Search - Robin Fox :: I See Stars

Do producers dream of electric divas?

johnnym77 | St Paul, MN United States | 01/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Robin Fox had a minor club hit in late 2000 with her simple, infectious "I See Stars," a highly computerized but alluring song. Her warmer, more welcoming follow-up, "It's Gonna Be OK" wasn't as well-received but served to place her into club-goers minds. In early 2001, Robin finally dropped her album "I See Stars", a highly conceptualized take on club music.Robin isn't the best singer in the world, but then again that was never a requirement for dance music, a world relying more than any other to highly effected vocals. The most dividing factor on this CD is the fact that a good 95% of Robin's vocal lines are coated in a harmonizing vocoder effect, making Robin seem more robot than human. This is most likely intentional: even bad singers don't hide ALL of their vocals on ALL of their album's tracks. Producer Ford has made Robin into a dance diva for the year 3000, producing dance music that focuses on the human element and condition by removing it from the equation.Notice the repeated use of the phrase "dance music." Despite being billed as "The Trance Album" (which implies that, like Mutt Lange's productions, multiple styles of each song were recorded), only half the songs on the album would qualify as "trance", yet another pointless label in a ever ghettoized genre of music. The styles range from straight-up trance tracks like "It's Gonna Be OK" to freestyle and more European styles of dance like "Angie Baby."Highlights of the album include the sweeping, orchestral glitter of "Wonderland" and the Crystal Waters-esque come hither track "Call Me." Fans of "I See Stars" may be disappointed, as neither version featured on the album (the main track and a bonus remix) were featured on the remix single or in clubs. The album cut of the song is a more dynamic, slightly deeper production that only kicks into dance mode toward the very end, while DJ Sharaz's remix morphs the song into a slow freestyle groove. A bonus remix of the above-average "Superstar" also fills out the set, and the song "Deena" is a nice, plaintive dance number.As wonderful as the producton and arrangements are, the album suffers most from lyrics. Dance music has never been known for its lyrics, veering too quickly into either childish babble or overly pretentious prose. While Robin's lyrics (she co-wrote the songs with Ford) manage to avoid either of these, they generally don't stand out, and the heavy effects of her voice often drown out words entirely. This may again be part of the aesthetic concept of a robotic diva, and on tracks like "Wonderland", the vocal line matches the harmonies so well, you don't care what the words are, but it can serve to be frustrating to those used to more straight-forward vocals like that of Fragma or 4 Strings.Taken as conceived, the album is a good listen, and worth at least a few spins on your player. Fans of more easily accesible dance/pop may be disappointed, and in fact may find the whole thing too chilly for their tastes (I personally find Fragma far too cheerful and bright, but that's me). A good recommendation for people who like the unexplored or the lesser-known artists. 4 out of 5 stars (it's truly a 3.5 star album, but given Amazon's rating system, it gets a 4)."

Weekend evening party fuel

djverak | Dallas, TX USA | 02/24/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Robin Fox explodes with her debut full length album titled "I See Stars: The Trance Album". This album is composed of her two current singles It's Gonna Be Okay and her smash club hit I See Stars, as well as eight other uplifting trance anthems backed by her very talented producer Ford. This album is essentially of the Euro Trance genre, with soul soothing choruses and fat dance beats as well as angelic vocals from Fox, who is also the writer of the tracks. The atmosphere of these songs would fit most comfortably in the area of your local progressive dance venues, but are trancy enough to fill the playlist of your local rave and are catchy enough to hit the Top 40. One thing I've noticed about this album is that most of the songs are very strong and could possibly hit Anthem rank (which attract famous DJ's like internationally acclaimed Paul Oakenfold). Aside from the current popular singles I See Stars and It's Gonna Be Okay, I enjoy such tracks as Feels Inside, Wonderland, and Superstar. Watch for numerous tracks on this album to be remixed by many different DJ talent."

Excellent

djverak | 07/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Robin Fox's CD. The tracks are very catchy and moving. It is a dance CD. Anyone who does not like this CD was probably looking for heavy metal or folk music. When it comes to dance music this CD just raised the bar. I look forward to Robin Fox's next CD."