I haven't done one of these in quite someTIME. The albume was actually pretty awesome and I really enjoyed almost every song the labels had to offer. One huge flaw; would be, that AVEX had to rethink what was the proper way to close out the disc. Dave Rodgers in the front and Bon at the end. There was no other way for it's presentation to go. Other than that; I'd say I haven't given an SEB album this many high grades in quite some TIME.
1.
RESTARTED TONIGHT / DAVE RODGERS
Dave is surely back in 6th gear here. The track has everything he is famous for. The driving theme is always present and the rehashed Eurobeat melo in the chorus ; is also a must, for his songs. For me; That is what gives his tracks the most power. That; and the killer guitar solos ,in the what we can now call; "The Break", in Eurobeat songs. Now for the extra ingredients. For starters; I loved that intro; which to me sounded, like it could have been a new Heavy Metal song. The Powerful T. vibe was all over that intro. Dave also sounded really great and actually interested in singing this track with all his heart. I; myself, had no problem with "Tell Me", but this is the stuff the name; Dave Rodgers, is known for. Glad to see him back on track. The race track.
9+/10
2.
MADE FOR LOVE / LOLITA
I'll admit; I'm not the biggest Lolita fan, but this track took off right away. A very short intro, but it gave way, for more of the rest, so in the end; it almost seemed like the track ran 4:30 mins. Lolita also sounded great on this track and the lyrics seemed to roll off her tongue with ease. Which, give the song; a cool sing along vibe. The mini break at the 3:00 mark was extra tasty and a crafty way to make the track seem a bit longer than it actually was. I know I repeat myself with this, but I really don't like short 4:00 songs, so when a label can somehow fool me into thinking; I've actually heard a longer track; well, then, you get my high score.
9-/10
3.
WE ROCK'EM ALL / CHAI & DEJO
This song is surly one of the treats on the CD. It's also one of those songs, that takes off into the action right away, but giving us the chorus; right from the start. I; for one didn't have any problem with the Chai feat. Dejo joke. I actually think Chai has some great vocals. I can hear an accent in his tone and that's always a plus for me. Also; his vocals don't sound too hyped, at fast speeds. Hyped vocals; is also something I really don't care for. Now for the music. Old School ,Old School synths all the way through. This would have been a huge hit back in the Eurobeat Glory days. if you don't feel the NRG in this track, then you must be getting old. Kudos for the hard rock guitars through out the song too.
10/10
4.
MADE OUT OF FIRE / SEASTAR
What I loved about this song was it's big injection of NRG. The intro was very powerful and SCP; threw at us a brand new Alias. Her vocals sounded a lot like some of the singers during the 80s Hi-NRG invasion; just at a higher level. What also made this song special was the mid break. I love those crazy sounds and here is where I would want SCP to extended the song; if they ever release the extended version; which I am for sure looking forward too.
9/10
5.
NEVER AGAIN / CHERRY
Four Tracks and 4 top grades. Let's see how Cherry does? Oh my Oh My, it's 1996 all over again. Just listen to that epic Piano intro. Sounds like the studio might have found some old riff samples left behind by Newfield or finally completed some songs from the era that needed finishing touches. This is truly DELTA on Fire again. You can hear some crazy finger action all through out the entire song. Little synth inserts ;here and there, during the verses and especially ;during, the pre- chorus. I'm also getting; not one, but two breaks. One with the special sounds and samples in the 3:20 TIME slot and then again; the always present Instrumental break; where you can hear all the special synth magic going on. "Forbidden Love", "Fire Gun", and "My Last Breath of Love" and now; this Masterpiece. DELTA's female leads are on FIRE.
10++++/10
6.
SEXY GAUCHO / FRANZ TORNADO
Oddly enough; this is where the Cd takes a miner dip. First off; I think there is too much silliness, going on in the intro. Seems like Franz wants to outdo his intros every TIME and it just starts getting ridiculous. Also, his vocals are starting to show some age. I remember Franz singing with much more aggression. This is the main reason I miss Nick Festari. The synth riff is all right , but seems to bring down the NRG the chorus anticipates. and I must add, that I really didn't care for the little voice yelling "ariba ariba" Pancho Villa" all through out the song. This certainly is no "Laser Gun"
7-/10
7.
LOVE LOVE LOVE / NORMA SHEFFIELD
So the weirdness; I heard in her vocals, in the previews; is no where to be found on the actual song? In fact; she sounds pretty NRGetic. The song; itself is a decent old school bouncer. The strong synths during the verses give the song a bit of power. I feel this might grow on me with continuous listens. I really did enjoy the rehashed, unmistakenable Norma-esque synth riff after the chorus. and the last verse with the twinkle twinkle piano beats.
8/10
8.
FIREBIRD / DREAM FIGHTERS
So now we have a new Dream Fighters song. This had mega stars to live up to, since "Dance For Love" is still on heavy rotation on my player. this is Not the usual High NRG material we are accustomed from this band. It's more meloncoly and seemed more apt for the David Dima title. Dream Fighters do have some slower stuff ;like "The Day of The Rain" , "The End of The World" see the pattern. Now for the good stuff. The riff; for starters ,is rehashed and doesn't rely on any crazy synths, but neither did "Dance For Love" and that's where Dave's Eurobeat Craftyness kicks in. The chorus and lyrics also have the undeniable epic feel and in the end; the whole song builds up inside you until you can'r resist but to shout "go" with David and let him take you on a intense Eurobeat ride.
9+/10
9.
BED GIRL / CINDY
Some TIMEs songs will have a killer effect on me, during the first few listens, then dip a bit after repeated play. The song starts off with powerful enough intro and catchy synth bits, and I really like the feel during the verses. It also really builds up to what you wish was a really intense chorus. and this is were the song burned out on me after repeat airplay. It's still good, but with a title like "Bed Girl"; I really expected some new "Hot Milk" nastiness. The best parts where the intros and breaks with the pianos. I also would have hyped her vocals just a bit as to sound like a different vocalist and go with the Cindy alias.
8-/10
10.
TOUCHDOWN / LUKE
Another one of my top tracks comes from "Turbo Disco" Luke, himself. That preview on youtube totally stripped the songs of any life, but once you have the gem in your hands; you'll have completely different thoughts. First things first. The intro is MEGA. Voice samples are back and I'm glad it's being used by DELTA. This effect; always gives the song , incredible power. Gone are the days when Sergio Dall Ora would give us 1:30 intros, so the labels really have to step it up to introduce the song's upcoming power. This song has a strong Mad Max vibe. You can hear it in the percussion effects and it's giving the song the illusion of actually being faster than it really is. The best parts are the verses prechorus, chorus, Instrumental Breaks, synth riff and outro. Yes; the whole F***ing song blew me away and gives DELTA honors for best Eurobeat offerings this round..
10++++/10
11.
LET ME FLY ON TOKYO NIGHT / J.3 BENZ
First off; that alias sounds like something you might give Trance or Techno artists and sounds very weird for a female vocalist. Is it reference to a Mercedes Benz? With that outta the way; I have to say, the rest of the song, pleasantly surprised me. It had a nice uptempo and NRGetic beat and even a dash of Old School Synths; which for me is always a plus. Her vocals are solid enough and carry the song with the right amount of NRG to make it memorable enough for replay value. Nothing extraordinary, but a good song for a cool off period at the gym.
8/10
12.
TEMPLE OF DESIRE / MANUEL
Wow! See that run TIME? 4 mins. IDK, but I felt like it was a bit longer? It had to do with Manuel getting into the power of the song right from the get go. The first thing I noticed was the presentation of the first verse. The style sounded like the kind the songs usually use for the last verse, by minimalizing the backround music. It sounded quite effective on this song. This song is also not too; mind f**king chaotic and that's a good thing. It doesn't rely on those weird up and downs in melody; featured in a lot of Manuel's , songs. So in the end; what you have a very effective Eurobeat song with a killer theme, high sing'a long, value and one trademark Manuel scream at the end of the chorus; which blew me away. Instantly ;my favorite Manuel song in a long TIME. Also the first GGMs song that I couldn't imagine sounding anymore powerful with a longer run Time.
10-/10
13.
BABE I KNOW / F.C.F.
Right off the back; we get a very interesting intro with the beats and melodies, but I really didn't like the effect of the vocals too much. I forgave them for that; for the awesome Italo synth riff. Now; call me crazy, but I sort of got a Miami Freestyle vibe form the melody of the verse. This also made the song quite interesting because it sounded good coupled with the Italo melodies of the rest of the song. I do wish more power was injected into the actual vocal delivery and if I think of F.C.F as the alias; it just doesn't sit right with the power I remember from their past songs. Then of course you have the trademark mid break best used for Mixing back in the day. Boom Boom Beat was always great at these. This one even adds old school female backups. Something I wish all songs would return. I'm probably the only one who really appreciates the old school aspects of this song; therefore, giving it a higher grade than most reviewers?
8/10
14.
POWER FIGHTER / BON
Oh WOW. There are no words to describe how disappointed I am that this song didn't get the deserving closing slot on the album. It's the best Sinclaire song this year. Even that epic outro was used in the Youtube premier. That's how good this song is. Nando Bonini is probably one of my last favorite vocalists who is still active in the genre. The thing is, he gets better with each passing volume. The intro took me back to Morris "Crazy For Your Love" and I really think both DELTA and Sinclaire studios are really researching the aspects that really made Eurobeat the most powerful music ever. ..and they are injecting every bit of wisdom without any chains to hold them back. Did AVEX suddenly give the labels more freedom of creation, cuz, a lot of these songs certainly prove it. O.k.; easily my most favorite; sing along ,foot stomping ,song of the entire Cd. Quite easily; the entire year, as well.
10+++++++++
15.
GO KOOKY GO / BAMBOO BIMBO
O.k. for me the CD ended with Bon. This song here; just sounds like a mini preview of what 241 might have in store? First; I'm not the biggest Bamboo Bimbo fan. The ultra hyped vocals are a task to sit through and on this song; he sounds extra annoying during the verses. Now; while the song ,might have a great synth riff; the rest falls flat, because it is too damn fast. It hardly gives the listener any TIME to absorb what's going on in the composition as a whole. Add to that; those horrendous child like 'Go's" ; through out the whole song, and then compare how silly they sound when put side by side with Dima's epic "Go" of "Firebird" . I know how much AVEX loves SCP, but seriously ; this song didn't deserve the epic closing spot on the CD. No f***ing way.
-6/10
~
song writing is difficult.XDD
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