Time To Get Amp'd!
For a collection of well-produced dance tracks, look no further than Amp'd from JJ Flores and Steve Smooth. Amp'd contains a bevy of vocal talent, including JES, Colette, Roland Clark, Luvli, Delano, B. Lee, Alex Peace, and Little Lisa. All tracks are radio-length, which is nice for the casual listener. The album has spun out a host of singles, like "Let It Go," "Peace & Happiness," "Stay," and "Sex Fiend."
JJ Flores and Steve Smooth Start With A Bang
The album opens heavy with the ATB-inspired rock-heavy "Let It Go," featuring the wonderful vocals from male vocalist B. Lee. He also shows up on the following track "Make It Up 2 U," which is far bouncier than "Let It Go" and also rocks out a far more electro production. Alex Peace talks his way across the funky Wolfgang Gartner-esque tech track "I'm The 1 U C!" JJ Flores and Steve Smooth up the tech on "Music Maker," also featuring Alex Peace. Chunky, dubby, and sort of brilliant. "Sex Fiend" rounds out Alex Peace's tracks, a heavy rock tune that grinds and growls and gets down and dirty. Little Lisa lends her sultry vocals to the super poppy "Take Me" which bounces along wonderfully for a while, dropping into annoying repetition, then becoming wonderful again for a guitar breakdown. Roland Clark's vocals get auto-tuned and processed through "Peace & Happiness," creating a distant and somewhat soulful sound despite the fact that the track is not soulful house, but instead more progressive house. "Deep Inside These Walls" is a sexed up group-chant rock tune, charging forward with gusto.
Calling On Colette For An Assist
Finally, Colette, a dance star in her own right, sings the lyrics of "Stay," her voice resounding out over fat clubby beats and synths for a fun track. I was a little let down by the mixes of "Stay," however. John Dahlback, always with an interesting take on a track, made it into a deep and clicky dub-like mix, a direction that track most assuredly did not need. It may work well on the floor but I'm not fond of it. Nick Terranova adds big round drums which probably sound fantastic while dancing, and even retains a lot of elements from the original track, but like Dahlback, Terranova limits the amount of time Colette is soaring over the music. I think this is a con rather than a pro. The extended mix is my choice, but that fact is a bit of a let down. The track has more potential than anyone involved truly understands, in my opinion, and while the original is a great walking track or even a great workout track, it needed extra OOMPH that neither Dahlback nor Terranova could provide.
Summary
A decent offering. The album had no real cohesion, each track sounding different from the last. All are quality tracks though and shouldn't be overlooked.
Released October 2008 on Ultra Records.
