Brandon Flowers - Crossfire

This is the lead single off of The Killers' lead singer's debut solo album Flamingo due later this year. "Crossfire" is a midtempo pop/rock song. A tad milder than his work with The Killers, however, this is quite good. Lyrically, it doesn't stray too far from that aesthetic. This is a great start to his solo era.

There are dance mixes of this by David Morales. David keeps the melody of the original as a backdrop for the entire vocal mix. The mix has both hard and soft parts which both work effectively. The mix could fit into a variety of sets as it's 'just right' for most of them. The dub plays up the harder, darker elements and is nice and tribal.

The original is quite good and the remixes make this song great.

Watch the music video of the original here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Various Artists - Just Dance

Record labels Island Def Jam and Ultra have collaborated to bring the music buying public this mixed CD. It features some of both labels' recent hit singles in remixed form. It must be mentioned that his compilation is continuously mixed. Some of the remixes featured were previously unreleased in any form, and some still have not been in a full, unmixed state. The choice of songs is good. Some of the songs are new and fairly recent. A few are bit older (like last year). The mixing is decent. It is a bit jerky in some parts with the first vocals of a song just suddenly starting when a track does on the CD. Otherwise, it's a good package.

Tracklisting:
01. Pitbull - I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho) (More English Extended)
02. Rihanna - Disturbia (Jody den Broeder Remix)
03. Ne-Yo - Mad (Ultimix)
04. The Killers - Human (Armin van Buuren Club Remix)
05. Duffy - Mercy (Hott 22 Vocal Remix )
06. Mariah Carey - Touch My Body (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Club Remix)
07. Kim Sozzi - Feel Your Love (Extended Mix)
08. Anastacia - Absolutely Positively (Moto Blanco Remix)
09. Sharam feat. Kid Cudi - She Came Along (Ecstacy of Club Remix)
10. Kraak and Smaak - Squeeze Me (Fedde Le Grand Remix)
11. Utada - Come Back To Me (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Club Mix)
12. Lionel Richie - Just Go (Mike Rizzo Funk Generation Club)
13. Guru Josh Project - Infinity (Klaas Vocal Mix)
14. Annet Artani - Alive (Jason Nevins Electrotek Club)
15. Alina - When You Leave (Numa Numa) (Basshunter Extended)
16. Basshunter - All I Ever Wanted (DJ Alex Extended Mix)

This CD is available at Target, Best Buy, and Amazon. It is available digitally at iTunes, Amazon's MP3 store, Rhapsody, and Masterbeat.

Grade: B