MUSIC REVIEWS
Contact Francis Tanneur at:
francistanneur@hotmail.comALEXIS:
“Searching for love” (CD single) BELLA RECORDS
Score: 4 stars
Now,
here’s a title that rings good to my ears, as it belongs to those productions that,
from time to time, brings a bit of fresh air to the west coast of the US. Indeed, I must
advise you that this track shares nothing with Progressive Freestyle or a Planet Rock
beat.
“Searching
for love” comes with a great melody and a chorus that keeps echoing in your head days
after you’ve listened to it. Alexis’s voice, though soothing, is still full of
rhythm and life. I definitively prefer the terrific “Last lookback mix”
(produced by Super JC), much faster and entertaining, be it for the rhythm or the keys,
even better than the club version (“Hyperclub mix”).
This
wonderful gem by Alexis should have you convinced easily, but might also vamp dance clubs
and radio playlists this summer. A song that’ll rock the scene!
FREETYLE THE NEXT
LEVEL: “A new era in Freestyle dance music” (CD compilation) D.O.S. RECORDS
Score:
No stars
With such a
preposterous title (“Freestyle the next level”) we might have been legitimately
waiting for something different, but also for better! Well, they messed up…
Producer Pete
“D.O.S.” Othman has collected 12 songs, all of them a bunch of terrible stuff!
This disaster is often the result of the bad vocal and musical quality of the songs. Only
the tracks “Believe” by Nick Colon and “Loving you from a distance” by
Genay sound honorable enough, but without a touch of genius though! They’re just
plain, that’s all…
In spite of
its failure as a way to take Freestyle upwards, it still succeeds in getting a (just) rank
among the worst market releases since the birth of this music. Hey don’t laugh,
it’s a breakthrough!
And on for
another deceiving and very disastrous compilation, because of the chosen musical
direction, mixing West Coast songs to particularly boring East Coast’s ones. And also
because of the blatant lack of originality of its two producers Rob Bolis and Baha Kizzi,
that seem to enjoy repeating again and again distasteful and tasteless productions heard
too many times in the past.
For some
songs, they insist too much on beat Planet Rock, and for others, they copy Artie
Rodriguez’s style (who has produced the only two interesting songs on the CD) by
using similar rhythm beats and melodies.
Copying is
not enough, you have to be able to do it properly! Once again, a disconcerting compilation
that allows us to understand why Freestyle music is often synonymous with old stuff and
laughter!
JOCELYN ENRIQUEZ:
“When I get close to you” (CD single) TOMMY BOY MUSIC
Score: 1
star
Even though
this singer is more comfortable with Dance music, she doesn’t forget the Freestyle
fans that have been following her since her beginnings and she often proposes them mixes.
However, the
quality of the production doesn’t improve, but, on the contrary tends to regress,
making everything sound a bit alive, thus the lack of interest.
Oh, she
indeed possesses one of the most sensuous voices in Freestyle, but most often, the music
and inspirations of the remixers don’t follow. This new title unfortunately sticks to
the rule. DJ Cubanito (a.k.a. Alex Carmentes) makes yet “another” Electro and
Progressive Freestyle mix on the Cubanito’s Electro Mishow Edit, whereas the
Cubanito’s Breakbeat remix, as its name foretells it is a mixing of Breakbeat and
Progressive Freestyle for the sound.
As far as the
Freestyle side is concerned, I feel really disappointed by this tack that seriously lacks
originality. Well, maybe another time?
KENNY MOULTON: “Baby it’s you” (CD
album) HIT FACTORY RECORDS / SIDEBUSTERS ENTERTAINMENT
Score:
3 stars
Kenny Moulton (a.k.a. Kenny)
is certainly one of the most influent and active character of the Bay area. Over a
10-year-career, he managed to become a VIP in song, production, (re) mixing, and he’s
keep on writing songs as well. You will find his name at the bottom of numerous projects
with artists, principally famous on the west coast, such as Korell, Stephanie Fastro,
Diana Salinas, Emotion In Motion, Linda Low, Daisey… but also producers like Randy
Taylor Weber (GALAXY FREESTYLE RECORDS), Slammin’ Sam Maxion (SLAMMIN’
Enterprises), Mark & Martha Santos (EPICENTER RECORDS), etc.
But it’s
Kenny Moulton the singer that we have here for his first album. He presents us with a
showroom of his talent, yet you have to appreciate his raucous, peculiar voice! I
personally had troubles getting used to it, but I have to admit that his album seduced me.
There are really neat titles where his voice is somewhat different. Of course, a lot of
his hits are included “Visions”, “Stay with me”, “Wanna be your
lover”, “Freakin’ you”…and many others.
An album and
an artist worth discovery them.
PARADIGM
FEATURING STEFANIE BENNETT: “Back 4 my love” (CD single) EFFECTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
/ BLACKHEART RECORDS GROUP
Score:
2 stars
There aren’t many East
Coast labels, and more particularly from New York city, that propose titles rather West
Coast oriented, or even Progressive Freestyle. After Paradigm (pronounced par-a-dim)
“Higher love” (1997), Caprice “There goes my heart” (1999), here comes
back gorgeous Stefanie Bennett on the NewYorker EFFECTIVE ENTERTAINMENT label.
Alas,
“Back 4 my love” isn’t innovative for this style, since this track sounds
like M:G. The Progressive Freestyle sound FXs are really an ordeal for the ears on the
“Robert & Monk Original Extended Mix” whereas the West Coast sound remains
very conventional on the “B.K.S.S. Extended mix”.
Yet, the
“child-like” voice of Stefanie Bennett is attractive, and so is the chorus. But
it is not a full satisfaction. Too bad!
SAMMY C: “My
mother warned me” / “Walking down the aisle” (CD single) ROMAN EMPIRE
PRODUCTIONS
Score:
4 stars
On the
occasion of the release of “My mother warned me” as a CD single (with the ballad
“Walking down the aisle” as a bonus), Sammy C has crafted a plentiful amount of
versions (from House music to of course Freestyle music) that allows once more this great
singer to stand out from the crowd.
Seldom are
the singers that remain as productive and constant in their work. Sammy C has slowly but
surely secured his place on the Freestyle scene thanks to that ability proper to him: a
constant renewal of style! Indeed, there is a Sammy C’s sound characterized by
melodies, keyboards, sounds a voice that are…unique. This new gem forwards this long
list of singles that Sammy C has regaled us with in the past. Every mix has its own
identity (the beat changes according to the versions, the keys are different, etc.) but he
also tries new sounds as on “Rock Till You Drop mix”.
In a
nutshell, an accomplished artist that deserves all your attention.
SHANNON:
“The best is yet to come” (CD album) CONTAGIOUS RECORDS
Score:
2 stars
Can we really
speak of a Freestyle album? The answer is no. In spite of four cuts, all the other pieces
are definitively Dance oriented or Euro Dance / High Energy.
Nevertheless,
this album isn’t out of interest for Freestylers. On the one side, there are two
Latin Hip-Hop masterpieces (“Let the music play” & Give me tonight”)
that broke the worldwide charts at the beginning of the 80’s and introduced to the
amateurs one of the greatest Freestyle producers too: Chris Barbosa.
And on the
other side, two excellent new productions that are worth it: “The best is yet to
come” a good Electro product by Todd Terry and the sublime Old School title
“Something about you” written and produced by Mickey Garcia and Guiseppe D.
Two splendid
pieces, that I hope, will be released as maxi single in the end. The best is then to come
for Freestylers if CONTAGIOUS RECORDS label decides to play both sides: Freestyle music
and Dance music.
STEVIE B:
“You are the one” (CD single) DANCE 2000 RECORDS / BOLARIS RECORDS / 805 MUSIC
COMPANY
Score: 3 stars
In 1994, you certainly danced
to the rhythm of this terrific song by Count To Twenty on EX-IT RECORDS label! In this
year 2000, you also will on this good remix by the Freestyle pope.
To do so, Stevie B has
surrounded himself with a nice bunch of remixers: “Glenn Gutierrez has fine-tuned
four versions in the West Coast tradition, Andy & The Lamboy has made two mixes with a
slow Freestyle beat and Dance keys, whereas Charles & Steve Chavez from Cibola
Productions have done two versions in a more Progressive Freestyle sound.
A good choice, the result is
really interesting.
SYNTHIA FIGUEROA:
“Touch me” (CD single) ARTISTIK RECORDINGS
Score:
3 stars
Since her nice gem “You
were meant for me” we kept waiting impatiently for her second title, a new treat,
though a little less successful than her first one.
Of course, we
can’t be but seduced by the “Extended Club mix” (in a more West Coast
style) and by the “Old School Club mix” version by Willie “Valentin”
Rivera even I would have preferred a better crafted melody to strengthen Synthia Figueroa’s wonderful voice! This
time the rhythm beat is maybe a little too omnipresent and fat. But let’s not be too
touchy…
The track is
also included as Dance music versions by Pete “D.O.S.” Othman, and an acappella
figures on this CD single. More than enough to conquer a large audience.
1]
Myrna Li: “Still I cry” Santana Music
2]
Flying Steps: “We gonna rock it” JetSet / Dance Street GmbH / ZYX Music
(Germany)
3]
Jazmine: “Justify” Santana Music
4]
Alexis: “Searching for love” Bella Records
5] Sammy C: “My mother warned me” Roman Empire Productions
6] Stonay: “Waiting” Shift Music & Media / ZYX Music (Germany)
7] Gina Dee: “Leave me not alone” ZYX music (Germany)
8]
Synthia Figueroa: “Touch me” Artisktik Recordings
9] Stevie B: “You are the one” Dance 2000 Records / Bolaris Records / 805 Music
Company
10]
Julia-Evita Hernandez: “Come back” ZYX Music (Germany)
1]
George Lamond: “The hits…and more” (compilation) Robbins Entertainment LLC
/ Timber! Records
2] KTU Freestyle Party vol.1, 2, 3, 4 (medleys) Remix Records
3] Keepin’ Freestyle vol.2 (compilation) Detour Records
4] Fierce Freestyle Classics “ The Mix Tape” vol.3 (medley) Ubl Recordings /
StreetBeat Records, Inc.
5] Classic Freestyle (medley) ZYX Music (Germany)
6] Freestyle A New Dimension In Tyme vol.2 (compilation) Pryme Tyme Records / Denmic
7] Planet Freestyle vol.4 (compilation) Odeon Records (Canada)
8] Stevie B: “Freestyle then and now” (compilation) Dance 2000 Records / 805
Music Company
9] Maximum Freestyle: “Special edition remixes!” (compilation) Maximum Freestyle
Records (Canada)
10] “Where it all begins” compilation PT 1 (compilation) Epicenter Records
1]
Cynthia: “Thinking about you” Robbins Entertainment LLC
2] Stevie B: “It’s so good” Dance 2000 Records / Bolaris Records / 805
Music Company
3] Sammy C: “Taking it through the millenium and beyond” Roman Empire
Productions
4] The Kromozone Project: “Love & energy” TBC Productions
5] Onnie: “One love” Detour Records