Calling Mr Vain! (Serenity - Culture Beat)

Member Name: benlepensive

Product:	Serenity - Culture Beat
Date:	19/08/09 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: some strong tracks

Disadvantages: a few fillers

Culture Beat are the brain child of late producer Torsten Fenslau. The duo rocked Europe in the nineties with their energising dance hits. Most people are familiar with 'Mr Vain' which clocked up an impressive run at number one in the UK singles chart. This is their debut album.

'Mr Vain' is a barnstromer of a dance song. The rap from Jay builds and builds with attitude, then it peaks with Tania Evans letting rip with the chorus. The song is perfect in that it combines smart lyrics with a pounding bassline and amazing cutting synth riff.

If that didn't knock you out, then 'Got To Get It' is much in the same mould. A ferocious riff meets Jay's surly rapping, before Tania picks it up with a melodic vocal hook. It has a meaty vibe to it and was a worthy follow up.

They slow things down for the mid tempo 'World In Your Hands' which does not sit well for me. It is not quite fast enough nor slow enough to be an outright ballad. That said, there are some lovely sweeping pads which create an ambient mood to the song. Moving to 'The Other Side Of Me' which gets underway with a mysterious and alluring bassline before her vocal arrives with determination and vigour. Tania sounds really powerful on this song, though the hookline is not that memorable, despite a great piano section.

Check out 'Anything' which is insanely fast and frantic. It is verging on the hardcore and will blast away the cobwebs. The album draws to a close with the dramatic title song, which sounds other worldy at the start, before it unveils a haunting melody with pan pipes and spicey synths. It is trippy and will take you back to the hedonstic days of dance music. Think of 808 State and Atlantic Ocean.

23 full songs on here and some decent artwork, a must for eurodance fans.


Tracklisting
1 Serenity (Prolog)
2 Mr Vain
3 Got To Get It
4 World In Your Hands
5 Adelante
6 Rocket To The Moon
7 Anything
8 Key To Your Heart
9 Other Side Of Me
10 Hurt
11 Mother Earth
12 Serenity (Epilog)
13 ID Tania
14 ID Jay

Summary: dancey