Usher - More

Originally "More" was a bonus track on his Raymond v. Raymond album. It has been remixed by RedOne (who also produced it) for the single release. The original version is more in line with Usher's usual uptempos, calling to mind songs like "Yeah!". However, the new RedOne remix is much more club-oriented. It considerably improves upon the original. Usher's recent singles have been much more Electronic, riding the recent wave of such singles flooding the airwaves. In this particular instance, such a production works extremely well.

Listen to the RedOne remix here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Sam Sparro - Pink Cloud

This is a song reportedly to be a preview of his sophomore record due next year, tentatively titled Return To Paradise. The mostly instrumental song is in the style of early 90's House music. It immediately calls to mind the work of legends including Steve "Silk" Hurley, Shep Pettibone, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, and Masters At Work. It is definitely an interesting track overall, but Sam's usually soulful vocals are sorely missed. Only a handful of vocals and spoken parts are peppered throughout the track.

Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Enrique Iglesias feat Ludacris - Tonight

This is the latest single from his album Euphoria (the French edition). Produced by DJ Frank E, this song is Electro/Pop-oriented. This song comes in two versions, one is the clean one, entitled "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)", and the other is the explicit one, entitled "Tonight (I'm Fuckin' You)". Compared to his earlier material, this one is much racier, but it is meant to be in a fun sort of way. One would think that it is explicit because of rapper Ludacris' verse, but that's not the case. Overall, the song is pretty danceable and fun. There is a remix of this by Dresden & Johnston. It is in a similar style as the original. Think of it as an alternate take on the original.

Purchase the clean and explicit versions (Amazon)

Grade: B+

Offer Nissim - Love Child

Yes, this is a remake of the classic by Diana Ross & The Supremes. Offer features a trio of vocalists on this including Maya Simantov, Meital De Razon, and Maya Buskila. The concept of doing a remake of this was nice in principle, but in practice is just so-so. Only a small portion of the lyrics are used (just the first verse, pre-chorus, and chorus). The vocals are decent, but all three singers are usually quite great, and consistently deliver, just not here. The production is not that different from his usual. Only the strings from the original are recreated here. The studio version lacks the passion and vocal power that was present during this live performance (YouTube) back in October.

Grade: B

Mariah Carey - Auld Lang Syne (The New Year's Anthem)

Culled from her second Holiday album Merry Christmas II You, her take on "Auld Lang Syne" is the second single. Released just in time for the upcoming New Year's celebrations, Mariah's version of the song is very festive, and oh-so-anthemic. Beginning traditionally, the song builds gradually to a festive, upbeat tempo. Vocally, Mariah is excellent. There are remixes for this by Ralphi Rosario and Johnny Vicious. On his tribal/house-oriented Festive mixes, Ralphi keeps the slow intro from the original. These are really nice. His Alternative mixes are a little harder. Johnny's mixes are more electro/house/circuit-ish (think of Peter Rauhofer's recent work). He also keeps the intro. These have a little more drama to them. Overall, both sets are really good. Ralphi's Festive mixes are the best though.

Purchase the digital single here (Amazon), Masterbeat and iTunes also have it for sale

Grade: A

Scissor Sisters - Invisible Light

This is reportedly the 3rd single off of Night Work. The Pet Shop Boys-sounding track has a multi-layered production calling to mind the UK duo's work during the 80's. The production while having an old school sound also sounds modern with the electro/pop music being made now. With its catchy lyrics, the vocals are also top-notch. Acclaimed actor Ian McKellen makes a guest appearance on the track doing the spoken part (a la Neil Tennant on "West End Girls"). The original version is nearly 6 minutes long, almost ready for club consumption. There are remixes of this by Stuart Price, Boys Noize, Siriusmo, and Sammy Jo & Nita. Stuart's mix is in the same vein as the original. The vocals are a bit clearer, however only some of them are used. It's more like a vocal dub. Aesthetically, it sounds like something Shep Pettibone would have done during the 80's when remixes were based on the original version. The Boys Noize mix is mostly instrumental as well. The Siriusmo mix has that 80's Funk style to it. The Sammy Jo & Nita mix is a bit more laidback, losing much of the 80's sounds. The original is the best of the bunch.

Watch the trippy music video here (YouTube)
NSFW

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

Junior Vasquez feat. John Michael - Xtatic

This is a brand new track from the legendary DJ/remixer/producer. Almost an instrumental with a few hypnotic vocals by John Michael every so often, this track is perfect for a wide variety of sets. The Audio Assembly mix is dark and minimal, taking on an almost industrial feel at times. This is perfect for afterhours. Nick Harvey's mix is perfect for peak hour play with the tribal drums and blinding synths. Also included are acapellas of the main vocal and the static effect, and bonus beats of Nick's mix. The beats are exciting as well. Overall, this is a fun track.

Purchase the digital single here (AudioJelly)

Grade: A

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)

T.I. feat Christina Aguilera - Castle Walls

There has been considerable buzz surrounding this collaboration. The wait is finally over. T.I. delivers his usual fierce rhymes over Alex Da Kid's slick production. Christina only sings the hook/chorus and the bridge. In her small part, her vocals are effective. She shows tremendous restraint, delivering a very haunting vocal. She will leave you begging for much more. One can only hope an alternate version with more of her vocals was recorded.

Listen to the song here (YouTube)

Grade: A-

Katy Perry - Firework (Remixes)

This is the third proper single from Teenage Dream. The anthemic "Firework" is catchy as it is empowering. The uptempo number has an underproduced electro/house sound to it.

There are plenty of remixes of this one by The Wideboys, Fred Falke, Jump Smokers, and Nick Harvey & Billy Waters. The Wideboys mix is in a similar vein as the original with a slightly funkier sound. Fred Falke's has an 80's synthpop sound to it. The Jump Smokers mix is a tad edgier than the others. Finally, there's the circuit mix by Nick Harvey & Billy Waters which truly turns this song into the anthem it was meant to be. This is the strongest mix of the package. Overall, all versions are good, but the last one is great.

-Purchase the digital single here (Masterbeat)
-Watch the music video here (YouTube)

Grade: A

Floor One and Farley and Feldman feat Nadia B - Just Me

This is a brand new vocal track from the Continuous Cool label which has been putting out some great releases lately. "Just Me" is an extremely catchy song. Nadia B's vocals are really beautiful. There are three main sets of remixes of the song. The Classic and Club mixes are funky, piano-driven house oriented, while the Anthem mixes are slightly darker. All three are circuit-oriented as well. Overall, the Classic and Anthem ones are the best of the bunch, however they are all quite good.

Purchase the single here (Juno)

Grade: A

Cher - You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me

This is one of two solo songs sung by her on the soundtrack for the movie Burlesque. This is a dramatic, power ballad written by Diane Warren. Vocally, Cher sounds fantastic. Her voice has held up quite well. The song starts off slow and then builds to a massive climax. It's great. There are remixes for this by Almighty, Dave Aude, and Stonebridge. Unsurprisingly, Almighty's production fits this song the best. They have remixed Cher numerous times to great effect. The piano-driven production is uplifting and allows the vocals to truly shine. Dave Aude's mix is a tad on the minimal sound. It calls to mind the 2008 revisit of "Infinity" by Guru Josh Project in some parts. The vocals sound good on this one too. Stonebridge's mix leaves much to be desired as much of the vocals are not used for whatever reason. It's a shame because the production is quite good. Overall, the Almighty and Dave Aude mixes are the best of the bunch.

Grade: A

Michael Jackson feat Akon - Hold My Hand

This is the first proper single off of his first posthumous release simply titled Michael. "Hold My Hand" is a return to form. This song is a midtempo pop ballad (pretty close to one). The production is smooth and uplifting. Michael's vocals are excellent here. Akon's appearance on the song is nice as well. His vocals blend well with Michael's. Overall, this song has the makings of a new hit for the legend.

Listen to the original version here (Michael Jackson's official website)

Grade: A

Salme feat Noa Tylo - So Delicious

After the success of the fun "C'mon Y'all" comes the sexy new single "So Delicious". It is a sultry electro-pop romp in its main version. Noa Tylo (of "Let's Do It" fame) provides some ad libs and backing vocals. He complements Salme's hypnotic chant. The remixes by Massi & De Leon and Junior Vasquez make this even more dancefloor friendly. Massi & De Leon pump up the sleaze factor with their mix. Junior Vasquez offers up a hard, darker Earth era sound with his mix. Additional mixes by David Knapp & Martin Fry and Tribal Injection are coming soon. This song is hot and should be filling dancefloors everywhere real soon.

Listen to the Massi & De Leon and Junior Vasquez mixes here (MySpace)
View the original music video here (Facebook)

Grade: A

Dionne Mitchell - I Love Music

Yes, this is a cover of the O'Jays classic. It was most notably covered to great effect by Rozalla during the 90's. Dionne, a former contestant on the British singing competition X-Factor takes on this gem in 2010, delivering a passionate, delightful performance. The main version is piano-driven, feeling like a modernized, freshened up version of the original. There are remixes by Chris "The Greek" Panaghi, Joe Gauthreaux, and William Umana. Chris "The Greek" keeps the piano heard in the main version, making it just a little more hi nrg-sounding (in the vein of that genre). Joe also maintains that piano in his mix, offering a mix much more underproduced than his usual, which works well here. William's mix is the only to deviate from that characteristic of the original. The circuity production does sound good, but is a tad simple to work with the vocals. Overall, the original, Chris "The Greek", and Joe's mixes are outstanding.

Purchase the CD single here (Perfect Beat)

Grade: A