Search - Loleatta Holloway :: Queen of the Night: The Ultimate Club Collection mixed by Dave Matthias

Something old, nothing new ... and the rest is borrowed

philphila | Philadelphia, PA United States | 02/28/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Here we have the first full-length album from the great Loleatta Holloway in what seems like ages. Too bad it's such a mixed bag. The CD gets off to an extremely strong start, with a bouncy old-school house mix of "Mama Don't Papa Won't" sandwiched between two certified disco classics in their hard-to-find original versions. The first is the Dan Hartman-penned "Love Sensation," through which Loleatta soars, and the second is "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" another Hartman production in which he also attempts to go toe-to-toe vocally with Holloway and ... well, I probably don't need to tell you who wins that one. There are also two modern-day remixes of the 1978 track "Dreamin'," including the excellent Satoshi Tomiie version. But the rest is simply a case study in vocal sampling, most of which regurgitates bits and pieces from just two songs: the aforementioned "Love Sensation" and "Hit And Run," also from '78. I'm a huge fan of Loleatta Holloway's and I enjoy the work of most of the producers and remixers represented on this CD. But the lack of full vocals, especially during the second half, makes for a listening experience that's ultimately a bit tiring. (On the other hand, the CD is great for dancing, as each track segues seamlessly into the next, and the liner notes do contain a nice essay.) If you want alternatives to "Queen Of The Night," well, there aren't many. In the early 1990s, when sampling Loleatta's vocals was all the rage, Salsoul Records capitalized on the singer's newly increased visibility by issuing a greatest hits CD. Unfortunately, it was extremely brief, and I believe it's fallen out of print anyway. Instead of hunting for this CD or waiting for another "Best Of" compilation to come along, why not consider paying the extra few dollars for the two budget-priced full-length Salsoul CDs that are still in print: The phenomenal "Loleatta" from 1978 is essential even if you are purchasing "Queen Of The Night"; it's packed with gems and showcases the singer's devastating power and range to full effect. Then pick up 1980's "Love Sensation" -- though overall it's a bit weaker than "Loleatta," it will still get you three versions of that monster title track, including the original album version and the extended 12-inch mix."

From Disco to House

James Calamera | Sebastopol, CA United States | 09/19/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Love sensation / Oh it's got me in a spell / It's such a good vibration / A feeling that I know so well / And when you hold me close / Oh it's so, so nice / That you got me burnin' up / With your love sensation"Any DJ will tell you that these are the most frequently sampled lyrics in dance music. The song, of course, is Loleatta Holloway's 1980 disco classic "Love Sensation." Billboard Magazine calls Love Sensation "perhaps the most dissected, resurrected, reconstructed, and restyled track of the disco era." Almost 20 years later, like variations on a theme, 1998 saw the release of Cevin Fisher's #1 song "(You Got Me) Burnin' Up" sampling her original vocals, and 2000 brought us a deep house classic "Chocolate Sensation." And do you remember Marky Mark and his Good Vibrations? Was it Marky's rhymes that moved us to the dance-floor? Or was it that gritty, belting, ecstatic wail..."it's such a - GOOD vibration!" Well, let me tell you, I wasn't sure. So, I put that 1991 record on and ...it's her voice that moved me. (Marky's version, by the way, didn't make it to this compilation.) Italian dance artists Black Box knew what they were doing in 1989 when they sampled Loleatta for 'Ride on Time.' (Though they were reluctant to admit they had sampled her voice.)"You get down to the real nitty gritty / You're the only one that can fill me / With my every desire / You make me feel so good, so good / I wanna say yes to your love sensation..."What better way to begin a collection of Loleatta's songs then, than with the original 1980 version of Love Sensation, bongos and tambourines and strings and all? This 2001 collection of hits, "Queen of the Night - The Ultimate Club Collection" starts off with two more of her early hits; 1978's Mama Don't, Papa Won't, and another classic of the disco era - 1979's Relight My Fire. Written and performed by Dan Hartman, Loleatta joins Dan's classic vocal performance for a gospel-like finale. "Strong enough to walk on through the night / there's a new day on the other side / You've got to have hope in your soul / just keep on walking..." Another enjoyable element of this album is that it crosses over 2 decades of musical styles, mostly in chronological order. There's 70's and 80's disco, and early 90's house and techno mixes by Junior Vasquez and Johnny Vicious. It finishes with a survey of four mixes done as recently as 2000 - including 2 versions of this Winter's No. 1 club hit 'Dreamin,' and a terrific Latin rhythm version of Ride On Time by David Morales. Expertly mixed by Santa Rosa's own Dave Matthias, this CD will be appreciated by fans of Holloway and the disco era, as well as those interested in the evolution of contemporary dance music. Most importantly, it's a great tribute to a passionate vocalist whose songs have weathered well the test of time."You've got the kind of lips that touch me / Put a thrill in mine / And all I wanna say is thank you baby / Cause you're right on time...""

Fantabulous Loelatta!

sambody | 05/20/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"All stars for Loleatta. This album is a continuosus mix. It persists of only few songs and some renamed versions of them. If you like Loleatta seek for her original salsoul/goldmine cds and for the twelwe inch versions the salsoul collection cds. This is a waste of money buy."