Between the crooner-styled tray card photo and muscle mag cover of this release, your first thought may be, "But can he sing?" Hunky Sean Ensign is debuting with his dance album, Finally, and yes, although he doesn't have the vocal chops of some of his peers, he can sing-- and write, cowriting all but one track here.
The remixes appealed more to me. Hex Hector's radio mix of "Without You" slows the track a bit and uses a subtler synth, creating a darker feel and helping this song flow more naturally. "It's My Life (Mike Cruz radio mix)" is also darker than its original and drops the synth track completely choosing to be more bass-driven, but it's still juiced up with plenty of vocal effects and retains the female diva, which is a nice touch. Dance cut "Turn Back (high energy mix)" is far better than the goofy/quirky hip-hop/pop original.
Surprisingly, the ballads are not throwaway filler and shouldn't be overlooked. Mid-tempo track "Inevitable" is laid back yet upbeat with a dark melody and smooth vocal performance, accentuated by electric guitar and some unique sounds. "I Can't Deny" and "Everytime it Rains" are both beautifully orchestrated with strong melodies complemented by Spanish guitar (the latter being recorded first by Ace of Base).
Overall, there's almost a Lucas Prata feel to the project as far as approach, music, and vocal. Despite the tight programming and mix, I would have liked to have heard more hooky melodies for the upbeat numbers. Other than that, this is a good first effort, and with further growth as a vocalist and writer, Sean's follow-up project could be very strong.
