My review - needless to say, SCP ruled all and it was great to see Time finally waking up and producing some songs with energy and drive!...
01 Neo - Midnight Love (A-Beat C) [9/10]
I reckon this is probably Neo's second best track so far - beaten only by the awesome I Was Born For Burning. What makes this track stand out is the fairly unique production on the synths and vocals - it heralds a departure from A-Beat C's normal production techniques, and gives the song a fresh edge. As ever, Neo's vocals have a real raw quality that capture a sense of anger and excitement in equal measures, and these work in harmony with muted saw brass synth used in the main hook. A great start to the album...
02 Melissa White - Wanna Be With You (SCP) [10/10]
This track is simply stunning. It is the combination of SCP's ever-strong production techniques, the funky vibe last seen on "Switch!" and a distant 80's feel during the big anthemic hook. Melissa's vocals appear to have matured nicely, but she still has the ability to turn on the cuteness as can be seen from the talking adlibs during the intro and towards the end.
As the song progresses, the listener also gets the impression that the track is paying homage to the hypnotic styles of the disco era, while the instantly recognisable SCP bass beat blasts remind us just who we are listening to. A superb track - easily my favourite on the album!
03 Mr. M - Welcome People (Time) [8.5/10]
Wow, what's going on here? Sounds like someone has finally given Time a much-needed kick up the bottom - gone are the watery beats and weak synths to make way for a fantastically rich sounding production that is full of power and energy. The main hook sounds totally unique and the bass pumps loud throughout. Mr. M's vocals are rich and have enough drive to keep up with the powerful backing, although in some places the melody lines of the vocal sections don't seem suited to the style of the track (the harmony section in the lead-up to the chorus for example sounds a bit messy...) A great track all-round giving hope for the future in terms of Time.
04 Groove Twins - Dance Dance Monsteru (A-Beat C) [7.5/10]
Hmmmm, sounds like Groove Twins are slowly morphing into a semi-replacement act for the Go Go Girls. The song title and vocal style of this track scream of something Go Go Girls would've done years ago, but that aside, what we have here is another diverse sounding production from
A-Beat C. The slightly muted synth during the hook is quirky and the "Dance, Dance" vocals during this section adds a unique layer to the song.
I'm not totally mad for the vocal melody overall, and I feel that the backing does overpower the vocals a lot of the time, but all in all this isn't a bad track at all...
05 Oda - Rainbow (Delta) [7/10]
I'm quite undecided on this track to be honest. If I just sit back and don't pay much attention to it, I quite enjoy it - the power of the melody and production make for an enjoyable listening experience. However, if I
listen really closely to it, things start to niggle... For example, the "ooh-oh-oh-oh" vocal phrase during the intro irritates me as it sounds like a really bad impersonation of the Looka Bomba intro. The synth hook could use some more layers to give it more punch, and the vocals in general just don't sound great - I could think of 4 or 5 other male Eurobeat vocalists that would have done the track more justice. Add to this the fact that the production in general is a bit "safe" - there isn't much going on in general - and I'm left a bad disappointed by this track.
06 Annie - DD Dance (Time) [9/10]
I absolutely love the muted piano intro to this track - combined with the bass bursts and guitar, this track really gets off to an explosive start and things get better and better. The synth hook seems to raise the song a level from the agressive intro to a more light-hearted and playful zone where Annie's vocals can smoothly weave their way across the top of the pulsating bass beat. The synths throughout are a lot more complex than what we've been used to with Time, so once again I'm left feeling that I'm witnessing the rebirth of a label exploding back onto the scene after a long and dull vacation. Excellent stuff.
07 Rick Castle - You'll Never Be Lonely (Hi-NRG Attack) [8/10]
And from a label reinventing themselves to a label that sounds like they are trying to return to their roots. The synth hook on this track combined witht the beats and bass tone remind me so much of the Eurobeat Flash days, which is a welcome route to take in my book. Rick tries his best to make himself heard over the crazy synth patterns and pumping beats but most of the time he is left sounding like a sky little boy on the biggest concert stage in the world. This aside though, I am quite excited for the future of HRG now - this track proves they can vary their style enough to surprise the listener and that surely can't be a bad thing!
08 Go 2 - Power (SCP) [8/10]
Look who's back - the continual try-hards on the modern Eurobeat scene. Love them or hate them, no-one can deny Go 2's drive and style - from the distorted guitar chords to the explosive synths and beat, this is a full-on assault on the senses that you just can't ignore. The basic synth hook isn't the most interesting and original one I've ever heard, but it's slickly produced. Generally, the vocal line didn't interest me a massive amount - it just sounds like more of the same from a duo who are already sounding a bit same-old same-old...it's better than Not For Sale (their worst song IMO) but nowhere near as good as Funky Funlover or Super Striker...
09 Queen 26 - Popcorns & Sex (Delta) [8.5/10]
What on earth is going on here?? This is the same alias that released all those boring 80's inspired yawnfests during the 140s/150s right? Seems like someone's definitely been on the cheap champagne here - from the half-drunk, half-scary ramblings at the beginning to the Hi-NRG style vocal melody, this is totally the opposite from what I'd expect from Queen 26. I actually quite like the playful nature of the synths and beat, and the lyrics make me chuckle. If this is the future for Queen 26, then thank god she found the alcohol and loosened up a little! The squeaky moans during the intro freak me out though...
10 Cy-Ro - Intercooler (Hi-NRG Attack) [6/10]
I really don't get the hype that seems to surround Cy-Ro at the moment - for me, he is nowhere near as flamboyant or recognisable as other HRG male aliases (Jeff Driller, Joe D. Toaster) and this tune is no exception. The beat sounds relatively weak and although I am quite partial to an ascending chord progression, the melody itself is very generic and doesn't grab my attention. It's HRG being their generic old self, and to be honest I was disappointed by that...
11 Sophie - My World 2006 (Time) [7.5/10]
Okay, I don't really remember the original version of this so I don't have much to go on comparison-wise. Sophie as an artist has never really appealed to me a massive amount as her songs are normally quite slow and boring, but this one has a nice catchy chorus and a driving beat that moves the song along well. I think it benefits from being after a fairly inane track with no real identity of its own, although I wouldn't say that it's an amazing track - just quite pleasant...
12 Cody - Die Die (Delta) [7.5/10]
First impression of this is that I don't like the fact that it sounds like Cody is singing through the muffled intercom loops you get in train station ticket offices. That aside, the synth hook is pretty cute, but I'm pretty sure I've heard something almost identical in another song - it doesn't strike me as being totally original. I like the beat and chorus starts to grow on me as I listen to the song more, but overall I just feel like this is another "filler" much like the 2 previous tracks...
13 Dana - I'm OK (SCP) [9.5/10]
Woooo, I'm loving that bass beat at the start, and then the anthemic trance-inspired synths kick in and everything takes off into the stratosphere! For some reason, this song makes me think of a slightly sped-up Livin' In The Night/Walkin' In The Shadow - I think it would really benefit from Pamsy's unique vocals, although Dana does a great job. The chorus is super cheery sounding, and this contrasts nicely with the minor key in the verses and synth hook. As ever, the SCP production is top notch, and this is overall a superb debut for Dana - looking forward to hearing more from her in the future...
14 Annalise - Say You Will (A-Beat C) [6/10]
Hmmmm, the intro sounds a bit messy to me if I'm honest. The synth hook also seems to lack a true sense of direction or identity with a rather weak sounding synth simply fluttering over the top of the synthetic beats. I'm still a bit confused as to why A-Beat C has suddenly had such a massive shift in production quality - usually they are pretty reliable along with SCP but I've been a bit disappointed by some of their productions on this album.
15 Powerful T - Ace of Spades (A-Beat C) [6.5/10]
I've never liked this style of singing, and to be honest Powerful T goes way over the top in this track. He seems to find it difficult to control his falsetto and vibrato, and this leads to some very messy vocal phrases. On the plus side, the production is a bit more like the olden days here, but I'm still left feeling like there's a crucial ingredient missing that's stopping it from having that epic and anthemic quality of previous A-Beat C tracks. I was actually expecting a crazy Motorhead cover version when I saw this track - perhaps that would've been a better idea...
16 Ai Yamamoto - Wonderful (SCP) [8/10]
Guaranteed the Japanese EB fans go crazy for this song - it just seems to have that kind of innocent ad child-like quality to its vocals that they seem to go mad for... Personally, the vocals are what lets the song down for me as they aren't always totally in tune. It's a real shame, as I can imagine this track being a really sweet and well-made track with someone like Melissa or Christine on vocals. The melodies, production and synths are all fantastic, so I just hope we don't hear too much of this new alias...
17 Mark Gillan - Honesty (Time) [6.5/10]
Now this is what I expect from Time. This is generally what they do best - a relatively watery beat and sentimental vocal melody combined with minimal production. I'm not mad on this to be honest, especially when I consider the excellent Time songs that have come before on this album - I know the label is capable of so much better so why keep churning out inane and boring mushy stuff like this. I can hear Mark desperately trying to inject some excitement and passion to this track in places but unfortunately it doesn't work...
18 Nuage - I'm Gonna Carry On (A-Beat C) [7.5/10]
Nuage as the final track of an album? I can think of more memorable ways to finish an SEB, but whatever... This is pleasant enough with a nice snare heavy beat that gives this track a cute groove to it. This seems to hark back to classic Eurobeat in terms of the melody and feel, and Nuage does well vocally, but after some of the stunning anthems that have been featured on this album I was really hoping for something a bit more impressive to close proceedings....
FAVES - Wanna Be With You, I'm OK, Midnight Love, DD Dance
WORST - Intercooler, Say You Will
Melissa White has really gone up in my estimations after her past two tracks - I'm loving her work!
Usually I don't go anal about pronouncing in Eurobeat; but her singing "word" every single time drives me up the wall. Plus; the remaking of the whole thing doesn't sound at all good to me, which really disappointed me. My World is one of my favorite Eurobeat tracks so I was really looking forward to this 2006 version of it. When SEB171 goes on my iPod; My World 2006 will be replaced with the original. 
fast, go go girls-ish
. Really nicely produced song that balances between the old italo world and current modern sounds. Very nice remake by Time, but I still wish we could get some slightly newer songs featured as well. From the 93-95 era preferably.
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