Miss Cyndi Lauper is back, and serving up some dance floor majesty, with added eff words and a-list remixers to boot. The first single from her new album Bring Ya To the Brink, "Same Ol' Story" (purchase/download) is a fine enough track on its own- certainly a highlight for any other artist working any other album, but not even in the top five of awesomeness Miss L is bringing to the world. In the hands of some of our finest mixers, however, we get something very special.
Ralphi Rosario's Vocal Mix is straight up electro-house, with nurturing keyboards and bright patches of programming to keep the mood up. His Dub uses the same sounds as his vocal mix, but with a different structure- hitting harder, as you would expect from a dub. George Morel's Pink Noise Mix is very uptempo, with a propulsive and energetic bassline. But the snare hits sound weak, and it weakens the mix as a result. Morel's Dub is very disco, with lots of vocal effects to mess with your crowd's mind.
The Extended Album Version uses guitar wah-wahs to add a nice gloss of disco sleaze. There's a long intro of hi-hats, guitars, and vox for mixing pleasure. This is Neodisco done well. The Rosabel Vocal wins my prize for best mix in the package. We have SciFi bass pulses anchoring the groove, and some nice acid-y noises. Building exquisite arrangements, simultaneously tough in its sound, but supportive and not oppressive in the way the sound hits you. There's also an exceptional build on the chorus.
Holy shit, Razor & Guido are back? There's a great buried sample from both Bizarre Love Triangle and Blue Monday on their Remix. There're some typical R&G keys in the mix, but on the whole it sounds way too cute. It's not tribal, it doesn't hit hard. It's good to have them back, but let's give them some time to let their sound evolve and chalk this up to just trying to get to know one another's sound again. There's also the regular album version and an a cappella to round things out.
Remix Ratings
Album/Extended Album – 3 out of 5
Ralphi Rosario Mix/Dub – 3 out of 5
George Morel Mix – 2 ½ out of 5
George Morel Dub – 3 out of 5
Razor & Guido Mix – 2 out of 5
Rosabel Vocal – 5 out of 5
Released May 2008 on Epic Records
