The English Thesaurus defines vicious as 'brutal', 'ferocious,' and 'fierce.' All of these words describe the many works of the masterful Johnny Vicious – whether it be his early production gem Johnny Vicious Presents Jimmy Williams 'Big Ole Bed' in 1994, to his hot unofficial white label remix of U2 'Where The Streets Have No Name,' or maybe even his top-notch throw-your-hat-on-the-floor-and-stomp-on-it-while-you-dance remixes for Veronica, Brian McKnight and Whitney Houston – 9 times out of 10 he delivers a remix or production that is unique and wicked.
His production here with Judy Albanese is no different – in fact, it is perfect. Making its initial debut on Deeper & Harder Volume 1 (Mixed by Johnny Vicious) in 2004, many of us savored all 7+ minutes of this prized track and r-e-a-l-l-y hoped that more mixes would follow. Finally, a year later my personal prayer has been answered in the form of two different JV full length vocal mixes, one instrumental, one mixshow, one radio edit and one dub.
And as the saying goes, 'it takes two to tango.' The other partner in this dance is someone that has respectfully earned the title of 'diva.' With a slew of tracks to her own credit, this amazing vocalist is no newcomer to dance music. She has provided listeners with wonderful songs over the years – 'You', 'Love's Here (At Last),' and 'Happy.'
Focusing on the vocal mixes, we start with the Club Mix Vocal which is just over ten minutes in length and closely mirrors the mix found on Deeper & Harder Volume 1. With its chugging bassline and soft cymbal use, this mix kicks off and something about it catches your attention. You turn your head and you swear you hear bongo drums in the background – how clever. A few seconds later you hear 'la la la la la la' coming in from the background – and then 'I can't let go'….'Don't leave me, can't leave me.' Hot. Suddenly the synth work explodes and then the drop comes and it is intense – but wait, the bassline abruptly erupts and you are left hanging on for dear life.
Up next is the Tribal H2 Vocal and for almost the first 4 minutes you are listening to the exact same production as used in the Club Mix Vocal – but then suddenly, all that changes. Bearing a wonderful resemblance to Jonathan Peters ft. Sylver Logan Sharp 'All This Time', the listener is treated to nothing but a few moments of pure, naked vocals over a totally stripped down bassline. Another 'Vicious' touch is the reworking of the phrase 'Can't Let Go' in such an intense manner that we are reminded why, when we see the name Johnny Vicious on a remix or production – we smile.
