Search - Lamya :: Empires

You can't improve on perfection...

Greg Retro | San Francisco, California | 02/04/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Fantastic song, on an (in my opinion) average album.
Fantastic song, on a single with 2 average remixes.When a song is this anthemic, stirring and inspiring - it's awfully tough to improve upon. Proof is right here...
The original BRILLIANT album version by Nellee Hooper (producer most notably known for his work with Björk) is snipped and tucked for radio on track one - It honestly makes me yearn for the full version.
Master dj Sander Kleinenberg tries to pump things up on track 2, but succeeds in washing out most of the power of the song when he bumps up the tempo. It's a track that I wouldn't mind inserting into a mix now and again, but not a track that would make the average listener (that hadn't heard the song already) say "Boy what a great song!"
Track 3 is the most disappointing for me. I'm a fan of Bent (their "Programmed To Love" cd is definitely worth picking up), but their mix insists on being slightly weird... moving into odd chord changes and keeping the listener waiting for a high point that never comes. "Empires" is a song that does not need to be odd - its message is only weakened that way.
At least you have the video to watch - that saves this single from only getting 2 stars from me."