I
finally got my copy!
My first impression of this album is overall pretty positive. It's not fantastic by any means, but there are plenty of nice showings and a few great surprises.
SEB 4 U is as epic as I had anticipated - it doesn't exactly push any boundaries, but the enthusiastic vocals and explosive synths are all there. It's a hearty reminder of why I became so fond of eurobeat in the first place and thus the perfect track to kick off the first SEB release in over a year.
Wacky-Wacky-O! is one of the most unique eurobeat productions of any label in quite a few years. With Scream Team, I instinctively expect a horror-esque minor/dimished fest with a cheesy twist, but what we got here is something entirely different. It hybridizes a surprisingly mawkish melodic structure with only a sleight of the eeriness that defined previous Scream Team productions. The operatic wailing conjures allusions to banshees for me, properly carving out this track's spooky tone, yet it sounds brightly gleeful at the same time. I have to give props to SCP for truly experimenting out of their comfort zone, and overall I think their gamble paid off here. I rather enjoy this quirky little piece, and it'll probably be one of my most played tracks on this CD.
SinclaireStyle gives two very strong performances as well. Since the 210's, it's been evident that Leonardi has been succeeding far more on his aggressive male-led productions than the sappy ones performed by females, and he continues to embrace that fact here. Loving Eurobeat is actually pretty akin to Max Power from SEB 105, in that it's a bit chirpier than Leonardi's usual mold, yet it still packs a terrific punch. Boys Gone Wild follows a relatively similar pattern, though its a-melody solidly balances out the rest of the track's cheery tone.
Unfortunately, SEB 221 is also marred by a few serious downfalls. I agree with everyone else who's stated that Down Down Down is one of the most uninspired Asia productions in a while and that Avex had stronger options to pick from while planning this release. I think Dance Into the Beat is a bit too contrived to be honest, but I enjoy Why Boy, despite its sing-songy cheesiness.
Wild Boys is, as I fearfully predicted, the first Rich Hard song that I don't enjoy. It provides a rather potent framework, but it's brought down by a number of severe factors. The most obvious, for me, is how poorly Rich Hard's crude, raspy vocals suit this track's poppy, house-like overtone. He prevails just fine in more aggressive joints like Pirates and even pseudo-aishu tracks like Tell Me Why and On Your Wings, but this song, with its primary emphasis on melody, exposes his raw vocals like a sore thumb, lacking the edge to effectively work off his unconventional tone. The
lyrics seem very out of place, since the track is slowly paced and hardly suggestive of a racing ambiance. I'm also a bit dismayed by Sunfire's sudden implementation of wispy, reverb-laden synths, harkening back to the dark age of A-Beat C (2007 to early 2008). It nearly spoils the label's other two otherwise-good numbers here (1 Fire and Kelly) and adds further misery to this already disjointed blunder.
The worst track though, without a doubt, is Born To Be Wild In My Car. Aside from a trippy synth hook, this track offers absolutely
nothing original from a label that has clearly outlived its glory days. Almost every male-led song HRG currently produces uses the stock concert Bb-minor progression and puts Roberto Festari in charge of the vocals, a morbid indication of how dry of inspiration the label has become in recent years. The airy, reverb-heavy production doesn't help matters, either. Compare this track to almost anything else HRG has made in the past three years, and I guarantee you will be unable to make any distinctions between the two songs. The fact that anybody could rate this on the same level as such masterpieces as Electro Cow and Super Kaiser is totally beyond my grasp of understanding.
The rest of this album is pretty strong. Dima's two entries are a welcome rebound from the label's recession during the 210's, and Marco Rancati shines as usual on the pounding Super Driver. Hyper Super Powers doesn't leave quite as great an impact on me as it did from the samples, as it merely adds a few nuances to an otherwise generic musical framework. Still, it properly showcases everything Ennio is adept to and works overall. It may be a bit raucous at points, but it's still just musical enough not to turn into a disaster. Different Girl is pretty musically shallow, while Kiss' tumultuous production overpowers its vocalist a little, but again, neither song is particularly bad.
My ratings for SEB 221:
1. SEB 4 U (Power Mix) / SEB All Stars feat. DJ Boss:
9.5/10
2. Different Girl / An-G:
6.5/10
3. Loving Eurobeat / Dejo & Bon:
9/10
4. Power & Love / Stephy Martini:
8.5/10
5. Kiss / Bamboo Bimbo:
7.5/10
6. 1 Fire / Dave Rodgers:
7.5/10
7. Down Down Down / Tipsy & Tipsy:
5.5/10
8. Born To Be Wild In My Car / Cy-Ro:
3/10
9. Kelly / Powerful T.:
6/10
10. Wacky-Wacky-O! / Scream Team:
9.5/10
11. Wild Boys / Rich Hard:
4.5/10
12. Dance Eurobeat / Heather feat. Dima:
9/10
13. Super Driver / Daniel:
8.5/10
14. Hyper Super Powers / Fastway:
7.5/10
15. Boys Gone Wild / Dejo:
9.5/10
Overall:
8/10
