It takes a lot of guts to cover a classic song, especially one that is so identified with the original artist. Jody Watley has a song that will always be seen as hers ("Looking For A New Love"), and she is also the one with the brass to redo Madonna's classic 80's smash "Borderline." It seems like an unlikely match on paper, Madonna having a pop/dance feel to her voice while Jody's is more R&B-flavored. But after listening to these remixes as well as the original chilled-out version on her new CD "The Makeover," surprise surprise! It works… and rather well.
The remix package features mixes by Chris Joss, Josh Peace, Cristian Paduraru, Craig C. & the combo of Funky Junction & Marco Zappala. The Chris Joss mix is short and sweet. Clocking in at just over 4 and a half minutes, it's perfect for starting off the night. Funky with just a touch of electro elements, Joss proves that a mix doesn't have to be 10 minutes long to be good and effective. Josh Peace decides to go in a more housey direction with his Dub of Love. As you can tell from the title, this is not a full-on vocal mix. However, Peace uses enough vocals to make it thoroughly enjoyable. Only a few lines from the chorus are repeated throughout this version, which is filled with lots of percussion and piano. It reminds me of something I would hear at Sugar in San Francisco (Is that club still around?? And if not, why not??). A lovely addition to any house-loving DJ's set.
Funky Junction & Marco Zappala are two mixers who I'm not terribly familiar with. I do know Funky Junction have done mixes for the current Ultra Nate hit "Love's The Only Drug" but beyond that I know nothing. Not that this is bad, because their mixes are my favorites in the whole bunch. They do a Club Mix and a Tribal Mix, both of which would fit perfectly in any club on a Saturday night. I am a bit more fond of the Tribal Mix, simply because it's the only version of these that has a harder edge to it. I think the circuit boys will also prefer this mix as it adds a rugged synth line and some extra drums to the song. Another remixer who I've never encountered is Cristian Paduraru. His mix is very minimal. Just a bass line and some sinple effects along with Jody singing a couple of lyrics. It's not very much of anything, truth be told. It's the only mix on the CD that I didn't really care for. Finally, Craig C. (who did a mix of her own remake of "Looking For A New Love" last year) gives us his Bordervox Club Mix. Headed in a electro direction that is merely hinted at in the Chris Joss mix, Craig has the most inventive mix of all. It uses lots of samples and keyboards and never overshadows Jody's vocals. The mix winds down to just Jody and some blips and beeps, then returns with a drum roll and that fantastic synth line to give us two more minutes of pleasure. An absolute treat!
Overall, I would say that Jody has really hit the mark with this release. With only one exception, all of the mixes are excellent. It took real courage to tackle a song previously done by someone as known as Madonna. If you get an opportunity, pick up her new CD "The Makeover" and check out the original ballad version of this song. Just as unique as these mixes, you will almost forget who sang this first…almost!
