Melleefresh has had a full life already. Having undergone various career changes and name changes, Melleny Brown (a.k.a. Melleny Melody and Melleefresh) went from children's voiceover work to live action film to... dance music artist and label president of Play Records. That's quite a series of changes, especially given the particular slant of Melleefresh's music these days. Her ultra-sexual tracks have been instant additions to the dance floor, not just for the lyrical quality but also for Melleefresh's unique and seductive delivery. Not so much singing as... moaning her way through the music, her songs have a quality to them that make for easy set inclusions. And she's found an accomplice for her music in older deadmau5 productions. She's gotten the chance to topline these productions and release them under the Play label (remember, deadmau5 is with Ultra now) as Melleefresh vs. deadmau5 collaborations. One such song, “Afterhours,” even received a nomination for a Juno Award. But does this unintentional pairing of minds have what it takes for an entire album? Melleefresh thinks so, and we are graced with Melleefresh & deadmau5 At Play.
The simple reality of the album is that it is a one trick pony. This isn't deadmau5 at his best, this is deadmau5 at his mediocre. Even then, his compositions give Melleefresh something to work with, but it doesn't quite seem like enough. Remixes of “Attention Whore,” “Something Inside Me,” and “Sex Slave” made the tracks as interesting as they were – more of a testament to the appeal of Melleefresh's lyrics and delivery than to the original music. The end result of many tracks on the album are over-long tracks that dwell far too much on repetition and banality than any true hook or theme or beat. Melleefresh gives almost each and every track her own but the problem lies with the music – it simply lacks the necessary elements to really make the combination pop. Although I do consider the track “Whispers” to be a failing on both sides, the instrumentation carrying on without rhyme or reason and Melleefresh does nothing more than breathe what may or may not be words over top. A far cry from the rampant sexual lyrics of “Something Inside Me” or “Sex Slave.” The track that packs the biggest musical punch would have to be “Cocktail Queen,” while Melleefresh's best delivery rests with “Attention Whore.”
The album does provide us with a few remixes, which give perspective on the tracks “Sex Slave,” “Hey Baby,” and “Afterhours.” The Make Me Make That Sound mix of “Sex Slave” focuses on that specific lyric of the song over a redundant electro beat, degrading the final product into an after hours beat track for those who aren't paying attention to what's playing. The Mellygasm mix of “Hey Baby” pays special attention to the orgasmic portions of Mellee's contribution, taking the track from “sexual” to “pornographic.” The Smoothy House mix of “Afterhours” tries to breathe some life into the track but falls a little short.
Summary
The idea was fresh, once, but the album is saturated with the same story told over and over again. It begins to lose it's appeal about 4 tracks in, and by then you'll be begging for a different beat structure, a different melody, a different approach. Seek out the remixes of “Sex Slave,” “Attention Whore,” and “Something Inside Me” for a better representation of what this pairing can accomplish. I give kudos to Melleefresh for making the best out of what she had, but the result begs the question if it was necessary or not.
At Play was released Novembers 2011 on Play Digital.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the record label. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
