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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INTERVIEW: Sied van Riel (2013)

In addition to having just about the coolest last name, Sied Van Riel is very much a character – creating big room trance with a melodic edge. ? His recently released track “Carved By Your Hands” is a great example of how he blends trance and progressive to mold his own sound.? As busy in the studio as he is on the road, I spoke with Sied back stage at the Armada showcase during the Amsterdam Dance Event.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: So tonight you are on Armada and doing a versus set with someone, who are you playing against?
Sied van Riel: Tonight, I am playing with Max Graham.

RS: Have you two played together before?
Sied van Riel: Not in a back-to-back, but we have played on the same event so I am really curious and kind of excited.

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SONG OF THE DAY:? dBerrie – “Zenith”

I’ve never been a big fan of rock music, but this current trend of bringing rock elements into electro is quite sickening.? First spotted last year with the Sharkjumper tracks (which will hopefully get released one day) and covered last week in Tristan Garner’s “Machine Gun,’? the frenetic live energy of rock melds perfectly with the aggressive electro which is dominating big rooms.? Native New Yorker dBerrie (great name) harnesses the two and adds distorted noises to the drop-out that have an eerie, almost operatic feel to them.? There is a really fresh feel to this track with everything from the complicated bass loop (with the added beats) perfectly engineered to shake things up. If this is the “new funk” sound referenced in the male vocal bit, then bring on more of it.? Getting released in mid-March, listen for this track to be dropped by the big guys all over the Winter Music Conference.

Get this on CD or download to your iTunes when it’s out in March. Have any old CDs lying around that you never listen to anymore? Recycle them by visiting www.musicmagpie.com today, and make some cash for some new tunes.

Image courtesy of Flamingo.