Super Eurobeat 163

1.Go 2 - Super Striker (SCP)
So Ace and Fastway are back again and with more material that's plain irresistible. SCP has really understood the power when they put these two together as their vocals blend together rather magnificently and the energy they can offer is what eurobeat is all about. Super Striker is an indirect follow up to the previous football themed song Fantasista! but you can't even compare these two songs together as they're miles away from eachother in quality. Super Striker is energetic, catchy, addictive and a glimpse of the good old eurobeat I love the most.
Rating : 10

2.Paul Harris - Everybody's Looking (Delta)
So here we have more original material from Delta that follows the line of rather variable stuff the label has been putting out in the recent past. The intro opens up the song magnificently and the rather cheery melody keeps the pace up quite nicely, but sadly the chorus itself can't really keep it together as well as the rest of the song. The track offers plenty of unique points which make it a pleasure to listen to, but for some reason I grew tired with it relatively fast. Fun for a while, but not the best thing out there. Still two thumbs up Delta.
Rating : 8

3.Kevin Johnson - Got To Be Your Lover (Delta)
Davide Budriesi is a rather peculiar vocalist, I could look back to various of the Kevin Johnson songs and I can almost say that every other song sounds really good vocalistically, but then the other half just sounds rather awkward. Got To Be Your Lover falls sadly into the latter category. The song has a steady 80's euro-pop tone to it, which makes it seem really ancient, but at the same time it does give it a nice unique tone. Really not a competitor for the previous release by Kevin, but this will most certainly please the people who still love all of the eurobeat/pop we got back in the 80's.
Rating : 7

4.Linda Ross - Love Is Danger 2005 (Time)
First things first... When I saw this title in the tracklisting I was really let down and thinking we couldn't go any lower as I never was the biggest fan of Love Is Danger. Oh how wrong I was, I can't really say anything but: Wow! Time hasn't managed to make too many memorable performances in the past few years, but this song is a real jackpot. Pretty much every eurobeat fan knows the original song back from 1993 and I really was feeling they couldn't bring much energy into it, but by some miracle Time has managed to re-work the old classic to modern standards and even top the original by far. The song really does sound fresh and at points like a totally new song which makes it so damn enjoyable. If Time really has the talent to do this kind of unbelieveble results I hope they could put the same effort into their new material or just keep renewing their old classics because this is exactly why I used to love Time for so many years.
Rating : 10+

5.The Factory Team - Gun Boy (Boom Boom Beat/Asia)
More energy packed into a brief period of time from Saifam, as if anyone expected for anything else. The song represents the aggressive kind of eurobeat we've heard on the VIP-series and it's really nice to hear the same kind on SEB. At first this song seemed rather repetitive, but that turned out to be a good thing as by time I got more and more addicted to the catchy chorus. Not much to say, you all know Saifam and what they do best: Gun Boy is just that.
Rating : 9+

6.Queen 26 - More Than A Feeling (Delta)
To a slight surprise it seems that lately Queen 26 has been clearly the most controversial title in the eurobeat business. The songs we've so far had have been really original and made half of the fans fall in love and others hate them with a fiery vengeance. I am still sort of undecided about where I fall in this picture as the songs all seem to be such unique productions that I can't really say that I'd like the title itself, but the songs really define the standard. More Than A Feeling is a step back to the debut release Going Crazy and a step backwards for me in contrast to the previous Inside Your Heart. I really didn't find a whole lot in this song that would've made it stand out amongst the previous releases but I still didn't dislike it either. The c-melody sounds brilliant and vocals are catchy but I still would prefer some extra energy to make the song more memorable. Future nonstop albums with a bit of a speed increasement might just do that.
Rating : 7½

7.Jock Lee - I Wanna Rock With You (Time)
I do not wanna rock with Jock Lee that's for sure. I have said these same words before, but I really have to sound like a broken record: Why oh why does Time spend so much potential they have (See the re-working of Love Is Danger) with releasing an army of clone songs. All I can say is that they have a nice synth going on in the c-melody but that's about the only really outstanding thing Jock Lee has to offer. Oh well an another time.
Rating : 6+

8.Lolly'O - Chilly Boy (Boom Boom Beat/Asia)
We have labels that are producing giddy girl-type eurobeat and are really good at that, but I have to say that I don't really think it's the right style for 3B. This new title Lolly'O just reminds me of the British classic bubblegum act Lolly, but even in comparison to a not so speedy act we are light years behind. This song is plain annoying and the vocals are the really worst part about it. The first time I heard the song I had to admit it to myself probably for the first time: I don't love all happy bubbly songs after all. Chilly Boy is definitely something I could've lived without.
Rating : 6

9.D.Essex - Fahrenheit Euronight (Delta)
Been a while since we had new D.Essex and I for one had my hopes really high for Fahrenheit Euronight. The familiar energy is still there but we aren't treated to a similar aggressive package that could keep up the level of such classics as Master Power or Restless And Wild. The new song offers a fast paced melody which is only ruined by a really light soundworld that isn't exactly what fits the title. The chorus sounds really good but I still would've wanted some more blast into it and get a song that would really make me come back to it as Master Power for example did.
Rating : 8

10.Norma Sheffield - Falling Down (A-Beat C)
Heh, I can't help wondering about how off-key Norma sounds in the intro every single time I start to listen to this song. I get these bad chills going down my spine and they make me wanna switch to the next song. Falling Down falls into the category of "easy to forget"-Norma songs as it just sounds like a b-side christmas song. Too airy and dreamy for me.
Rating : 6-

11.Rick Castle - Move Into My Heart (HI-NRG Attack)
A rather surprising intro from HI-NRG Attack turns out to be a pretty common eurobeat presentation. A mid-tempo song with a light background that has some backing up from the vocals, that's basically how it sounded to me. Not a memorable performance but it's really harmless. I'd like to call this: "Elevator eurobeat music" as I doubt this would really make anyone annoyed or too thrilled.
Rating : 6½

12.Groove Twins - Viva The Night (A-Beat C)
This is yet an another good example of why I really love A-Beat C as much as I do and also why I love Elene Gobbi. My initial thoughts were that this song is way more of a Go Go Girls kind of a thing than Groove Twins, but it doesn't really matter that much. The basic theme is that our lovely eurobeat queen screams her out with a bubbly dance track that is pure irresistible. The vocals offer all of the best hooks in this song as Elena really does her best to offer an incredible amount of variaton from the high-pitched screams in the chorus to the lower vocals in the verses. A definite pick for any eurobeat fan who enjoys female vocalists as it doesn't really get much better than this (well maybe I Wanna Be Fat...).
Rating : 10+

13.Sophie - Touch Me Touch Me (Time)
I could point you to read the review for Jock Lee if I was lazy, but guess I'll find a few words to say... Elena Ferretti has lately been sounding more and more spiritless as her vocals just don't offer the same kind of energy she could sometimes bring into a song (See: Victoria - Stay, Helena - Lonely Night). Touch Me Touch Me sounds tacky, drowzy and well also really harmless. Could work very well as the background music when you are doing something else but definitely nothing I wanna listen to when I intend to listen to eurobeat in particular.
Rating : 6

14.Van T.K. - Take Another Chance (SCP)
It seems that Van T.K. is joining the ranks of Fastway and Ace as he seems to be appearing on so many albums all of a sudden. Fortunately Take Another Chance is a clear step ahead from the previous songs we heard from him. The song has a similar pop/disco theme going on, which seems impossible to get rid of now. The only difference is that the melody is actually really catchy and the chorus is fun to sing along to. Not in any way a competition to the fast paced eurobeat, but still a fun lil' song.
Rating : 7+

15.Mickey B. - Never Mind (A-Beat C)
Michaela has turned out to be a vocalist the eurobeat fans all around love, and who wouldn't love such a deep and unique sound. What also has been working nicely for her is that she has had very memorable songs that have helped her bring out her vocals. Never Mind is a rather mellow song that sadly doesn't stand a chance against some of the jewels we heard from Mickey in the 150s (See Snowgame Fighters), the track isn't all bad but it just can't really stand out and stay as one of the better songs on the album.
Rating : 7½

16.Vivi - Just For Me (SCP)
Vivi is one of the new vocalists SCP has to offer for us. The original thought I had when I heard the song was that she'd be doing the same we've had Pamsy doing for quite a while, but it didn't take too long to notice that they're in different categories. Both girls offer us trance-flavored eurobeat that will make you feel good. Vivi sounds more like a distant relative of Kiki & Fancy as Just For Me has similar elements as the superb Big In The Night back on SEB156. Fun lil' song but knowing SCP we will probably get something even more memorable from her soon!
Rating : 8+

17.Neo - I Was Born For Burning (A-Beat C)
About all of the eurobeat fans noticed Neo right away when his first song was released and the follow up was much anticipated. I Was Born For Burning is a great follow up to the excellent Go Go Money as we are treated to a similar aggressive song that doesn't have to be at all shamed if it gets compared to the debut. The vocals still have a slightly funny pitch to them as it occasionally sounds exactly like Manuel singing, yet the next second it sounds like a totally different guy, well go and figure? Anyways, this is pure eurobeat energy and a definite pick for eurobeat lovers.
Rating : 9½

18.Jeff Driller - Super Guts (HI-NRG Attack)
So the album is finished up by HI-NRG Attack. don't remember if we've had such ever before on SEB actually. In contrast to the rather mellow paced Rick Castle song Super Guts is all about energy and the kind of material we've learn to expect from HI-NRG Attack. The song sounds fun but at the same time really recycled as the sounds are secondhand stuff from older hits for sure. Vocals sound nice, chorus is good and the melody works too, so not too many complaints.
Rating : 8-

Final Words :
This album really does go down a notch after the few rather steady albums. We have a few absolutely brilliant performances on the album (Go 2, Linda Ross, Groove Twins, Neo) but over all the level isn't exactly high and the songs tend to get repetitive really fast. I would've expected to hear a few more energetic songs as currently the song offers a lot of semi-melancholic eurobeat that doesn't really manage to light any of kind feelings what so ever. Viva The Night really managed to become my favorite on the album and it still reminds me how magnificent the genre can be at its best. Good luck to all of the record labels for 164, hopefully we'll be hearing even more future classics.

Final Score : 7

Reviewed by Bore