song as it embodies the fun aspect of the song]

-Buy the song on iTunes here

Gloria Estefan - Wepa

This is the brand new single from Gloria's new English language album Little Miss Havana. She has teamed up with producer Pharrell Williams (of The Neptunes and N.E.R.D.) for this album. "Wepa" is not the usual Hip Hop or Electro song that Pharrell is usually known for creating. Frenetic and moving with its rapid-fire lyrics, the song is in a merengue style. Vocally, Gloria sounds amazing. The song will be quite the floorfiller in the clubs. It is a tad too fast for mainstream radio. This will of course smash on the Latin stations. There's no word on remixes yet, but hopefully, there will be some.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

2 New Madonna Demos

"The Beat Goes On"
A few days ago, a demo/early version of a new song from the Material Girl herself surfaced on the internet. This is the second such clip to surfaced from her still untitled, forthcoming Hip Hop/R&B/Dance project. This is one of several tracks that she worked on with Pharrell Williams. It is not nearly as Urban-oriented as some thought she may go. It is more like Rhythmic-Pop. One cannot help but think of Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake's recent albums. Not a bad thing at all as those albums were greatly appreciated by fans and music critics alike. Fans of the more Dance-oriented Madonna shouldn't be alarmed as this one is pretty Dancey. And she didn't rap on this one. Madonna's voice is in great form and takes center stage throughout the song. Pharrell can be heard on this track too. The lyrics are very fun, albeit a tad clichéd, but they're nice. There is still no word on whether this is going to be a single or even make the final tracklisting of the album. But it must be said, this is a great indicator of things to come.

Grade: A

"Candy Shop"
Also done with Pharrell, this is an infectious little treat. She sings about her candy shop of love with all sorts of goodies. And she begs you to "get up on the dancefloor." The lyrics may call to mind some of the recent candy-themed songs by Christina Aguilera, 50 Cent, Mika, Gwen Stefani and Melanie C. This is simply not jumping on the bandwagon. The song is cute and fun. While this too may or may not be on the album, this one is quite tasty too.

Grade: A