Recently, I reviewed Rihanna's single "Umbrella" and all of its remixes. At the end of my review, I stated that her new CD "Good Girl Gone Bad" was full of upbeat songs and to make sure to keep an eye out for a new single with new mixes. Well, here it is and it's a fantastic choice! "Don't Stop The Music" is headed to the clubs right now, and once again it's gonna be a smash! It's already a great tune to dance to in its original form, liberally using a sample of Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something." On board this time around are Jody Den Broeder, The Wideboys, and Solitaire. All the mixes are great and one mixer in particular hits this right out of the park.
Jody Den Broeder was one of the people who remixed "Umbrella" and did a great job. This time around, his Big Room Mix is not to be ignored. From the first beats that lead right into the looping sample of Michael Jackson, this song never lets up. It's a peak hour anthem full of thumping beats and a bass line that doesn't relent. Stabs of synthesizer and Rihanna's lovely vocals are a potent combination. At the song's halfway point, the instruments fade away into the "Mama Se Mama Sa Mama Coo Sa" chant and handclaps, then rebuilds back into the drums and pulsing rhythm. This is Jody's best mix to date and is the one most DJs will be turning to. The other mixes are pretty good as well, though not quite as meaty as this one. The Wideboys Main Mix is short but sweet. It's a filtered disco chugger that loses some of the steam of the original. The sample is stripped away and guitar and percussion is added along with some snippets of violin. It's a cute mix, but is geared towards early evening play rather than later in the evening. Also providing a housier vibe is the mix by Solitaire. Their More Drama Remix also incorporates filtered effects along with a funky bass guitar and tinkling pianos. Violins are also added here again, providing the dramatics that the title implies. Still, that Michael Jackson sample is missing here and for me, that really adds to the feel of the song. This mix is classy and a nice alternative version, but it's lacking that power that Jody's mix has going for it.
Rihanna is very quickly proving again why she seems destined to be the new queen of the dancefloor. Her first single has just started to slip away from our conscious and she brings on another smash. Jody Den Broeder creates a masterpiece and managed to keep the original feel and flow of the song in tact. Wideboys and Solitaire give good mixes too, but they feel a bit lackluster under the umbrella (get it??) of Jody's beats. Overall, a great follow up to a runaway hit. More hits are coming from the "Good Girl Gone Bad" CD, so be prepared to keep dancing for a long time to come!
