SONG OF THE DAY: Priyanka Chopra – “I Can’t Make You Love Me”

Originally recorded by Bonnie Raitt, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” is a classic song that has been revisited quite a few times. Often sung on vocal competition shows, both Kimberley Locke’s game-changing soulful take on American Idol and Angela Hacker’s brilliant bluesy country interpretation on Nashville Star immediately come to mind. As for a dance version, it’s been tried- but for some reason they never get released. A Mark Picchiotti remix of Kimberley Locke’s take (similar in style to Fedde Le Grand vs Ida Corr’s “Let Me Think About It”) was commissioned, but unfortunately never released. Ester Dean’s soulful EDM take can be heard online and was set for promotion with club mixes, but for some reason was scrapped at the last minute.

Here comes Miss World/Bollywood princess Priyanka Chopra to rectify the situation. She is no stranger to clubland with her collaborations – a pre-#Selfie banger with The Chainsmokers “Erase,” the will.i.am featuring “In My City,” and Top 15 Billboart club chart hit “Exotic” with Pitbull. Starting slow with a plaintive cry of the title, the track starts slow and builds into a full-on stadium house electronic anthem. Priyanka sounds great, and the production is perfect, not a surprise as Manuel Reuter did it, who you probably know as DJ Manian of Cascada (whose new single “Blink” is beginning to buzz as well”). The video is what you would expect from a superstar pop video (including the obligatory Beats headphones placement for Interscope), which makes you wonder – just why isn’t Priyanka as big in the US and Europe as she is India, where this song nearly topped the iTunes chart immediately upon release. Could this be the song that breaks her internationally? A round of sick remixes would definitely help – so here’s hoping they will surface quite soon, as I can already hear in my head what the R3hab mix would sound like.

Image Courtesy of Interscope.

SONG OF THE DAY: Watermat – Bullit

Last week, someone asked me what I thought of “that flute record.” My mind instantly went back to “Koko” by Sander Van Doorn, but the guy said it was something new. When I heard “Bullit” by Waterm?t, it made more sense. Out on Spinnin Deep, the instrumental track is much more subtle, groovy, and yes, deep, than what you usually hear from Spinnin Records. “Bullit” is a chilled progressive track with a poolside lounge vibe. The intro is a bit reminiscent of Giorgio Moroder (maybe “I Feel Love”), but slowed down. The chords trigger an emotional response and takes me back to the classic Dusted (Rollo/Mark Bates) track “Always Remember to Respect and Honor Your Mother.” Then there is the flute which just sounds heavenly, as if it’s leading you on a journey. There aren’t a lot of deeper progressive tracks that cross over to the mainstream, but something tells me that this might be the one for the summer. You can expect a vocal version to filter out around by the end of June.

Image Courtesy of Spinnin Deep.

SONG OF THE DAY: Royksopp and Robyn – Do It Again

Norwegian duo Royksopp and Swedish electropop singer Robyn have collaborated before on singles with each other – “None of Dem” and “The Girl and the Robot.” The title single of their forthcoming EP “Do It Again” came about after a night of clubbing, and you would imagine it started as a joke. The lyrics are a play on the repetition and predictable nature of dance tracks, but of course the lyrics could be interpreted for hooking up with an ex-lover or partaking in harmful substances. Robyn’s sweetly pop vocals soften the robotic feel of the beats, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the chords and vocal effects aren’t dissimilar to “Dancing On My Own.” In its original version it is already club- (and radio) friendly, but I am guessing some out-there leftfield remixes are forthcoming. The five-track EP is set for release on May 26th and with songs like “Sayit” featuring a sexually charged robot, it will definitely be one worth buying. Watch for them on tour later this year.

Image Courtesy of Cherrytree/Interscope.