Sunshine Anderson - Something I Wanna Give You

She's back after a good long break after rocketing to stardom with "Heard It All Before" and a gold-selling album. Her upcoming followup album Sunshine At Midnight will be released in early 2007. However, the first single "Something I Wanna Give You" is being promoted to Rhythmic and Urban radio right now. And soon, this one will be promoed to the clubs as well. Junior Vasquez has already remixed this. He previously remixed "Heard It All Before" for her. With this one, he gives the mix a slight "old school" feel. Junior mentioned in an interview with HX that he was planning to bring back the old sounds. "But I am going back to old school, something the young kids don’t know was ever out there." He already went in that direction with his critically acclaimed mix of Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" which didn't deviate too much from the old school sound of the original. This mix is still circuit enough for even the most hardcore DJ. The transformation from a midtempo R&B track to a medium circuit track is stunning. This mix is already getting played in Junior's weekly mixshow on XM radio as well as in his legendary sets at his various residencies. Look out for this mix to be packing dancefloors and burning up the club charts when this one is widely promoed.

Check out Sunshine Anderson's MySpace.

Big Bass Vs Michelle Narine - What You Do

This was originally released back in 2000. In the fashion of re-hashes, er remakes or updates, this one comes with a new mix, coming courtesy of Hoxton Whores. Utilizing the "Playing With Knives" sample heard in Stonebridge's Playing With Stones Club Mix, the Hoxton Whores makes the track a bit more repetitive sounding. It has a bootleg feel to it.

The Playing With Stones Club Mix is actually from the original 2000 release. It's the same exact mix. This one has the potential to be a favorite now just as it was for many DJs back then. Some of the DJs who have the original release can dust off their old copies.

This is scheduled to be released on October 9 in the UK.

One of the vinyl promos out now has the following tracklisting:

01. Playing With Stones Mix
02. Hoxton Whores Mix

Sun - Gone

The Singaporean Dance/Pop starlet is back with a followup to the smash "Ends Of The Earth." Just like her previous record, this one comes with a plethora of mixes. "Ends Of The Earth" had over 23 mixes, including vocal mixes, radio edits and dubs! There's only 12 versions on the CD promo for this one, but more mixes could come at any time.

Doing the honors this time are Tony Moran & Jody den Broeder, Ralphi Rosario, Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto, Jason Nevins and Steve Mac.

Here is the tracklisting for the CD promo:

01. John Poppo Radio Mix (Ballad) - 3:38
02. Jason Nevins Radio Edit - 3:14
03. Ralphi Rosario Radio Edit - 3:40
04. Moto Blanco Radio Edit - 3:34
05. Tony Moran & Jody Den Broeder Mix Show Edit - 6:39
06. Jason Nevins Club Mix - 6:06
07. Ralphi Rosario Club Mix - 8:35
08. Steve Mac Club Mix - 7:02
09. Tony Moran & Jody Den Broeder Beat Stomping Dramatic Dub - 9:04
10. Ralphi Rosario Dub Mix - 8:18
11. Moto Blanco Dub Mix - 8:38
12. Steve Mac Dub Mix - 7:02

Since there's so many mixes, here's the highlights. Tony Moran and Jody den Broeder give this song a trancey/tribal workout. It is very reminiscent of both Tony and Jody's (as Life In Intense Volume) spectacular individual mixes of Annie Lennox's "Into The West." The dub version by Tony and Jody is also really good. Ralphi Rosario also does a slightly more epic sounding mix. The dub is much darker though. Moto Blanco give this their usual best. It's very soulful and classic sounding.

Expect a second set of mixes for this to be released soon. Overall, this is her most solid release since "Without Love."

Want to discuss Dance Music (and more)?

Check out All Music Board. Discuss the music reviewed here as well as other music and other stuff. It's a relatively new community. Come on and join in. Hope to see you there soon!

Gioia Bruno - Higher

This former vocalist from mega Freestyle girl group Expose' has made a name for herself as a solo artist. She will be taking her success to a whole new level with the release of her upcoming single "Higher." This one is basically a remake of "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher" by Nancy Davis. This one has some fierce remixes by up and comer Arenna, Deep Influence, Eddie Baez, Mike Cruz and Michael T. Diamond. Previews of the Arenna and Eddie Baez mixes can be heard at Gioia's MySpace. More information about the release of this single will be posted as soon as it is available.

Chico - D.I.S.C.O.

This is the followup to his smash hit "It's Chico Time." The song debuted at number one in the UK earlier this year, knocking Madonna out of the top spot. The former X-Factor contestant is back with a remake for his second single.

Chico takes on Ottawan's 70's dance classic "D.I.S.C.O." this time. The last fairly known cover of "D.I.S.C.O." came from dance act N-Trance back in the mid 90's. Thankfully, Chico doesn't rap on this one (let's hope he never raps). This is not a word-for-word cover. Some of the lyrics have been tweaked a bit to make them a little more "Chico-licious." Chico sounds fine on this one. This track is a good party-starter, and could be a surprise floor-filler. The production on this track is quite good. It sounds very retro while also sounding current. Brian Rawlings' production is top-notch, even for a song like this.

The music video for this one looks very similar to the one for "It's Chico Time."

This one will be released on August 14 in the UK.

Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money 2006

When it got out that new mixes of Donna Summer's 1980s smash "She Works Hard For The Money" were to be done, many became excited.

These new mixes were made using the original acapella. Rarely have the original acapellas been used for updates of Donna's songs.

Eddie Baez and John Kano have each done a vocal mix. Both mixes breathe new life into an already great song. Despite the original vocals being over 20 years old, they sound like they were just recorded yesterday. They have definitely stood the test of time. The new generation of clubbers will get a chance to hear this classic through the updated mixes, and hopefully, they may decide to check out the original version.

For Eddie's mix, he makes it into a circuit-house anthem. It's not as dark as some of his other work. It works though. The portions without the beats sound almost like they are from an amazing Trance song. The beginning of the track is also striking. It resembles the beatless intro of the original version. It goes on for a little longer in Eddie's mix. Eddie uses all the vocals in his mix and uses them effectively. And there are not too many vocal effects or loops. The ones he used only add to the atmosphere he is creating in his mix.

This mix was supposedly going to be on an upcoming Eddie Baez CD, but apparently, the mix was not hard enough! So there's the possibility of a re-styled mix too. This mix is tasteful and great. It will work well on the dancefloors, and with the right edit, it could work on radio too.

John Kano goes in a more housey direction. His mix is very retro sounding. It is soulful. It's very reminiscent of Masters At Work, Knee Deep, Shapeshifters and Maurice Joshua. Some of the sounds from the original version have been recreated and have been peppered throughout the mix. The vocals are used nicely on this mix too. Vocal effects and loops are kept thankfully kept to a minimum on this mix. This is a great choice for those soulful house sets.

Don't miss out on these two new updated mixes!

Inaya Day - Spin Me Round

After having done pretty well with some of the covers she has done, including "Nasty Girl" and "The Glamorous Life", Inaya is back with another one. This time, she takes on the Dead Or Alive classic "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)."

It may seem a bit horrendous on paper, but the manner in which it was executed was quite unorthodox and fun. Instead of just covering the whole song, the only part of the song covered is the first half of the chorus. The verses and the other half of the chorus of this song have completely new lyrics. And the verses are not done to the tune of the original verses in the DOA track. Pop princess Jessica Simpson has also done a similar thing with the DOA track for her upcoming album. She, however relies upon keeping the track sounding more like the original DOA track. Sounds and other effects from the original DOA version are thankfully kept to a minimum. Inaya makes this track her own. She brings her unique energy and voice to this and gives this track a treatment that is so fresh that it is worth listening to over and over.

Mike Cruz did the main mix of this track. It opens up his two disc mix compilation Many Moods Of Mike Cruz. The compilation is on sale at PerfectBeat and at iTunes.

This track may be released later on as a single, but there's no word on whether that is actually going to happen at this time.

Offer Nissim featuring Maya - Perfect Love

After word got out towards the end of last year that Israeli DJ/remixer/producer Offer Nissim and singer Maya Simantov were doing a cover of the House Of Prince classic "Perfect Love", which was released in 1997 on Twisted, there was very much excitement. A low quality rip of the main version surfaced back in February of this year and then the long wait was finally over.

A commercial release of this has finally been planned on New York-based Star 69 Records. "Perfect Love" is slated to be the lead single off of Offer and Maya's second album, tentatively titled Second Time, a followup to the acclaimed First Time. This new album is scheduled for an October release as of right now.

There are remixes for "Perfect Love." A promo CD has been sent out with the following tracklisting:

01. Offer Nissim Full Vocal Mix
02. Offer Nissim Perfect Club Mix
03. Dope Boyz Bangin' Mix
04. Javith & Salazar Dub Mix
05. Redkone Lisbon Mix

The Full Vocal Mix is basically the original version of the song with some minor tweakings and changes that were noticeably absent from the version that surfaced back in February. The Perfect Club Mix is similar to the Full Vocal Mix, but has some additional differences. The Dope Boyz Bangin' Mix is a slight throwback to the House Of Prince version. This one actually has Maya re-singing the signature "I, I, I, I, I, I believe in love" part that was in the classic. The Javith & Salazar Dub is basically an instrumental track with some vocal samples. It's slightly tribal and really electro. The Redkone Lisbon Mix is very synthy and tribal.

In addition to that, Peter Rauhofer has also done a remix which is currently just an exclusive. He has been playing that version in his sets. Some individuals who attended some of his events say Peter sometimes plays a mashup of "Perfect Love" with the Johnny Vicious Instrumental of "Hola Hola Hola" by Yuhan. There has been no confirmation yet. It would make for an interesting combination. Here's to hoping that Peter's mix makes it onto one of his upcoming mix compilations.

Overall, this track is pretty good. Maya's vocals are the highlight on this one, as they usually are. It also helps that this wasn't a straight cover with Maya just re-singing everything the way Oezlem did on the original. Maya made this track her own.

Deena Jones & The Dreams - One Night Only

This is the first single (for the clubs and dance radio) from the movie version of Dreamgirls starring Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Jamie Foxx. Although the film doesn't officially hit movie theaters until December 25, this one is out now! It will help generate some buzz.

This song, even in its main version is a dance-leaning track. It's a nice little disco throwback. With all the recent revivials of that sound a la Jessica Simpson through "A Public Affair" and Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor album, this one will fit in nicely on DJs' playlists and on radio station playlists.

The 12" and CD promos sent out by Columbia have the following tracklisting:

01. Club Mix Edit 4:06
02. Club Mix 8:28
03. Club Mix Instrumental 8:28
04. Film Version 3:25
05. Film Version Instrumental 3:25

One of the cute touches on this release is the credit being given to Deena Jones & The Dreams instead of just Beyoncé who is the vocalist on the track.

The legendary Eric Kupper and Richie Jones have done the programming on all the mixes.

The Club Mix Edit, Club Mix, and Club Mix Instrumental are a lot dancier and way more disco than the Film Version. The pianos at the beginning of the edit dazzles and then the thumping beat comes in. Then the energy doesn't let up until the end. The edit packs the same punch as the longer version. WKTU in New York has already put this into rotation. The Club Mix definitely calls to mind some of the greats from the disco era including Giorgio Moroder and Shep Pettibone. While sounding retro, these versions do not sound dated and would work when played with many of the current tracks.

The Film Version and Film Version Instrumental are at a higher BPM than the Club versions. These sound more like something one might hear during a Broadway show. These are more "classic" sounding.

Beyoncé sounds fresh on these tracks. She sounds comfortable and totally relaxed, something that has been not happening on her other material.

Don't miss out on these little gems.