Colette has dropped the "DJ" from her name for her debut artist album, shedding those labeling letters like a butterfly emerging from her chrysalis. It's only fitting, since her sweet soprano over the top of mixes was surely distinctive enough to earn her the right to sing her own music. And it is her own music - each of the thirteen songs on the album was written or co-written by her, with the exception of Robert Palmer's 1987 hit "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On," which wasn't written by him either. That song also features keys, bass and programming from Kaskade who does the same chores on the album's first single, the semi-eponymous lead track "Feelin' Hypnotized." It's a radio- and club-friendly house tune that's vintage Colette that wouldn't have sounded out of place on her 2001 DJ mix for Nettwerk, "Our Day." In fact, the Colette-penned title track to that album makes an appearance here as well.
The album's second slated single is the stripped-down number "What Will She Do For Love," another bouncy dance track that's just Colette and Synthique (sliding into Kaskade's three pairs of shoes.) Some of the album's best moments are the downtempo numbers near the end of the album like "So Special," "What You You Want" and the jack beats of "A Little More" which also features spoken word from Diz (of Chicago's Iz & Diz - it's nice to see that even though she's done quite well for herself with the move to LA, Colette hasn't forgotten her Windy City homies). The super-hot DJ Heather (one of Colette's buddies from her early days in the all-girl DJ quartet SuperJane, Chicago in da house again) adds slinky vocals and vibrant soul to "Joy and Pain" - a video for this one, please! The disc closes with a flat-out ballad, the acoustic melancholy of "Smile For Me." It's a nice close to a sweet, simple debut from an artist who clearly has many great things ahead.