Super Eurobeat 179

1.Jungle Bill - Danger In Chinatown (HI-NRG Attack)
So for the 2nd album in a row we have HRG as the grand album opener. I wasn't necessarily that convinced by the Mad Cow song on 178, but this time around it's Jungle Bill who hits the bullseye with an energetic, aggressive and over all very catchy track. The song features all around very basic elements, but the arrangement of the song is done with good taste and even though it isn't the most memorable song from the label, it manages to be very catchy and fun to listen to. The track does suffer a bit after you play it heavily for a longer time, but it's very good in small doses.
Rating : 9-

2.Irene - Let's Fly Together (SCP)
Quite frankly I have to admit that I wasn't even looking forward to this song for some reason, even though I did love the debut song by Irene a lot. The fact I had basically no expectations for the song were mainly the key factor which made me fall in love with Let's Fly Together so much. The vocalist has improved a ton and the pitch has been lowered a lot so you can actually recognize that it's not the junior member of the Kiki & Fancy-club. The song has a very energetic melody backed up with cheery and catchy sounds that keep the music flowing with power that is rarely seen in female eurobeat songs. Definitely a winner from SCP.
Rating : 10

3.Magika - Dancing To The Moon (Time)
So this album features quite a few new titles again, and to no surprise it's Time who pushes forward more titles to refreshen their image. The song starts off with a relatively dull intro but suddenly bursts into a happy synth-faire that keeps the pace fast and mood bouncy. This type of Time I have been missing for quite some time, the few peaks we get here and there have been to my taste and now if they only got Emmanuelle to sing the vocals for stuff like this I'd be even more happy. Dancing To The Moon is an all around nicely arranged piece with all the key elements eurobeat needs, yet it doesn't suffer from a bad case of repetition which is always welcome. A powerful chorus backed with nice vocal work.
Rating : 8½

4.Daniel & Cherry - Bach Is Back (Delta)
After reading into some of the feedback the album in general has receieved, I've noticed that quite a few people seemed to be disappointed by this track, to my amazement. I found myself totally in love with the song the first time I heard it, and after even more airplay I've noticed that it doesn't seem to lose one bit of it's edge. The song features really awesome vocal work by the new vocalist Daniel and of course Clara, great organ-style synths, a wonderful chorus and pretty unique lyrics (in a way). The song doesn't sound like your every day song due to the special type of synth and male & female vocalists, which in my eyes at least counts for a very big plus. The song doesn't quite reach the level of Chemical Love, but it does beat the various older duets such as Happy Phantom.
Rating : 9

5.Erika - Fever & Music (Time)
About everyone surely notices the flashbacks to Music Fever with the song, which I must admit is a very masterfully clipped part to boost this already very effective song. As I already mentioned with Magika, the more bouncy and energetic type of female Time is what I usually enjoy the most, and Fever & Music is definitely just *the* the thing I have been waiting for. The vocals done by Elena Ferretti have been manipulated a bit and she's been given a rather youthful type of edge to her voice which sounds very awesome especially in the chorus. A bouncy feel-good song that one could expect from titles such as Go Go Girls or Lolita, just done the Time-way.
Rating : 10

6.Three Of Spades - Dancing With A Reptile (A-Beat C)
A-Beat C is really losing it, I know we have had funky and bizarre song titles in the past. Go Go Girls used to be the base foundation for any bizarre tracks and this new title seems to be dipping a bit into the same pool, but only comes out with a mediocore faire. The melody in the song is not at all bad and at times I noticed myself jammin' to the tune, but the arrangement and vocal work somehow seem to take away the actual edge from the potentially good melody. The vocals in particular suffer from a weird dose of unimaginativity and lack energy all around. The song is not a total waste, but it just seems to be missing the actual key elements that make eurobeat effective and fun to listen to.
Rating : 7

7.Digital Planet - We Can Be Heroes (A-Beat C)
The fans of previous DP songs might be a bit enstranged by this funky piece that has no funny lyrical work, nor aggressive guitars to keep the old flame burning. The song seems to have been influenced by some more widely known pop artists. I could imagine the song to be arranged slightly differently and it would fit some American pop/rock band very well. The song just doesn't really bring much justice to the Digital Planet title in comparison to the previous titles, no energy, no power most of the old and effective trademarks are gone, sadly.
Rating : 7

8.Toby Vale - Heartbreaker 2007 (Time)
After hearing the clip for this specific song I was quite alarmed at how a song I already disliked could go even more wrong. I have to take some of the words back, since the remake actually works pretty effectively in the end and also even beats the original song which was lacking in so many fields. The vocal work in particular shines out with this version plus the fact that some of the more boring parts of the original have been heavily edited to a more modern and aggressive form that pleased me a lot more. Catchy, aggressive and very well produced song, just a shame it had to be a song I disliked as the original one.
Rating : 9-

9.Dany - Love Is Like A Fever (Time)
So, we're already at the 4th Time song on the album and they've done a marvellous job this time around, can the fair breeze keep blowing from now on? One could hope so, since Dany is yet an another strong presentation in the spirit of Mr. Dall'Ora. A beautiful song that has a very very strong Norma Sheffield feel to it, only a bit more energetic and electric, the way I would like Norma to be. Lovely mix of calm summer winds and strong beats, if this is the new type of direction for Time I'm more than glad to welcome such.
Rating : 9

10.Norma Sheffield - Do You Wanna Fly (A-Beat C)
Can't touch this, du du du du... Hard to not recognize Norma from the song, since it's all around like every other she has done. If you know that you like Norma, you will like it, if you know you don't, you won't. I tend to skip this one and am still having a lot of difficulties trying to listen to the song fully.
Rating : 6½

11.Queen 26 - Don't Let Me Be The First (Delta)
The disco beats seem to be keeping Queen 26 busy, since she's here again with yet an another Kylie Minogueish track. The song has a very strong SAW style like other people have already mentioned, but it doesn't quite easily compare to all of the other songs from the same title. The thing that strikes me about this song is that it somehow sounds rather dull, but also unique at the same time. The very simple type of sounds make the track lose some of the edge I think it could have it if had some more energy and action going on. Either way a nice presentation and so much fun to listen to.
Rating : 8

12.Christine - Summer Ski (SCP)
I know it's summer and the sunny songs are what I'd really love to hear as well, but for some reason it just doesn't work very well this time around. The song has a slightly similar feel to it as some of the Pamsy songs that I wasn't too fond of. Vocals done by Chrinstine are as nice as always, but sadly only the chorus really stands out from the song as the rest of the track just flows on like summer clouds. A track that could have been so much better if it had been sped up a bit and a strong beat was there to back the calm synths.
Rating : 7+

13.Lucya - Follow The Rainbow (SCP)
The very powerful and beautiful ballad that Lucya did back in the 150s is always where I get taken back to when I hear this song. Follow The Rainbow is like the long lost cousin that ate a bit too much ritalin. A very beautiful melody has been given a breezy and thin type of sound world around it, that might please the people who don't want every eurobeat song to be about speed and energy. I can already imagine myself driving around Finlad this summer with this song playing. A song with a Disney-esque feel, like you could forget about the world around you and just listen to the beauty of the melody.
Rating : 9

14.Powerful T. - I Want You (A-Beat C)
First Digital Planet lets me down, next one to do the same is the Not so Powerful T.. People immediately expect to get guitars, action and most of all power, but this song just doesn't offer about any of these. The fact that this is already the 5th song during the 170s says something, since it's somewhat rare to hear the male acts appear as much as this (Go 2 excluded in all forms). Elevator eurobeat, quoting myself for the fact that I can't think of much else to say.
Rating : 7

15.Mega NRG Man - Red Light And Sex (Go Go's Music)
If A-Beat C sucked majorly on this album (again), the new spin off label does the exact opposite and blows the jackpot with this superior song. Tomas Marin offers just what his name promises with this song that has such an aggressive guitar-influenced edge it's impossible to not like it. The song features typical macho lyrics that fit Tomas' voice very well, plus the fact the rather unique kind of gimmicks used here and there in the song somehow seem to boost the vocals even more. GGM just keep going strong, now if only they got a default of at least 2 songs per album.
Rating : 10

16.Daniel - Frontal Impact (Delta)
Oh my, oh my, I'm getting... Whoa. I must say I didn't notice Daniel having such an awesome voice in the previous song we got. This track on the other hand does about everything correctly. His voice sounds so god damn good it's a crime. The way he sings the chorus keeps looping in my head all the time and the sexy chorus does wonders to one's mind. An amazingly catchy song from Delta that reminds me of the classic type of Delta from the early years, á la Delta Queens.
Rating : 10

17.Remy Panther - On The Road Again (HI-NRG Attack)
So HRG have the 3rd album in SEB history with 3 songs, is it just me or does it really feel like their level has also increased? The songs still seem to lack a bit of unique-edge but the tracks seem to be on a slightly higher level than before. This song is not all that special or unique, but it still sounds very fun and catchy. Just like many of the HRG songs from the Euromach era that I didn't instantly fall in love, but slowly built a love-relationship with. This song is probably going to become even more of a favorite by time, but I already admit liking it.
Rating : 8+

18.Franz Tornado & Mozzarella Girls - Sucka Sucka Pizza (HI-NRG Attack)
This is JUST the 2nd song with Pizza in the title so far, I actually would've thought our loved italianos would've done more in the past but I seem to be imagining things. Sucka Sucka Pizza is just as crazy as one can expect from the label with really fun vocal work and a rather "full" bass sound. The extra guitars and female vocals here and there give the track a really nice boost as well. I must say I am in love with the song and am definitely going to be looping this more and more in the future. Pizzaaaaaaaaaa!
Rating : 9+

Final Words :
Well like I stated on the forum earlier, I wasn't honestly expecting to get a better album that 175 was, but 179 really did put up a good fight. The album is all around very well balanced and the only real down side is that A-Beat C are in a real bad state on this album. Delta, Time, HI-NRG Attack and Go Go's Music presented the best the album has to offer and SCP had their highlights as well. Not a typical album based on the labels for me, but still a very well done album that is even backed up with a very VERY strong Remix cd. A very good way to end this decade and we can only hope for the best for the 180s. And of course the big 180 in August, I've ordered mine. Have you?

Final Score : 9

The Best 3 Songs

- Irene - Let's Fly Together
- Erika - Fever & Music
- Mega NRG Man - Red Light And Sex

The Worst 3 songs

- Norma Sheffield - Do You Wanna Fly
- Powerful T. - I Want You
- Digital Planet - We Can Be Heroes

Honorable Mention

- Time & HI-NRG Attack in general, keep this up!

Reviewed by Bore