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.
