We`ve heard it all before (Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada)

Member Name: Benjammar

Product:	Evacuate The Dancefloor - Cascada
Date:	23/07/09 (32 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The opening and ending songs are brilliant

Disadvantages: Very samey, not a particularly surprising album

I think most of us will associate Cascada with the songs 'Every time we touch' and 'What Hurts the Most'. Outside of their big hits I doubt many outside of the genre will have invested in their previous albums. And I say 'their' not 'her' as Cascada is not just about the singer, Natalie Horler. A common misconception is that Cascada is just the stage name for Natalie Horler however Cascada also includes two other DJ's, DJ Manian and DJ Yanou. Another surprise is that they are all German! However those who know their background information will know that Natalie Horler has English parents hence the British accent she has. On with the review:

Track List

1. Evacuate The Dancefloor
2. Hold On
3. Everytime I Hear Your Name
4. Ready Or Not
5. Fever
6. Hold Your Hands Up
7. Breathless
8. Dangerous
9. Why You Had To Leave
10. What About Me
11. Draw The Line [Yanou's Candlelight Mix]

Album length = 36.5 minutes

Evacuate the DanceFloor is an album with very few surprises. Cascada have been described as Eurodance and Europop and it's certainly a fitting description. This album is probably a tad too cheesy and poppy for the majority of UK listeners. I can see young girls going crazy for this type of music but for anyone else it's just a bit too much to handle. It's still very listenable music but it's almost embarrassing to listen to incase you get caught by one of your friends.

The stand out song here is the title song, Evacuate the DanceFloor. It is light years ahead of the rest of the album in my opinion. Where as the rest of the album opts for a poppy, girly, cheesy feel Evacuate the Dance Floor has a greater energy, vibe and more of a kick to it. I know it managed to reach number 1 in the UK charts for at least 2 weeks running which is an impressive feat considering the increase in Michael Jackson records since his death. It's a fantastic opener for the album and is guaranteed to be played in clubs for a long time to come. It's just a real shame the rest of the album can't keep up this high tempo.

Evacuate the Dance Floor is simply one of those "ok" albums. If a friend asks you what it's like you'll respond with "It's alright". It's not bad, but it's not particularly great. It's a very listenable album as I mentioned as the songs are very catchy. I've had several of the songs stuck in my head even though I didn't particularly like them. I can guarantee most people will have 'What About Me', 'Hold On' and 'Fever' playing over and over in their head. One criticism that Cascada have received is that they are trying to copy the likes of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. It is definitely noticeable in certain songs (Evacuate the Dancefloor and Fever being the most noticeable) however the album still feels a lot like traditional Cascada. The small change is certainly nothing to complain about as I feel Cascada's old style maybe wearing thin these days. The Eurodance genre is very easy to over do and it can become very repetitive. A lot of these songs I feel like I've heard several times before. I'm not concerned about the songs sounding like Lady Gaga as I like Lady Gaga so it's more music for me to enjoy essentially.

The last song, Draw the Line, is completely different to the rest of the album. A Candlelight Yanou remix removes all of the trance, dance and pop aspects of a song and converts it into a slow paced love song. I've only heard one of the Candle light remix in the past, DJ Sammy - Heaven, but it was a fantastic song to listen to. As a bloke I probably shouldn't admit to liking these types of songs but it's difficult to not find them relaxing and a gentle listen to calm yourself down. Compared to Heaven, Draw the Line isn't as good however it's still a very pleasant song. The album really needed this at the end as it was becoming very repetitive towards the end. The only other song which properly breaks out of the mould would be 'Hold Your Hands Up'. This is an acoustic song from the start (Unlike the Candlelight songs which were originally very dance orientated). It is a refreshing change to the upbeat feel to the rest of the album however it is still very poppy. Although in saying that this is probably the 2nd best song from the album and if they were to pick a second song to release as a single this should be it.

The only song I didn't enjoy listening to would be 'Breathless'. It sounded far too much like an Avril Lavigne song. The guitar is more clear here and there is no synthesizer in the song. If there is a 4th album hopefully they will learn from this song as it felt about 5 years behind the times. The album length is very questionable. At 35 minutes long it's not very long. Admittedly there are 11 songs however it doesn't stop it being over very quickly. However I can't be too hard on the length as dance tracks don't tend to be very long so a dance album would never last as long as a rock album for example.

Overall

Not a bad album but not a particularly great one. Evacuate the Dancefloor is fantastic but the rest of the album isn't up to the same standard. If this was the debut album or released 3-4 years ago it would get a higher rating however this type of music has been done several times before. Draw The Line is a lovely ending to the album but it doesn't make up for the rest of the songs. Teenage girls will love it, the rest of us probably won't.

Summary: Becomes boring quickly, best to stick with Evacuate the Dancelfoor the single and avoid the album