Just got mine in the mail today. TIME for a live review. First TIME listening to it so here goes. i'll be poting this on myspace for all friends to see
1. Mark Astley- Super Rider. Most of us allready had the prevlidge of listing to the preview on DELTA myspace. This track sounds so much unlike DELTA prods. Mark Astley songs in general break away form the normal DELTA structure. Iron Man had a HRG Attack vibe in the riff and now this one has a heavy Saifam vibe in the riff as well. The best thing about this song is the chorus. It sounding like oldskool NRG and brilliantly showcases Mark's vocals, which have a grungy tint to them. It's exactly his vocals that push the songs level up for me. I remeber how much I enjoyed Fabio Venturinni's(Mike Jay) vocals as well. This is easily the best song on the cd. My only gripe is the fade out ending. The song deserved an epic outro to say the least. Eitherway ,a great opening for an SEB cd.
10+++/10
2. Mike West- Wild Night. Wow! The cd continues with exceptional power with Gambogi's latest song. The thing that stands out is the different lyrics the song uses. I love the line"Teacher Of Love". The chord progression is TIME wise and Gambogi's vocals fit the more sexy and powerful themes of TIMEs songs. Mr. Dall Ora definately has a talent for producing catchy addictive songs and he knows exactly how to inject the perfect bridge that builds to the powerful chorus that once again ,Gamobi executes to perfection, much likethe way he sung "On My Radio". Another bonafide TIME hit.
10/10
3. Jeff Driller- Spin Spin Baby. The excitement continues with Jeff Driller from Hrg Attack. The intro was rather short, but the riff sounds very fast and powerful. His vocals sound a notch lower than most Mad Cow songs. The melody also mimics most other Jeff Driller songs , like Control, Alt & Blow and Stop & Go, but that is not a bad thing at all. In fact when the chorus comes along you find yourself singing along to the addictive Spin Spin Baby line. The problem is that the label has so many songs that follow this same formula, that in the end this particular track suffers a bit from being among better HRG Attack songs. Especially ones from Jeff Driller. Still a great sing along track.
8/10
4. King & Queen- Come On Up. I hope I'm not entering Kiki & Fancy world here? Strange intro and really didn't build up to the riff at all. Nuage sounds solid on the frontline for this group. You know I'm kinda enjoying this track. The verses and bridge are not too kiddie happy and the chorus is pretty catchy. Now that mini reak after the second riff is what I'm talking about. I'm quite enjoying AbeatC's formula of dropping the vocals for raw music in the third verse. The song overall is giving me a nice Boogie Boogie, Kanpai Kanpai Japan vibe and thanks for not throwing me into the Kiki & Fancy Disney world
8-/10
5. Nuage- Everybody Shake. ..and here is Nuage herself. I quite enjoy her more mellow track like My Blue Sky, so this one is a welcome surprise. Nice intro. Unlike other AbeatC intros, this one does build to the riff. She sounds great and the melody in the verses and the little "hey hey baby" right before the bridge showcase her Nergetic vocals beautifully. I'm really diiging those drums right at that split second where the music is dropped. Wow! I like that effect!...and of course the never absent outro. Great job from AbeatC!
9-/10
6. Pamsy- My Sweet Forever. A lot of you seem to love this song, so let's see what the hype is about. Hmm.. nice intro with a very unlike Pamsy riff. In fact this song has a harder vibe than most of her songs. Maybe they turned up the bass a notch or two? I quite like this Pamsy song for change. The chorus is sing a long worthy and yes ,the sax is a very nice addition to the songs composition. A Pamsy song that aI like. What's the world comming to.
7+/10
7. Alexis- Just A Game. Just as I predicted. With the overplay I have been giving this song and Elena on vocals are pushing it higher and higher with each listen. The Intro dilema is still present ,but doesn't "Rip the life " out of the song as much anymore. I am definately getting a strong nostalgia vibe everyTIME I hear it. The original was after all one of my first TIME vinyls ever. You have to really appreciate the Eurobeat soundworlds that Mr. Dall Ora injects and just like a magician he brings this classic into the frantic Eurobeat bpms of today. This edit is nowhere as exciting as the extended, which has a very special mini break. I'm a sucker for those.O.K. ,after much deliberation, here is my final grade. No going back anymore after this. Based on Elena's vocals, the Underwater soundworlds, the incrediable choard progression riff and the little knick knacks of the extended version I give the song a.....Not exactly perfect score, but damn close.
9/10
8. Jay Lehr- Imagine. No doubt my favorite SCP artist of the moment. I'm still listening to I'm Alive almost daily and a new Jay Lehr is really exciting news for me. SCP must save up the best melodys for him for some reason. That musical structure in the verses is perfect for his songs. I love his vocals style. There is a European accent ever present ,but not sounding quite Italian. I wonder if he is French or something? I also love the way the keyboard is played continuously throughout the song giving it a heavenly sound and as allways, Jay Lehr sings to us lyrics that are full of positive vibes. Wonderful Wonderful song!
10/10
9. Nikita Jr.- Happy Snappy Valentine- OOHHWEEE! What an intro. I love the trumpet sounding riff that is sometimes lost in the chaoticnouse of HRG Attack songs. Those vocals are super hyped, and she follows a tuffer sounding melody, especially in the chorus, which to my ears sound a bit like "I'm Your Barracuda" and "Rock N Dolls" There is mini break right after the second chorus and then ..WOW, the music is completely dropped for a split second. Damn, it's effects like that that make this song stand out ahead of Jeff Driller's . I notice that HRG are showcasing thier percussion alot more nowadays in songs like this one and You Kiss My Lover. A good developement to my ears.
10/10
10.Annie- No Borders. Ah yes, the distinct sound of Annie's songs. Her songs have allways been all the more special for thier unique melodies and structure. This one is no exception. Wow that riff, just blew me out of my world! Is that even possible to play with two hands
I'm not surprised that Mr. Dall Ora produces yet another mega bomba with Annie latest entry in her rather small discography. None the less it's quality and not quantity and this song continues my faith in her singing and cowriting abilities. I can't get enuff of that choard progression riff. That is perfect Eurobeat done TIME style.
10/10
11. Ester- Never Gonna Give Up. Wow 10 songs and this SEB doesn't let up the power. I had my reservations, because I wasn't too thrilled about Ester's first song, but wow, this track is starting out with some wicked synths. The melody Ester is follwing remeinds me alot of Micky B's songs on AbeatC. The chorus builds up to an uplifting chorus, much like I want my female vocalists to sing. I still see a lot of similarities with Go Go's Music and AbeatC, but in a good way. The way she sings Give Up Give Up through the riff is allso adding power to the songs feeling and of course that outro gave me a real good feeling chill!
9-/10
12. Ace Warrior- White Love- I love these Aleph sounding intros with those nostalgic guitars. Hey, that riff is not bad. Seems AbeatC has ditched some of those metallic keyboards for more Eurobeat sounding ones. This is really a great composition. You have to listen to all the soundwords the song has going on to appreciate its power. Ace Warrior sounds great and as a rule , I'm not too much for high male vocals, so this track showcases his more natural vocal abilities. the lyrics use the line White Love(wich sounds like he sings Wild Love) much like an 80's hairband would in the day. Which would mean power and pure Love. The third music wise verse is allways present and of course an outro, but that outro could have been more powerful by sustaining the last choard.
9-/10
13. Annalise- Valentino's Day. Here is allready the third Valentined theme song. Happy Snappy Valentine and Just A Game being the other two songs that mention Valentine in the lyrics . This is another song that has been getting alot of slack from some of you. The intro is decent, but doesn't prepare you at all for the srest of the song. Really out of place. Once again Dave uses the "Last Christmas"- George Michael vibe especially in the riff. She sounds solid enuff when singing and follows a nice melody line with cute Valentine themed lyrics. I really don't see what all the bashing is about? Maybe I'm just naturally In love with Eurobeat and find most songs apealing. This one is nice on a Dave & partner duel level.
7/10
14. Money Man- Love For Money. I have been enjoying this track in extended version for months now, ever since that Initail D came out. The one with 11 TIME songs in extended
Ha Ha. I noticed that rehashed intro from Wild Night. I almost think Mr. Dall Ora does it on purpose just to throw us off. However, When TIME remakes a Gino Caria classic, they do it with special care to come up with nothing but a bona fide smash hit. This definately another highlight of the cd and I notice many newer fans concider thsi one ,one of 2007's best songs. What can I say? Perfect Gambogi energy delivered with a nice aggressional tone in his vocals that he had held captive for a few years back when he started singing at TIME. It's nice to hear those vocals finally set free. The rest is all catchy Lyrics and catchy vocals. What can you expect from a TIME classic?
10/10
15. Daniel- Full Metal Cars. DELTA showcases anotherone of my favorite new Eurobeat artists and Matteo really comes up with some incredible choard progression riffs for Marco to sing to. I'm a huge fan of vocals with strong accents and on this track Daniel sounds a lot like Gianni Corraini. Especially the way he sings that chorus. It's that chorus that pushes this song to masterpiece level. It doesn't sound 100% Italian wise, but maybe a hint of German or even Russion wise. Much like TIME used in songs like Gorky Park. It's just something that I wnted to point out, because it singles out this track among the rest. I really hope DELTA continues experimenting with this particular style on many songs to come.
10/10
16. Cherry- Yes I will. It's obvious Clara likes 3 word titles to sing to. So many have compared the melodyline to Pink's U+UR Hand. Out of all her songs that is the most rock oriented so I do like it. This song is giving a strong Saifam vibe especially in the riff. I remeber Lara - No Way Out. The riff is the same as the chorus in Lara's song. This song is oozing so much power and really reminds the listener of past DELTA hits from Suzy lazy and such. On a Eurobeat level the songs touches a bit on hardcore in it's percussion style, but it doesn't ruin the atmosphere its atmosphere. In fact it pushes the song forward into DELTA's better production. Clara sings that chorus perfectly all the way till the final outro.
9-/10
17. Mega NRG Man- Let It Go. So AbeatC takes on the song title of TIMES Dr. Money classic. The question is can they suceed? The intro did absolutley nothing for me and those keyboards are not what I desire Eurobeat to sound like at all. The first thing I notice is Thomas voacls. He does his best to capture that Pete Burns- like vocals he used in classics like Sex All Over The Phone and Dog Eat Dog, but somehow sounds too subdued. I blame the overall structure and melody he has to follow on this song for that. This song is just to weak to be a Mega NRG Man vehicle. The keyboards, the chorus sound so tame for his style. I think he really lost it this TIME around?
6-/10
18. The Snake- Speed Of Light. Am I the only one that thinks SCP is starting to run out of ideas for thier more aggressive style? This a new singer? Then why is he trying to mimic Enio? Anyway, this song tries to hard to achieve Fastway status instead of finding its own identity. Read: Jay Lehr. That is the main problem. I distinctly hear a rip of Frank Torpedo's -"Made For Loving You" guitar riff. So SCP are getting payback for the "Once Upon A Time" fiff that "The World Is You" used . Anyway, this is not a bad song, just a adrenelined filled guitar fest with nothing really original to offer. Not the best way to end an SEB of this magnitude.
8-/10
This cd really surprised me with it's exceptional level. There is only one song that I would concider lifeless and dull and it comes from one of my favorite singers. Mega NRG Man, so that really surprised me. Aside form that, the songs all have something specail to offer and I bring this cd to the level of 179 for it's exceptional material.
Best 5
1. Mark Astley- Iron Man
2. Daniel- Full Metal Cars
3. Annie- No Borders
4. Jay Lehr- Imagine
5. Mike West- Wild Night
Best Happy Songs
1. Nikita Jr. Happy Snappy Valentine
2. King & Queen- Come On Up
Best Fastway impersonation
1. The Snake- Speed Of Light
Best remakes
1. Money Man- Love For Money
2. Alexis- Just A Game
Best comeback
1. Nuage- Everybody Shake
Best title with double meaning
1. Ace Warrior- White Love