Super Eurobeat 187

1.Delta Queens - Hello Hello! (Delta)
The dawning of a "new" comeback for extended eurobeat songs on SEB is here. As I have previously stated it seems that every SEB decade has offered us with one mindblowingly good song by the Delta Queens, and well here we have just one of those offerings yet again. Damn Damn My Heart was an instant hit for the vast majority of eurobeat fans due to the striking vocals, catchy sounds and an irresistible melody, Hello Hello! offers the similar trend but with a totally different style. The rougher beat and vocals create an irresistible track that is easy and fun to sing along to, the fun usage of basic eurobeat lyrics sound fresh and different for some weird reason. I don't exactly know why, but the line "Hello Hello Is(/it's) Delta Queens" sounds really smooth and strikes my ear every time as something distinctive. Absolutely brilliant way to start the extended SEBs with a basic eurobeat song that just does good justice to the genre in all senses.
Rating : 10

2.Annalise - A Little Desire (A-Beat C)
A yawn-worthy intro kicks off strangely and on the first time around I was ready to embrace yet an another boring track from the Annalise title, but how wrong was I. After the intro ends the brilliant and aggressive synth line kicks in that rises above the rest of the song without any questions. The song is a step up from the mid-paced songs by Annerley and it sounds more like the good old screetchy Annalise although the verses and chorus don't reach the level of such classics as O.K.! All Right! or Queen Of Love. The song balances between the faster c-melody and calmer verses and oddly enough it works really nicely to get these relaxing periods with vocals and after that get a dancable and energetic melody. One thing that could have used some extra kick is the chorus, but it sounds pleasant like it is as well.
Rating : 9-

3.Megan - Move On Now Baby (Sinclaire Style)
More offerings from the Sinclaire style start showing different kind of edges for the new label and I'm at least pleasantly impressed with what Megan offers us. The song starts with an intro that reminds me of good old eurodance acts like Solid Base & Basic Element, plus the song has various parts in the melody that have a similar galloping beat and sounds as some of the older eurodance classics. The track has a pretty solid production all around with nice verses, catchy c-melody and an easily memorizable chorus. The vocals aren't exactly the best offering this song has, but they handle the job nicely either way. What I stated about the Sinclaire Style opener song also applies with this song somewhat. Move On Now Baby is a different offering, but it can't quite reach the level I was expecting, a good song none the less but it needs some extra meat around the bones to be a bull's eye.
Rating : 8½

4.Rick Castle - Baby Don't Leave Me (HI-NRG Attack)
Rick Castle made a few calmer songs in the past and after those tracks I've strangely combined the title to the calmed beats, so it doesn't really come as a surprise that we're also treated to a slightly less crazy song. Baby Don't Leave Me has a calming mood even though the fastpaced HRG beat is backing the song, but the vocals really bring the song to life. The verses and chorus don't sound like your generic HRG at all which works for the best since the song just sounds slightly more sophisticated and thoroughly thought. If HI-NRG Attack and tranquil mood can be even thought in the same sense, I'd stamp those two words to this song. Great chorus, awesome vocal work and nicely different sounds make this a nice stepstone for HRG.
Rating : 9

5.Makkeroni - Can Can World (Delta)
As we've previously wittnessed, when non eurobeat-y songs are presented on SEB it seems to divide people in two different camps. Some tend to feel that nothing but basic eurobeat should be on the album, where as the rest feel the addition of different styles brings some nice variety for the albums. Can Can World is a track that sounds like it'd be directly stolen from one of Saifam's eurodancy labels, but to my surprise it's labeled under Delta. I myself generally enjoy wacky and senseless tracks á la Kiki & Fancy or the likes, but for some reason Can Can World just gets under my skin the wrong way. The usage of a classic clip in the song could be considered a good feat most of the time, but for me it just feels like a tad of extra annoyance. A happy, bubbly song that will definitely please some people but it just sounds too B-Class Jenny Romish for some reason.
Rating : 6

6.Mari-San - Secret Destination (Go Go's Music)
Oh wow, really I mean WOW. I have often heard eurobeat that both sounds like eurobeat but at the same time it doesn't. People who are familiar with the eurodance title Evelyn might recognize the intro that sounds really similar to her Woodpecker From Space intro. Secret Destination sounds so different from anything I've heard in a while that it basically swept me off my feet. The new vocalist sounds like Anastacia which is a really phenomenal vocalist to combine eurobeat with, since I've always considered her to be one of the most rocking female vocalists in the pop world. The song has a solid production all around and as said it sounds like a very very modern song that could be presented to the european club audience without any problems at all. Superb vocals, awesome sounds, brilliant melody... I could stamp all the positive adjectives for this song as it really does stand above the rest, can't remember hearing a song that took me away as instantly as this one in quite a while.
Rating : 10+++++

7.De Leo - I Need Your Love 2008 (Time)
I have a few songs from the older Time catalogue that I considered to be pure legends, and I Need Your Love is one of those tracks, so one could say hearing a remake is good... Who knows? First thing that I noticed is that they stripped out the best thing out of the original, the c-melody. The light synth that made the song sound phenomenal has been changed to a muffled melody that just sounds horrible. The vocals and sounds were functional and memorable in the original, but somehow they've just added too much of everything to this remake. It sounds like a mess when the synth, phat beats and vocals are put together and not at all like I was expecting. But hold your horses, it isn't all so horrible: The addition of guitars and the slightly lighter parts of the melody sound really awesome, if the track receives a more acoustic version it might just work a lot better. I'm slightly torn with the song since the best parts of the original have changed to something horrible, but the new additions work pretty well. In the end I'll probably enjoy listening to the original a lot more, but this remake might just grow on me with time.
Rating : 7

8.Matt Land - Magical (A-Beat C)
My initial reaction with this song was a mixed up reaction between slightly rehashed sounds and mellow melody, but don't let the initial feelings fool you. The track starts out with a 45 second intro which takes up a huge portion of the song sadly, as it's the weakest link in the whole track. After the prolonged intro the song bursts into life with Matteo's magnificent vocals that sound pleasant and heartfelt all through the song. The verses at first feel slightly offkey, but by time I started to love them more and more and in the end I started noticing how they just complete the song perfectly. The chorus alone is worth mentioning as it combines a really simple soundworld to great vocals and these two form a solid basis that is just irresistible. The slower beat and calmer sounds might put off some fans, but it you enjoy his sound you will definitely love Magical. I did. It may not be an all action song like his older trademarks, but this sort of direction feels totally revolutionary, pure bliss.
Rating : 9½

9.Coo Coo - Vamos A Bailar (Asia/Saifam)
Saifam has been able to produce a lot of killer songs with nicely different elements from time to time, Vamos A Bailar has that mediterranean summer mood. It does bring me back to my youth days when Paradisio did some fun dance tracks with some spanish included. The song sounds somewhat shady and the muffled vocals give it this b-class mood, which most would call something bad but I somehow liked the part of the song and it brings some extra edge to it. A nice chorus, okay sounds and funky way of doing vocals. Not a huge hit, but nice none the less.
Rating : 8-

10.Pamsy - Love Is A Pretender (SCP)
This album has shown so many different ways of presenting eurobeat already, I wasn't exactly expecting to get something different from our dear Pamsy as well. Love Is A Pretender has the basic eurobeat ingredients but it has a perfect production all around with exceptional sounds and a magnificent c-melody that bring it one step further than most of her recent songs. The galloping synth at the background sounds good but the extra bass-line is what adds all the hooks to the song. Pretty much everything about this song sounds well thought since I loved it from the very beginning to the end, finally a brilliant track for the talented Pamsy.
Rating : 10

11.Dany - Run Away (Time)
With eurobeat you basically get either a hit or a miss. Some of the repetitive songs start off really horrible, but after you've been saturated enough with it, you start to like it. My initial reaction to Run Away was pure boredom, but slowly I seem to find some nice points from this track. The song sounds like most of the recent Time productions but it has been blessed with a fairly good chorus. The lyrics are simple and easy to remember, which add some extra edge, well to some extent either way. Not my usual cup of tea, but it seems to grow on me the more I listen to it.
Rating : 7½

12.Go 2 - Spitfire (SCP)
If energy is what you want, Go 2 got what you want. We've had some slackier songs from the duo but for a change they present us with a pure energyfaire. The track kicks off with a intro that does justice to the aggressive song. Strong bass-line and hyper synth create a catchy back for the song, but as usual the vocals are on the frontstage and it's Ennio who steals the show with his macho-egoistic sound that fits the Go 2 theme perfectly. It took me a while to get used to the long melodies between the verses, but then again we really do have extended songs in our hands so gotta treat them differently. Simple, catchy and oozing with masculinity, just what we want from Go 2.
Rating : 9+

13.Dave Rodgers - Sun City 2008 (A-Beat C)
A remake that isn't Time, ABOUT TIME! I have to say it feels really refreshing to hear something from a different stable, plus when the remake has been done well it also helps. The original Sun City wasn't exactly the biggest hit from ol' Dave, but remaking it wasn't a half bad idea since they've done really good work with it. The song doesn't change the original song's structure all that much, but it adds some modern sounds and extra guitar-work all around, which works surprisingly well. Dave's vocals sound really good and especially the catchy Don't You Want Me, Don't You Want Me? sounds great. A nice way to end the album, maybe this is the start for Dave's uphill.
Rating : 9-

Final Words :
So we got an extended album, what many fans have been crying for years now. The reception has been contradictional since other people are afraid the lack of new songs will hurt the releases, but this does leave Avex with more variety of songs to pick out the best from. At least this first extended album seems like a definite step up as the album offers a lot of good songs and the few songs that aren't up to par with the rest of the album don't seem half bad in comparison to the high amount of good songs. Most of all it seems like labels have presented with nicely different ideas this time around and nearly every label shows they have inspiration to spare. Awesome job especially by the new comer from Go Go's Music, all hail Anastacia!

Final Score : 8½

The Best 3 songs

- Mari-San - Secret Destination
- Delta Queens - Hello Hello!
- Pamsy - Love Is A Pretender

The Worst 3 Songs

- Makkeroni - Can Can World
- De Leo - I Need Your Love 2008
- Dany - Run Away

Honorable Mention

- Matt Land - Magical

Labels present on the album:

A-Beat C: 3
Delta: 2
Go Go's Music: 1
HI-NRG Attack: 1
Saifam: 1
SCP: 2
Sinclaire Style: 1
Time: 2

Reviewed by Bore