Finding the Rhythm

The chart’s up a day early (click here to see); no Thursday gig this week, so no need to wait, right?

Idina Menzel holds the #1 spot again this week with Gorgeous, which still receives tons of requests. And not a shock that Britney moves to #2 with Break the Ice, her latest dance remix (and a real favorite of mine).

One big mover this week is Eye Witness feat. Charlene Oliver with I’ve Never Been to Me, the remake of Charlene’s own song, originally recorded and released in 1978 and again in 1982, when it became a big worldwide hit for her. I still think it’s pretty cool that she re-recorded the song 30 years after she did the first time… A true “remake” vs. a “cover” release. (Wouldn’t it be fun to hear Madonna re-record Material Girl or Holiday as a new dance track? Someone mentioned that to me, I think my friend Reece, and I totally agree!)

Two new entries that popped-on mid-chart include DJ Bill Bennett and Inaya Day with Breakaway. Frankly, about anything with Inaya’s vocal is likely to get my attention, but Bennett did a superb job bringing it all together on this. A gritty, dirty, high-energy production that complements the vocal well, I find it mixes quite well in a lot of directions. The audience response is really strong as well.

The other is Elena’s Before I Sleep, one of the newest Robbins releases. Elena hails from Romania, and the song is an English version of Privirea Ta (which is also included on the CD single). I love the beautiful vocal, the mixes available are strong, and the song’s emotional, heart-felt lyrics are something most any of us can relate to. I just all comes together nicely, and is just the latest in a string of good release out of the Robbins camp.

Some strong new adds this week. Zentribe and Linda Newman out of Spain are back with the really strong Feels Like Heaven (which is a totally different song than the recent Cam Tyler release of the same name), and this time, Zentribe is grittier than their recent Superlove (which I did also like). Alison Moyet’s new single, A Guy Like You, finally jumped across the pond from Europe; it’s great to hear her slick vocal again on some new material. And Australia’s Raen offers Dramatic Fanatic which is sorta funky but very nicely produced.

Shirley Bassey’s Get This Party Started was active in Europe months ago, and some of the Euro listeners in my online sets requested it “way back when;” well, it’s bubbling-up here now, and the unlikely pairing of Bassey’s James Bondian vocal with a remake of that particular song just works for me. And finally, Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s No Air is going to be with us for a long time I suspect; Jason Nevins did a remarkable job of bringing all that together for the dance release.

You can check it out on my web site, and click to buy tracks if so inclined as well. Enjoy.