Kaylah Marin - On The Floor (Oh Baby Please)

This is the sexy new single from rising star Kaylah Marin. She sings about how she wants her potential suitor to take her on the dancefloor. Her vocals are quite good on this track. The original is a midtempo and would work well remixed. There are remixes by Mike Rizzo, Tracy Young, Rod Carillo, Josh Harris, and The Perry Twins. Mike Rizzo's is a simple dance/pop mix. Tracy Young's is her usual big room, circuit mix. Rod Carillo's is electro-oriented. Josh Harris' mix has a nice 80's synthpop feel to. The Perry Twins go in a simple dance/pop direction as well, a bit of a departure from some of their other work. The package is really great overall.

Buy the digital single here (iTunes)

Grade: A

Kristine W. - Be Alright

This is the latest single off of her much-awaited new album The Power Of Music. "Be Alright" is not exactly a new song though. An early version was completed in 2006. A remix by Offer Nissim appeared on his Forever Tel Aviv compilation which came out in early 2007. In this song, Kristine sings about how things will turn out fine even if there are obstacles in the way. The vocals sound very fresh and clear.

Featuring George Lynch, the original version is produced by legendary remixer/producer Hex Hector. It is a rock guitar-driven midtempo track. This does have Adult Contemporary format smash written all over it.

The Boris mixes have an electro/circuit/rock feel that works well. Tom Stephan's mixes are circuit/electro-ish. The Perry Twins mix is nice and anthemic. Bass Mekanik's is at a similar tempo as the original. It's Electro/Pop at it's best. Joe Carrano's are good too, but they lack that extra something his work has unless he is programming for someone else. His slower version is more effective. Offer Nissim's mix is the same as the one that appeared on the compilation mentioned earlier in the review. It's a minimal, dub-style mix. It loses most of the vocals, but keeps just enough. The production is really pretty though.

Overall, this package is pretty good.

Grade: A-

Capretta - Big Mama's House

This is a new single from singer Vincent Capretta who had a few underground club hits throughout the years, several of which were revisits of some Disco classics. This track is in the same vein as Barry Harris and Pepper MaShay's club classic "Dive In The Pool" or some of the recent Vicki Shepard and Jeanie Tracy ones. There is some singing on it too.

Rod Carillo's main mix and dub have this very 'euphoric' feel to them. It calls to mind what Kaskade, Adam K and Soha and other similar producers have been doing lately. His Progression mix is much harder and darker. Peter Brown's mix is circuit-oriented. Chris Shannon's mix is in a similar vein but feels a little messy at times. DJ Kilo's mix is electro-ish. It has a lot more energy than the other mixes. Tim Schommer's mix is a bit on the minimal side. The Perry Twins deliver a mix that sort of encompasses little bits of all the aforementioned styles in in a way that works effectively.

Overall, the package is pretty good. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth checking out.

Buy the mixes at Amazon's MP3 store here

Grade: B+

DJ Escape - Global Groove: Dance

This is his latest mixed CD for Centaur Records. It is filled with a number of productions that he did with fellow collaborators Dom capello, Tony Coluccio and Johnny Vicious. The significant majority of the songs and remixes on the comp have not been released in any form previously.

The energy of the entire set does not let up until it is over. There are some ebbs and flows and changes in the intensity, but it just keeps getting harder and more frenetic. Most of the songs are vocal oriented. Some standouts include the two Sunshine Anderson cuts that both begin and end the set. "Force Of Nature" was given a very limited release on a 12" a couple years ago. Those two tracks are highly underrated. Other highlights of the mix are "Bad, Bad Boy" (which was recently released as a single), "Love Sets You Free", "Sweat", and "Give It On Up." All of the songs chosen for the set are great though.

The compilation will be released in physical form on April 14, 2009. It is available digitally at SoundPost already.

Tracklisting:
01. Sunshine Anderson - Problems (DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious Mix)
02. Erin Stevenson - Sweat (DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious Mix)
03. Salme Dahlstrom - C'mon Y'all (Tribal Injection Low End Mix)
04. Rivera & Schmitz - I Want Candy (Lee Schmitz & Oliver Schmitz Mix)
05. DJ Timbo & Friends - Go Go Girl (Twisted Dee Mix)
06. Edson Pride - Sweet Dreams (Original Mix)
07. DJ Escape & Eddie Baez - Give It On Up (Original Mix)
08. Charlotte - Skin (DJ Escape 2009 Mix)
09. The Perry Twins featuring Niki Haris - Bad, Bad Boy (DJ Escape & Dom Capello Mix)
10. Mena Heaven - Open Up Your Mind (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Mix)
11. Charlie featuring Pablito Drum - Love Sets You Free (DJ Escape & Tony Coluccio Club Mix)
12. DJ Gomi featuring Yasmeen - Glad I Found You (Soulstice Mix)
13. Sunshine Anderson - Force Of Nature (DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious Mix)

Grade: A

Kristine W. - Never

Hot on the heels of her cover of the Diana Ross Disco classic "The Boss", she is back with a new song. This is not a cover. Announced a few weeks back, this one calls to mind some of the work she did during the 90's. It does not sound dated though. It just feels like a 'classic' already. Kristine's vocals are stunning as usual. Remixes by 7th Heaven, Love To Infinity, Ruff & Torte, DJ Escape & Johnny Vicious, Peter Canellis/Kamil, Nick Harvey, Brothers Behind The Light/M2 and The Perry Twins will be on the CD maxi single, which is to be released on November 24. The single can be ordered from her website. A digital release will happen in the next few weeks.

Grade: A

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

Kristine W. - The Boss

This has been in the works since early 2006. In June of 2006, Junior Vasquez played a few minutes of a version him and Fumi Kondoh had been working on during his XM radio mixshow. From then until recently, there have been very mentions of this project. But just a few weeks ago, it was announced that a full release of this Diana Ross cover would be happening. As of a couple days ago, it was announced that fans can pre-order a special CD single of remixes of this on Kristine W.'s website. The actual release is scheduled for February of this year. There had also been word that the digital release would precede the CD release on January 1 of this year on Masterbeat.com however, that may be delayed for a few more days until the site is launched.

The lineup of mixers on this one is particularly good. Johnny Vicious, Tracy Young, Paul Goodyear, Love To Infinity, Jamie J. Sanchez, Wayne G. and the Perry Twins. There could still be more.

The CD maxi has the following tracklisting.

01. Love To Infinity Radio Edit (3:52)
02. Tracy Young Radio Edit (4:16)
03. Johnny Vicious Radio Edit (4:25)
04. Paul Goodyear Radio Edit (3:19)
05. Jamie J. Sanchez Frisco Radio Mix (3:42)
06. Love in the Club Mix (6:46)
07. Tracy Young Big Club Mix (10:07)
08. Paul Goodyear Circuit Mix (9:34)
09. Paul Goodyear Funky Downunder Mix (7:43)
10. Too Vicious Club Mix (8:22)
11. Jamie J. Sanchez After Midnight Club Mix (9:13)
12. Emoticon Chill Mix (4:16)

Based on the 2006 Junior version, the vocals were quite good. Very faithful to Diana's original, but of course, Kristine nails it. Look out for this one really soon.