Super Eurobeat 162

1.Virginelle - Like A Virgin 2005 (A-Beat C)
Wow is all I can say to start this review with. I always adored Like A Virgin, it was featured on the first Eurobeat album I ever bought and remember falling in love with the song back then already, and even after all these years I still value the song highly. The song has remained as one of my all time favorites through out the ups and downs the genre has gone and now that it got a well deserved remake I was waiting eagarly for it. I can again refer to the first word of the review... Wow. This remake is over all the best one I've heard in ages as it really does re-work the song a lot, but keeps the magical feel it had already back in '95. The vocals sound brilliant and Elena Gobbi has truly deserved her spot at the eurobeat allstars crew. Now I can only hope for more remakes of other old classics.
Rating : 10

2.Madison - Without You (Delta)
After hearing the preview clip on the Avex site I was looking forward to this song really big time and I have to say it really took my breath away. The song is far from general eurobeat as it mixes up many different dancemusic genres into a beautiful morphosis. The disco style synth, catchy pop-like chorus and eurobeat beat to back it all up, you really have one of the most unique sounding songs in ages. The vocals are irresistible, the chorus swept me off my feet right away and in the end I kept on coming back to the song. Really a great direction even though it's again far from the fast paced action of normal eurobeat, but Without You shows that the eurobeat labels are really capable of so much else than just the generic eurobeat beat.
Rating : 10

3.Degaz Feat. Vanessa - Stand Up (Time)
Vanessa, a title about everybody listening to eurobeat is familiar with due to its long existance. The title has had various vocalists and the level of the songs has gone up and down, but never been really down the drain fortunately. I can say that I really miss the energetic times back with Clara Moroni or Emmanuelle Gubinelli leading, but Elena Ferretti has been doing a nice job with the title as well. Lovely Tango was a pretty nice song that hasn't lost its charm, and Stand Up is a similar presentation. The song doesn't really stand out on the album, but it sounds really nice for a while and the giddy mood the song has is pretty contagious. Sounded way worse on the preview clip, so I'm really glad the song turned out good.
Rating : 8

4.Eurofunk - Stop To Give Up (Delta)
So is it Van T.K. or not? It definitely sounds like him, but does this mean that fans are being distracted intentionally, has he changed labels or is he working for both SCP and Delta now? Well questions shall probably be answered later by  people with better knowledge on the situation. I was expecting an infectious dance track like the previous Eurofunk song was, but sadly we're moving on a similar area as the previous 2 Van T.K. songs were. Tad boring disco mood with not too pleasant vocals to go with it. Not really my kind of a treat, but I can always hope that we'd get more of the energic performance like in the past instead of a constant disco flava.
Rating : 6½

5.Mister Max - Line On Fire (Boom Boom Beat/Asia)
It's sort of interesting to be hearing all of these 'old' Saifam releases on SEB after quite a while. Like the previous songs that appeared on 161, the 3 BBB tracks on this album have been heard before and it makes it sort of hard to review them again. Line On Fire was never one of my favorite songs as it sounds pretty repetitive and the song just is missing the extra energy & punch that Saifam usually invests in their songs. The chorus isn't exactly catchy and the song just sounds really hollow all around, really not the best song that Avex could've picked from the Asia catalogue.
Rating : 7+

6.Groove Twins - Oh Baby Call Me Now (A-Beat C)
A really old A-Beat C title makes a comeback after being gone for a total of 6 years as the previous appearence for the title was seen on Aerobeat Eurobeat 2 with the brilliant I'm The Queen Of The Night. Back in the good old days Domino was handling most of the vocals, but seeing she hasn't been in the scene for a while the vocals for this title have been abducted by new vocalists. The vocals seem to be handled by Elena Gobbi and an unknown vocalist (maybe Meri, Giada or any of the other new A-Beat C lasses?) and they sound really nice all around, the only problem is that the song isn't exactly very catchy. The chorus sounds good and the verses keep the pace up, but the last touch just seems to be missing. A fun song for a while, but really can't hold its edge for a long time.
Rating : 7½

7.Sarah - Stay With Me Tonight (Boom Boom Beat/Asia)
An another song from the Asia catalogue I wouldn't have really wanted to see on SEB. Sarah has a few killer songs, but Stay With Me Tonight isn't one of the best performances available. The song has a really cheery mood and it's fun to listen to, but it is suffering from the same problem as the Mister Max song: repetitivity. The c-melody sounds good every time, but that's the only really good part about the song in the end as the other areas just sound okay. Next time I really would love to see a good song from the Asia catalogue such as Hey Guy, Black Cat or Mister Go.
Rating : 7-

8.Manuel - Please Don't Go (A-Beat C)
I hate to admit it, but the past performances by Manuel have made me lost most of the interest I had in him. After listening to Please Don't Go for a few times I was feeling that he might be picking up his level again, but the song started sounding boring quite fast and my initial reaction turned again into disappointment. The song is faster than On My Wings & What You Need, but it's still no where the magical energy that we heard with the songs in the 140s. The song does shine in the soundworlds as the interludes sound excellent and the nice transitions between different phases sound really good, but when the verses sound boring and chorus is lacking real edge, I will sum the review up with the word: Disappointment.
Rating : 7-

9.Suzy Lazy - Carry On Baby (Delta)
A new song by Suzy! Been waiting for this for quite a while, what sucks though is that the current trend seems to favor bashing the titles that used to be excellent in the past into oblivion in the present. Love Generation scored high on SEB160 countdown and I'm really reflecting this song on to it and the other energic Suzy songs in the past, as this song just is... not that. Carry On Baby follows a similar pattern as the past few Cherry songs did. Pop-py, slow, boring. Would love to see even one or two of the really great old Delta titles renewed back into their former glory. Still waiting for a new My Bandido for example.
Rating : 6+

10.Pamsy - So Fragile (SCP)
When I wrote the previous review for a Pamsy song, I stated that every time there's a new song by this SCP prodigy, she seems to top her previous entry just a little bit. So Fragile is bound to become huge due to the fact that it appeared in Initial D, but sadly this song is the first one that shows some slowing down for the brilliant title. Now now, don't get me wrong... So Fragile is a very good song, but it doesn't top the masterpieces Livin' In The Night & Hello. The track has a very heavy mixture of trance elements and eurobeat in a really smooth combination which gives it a similar unique feel as the previous songs had. An over all excellent song, but not the best we've heard of her.
Rating : 9+

11.Nayr - All Alone (Time)
The renewal at Time studios has been confusing to sum it up shortly. We've heard a lot of new titles that have just 1 song and they all sound the same as the old Time titles. Nayr sounded really unique and I kept on getting Narnia flashbacks from the title for a some reason, can only imagine how disappointed I was to get a new B-type Helena/Sophie etc. The song has a very similar touch to it and I can't honestly see this making anybody really jump to the roof, but hey it might just be me. This song should be left All Alone.
Rating : 5

12.Mark Foster - Like A Fire (Boom Boom Beat/Asia)
Now we're talking... A better selection from the catalogue. The song starts off with a brilliant intro along side great vocals and it manages to build up more rage little by little. When the chorus kicks in the song blasts into full energy and it really shows how well produced the Saifam materials really can be, to even top that the interlude after the chorus just sounds even better. If you remember any of the best highlights from BBB during the Euromach era, you can pretty much compare this song to them as it follows the same pattern: Simple, aggressive, energetic and fun to listen to, as I like my Boom Boom Beat.
Rating : 9½

13.Nando Feat. The Prophet - Rock'N'Roll Emulation (Delta)
Fernando Bonini or Nando/Mako comes back with a new name to the eurobeat scene. The Prophet is a title from Delta's Easybeat Techno label and Rock'N'Roll Emulation is the first appearence by the rapper on SEB. Fernando is the one doing most of the work here as The Prophet is mostly left in the background adding some rap here and there to back up the main vocals. The song isn't probably as aggressive and catchy as I would've expected but it's still a nice song to listen to occasionally. Not a highlight on the album, but a good filler track to keep the album going.
Rating : 8-

14.Lucya & Ace - Memories & Feelings (SCP)
Oh the flashbacks to the brilliant Sweet & Tender Lies is present right away when the combination of Lucya & Ace is presented, it's refreshing to see more duets by Lucya as she's definitely one of the most unique artists SCP has to offer. Memories & Feelings is a very christmas-like song and I can already see it appearing on a presumed Eurobeat Christmas 2005. The song has a really similar kind of a touch as the Melissa White & Ace duet Poison Of Love had. The bubbly mood of the song really made me smile a lot and the fast paced feel kept me wanting for me. A really nice presentation, next time can we get an Ace Feat. Kiki & Fancy when Mr. Codenotti seems to enjoy doing duets a lot.
Rating : 9+

15.Dave - Moonlight Sensation (Time)
I say that it's pure cruelty to add even more Dave titles into the eurobeat scene. There really are enough of those already and Time could've picked up something more original for a change. This song was introduced earlier on in the SEB Staff voice as an upcoming song, so I was expecting something really phenomenal after all the discussion there. Have to give Time credit for offering us a really well done pop song for a change, but also will mention in the same sentence that they really could think of a few new elements into their songs. Moonlight Sensation is a really positive track that isn't really offering anything new to people but I assume many people will enjoy this song due to the great melody and catchy chorus.
Rating : 8+

16.Jeff Driller - Lucky Doom (HI-NRG Attack)
A very bad intro turns out to reveal one of the best presentations by HI-NRG Attack in ages! Jeff Driller like many of the other HI-NRG Attack titles is pretty easy to forget but Lucky Doom is here to make a change. The song has that distinctive HRG touch to it, but at the same time it does introduce even more unique features and if you listen to the backgrounds closely you'll notice nice transitions and unique sounds here and there. The chorus and c-melody combined create the clear highlight for the song as the part of the song is just brilliant and even the semi annoying la la la la part of the song can be forgiven. Really effective and the song caught me off guard.
Rating : 9½

17.Ace - Rider Of The Sky (SCP)
Rider Of The Sky is already the 12th song for Ace during the Super Eurobeat era since he was first featured on SEB141. Some might say that it's not a lot, but when reflecting the amount of songs to most of the eurobeat titles, it's a hell lot. Rider Of The Sky really sweeps the jackpot for Christian this time as it is probably the best performance by the artist since his debut (that probably won't be topped ever). The song isn't really offering anything new in any ways, but it's extremely catchy and one of the faster Ace songs during the whole SEB time which naturally made me enjoy it more. Brilliant and irresistible, a style I really enjoy hearing from Ace. Good going SCP again on this album.
Rating : 10
 
18.Dave Rodgers - Eldorado (A-Beat C)
So the grand-dad of A-Beat C is here again after the impactful Space Invader. Wonder if this song is going to brew up any controversy, but at least it should brew a lot of admiration as it seems that Giancarlo is really back in the big wheel big time. Eldorado is a very typical presentation by Dave, but when most of his songs are catchy and irresistible it's not a bad thing. The song features a lot of guitars as expected, an infectious chorus and great vocals. Can't really ask for a lot more, but I'll be happy and watch if there'll be any competition for that Dave spot on The Best Of 2005 as he has presented 3 good songs for the album. Eldorado is the perfect way to finish up the album, in a good old eurobeat energy.
Rating : 10

Final Words :
An album that suffers from the typical SEB complex... A lot of great songs vs. a lot of not so great songs. The album kicks off magnificently and finishes up with more grace than most albums, but the middle area of the album is moving on the gray area that'll get forgotten fast which is sad as there really would've been a lot of potential here. The remake of Like A Virgin shows that you really can work an old eurobeat classic into a new outfit with doing big changes and still keep the charisma of the original. Madison, Pamsy, Mark Foster, Lucya & Ace, Jeff Driller, Ace & Dave Rodgers present us with excellent material so the album really does lean towards a way more positive feeling than negativity. The general feel that this album left me with was contentment, the songs that worked well really did that with a full impact and the worse end of the album wasn't anything unbearable either, but time will tell how I'll feel about this album in a year or two.

Final Score : 8

Reviewed by Bore