Super Eurobeat 176

1.Ace Feat. La Gatta - One Touch (SCP)
I have to say that the preview for this song didn't sound very special, but the song turned out to be one hell of a joyride. I can't really remember when was the last time I fell in love with a song as instantly as I did with One Touch. Christian has had a long streak of magnificent songs during his career but not all that many of those songs have stood out instantly like this one. The song has simply irresistible vocals that steal the show totally and you're just forced to move along to the song. The question is who actually is La Gatta? There are faint familirities in the vocals to other SCP girls but I won't go pointing out fingers just yet, who knows if it's a totally new vocalist? Either way, the vocalists blend in perfectly, the sounds are all around royal. Perfect album opener.
Rating : 10++

2.Cody - Fighting! (Delta)
I did enjoy most of the previous Cody songs quite a lot, so I was positively looking forward to a song with a fierce title such as this one. The song kicks off with a majorly aggressive intro that fits the tune perfectly but the first verse somehow cuts down on the overdose of energy and the track loses some of the incredible energy it channels during the start. The chorus and C-melody are a totally different story though, vocals and sounds are really energic and catchy. The song is somewhat clearly divided into the lowparts (the verses) and the good parts (everything else), but after quite a few replays I have to admit that I didn't really mind the somewhat lacky verses anymore at all. A good song which would've been a perfect hit with some more of that special magic in the verses.
Rating : 9

3.Annalise - Loverboy (A-Beat C)
So, since SEB167 our dear Annerley has been on every album minus one (168), I am at least feeling the overdose big time and am getting very tired of hearing her on every single album. I know this same situation has happened with quite a few other artists in the past, but I do have to note that I have never been the biggest fan of hers although I do like her voice in general and the songs usually are nice, but something with her recent stuff just ticks me off. The biggest problem lately is that the level of A-Beat C in general has gone down a whole lot and the songs can't anymore create that special feel that they did a few years ago, what's the cause for this is unknown but I am at least even more strongly becoming an all around SCP-fanboy. Loverboy is for a change a bit peppier presentation from Annalise and her vocals are good as always, but the song doesn't really light my fire at all. Alright song on all levels for me, nothing bad, nothing great, but I know I'll end up skipping this song after I've listened to this album a bit more.
Rating : 7½

4.Powerful T. - Back To The Rising Sun (A-Beat C)
Whenever I think of Powerful T. my first thought goes way back to Original Sin which was a bull's eye for me and definitely the most memorable song he has done, sadly it seems that getting songs in a similar style is a rarity. Back To The Rising Sun is a typical guitar-influenced energy song which relies on the unique vocals as always. This time around the problem just seems to be that none of the key elements seem to really be very memorable or catchy. The song goes by unnoticed and after a while I can't even anymore remember how the chorus of the song went, so this is a miss for Mr. T.
Rating : 7-

5.Madison - Love And Rage (Delta)
I don't really know if the feedback the fans were giving during 150-160s had any kind of effect in the situation, but it has lately seemed clearly that Delta has gone back to their supreme fast style that I am a huge fan of. The first time this song started playing I was feeling blissfull as the song has so many elements from old school eurobeat from the 120s~140s and that is always welcome for me. The song has an amazingly beautiful chorus (considering the song is still relatively fast) which always makes me shiver in a good way. Awesome sounds, beautiful chorus and a very balanced melody, really the kind of Delta I love hearing.
Rating : 9½

6.Rick Castle - Midnight Lady (HI-NRG Attack)
I am shocked, I really am. I doubt I will be the only one to admit that this is one wickedly unique and special presentation from HRG, I was sort of expecting a slower type of song like the previous Rick Castle tracks have been. This song has a somewhat of a similar halloweeny feel as Baby Call Me Frankenstein, but at the same time it doesn't sound like a copy in any way which is really nice to hear. The sounds have a murky or dusty kind of feel to them, I have a hard time describing it with words but I just get this really special feel from the song everytime I hear it. HI-NRG Attack at their best, it is speedy, maybe a tad less insane lyrics than in general, good vocals and a great chorus. Really nice to hear more quality music from Accatino & Rimonti.
Rating : 9+

7.Kimmy - Fly Away (Delta)
I was somewhat torn with this song the first times I kept listening to it. The song has a somewhat similar feel as the rarity names from A-Beat C such as Meri, it has a slightly calm melody backed with a solid eurobeat beat which occasionally works but most of the times this sorta combination ends up being more of a chaos than a hit. This song suffers from the same problem, it could have been better without the balladish chimes and the transitions where the synths fade in and out. A sort of a pointless song for me, nothing irritating but I doubt I will even remember this song soon.
Rating : 7-

8.Mark Rise - Love Is Blue (Time)
Heh it's amusing how occasionally you don't even have to know the songname/artist or anything at all to know what label you got in your hands. I didn't enjoy this performance one bit, the discoish TIME is back and I haven't ever really enjoyed the disco-flava songs that much. Oh and Elena Ferretti makes a visit here as well, she sure is busy.
Rating : 6½

9.Norma Sheffield - Moonshine (A-Beat C)
Just before starting to write the review for 176 I was listening to some of the older Norma songs (Spring Time in particular) and I kept on sighing at the fact that if A-Beat C gave her more unique songs like that and I could actually say I really like her. But alas no, Moonshine is well, you know? Yeah, boring. She keeps sighing and doing the heavybreathing singing she is known for, but I am not liking it one bit. A very faint melody that is backed up with beautiful instrumental sounds ands vocals, but nothing at all stands out.
Rating : 6½

10.Domino - Cooking Boy (A-Beat C)
So, the last song we'll hear from the talented Ms. Gatti on A-Beat C eh? (unless there's more old recordings stored that Avex suddenly decides to release) At least we can clearly say that she "leaves" the label at the top with another feel-good song that will definitely please her fans. A very cheery upbeat song that is just irresistibly fun to repeat for ages. The song has some pure genious composition parts in it that always stand out. The c-melody is pure bliss and the vocals sound great as always, although according to our Domino expert Phil this song was originally done in Japanese and I would've gladly heard that one too, but I'm happy having the song out even as it is. Fun lyrics, fun sounds, fun vocals, it is FUN, just what the Domino title is all about.
Rating : 9½

11.Chris Stanton - Saturday Time (Time)
I am probably way off here, but something about this song just feels faintly familiar and I kept getting a deja vu while listening to it (and no, I don't mean the Time kind of deja vu where you feel you heard the same song a 100 times). The song has bits in it that remind me of some 80s pop song, but I just can't point my finger at the title. Well all things considered, even if it had borrowed some bits elsewhere it doesn't matter as Time has succeeded this time really well. The vocals are amazingly catchy and the sounds (no matter how overly recycled) are really catchy. The most unique and exciting part about the song is definitely the intro that is really breathtaking and catchy. One of the better Time presentations we've been treated to in the recent past.
Rating : 9

12.Pamsy & Shady - Yo Yo Baby (SCP)
So we get a Kiki & Fancy vs. Pamsy, something I definitely wasn't expecting to hear. The typical style we've heard from this newcomer is gone and we have Euromach kind of bounciness instead. The weird thing is how Pamsy's vocals hardly sound like her at all, but more familiar like K&F, which just brings up the question about pitching vocals for these titles in general. The song is happy and bouncy, but something is not really right either. It doesn't reach the same sort of level as the other bouncy songs SCP has released in the past few months, which is a shame as the song has a lot of potential but it just feels slightly empty for some reason. Oh and the "na na na" sounds slightly irritating, something that usually doesn't matter much.
Rating : 8+

13.Cy-Ro - Hi-Speed Mania (HI-NRG Attack)
I would've been really happy if this song actually was a ballad instead of a high speed song, but well guess they don't wanna confuse us that much. Hi-Speed Mania sounds like something from the early Euromach/Europanic era, the sounds remind me of a certain Boogaboo song, which I did enjoy quite a lot so it's all good. The track is nicely catchy and the vocals are nice, but it can't just really stand out and become a truly memorial presentation, guess high speed is not always enough to make a hit, a good effort though.
Rating : 8-

14.Vanessa - I'm Ready (Time)
I was actually literally falling asleep when I got to the point where I should review this song, but well this time around it wasn't due to the song, I just found it amusing myself. I'm Ready sounds like something we can expect to hear from Time, but it sounds slightly more like a regular popmusic song and not eurobeat at all. The eurobeat beat is hardly noticable and the song could be easily slightly edited to be a pop song by some random european artist. Not a bad song, but I can't really see all that much potential in it either.
Rating : 7-

15.Christine - When 'U Smile (SCP)
When you smile, when it's christmas time. Another christmassy sort of song at the oddest time (or maybe it's just me?). Something about the use of guitars and specific sounds in this track make me feel like Christmas would start singing about reindeers and Santa Claus. I have to admit that I didn't really enjoy the song as much as I was initially thinking I would. The guitar-influenced soundworlds are really fun and the speed is very giddy which I liked, but still it just lacks that something. Maybe a bit more of a happy feel and less christmas guitars? Well, there's always next time, maybe more ballads that worked so well.
Rating : 8

16.Mega NRG Man - I Feel The Rhythm Tonight (A-Beat C)
There's something very special in Tomas Marin's sound which always sets him a bit on a different level than many other vocalists. His voice is also the only real thing that makes this song feel even a bit unique. The usual complaints about A-Beat C's lacky style applies here as well, the sounds at some points sound wickedly good, but the next second it feels like another bore-fest. The song is speedy, it's somewhat catchy as well and the c-melody works, but it just can't really find it's own foothold. A-Beat C needs a good kick in the ass so we'd get some more high quality stuff again.
Rating : 7½

17.Dave & Nuage - Like A Video (A-Beat C)
I tried finding a word to describe this song for quite a while, and I ended up with the word 'ew'. The song is like a b-type Norma song that just feels really out of place for the duo. The synth feels really offkey and the vocals also sound so wrong, so very wrong. The fun part is when Nuage sings "baby" in certain parts of the songs, she sounds exactly like Norma. A very very boring song that shouldn't ever be mentioned in the same sense with the duet debut song.
Rating : 6-

18.Rose - Perfect Time 2007 (Time)
I am not exactly sure, but doing rehashes of old songs feels like quite a big waste for me. Or maybe it's just because songs that I don't really enjoy are being made into remixes? Perfect Time is a true classic, I do give it that much credit, but I don't really find it as that much of a masterpiece to get a remake of. The original melody is somewhat hard to recognize from under all of this modern crap that feels out of place and maybe the sped up style doesn't really work either. I would more gladly reserve the 1 spot on every album for a new song instead of a remake, but maybe I am not that educated in Japanese culture, maybe these remakes are very popular in the end? Who knows, but this one doesn't do it for me.
Rating : 6½

Final Words :
Time goes by, sadly the level of the previous album is no where to be seen. This album features a few really enjoyable songs but as a whole it turns out to be one of the worse presentations lately. The songs are mostly just nice, not very much variety in the end at all. I am starting to feel the lack of both Vibration & 3B more and more by time. I am still going to be hopeful and maybe the next album is gonna improve. Oh and the bonus disc remixes are pretty nicely done, and the length of the album is relatively long considering it's only 5 tracks. Mediocore SEB, can buy Euromach 9 instead.

Final Score : 7+

The Best 3 Songs

- Ace Feat. La Gatta - One Touch
- Domino - Cooking Boy
- Madison - Love And Rage

The Worst 3 songs

- Dave & Nuage - Like A Video
- Norma Sheffield - Moonshine
- Mark Rise - Love Is Blue

Honorable Mention

- Rick Castle - Midnight Lady

Reviewed by Bore