Super Eurobeat 175

1.Ace - Futureland (SCP)
It has been quite a while since Mr. Codenotti did any songs solo on SEB so it's refreshing to hear him go solo again and also see that he is still on the same energetic path he started on. Futureland starts with a perfect album opener intro and it seems completely logical that it was chosen as the initial song for the album. The song features genious sounds that combine basic eurobeat ingredients, some guitars, irresistible synth lines and great vocals. Hard to say much bad about the song, it is what I like to call a solid hit the SCP style.
Rating: 9+

2.Annalise - With Your Photograph (A-Beat C)
So yeah, Nuage was very consistent for a long time, but it seems Annerley is taking that spotlight with her constant run of new songs. I haven't been too thrilled with her recent entries but for a change she brings us yet an another novelty hit that can't quite live up to the level of her very original blasts like Queen Of Love or O.K! All Right!, but a very modern midtempo track. Her vocals are as strong as always and especially the chorus this time around works well. The verses and the intro are the downsides to the song, they can't quite keep up the same level as the chorus and c-melody do. If she actually brought back that screamy old Annalise that used to lighten up my day I would be more than pleased.
Rating : 8½

3.Kevin Johnson - You Light My Fire (Delta)
Mr. Budriesi makes a back under the title that has been dormant for some 10 albums again, the typical balladish eurobeat style is back and yet it still can't really quite light my fire. The vocal work is nice, but the track just feels somewhat too mellow for my taste as the sounds aren't very striking nor does the melody jump out as something special. The song would've fit the mellow 150s well, but so far the 170s have been relatively fast and active and for that reason it just feels slightly out of place, maybe a good song to set in the Super Euro Christmas line?
Rating : 7

4.Lolita - Stop The Time Tonight (Go Gos Music)
Well, well, I for one am one happy Elena fan. That good old happy go lucky Lolita is finally back with a killer song on the new A-Beat C sublabel. We've heard quite a few Lolita songs since her explosive tracks in the 140s, the tracks since then have been somewhat variable in quality but one combining factor for the songs have been that they have lacked the punch and energy I had learned to connect this title with. Stop The Time Tonight is exactly the kind of material I was expecting when I originally heard that Domino & Sandro Oliva had joined forces to produce new and exciting eurobeat, the song is bubbly and happy that just like an anonymous female vocalist in a song said The Music Just Turns Me Ooon~. About everything with this song just clicks perfectly, the vocals are awesome, the light and cheery sounds fit Elena's vocals perfectly and when you finish that off with an awesome melody you get the best Lolita song in years! Oh and as a side note, it's weird how the best parts of the song (the intro) had been cut for the album version, really a pity as it sounded truly amazing on the Extended version.
Rating : 10+

5.Mega NRG Man Feat. Kiko Loureiro - Rock Me (Go Gos Music)
There was a period when Tomas was not as frequent on SEBs but seems he is back with that same kind of energy that he has been offering us for years. Rock Me is exactly like the title says, a very rock influenced song with the excellent guitars provided by the old familiar guest star Kiko Loureiro. The song oozes masculine energy and unlike the other Go Gos songs on this album, it's a totally different direction which just shows how the new sublabel can offer us with much delight for days to come. The track has pretty much every piece at place, you got the energy, you got the aggressive guitars, you have a catchy chorus and what more can you ask for? Not quite as good as In The Sunrise was, but gets very close.
Rating : 9½

6.Vanity - Take A Look In My Heart (Time)
When the original tracklisting was revealed and no "X 2007" was present it didn't really take long to logically combine this song as the remake of this album. The original Jilly song has been one of my favorite Time songs for ages so I was quite expecting to hear the new version. I'm not quite sure, but the vocals seem to be done by Elena Ferretti (like nearly all female tracks by Time anyways), and they can't quite keep the same edge as the original vocals by Clara Moroni did. The remake is all around well produced, but then again there are some oddities about it that kinda make me annoyed at the same time, the modern sounds and speed fit the song, but at the same time, they don't. Go and figure, but it just feels like a double-edged sword for me, I like the song, yet I don't. In the end my conclusion was that I'd prefer listening to the original instead.
Rating : 7½

7.Domino - Go Go Where You Wanna Go Go (Go Gos Music)
Oh boy, a new Domino song is what I was waiting for quite a long time. Her good old chirpy self is back with all the basics, we got the palapala, we got the euroboys and we got the random japanese words! Everything I loved about her in the past is present this time around as well. Where as Fuku Wa Uchi was a relatively unique piece of art, this track brings us back to how eurobeat used to be in the good days. The track may not be very genuinely different from the basic eurobeat productions but it's a fact that the sounds, the melody, the vocals and all the extra tricks left and right fit the song perfectly. The track may be one of the few songs with many dimensions due to the extra male vocals, that at first might go a bit unnoticed but the more I listen to the song, the more I notice the importance that they have in it. A very awesome performance her that goes to the category of her old classics such as Play With The Numbers and Feel My Heart.
Rating : 10+

8.Franz Tornado & Mad Cow Orchestra - Moo Moo Dollars (HI-NRG Attack)
I know I am not the only one who was expecting a remake of Boom Boom Dollars, so guess it was just hidden in the context that the song is a tribute to it. The basic essence if HI-NRG Attack is here, with all the wacky lyrics, fast paced melody and random sounds here and there (though quite frankly maybe the song could've used a few more Moos). Sadly I have to admit though that this song does suffer from the same complex as many of the Mad Cow songs in the recent past did, the song turns out to be somewhat repetitive after a while and even though the use of extra female vocals feels good at first, in this song they become more annoying than effective in the end. A decent song, but not quite what I had been awaiting after the past few bull's eyes HRG had.
Rating : 8-

9.Kiki & Fancy - Tuttifrutti Lollipop (SCP)
How on earth do the people at SCP come with these random titles, and how do they manage to make even more effective songs than the previous was? The fans of this duo has been treated to lots of goodies in the recent past as we heard the awesome Roly Poly Rock only 6 albums ago and Cover Girl 2 albums ago, so getting even more of K&F now makes it feel like it's christmas all over again. Originally when I listened to the clip on Avex's site I declared this song as pure genious and my opinion hasn't changed one bit. The song features the most ingenious melody, wicked sounds and yet again silly but irresistible vocals. I have wondered on quite a few occasions how SCP manages to pull off all these weird songs that appeal to so many mature people, Tuttifrutti Lollipop joins my alltime favorite hall of fame for sure. Another round of applauds for SCP.
Rating : 10+++

10.Energy Man - Bad Bad Bad (Time)
After a lot of speculation about this song on the forum and how quite a few people hear it as a tribute to Boom Boom Fire, I must confess that I hear nothing similar in them. Nothing what so ever. The song has a very strong melody in general and compared to most of the calm Time songs it has nothing to be ashamed of. Good vocals, catchy chorus and nice sounds in general, but I still don't quite percieve it as a new hit in comparison to the big hits in the past such as Pride was. And seriously, this sort of title is just lame. I have no clue why the hell can't they just release it under Dave Simon or such instead? Just intentional confusion of random fans with titles like Mega NRG Man around.
Rating : 8

11.Pamsy - My Universe (SCP)
Well times do change and nothing lasts forever. Once Upon A Time was a jackpot from SCP, so maybe it can be forgiven that this time around Pamsy can't deliver us with a similar hit. My Universe is a rather light song with mostly the synth as the force that keeps the song flowing further. The vocals are good as always, but they can't really bring much life into the song when it just lacks on many levels otherwise. All around the song is just nice, nothing bad, nor nothing memorable.
Rating : 7+

12.Jeff Driller - Furious Pistol (HI-NRG Attack)
Male vocalist syndrome is again present, weird lyrics, somewhat catchy melody and okay sounds. If this song would be faced in a trial vs. the other Jeff Driller songs it would really have no merits at all. I was quite pleased with the other songs under this title in the past, but Furious Pistol is nothing in comparison. One of the lowpoints of this album, although another point for HI-NRG Attack for using female vocalists in the background, always enjoy hearing both genders in songs.
Rating : 6½

13.Helena - Night Harmony (Time)
I am running out of ways to say how much I dislike this type of Time productions. Playing this when you wanna sleep is the most efficient use of it, as eurobeat it just doesn't quality. Melody is transparent, sounds are pointless and well vocals just... are. No support for Helena.
Rating : 5½

14.Jock Lee - Rock And Roll Is My Life (Time)
Hmm I can't actually remember that well if I have noticed it before, but I don't quite enjoy the voice of Lorenzo, or maybe it's just this song. His sound has a raspy smoker kinda tone to it, that sorta strikes my ear every time he pronounces certain words. The song starts off with a rather funky 70's sorta tone, then turns to a more familiar Time faire, the chorus is pretty alright and the c-melody is very efficient, but those are the only really functional parts with the song. The rest of the song aren't even mellow, they get closer to irritative instead which makes this song yet an another hard to deal with song. A love and hate relationship, with emphasis on the hate I guess.
Rating : 7-

15.Melissa White - Starry Sky (SCP)
Hmm something with the old favorite titles on this album has gone somewhat off-key. I wasn't too pleased with the newest Pamsy song and sadly also Melissa White suffers from a slightly similar problem, to a smaller extent though. Starry Sky is a rather interesting song due to the weird sides to it, the basic synth that forms the background for most of the song is rather irrelevant as it just sounds boring, but whenever small extra elements are used they feel really efficient. Vocals are very beautiful and especially in the chorus they feel somewhat angelic. Not a bad song by any means, but it just lacks some edge and more edge to it á la My Wish.
Rating : 8-

16.Eurofunk - Running Ninja (Delta)
Just earlier today I was talking about this very song to a friend and I may be nitpicking but the biggest thing that irritates me in this song is the use of the word Ninja. The word irritates me every time I hear it and it just feels bad in any kind of context to my ear, don't ask me why, I would answer if I could. That word aside, we got one hell of an effective Delta track. The intro is definitely one of the coolest ones in a while with cool asian sounds and even *shudder* the whispering of the word ninja. The verses and c-melody are totally brilliant, chorus would be also awesome but the repetition of the N-word makes it an annoyance for me. A great song all around and will please many people that don't have weird psychological issues with words like ninja.
Rating : 9

17.Cherry - Rain (Delta)
W-O-W. I mean whoa, what happened here. Energy starts flowing with such massive power when this song kicks in that it's really surprising, something I haven't gotten used to hearing in the past few years. Clara Moroni does a wicked job with this awesome track that just brings me back to the golden years of eurobeat. Frigging awesome beat, awesome vocals, catchy sounds and just everything in this song works to the maximum. The few cover songs Delta has done in the past few years have mostly been really well done, but this one tops them all. I haven't ever heard the original by Cult, but I am tempted to find it out after hearing this one definitely. A real jackpot by Delta, more of this kind and I'll be definitely happy.
Rating : 10+++

18.Dave Rodgers Feat. Stef Burns - Red Core (A-Beat C)
Dave to end the album, nothing new there. With the recent hits Dave has kept his profile high so I was expecting for more quality with Red Core, but alas I was let down. The song has some wicked power with the guitas and effective sounds in general, but the vocals just don't really work for some reason. The song has a slightly hollow sound to it, like it's missing the essence or such. I am not sure if the departure of S. Oliva has had a huge effect on A-Beat C productions but it does feel like some parts of them would really miss that last touch they used to have. Maybe it's just this song, who knows. Will see after sometime when we get more of Go Gos and A-Beat C.
Rating : 7½

Final Words :
Yeah, as it has been noted by many eurobeat fans, this album is probably one of the few albums in the recent years that has kept up a really high level. I have to first of all note the introduction of the Go Gos Music on SEB as it does bring a breeze of fresh air for a change. The songs the label presented us with were very highly produced and all around great additions to the album which does lift the expectations for more productions by them to the skies. I was pretty satisfied with most of the labels and it was especially really nice to hear the kick ass songs by Delta as well. The bonus disc on this album is pretty irrelevant with all the old titles recycled so I won't even go there, but my basic point with this album is that it's a direction towards the good old years when eurobeat was going strong. Hopefully 176 can pull out something even better.

Final Score : 9-

The Best 3 Songs

- Kiki & Fancy - Tuttifrutti Lollipop
- Cherry - Rain
- Lolita - Stop The Time Tonight

The Worst 3 songs

- Helena - Night Harmony (Duh?)
- Jeff Driller - Furious Pistol
- Jock Lee - Rock And Roll Is My Life

Honorable Mention

- Domino - Go Go Where You Wanna Go Go

Reviewed by Bore