Search - Jason Nevins :: Ultra Weekend 5

Ultra returns to form with a 2-disc set--but lacks energy

Daniel W. Kelly | Long Island, NY United States | 07/02/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
It's about time we see an old friend from the Ultra label. The recent mish-moshes of single disc mixes has been disappointing, but here, we once again have a two disc set loaded with long versions. Of note is the fact that there are several duplicates of songs that were on the Ultra/Island Def Jam release "Just Dance" a couple of months ago! If you want to gain a steady fan base that purchases your CDs, WHY do you feel the need to duplicate songs???



Not surprisingly, disc one is mostly filled with mainstream artists. The remix of Kelly Clarkson is cool to have but simply can't compare to the energy of the original version. The mix of Britney's Circus is also one of the weaker mixes, with heavy tribal house rhythms and not much more. The Thin White Duke mix of Coldplay has appeared on CD before, so it's not all that rare a treat, not to mention it's been so overplayed at this point. Also, this mix is quite mellow and not exactly a part starter. Over 6 minutes of the bimbo jones mix of "So What" by Pink is a treat. And to finally hear a dance mix of The Veronicas is exciting, but naturally, they had to slow down the vocals of this electro rocker, and it's kind of lame, and even has an evanescence-like rockin' breakdown in the middle! The original mix is just too perfect to mess with. The remix of Lily Allen's The Fear is also a rather mellow and moody house mix. As usual, Kim Sozzi turns out an excellent vocal dance track, and although this was featured on "Just Dance", it runs over a minute longer on this mix. The rehash of the 90s classic Show me Love by Robin S is a waste because it is SO boring, with no energy--although, it is resung, so Robin S adds some new vocal lines in there.



As for the more club oriented tracks, the first is "took the night" by Chelley on disc 1, which has a 90s tribal b*tch track vibe. Another rehash of a 90s classic is Infinity by Guru Josh, which was also on "Just Dance", and is only 15 seconds longer here. All I Ever Wanted by Basshunter has been on several compilations already between Ultra and Thrive, and has a Cascada euro nrg feel with vocoder male vocals. Disc 2 is the less commercial of the two discs, beginning with David Guetta's Everytime We Touch, which has his usual heavy electro bass and hollering male vocal. Axwell and Bob Sinclair join forces for a nicely melodic vocal track. Jason Nevins gives us an oddly urban vocal to go along with his rockin' electro beats, and yes, Roger Sanchez is still around, giving us another urban tinged electro house track. Nicola Pasano vs. Pat-Rich is only for those who truly love Latin flavored house. It's not full vocal, but it totally reminds me of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", the disco classic from Santa Esmeralda. DJ Antoine's "Underneath" starts with a guitar lick that sounds straight out of the 80s! The whole song is a great throwback, feeling like a power pop male vocal track with an electro house beat. Fragma returns with a vengeance with a real female vocal stomper. Kaskade delivers a great mellow and melodic dance track with female vocal track, then returns two tracks later in collaboration with Deadmau5--the song is a DRAG and it's 8 minutes long! Blech. But snuggled between those two tracks is another hot female vocal track by Ron Reeser and Dan Saenz. Addicted is an interesting female vocal track that sort of lilts along without much buildup, and finally, Hot Summer Night is a party track with rasta vocals, a catchy and annoying female scat hook, and a male lead vocal.



Overall, there are a select number of really strong tracks, but a majority of these songs are simply nothing new...kinda feels like dance music is about ready for an overhaul.

"

One of the worst... Ultra Compilations

Armin Molavi | 08/09/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Probably my 7th or 8th Ultra purchase... and this was by far the worst. The track listing had potential but right out of the gate, the Circus remix was nothing to write home about and while some of the tracks are catchy... it was nothing to do with the remix... just the songs themselves.



What pushed me over the edge though was the shameful addition of "Show Me Love"... if you want to bring back a classic Dance Hit from the 90s... then you have to turn out an amazing remix of it... i'm pretty sure i remember hearing this version in the clubs back when it first came out.



So all in all... it's disappointing on two fronts... one, i expect more from the Ultra collections... (Ultra Weekend 2 being one of my favorites that i still listen to)... and Jason Nevins... i expect so much more."