Super Eurobeat 192 ~Let's Party~

1.Various - Special Mega-Mix ~Let's Party~
Placing a megamix into the start of the album has torn the audience in two, in a way it feels quite intelligent to briefly introduce the whole album in a megamix, but in a way it can just spoil the fun... Either way without commenting much about the songs, I'd say the mix is done quite well, the christmassy jingle in the beginning has a nice seasonal touch to it. The mixing of the songs works quite smoothly, but some of the transitions just feel too rushed (as opposed to some of the older megamixes where the songs change really slowly). If I was asked, I'd place the megamix at the very end instead of the beginning....

2.Domino & Kaioh - Nack 5 (Go Go's Music)
Seventy nine point five! I am not quite aware of the situation in Japan, but at least the local radio stations over here in Finland very rarely have any actual theme songs. Presenting a full length theme song for a station might be fairly functional, but presenting a eurobeat song to a station that doesn't necessarily even play eurobeat is fairly odd to say the least. Previous matters aside, presenting an effective and catchy eurobeat song is a whole different deal. Nack 5 sounds aggressive and catchy the moment it kicks off into action. A mesmerizing synth hook combined with the repetition of Seventy Nine Point Five works surprisingly well. Initially I figured it could get a bit annoying over time, but after weeks of heavy airplay for the whole 192, I have to admit that I was wrong. Vocal work from both Alessandra and Federico sounds really harmonic and pretty much finishes off a strong presentation in a neat package.
Rating : 10

3.Apple - Hey Boy (Eurogrooves)
In reality replacing Time with Eurogrooves might not really have that much of an impact on the series, but the direction present on the 192 seems to be refreshing. Winds of change might be blowing at the Dall'Ora camp due to the different approach to their presentations. Hey Boy kicks off with a rough riff that is backed up with a nice synth and a fairly eventful sounds all around. Vocals from Elena are somewhat controversial here, on one hand she sounds way different from the vast majority of her other songs which is good, but on the other hand it just sounds way too warped here and there to even sound good. The track has a good base ground to build it on, but just something in it lacks from a real bull's eye. Initial reaction was full of goodness, but after a few days of airplay the song already lost its edge. Still an improvement for the better.
Rating : 7½

4.Megan - 1 2 3 4 Live On The Dance Floor (SinclaireStyle)
This song just makes me feel like we would be back in the 160s, pretty much everything about it reminds you of previous presentations sadly. And yes, I know... Eurobeat does tend to recycle a lot, but when the actual hooks aren't present it does get difficult to really value the specific aspects of a song. Vocal work is fine, sounds are a-okay and the song works every once in a while, but it still lacks the actual hooks that make eurobeat as effective as it is. If you combine some extra elements and more oomph, this sorta material can be reworked into very effective material, I still haven't lost my faith in Bratt, but just hope to get some explosive energy for a change...
Rating : 6-

5.Alphatown - Harajuku Nights (Asia/Saifam)
The usual Saifam energy is present with Harajuku Nights, did anyone expect anything else? The one thing I'm mostly worried with Saifam is that while they push out explosive presentations that are fun to listen to, the lasting power is what most of the songs lack. While Harajuku Nights sounded effective and fun in the beginning, after a while I had to toss it off my iPod since it just got annoying, which is never a good sign... I may give out harsh criticism towards the label, but the reality is that I enjoy a lot of their songs at first, but as said the problem is that only a handful of their songs have survived with me over the years. I even had to double check my iPod and realize that there are 0 songs from the label present, where as there are songs that date back to the early 90s that I have been listening to for years and haven't gotten boring. Harajuku Nights is a presentation that will please people who like their eurobeat slightly more masculine and energetic, but I honestly don't see this song as the next Like A Fire or Hurri Hurricane.
Rating : 6

6.Domino - Para Girl (Domino Girl's Pop Mix) (Go Go's Music)
Fortunately the new songs off SEB190 never really did get reviewed as Para Girl particularly deserves to be praised some more. Para Girl follows the long bloodline of instantly infectious and catchy Domino songs. If you love her, then you won't be passing on this piece for sure. I can't help but be amazed at how the masterminds at Go Go's Music manage to implement various simple yet very interesting elements in their songs. The spelling of paragirl with the words in between is really effective and fun every single time. One thing that is a fact in popular music is that the songs that have repetition of non words like Na Na Na are always bound to become hits to the masses, which Para Girl also has, easier to hum along to even if you don't know the lyrics. P A R A G I R L.
Rating : 10+

7.Irene - Food Fighter (SCP)
When initial impressions are at stake, you can sway both ways... When I got my copy of 192 over 3 weeks ago I was simply put off by Food Fighter. The song sounded irritating, annoying and most of all unbearably perky. But what do you know... Days passed, I leveled in WoW and had 192 on heavy airplay and suddenly I noticed myself being enchanted by the song. Suddenly it became something I had to put on repeat and chant It's Delicious! I quite frankly wasn't expecting for anything special from this song, which is probably one of the reasons I ended up being a total fanboy. Food Fighter is irritatingly bubbly which will immediately turn off a lot of the eurobeat listeners since it does give out a mood that doesn't fit in a macho world does it? But if you get over the fact that it's happy and bouncy and listen to the actual song you will definitely notice that SCP put in a lot of effort for this song. Kiki & Fancy are notorious for their happy material, but this is definitely the first time Irene really lets lose and gets wild & wacky. The track features one of the catchiest choruses I've heard in a while, the pitched vocals work perfectly, they are also annoying I do admit that, but it's just too damn happy to count as a negative feature. I already know for sure that there are a lot of people who claim that this is the worst production on the album, or per say, ever... But in it's own class, Food Fighter is supreme, no doubt about it.
Rating : 10+++

8.Tri-Star - SEF Deluxe (HI-NRG Attack)
A title such as this just oozes of a direct hit, which is probably why I was so surprised to find nothing special about it. Tri-Star became a sort of a HRG elite title when their songs in the past were all instantly catchy, but this time around the classic status does suffer a bit for sure. SEF Deluxe has the basic ingredients all there, but what it really does lack is a catchy melody to build it all on. The vocal work is what disappoints me the most, it doesn't really have any hooks at all and it feels that most of the time it's all sung on the same single note. I like variety in vocals but if you sing with the same monotonic tone the whole track through it gets way annoying. Basicly the song doesn't really offer anything positive at all, which is sad to say the least.
Rating : 5

9.Eurogroove - Euronight (Eurogrooves)
I've spoken a lot about initial reactions already but I'll bring that same crap up again. Euronight pushes forward one of the most aggressive "in your face" songs in a while. The track is like the Yin of Food Fighter's Yang. I assume most of the people who enjoy Euronight can't enjoy Food Fighter since these two songs represent two completely different styles of eurobeat. One is bubbly, girly, wacky and happy. The other is egoistic, macho, aggressive and serious. But the thing is that these two songs present the album with the most memorable presentations by far. Initially I liked Euronight a lot, but by time I've started paying extra attention to the small and not so noticable parts of the song that really offer some extra hooks to spare. Very effective, speedy and also done in a style that really does do justice to the new title the label has adapted. Way better than anything else Time did in the past (few) years.
Rating : 10+++

10.Mara Nell - Pagal (HI-NRG Attack)
HI-NRG Attack's style does often divide my opinions quite strongly, a lot of times I've noticed loving the songs instantly, the other times... well not so much. I can't really give much positive feedback for Pagal, the track sounds irritating no matter how many times I try to listen to it. The synth hooks are really nice and the c-melody work well, but the vocals are again what bothers me the most. The track just feels like a complete waste since the basics in the song work but the vocals just spoil it all together. I probably would enjoy an instrumental even more, but as it is now I just get annoyed everytime the chorus in particular starts and the oddly pronounced Pagal is out...
Rating : 5

11.Valery Scott - A Simply Melody (Asia/Saifam)
A well produced intro to a song can often do wonders to how much a specific song appeals to you. A Simply Melody kicks off with a mesmerizing sound that just strikes me as something magical. I had a really hard time reviewing this song since it's kind of unbalanced at the far edges of the scale. The melody and the sounds are really well done and have a soothing effect on me. But the vocal work feels out of place, it's not per say irritating but it just feels like a completely different layer that has been placed in the wrong time zone. The one point in the vocals when I really do get annoyed is the Dabidabidan that is sung even more highly pitched than the rest of the song... A song that is well done definitely, but also with some extra work and some different vocal work would've been a bull's eye for me.
Rating : 8½

12.Kevin Johnson - Tonight Tonight (Delta)
This is just pure injustice, Delta's presentations seem to be getting better and better lately but they've been cut down to one spot on this album. Tonight Tonight marks the return of Davide Budriesi who has been absent for a bit now, but his return is done with such sheer brilliance you just have to bow down to Delta. Tonight Tonight starts off with a very seventies-esque disco touch and bursts into sheer eurobeat energy after a while. The verses, chorus and c-melody are something so amazingly catchy it's hard to really put any specific part of the song on a pedestal. Vocals work magnificently, the extra bits sung by Clara fit like a glove and the sounds are just so full of longlasting power I'm 100% sure I'll be listening to this song for years to come.
Rating : 10+++

13.Annalise Feat. Dave Rodgers - Unbelievable (A-Beat C)
It's still somewhat unclear whether this album is just experiemental or one time or only, but it does feel odd having only one song from both Delta & A-Beat C. Placing two of the veterans at A-Beat C together sounds good on paper, but in reality it just feels the label is not trying properly with this song. Unbelievable sounds faintly catchy but mostly it just sounds uneventful and repetitive. I can't help but feel like it's a rehash of various earlier Annalise songs. It isn't per say bad, but it just sounds simply too easily forgettable. Something you can listen to once every christmas but that's about it....
Rating : 6½

14.Ace - Wait For You (Dancefloor Night Mix) (SCP)
It wasn't too long ago when we kept getting both Ace & Fastway in conjuction with eachother on nearly every album, now it seems to have slowed down a bit, but it's still nice to hear from either of the two. Wait For You is somewhat surprisingly a cover. For me it's a brand new song though, haven't heard the original by Elliot Yamin. The song sounds christmassy and the calmer mood of it does sound faintly familiar to My Valentine. Placing a moody, slow ballad type of a song in the end of the album does feel somewhat ingenious, like the last dance of the night. Wait For You has really nice hooks in it, the chorus is catchy and the sounds are effective, but still it can't quite reach the level of other ballads SCP has put out in the past. The song still ends the album with high class, but not quite like how I maybe would have wanted it to.
Rating : 8+

Final Words :
The album is indeed a double edged sword. There are 5 very efficient songs that I am bound to adore and listen to for a long time, but the remaining songs somehow fall into the category that I'm prone to leave alone after a while. Over all the album felt like a big disappointment since the party theme sounded like fast and energetic for me. The introduction of Eurogrooves as the replacement for Time so far has been interesting and I'm being hopeful they will stay off the thin ice they often ventured to in the past. I intentionally delayed releasing this review and spent my time writing it since I've noticed by time that many of the reviews I rush tend to end up having somewhat incorrect final feelings in them. Probably in the future I will give the reviews always at least 2 weeks of time to sink in before starting to write down what I really feel. And my final judgement with SEB192 is that it falls in the category below the general level. While we have 5 good songs, the rest just drag it down and it feels like it's a sinking ship, by time the grades can even fall further down.

Final Score : 7½

The Best 3 songs

- Irene - Food Fighter
- Eurogroove - Euronight
- Kevin Johnson - Tonight Tonight

The Worst 3 Songs

- Mara Nell - Pagal
- Tri-Star - SEF Deluxe
- Megan - 1 2 3 4 Live On The Dance Floor

Honorable Mention

- Domino - Para Girl (Domino Girl's Pop Mix)

Labels present on the album:

A-Beat C: 1
Delta: 1
Go Go's Music: 2
HI-NRG Attack: 2
Saifam: 2
SCP: 2
Sinclaire Style: 1
Time (Eurogrooves): 2

Reviewed by Bore