Category: Reviews

REVIEW: Kerli – ‘Utopia’ EP

By: Ben Norman
It’s honestly tough to accept a drastic change sometimes. The radical shift from the dark side to the bright and happy of dance that Estonian singer Kerli has accomplished in the last couple years has been rough. Rough, but oh so rewarding. While her darker days will always be missed, being graced with beautiful and emotional dance tracks, such as her latest hit “The Lucky Ones,” is nothing to scoff at. And one of Kerli’s biggest strengths is her unique and distinctive voice. It is breathy with a strong enunciation, a sort of pronounced way of singing her words. Think of Shirley Manson from Garbage, raise her up a little bit, and then throw her over some thick beats.
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REVIEW: Todd Terry vs Hip Hop – Dramatical: Volume 1

By Spun Counterguy

DJ, remixer, and producer Todd Terry has been fulfilling all three of those roles from pretty much the beginning of both house and hip-hop’s respective births. He?s made a name for himself by being at the forefront of ?deep house,? developing the early remix phenomenon by being responsible for such massive crossover hits as ?Missing? by Everything But The Girl and producing tracks for such artists as PM Dawn. So to the Todd Terry fan, Dramatical will come as no surprise and will be sure to please expectations.
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REVIEW: Norah Jones ? ‘Little Broken Heart Remix’ EP

By: Ben Norman

When it comes to the arduous task of turning something average into something great, the remix typically isn’t the place to go. Sure, remixes have done wondrous things for many a song, but many of those songs held notoriety on their own without the use of a Tiesto or a Calvin Harris on board. But for Norah Jones, the question is: How do you do her justice? The woman’s voice was what brought her the attention on her debut song, “Come Away With Me,” that smooth, deep, yearning instrument played stronger than any of the others that comprised her music. With each subsequent release, however, Ms. Jones found herself adrift in a sea of pop and rock that made it difficult for an earnest jazz singer to really make a lasting impression. Fast forward to 2012, and Norah Jones has broken down the walls surrounding her own musical standards, working with Gnarls Barkley magic man Danger Mouse, and really pushing the boundaries of what people would tolerate her doing. All in all, Little Broken Hearts was a critical and commercial success. And yet… I found myself a little disheartened by the end result, no track really pulling me in either in voice or production. Is it possible that the two minds of Mouse and Jones failed to deliver on what should have been a masterpiece? Sadly, in my opinion, yes.

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