Super Eurobeat 207

1.Manuel - Limousine (Go Go's Music)
After Manuel completed the side quest to Dima, he returns back to GGM with an explosion. Limousine kicks off with aggressive and fiery energy. The track has a very masculine anthem mood to it, as if it was made to celebrate everything manly. The sounds are full, vocals are as masculine as you can expect from our favorite male screecher and the whole song structure is just reeking of power. The melody works out magnificently with all the powerful elements making the song nearly as instantly catchy as Gas Gas Gas was, yet just a tiny bit less memorable. A very strong album opener and a return to the kind of material I have learned to appreciate Manuel doing.
Rating : 9½

2.Christine - Bigga Boom (SCP)
The bubbly and fun material Christine released on Euromach has been absent for the vast majority of the past years, Bigga Boom takes an u-turn and returns back to that upbeat material and for the better as well. The song is so full of good mood it's irresistible to resist, the lyrics don't make any sense at all, but that doesn't really manage to ruin the day. The synth has that similar airy feel the previous female tracks by SCP have had, but now it doesn't sound one bit too thin, instead it sounds perfect for a world embracing song. The track's only fault is not offering really much variety, the different parts of the song just blend together seamlessly. Some extra elements and a bit more oomph would've made this song a really strong contestant for Christine's old classics like Mr. Nice Guy.
Rating : 9

3.Dejo - 1.2.3.4. Fire! (SinclaireStyle)
1.2.3.4. Fire! is finally here to carry on the legacy of Niko, although I do have to wonder why they need to change the title for something else. Over all for consistency's sake it'd be nice without all these unncessary extra titles. The manly power Maurizio provides is fully present with this song for the good and the bad. He does seem to bring his best a-game along and the vocals really work out better than anything else in the song. For a track with such a powerful vocal presentation it'd really be nice to have some power to back it up with. Now the sounds just have that hollow and thin feel to them, the same problem has plagued other SinclaireStyle songs for the most part. Sadly this track comes off as a bit of an unfinished piece that could have been really good since the melody and chorus are catchy and fun.
Rating : 8-

4.Destinee - Wonderwoman Dream (Dima Music)
Strip out the intro ASAP. Then strip out the rest of the song while you're at it I guess. Wonderwoman Dream is in nice terms put: boring. The melody doesn't really offer any hooks what so ever plus the more laidback poppy disco elements just sound tacky. Using a wide range of elements is generally for the better, but the elements still have to be functional with some originality to them or catchy, this track has neither sadly. There's about none of that old magic Dima Music usually brings in with their tracks, quite a disappointment.
Rating : 6

5.Dream Fighter - All About You (Dima Music)
After a really mellow and boring song it should be easy to improve, but for some reason the very same label still can't quite get their act together. All About You is just too slow to be interesting enough. The melody itself is fairly nice and the chorus sounds good, but there really should have had been a faster tempo. The song comes off sounding as if it was unintentionally slowed down a bit much. The vocals sound prolonged at a few points as if Davide had to fight the sound out, which is very unusual as his voice generally works really efficiently. This sort of chilling music might work out for a different audience, but the current level just doesn't cut it off on a SEB. The level would have to be a lot higher for this track to function better.
Rating : 6

6.Joe D. Toaster - Feel The Power (HI-NRG Attack)
The past year or so has slowly given me a very careful approach to HRG's male tracks. The songs for the most part have lacked actual raw power and instead offered weird distorted structures and more of the same old sound wise. Feel The Power offers a title that leaves you expecting for energy, so it's surprising to be treated to a mid-paced track that is borderlining HRG ballads. Not quite the fitting lyrics this time around. The song itself is actually a fairly surprising piece with nice acoustic elements and nice calmer vocal work for a change. The addition of piano works as a really nice tranquil element that balances out the more mechanic synth. This song should have had different lyrical presentation, but that minor complaint aside this is a fairly pleasant song to listen to once in a while. Not heavy airplay material though.
Rating : 8-

7.Claudia Vip - Lucky Star (HI-NRG Attack)
Out of all of the HI-NRG Attack songs released in the 200s so far, this track has probably received the highest amount of attention from me, why, that is a good question. After hearing this initially I was drawn in by the catchy chorus and really effective c-melody. But in the long run the song still isn't quite a masterpiece, it falls short on various areas. The synth is effective but all of the other sounds just don't really offer much punch. Verses also fumble a bit and don't really drag you in as effectively as the chorus does. All in all, Lucky Star is a good song definitely, but it also suffers from repetition and does not offer longlasting magnetism.
Rating : 8½

8.Marko - I Need A Revolution (Delta)
I like this title, a lot actually. Causing a revolution in the eurobeat world generally brings out many new and funky elements along so I'm all up for it. I Need A Revolution does not quite do as the title promises though. The sounds are familiar and even though the vocalist is a new one, his voice is right at home on Delta. Well initial expectations aside I do have to rewind back to my first statement. I like this song a lot. The verses and chorus work out well together and I love the quirky c-melody all the way. The track is your standard Delta eurobeat with energy and power to spare, so definitely a track that'll please people who enjoy what they do.
Rating : 9-

9.Mr. Moog - Stardust (Dima Music)
After the lackluster presentations by Dima on this album it's good to be treated to more of what the labels does best: good solid beating euro. Stardust has that same energy Tsundere Night provided a while back, definitely made out of the same mold. This time around it's not a bad thing to have close resemblance to a previous track since only the good elements seem to be infused with Stardust. When considering the fact that this is music for a small niche of people it still offers quite a few elements that aren't commonly heard in eurobeat. The sounds have more layers in them than the norm plus the song has a very strong presence that could just as well succeed in the european music scene. A solid piece all around.
Rating : 9

10.Marika - Stay With Me (Delta)
Delta introduce us to a second new vocalist on the very same SEB which is definitely refreshing. Marika has a very strong and feminine voice that suits Stay With Me quite perfectly. The midtempo piece sounds delightful and especially the more times you listen to the track, the more you notice small bits and pieces here in the production that catch your ear. I haven't exactly considered the slower Delta tracks to be that succesfull in my head, but this single piece of art actually makes up for the inferior tracks. A great chorus, simple yet effective sounds with very pleasant vocal performance by the newcomer.
Rating : 9½

11.Jay Lehr - Hi Love (SCP)
After the previous hit Jay had with Little Little Star, I quite frankly wasn't expecting things to go smoothly, but SCP proved me wrong yet again. Hi Love is an absolutely stunning song with more edge than 10 generic eurobeat songs put together. The vocals by Mr. Lehr are once again the main attraction and he surely manages to bewitch his audience. The song has a slightly mystic athmosphere to it, which makes it sound really unique and exotic at the same time. A very strong chorus combined with the eurobeat synth and tasteful use of dance elements create a magical combination. The definite high peak on this album, which is actually a hard task to pull after multiple great performances.
Rating : 10

12.Dave Rodgers - The Race Of The Night (Sunfire Records)
Revisiting his old roots seems to be a good trade off for Dave. The Race Of The Night has a bit of that old techno feel to it, which worked magnificently on the older A-Beat C productions. It's nice to see that Sunfire Records has managed to adapt some of the key elements that used to make the previous label's tracks hits. The work is still slightly unfinished though. While the synths sound really effective this time around and Dave's vocal work has more of that fire he has been lacking in the past, it still just doesn't quite click. Some more raw power and those upbeat elements the songs had in the past could have made this a classic like The Race Is Over. Not a shabby performance, but not quite a bull's eye either.
Rating : 8+

13.Move - Koishisato Setsunasato Kokorotsuyosato (Eurogrooves Remix) (Avex / Eurogrooves)
Lacking new material from Eurogrooves it's refreshing to hear a remix at least by them. In this track's case I recon it's for the best that I am not familiar with the original piece. Move have had quite a few solid pieces in the past and this track has all of the old elements I've gotten used to hearing by them. The vocals and rapping work perfectly together but the problem is more about the actual song structure that is quite lacking in energy. The few nice bits here and there soundwise add up some catchiness to the song but in the long run this track just doesn't quite cope in the presence of other high quality tracks on 207.
Rating : 6

14.Ace - Take My Breath Away (Healing Version) (SCP)
I am quite disappointed to have all of these Ace classics repeated as the slow versions, it feels as if they somehow manage to drain all of the features that made the originals classics away. Take My Breath Away was an instant classic when it was released, but this slower version in it's aesthetic beauty just doesn't quite offer much. Appreciating instrumental music is not my strongest suit by any means, but truthfully I think this very piece doesn't quite work in a slower form. The melody sounds effective when it's done in a faster fashion, but when slowed down it seems slightly one dimensional. There's very little to hang on to plus it just falls short on actually sounding relaxing.
Rating : 6

Final Words :
I wasn't quite expecting much from this album when I saw the tracklisting months back, but it's great to be positively surprised. The album has a long array of effective songs that deserve more attention after this album, but sadly there's a fair amount of more lacking presentations as well. I was highly satisfied with Manuel returning back to his older style on Go Go's Music as well as being yet again surprised by Jay Lehr. Overall I am very pleased with this album and can't really complain much, other than saying that it'd be nice to have the last 2 songs replaced with more of the actual goodness, or alternatively the tracks just should be more effective.

Final Score : 8

The Best 3 songs

- Jay Lehr - Hi Love
- Manuel - Limousine
- Marika - Stay With Me

The Worst 3 Songs

- Destinee - Wonderwoman Dream
- Ace - Take My Breath Away (Healing Version)
- Move - Koishisato Setsunasato Kokorotsuyosato (Eurogrooves Remix)

Honorable Mention

- Christine - Bigga Boom

Labels present on the album:

Avex: 1
Delta: 2
Dima Music: 3
Eurogrooves: 0 (1)
Go Go's Music: 1
HI-NRG Attack: 2
SCP: 3
Sinclaire Style: 1
Sunfire Records: 1

Reviewed by Bore