COME ON BABIES - JOIN WITH ME AND TAP YOUR FEET TO THE 'ULTRABEAT'!! (The Album - Ultrabeat)

Member Name: totalserenity

Product:	The Album - Ultrabeat
Date:	16/04/09 (286 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: UPLIFTING, ENERGISING, ELECTRO-TRANCE/DANCE/POP MUSIC FROM A GREAT GROUP!

Disadvantages: "PAH"...AS IF, IT'S FAB!

"ULTRABEAT"...Oooh yeah babies, now we're talking!

Supporting act to the beautiful dance queen 'Cascada' at Sheffield's University's Octagon Centre late 2007; plus one of the main acts of a 'Clubland 2 Live' concert last December at Sheffield's Hallam FM Arena - I was lucky enough to witness the boys (along with their gorgeous female vocalist Rebecca Rudd) both times singing their iconic tunes!

Being a true Dance and Trance girl at heart, these are one of my all-time favourite bands; so when I spotted 'The Album' by Ultrabeat in Morrisons less than a couple of months ago for a bargain-tastic £4.99, why I just had to have it!

Unfortunate Emo/Goth teenage child had to listen to her mum warbling some of the greatest tunes ever to hit the dance floors (in her mum's humble opinion), all the way back from the food shop - Hmm, isn't it great to get your own back for once on your little treasures!
Bouncing some fabulous sounds around via cracking Hyundai stereo system, very loud and of superior quality compared to my last poor car's lowly 'noise' offerings - my distraught Heavy Metalist daughter was practically ripping her ears off by the time her beaming, croaky-voiced mum pulled up to the curbway outside our home!

Ahh, there's something truly satisfying about screaming one's lung linings out, is there not, dear dooyoo'ers?!

Hoarse from what can very loosely be described as 'singing', and skin almost seared to the bone from the most scathing of 'darky demonic looks' off traumatised young adult reluctant passenger, I didn't give two hoots...I was 'Happy', and the boys from Liverpool were to thank for it!

To add insult to perversely seductive injury, I replayed the entire stonking CD whilst unpacking the multitude of groceries.
I think it was about around that time poor, deprived offspring crept off somewhere to shrivel up and die, bless!

Now a little bit about my heroes of the 'Dance & Electronic' genre of music (although they do come under the banner of 'House' tunes as well), who's melodies appear under 'All Around the World' record label, since being signed up in 2003.

Ultrabeat's boy members - Chris Henry, Mike Di Scala and Ian Redman, all started out as DJ's in the 'Scouse House' scene in the late '90's, casually mixing different covers of songs as practice for their sets throughout the Liverpool nightclubs they played at during various amateur recording sessions.
It was during one of such session in 1997 the lads did a cover of an old 'Hardcore' inspired 'Forces and Styles' record named 'Pretty Green Eyes' - which later was discovered as the lead singer Mike, played it in his recording studio in 2003 to representatives of the above record label.

Promptly signed up on the strength of this one soon-to-be iconic song; the rest becoming 'pop history' as the lads tune became a huge clubbing anthem, hitting the Number 2 spot in the UK charts as the boy performed it on Top of the Pops - followed promptly by 'Feelin Fine', which reached Number 12 in December '03.

Musically, the review I am doing today is actually Ultrabeat's fabulous 'debut' album, as you've already gathered - which was released in September 2007; subsequently reaching a respectable Number 8 in the charts - featuring, and I quote; '...all the hits including: Pretty Green Eyes, Elysium (I Go Crazy), Feelin' Fine, Sure Feels Good', amongst many others.

The front of the CD is various shades of green with Ultrabeat's name in white capitals, illustrating a silhouetted crowd pointing up to what appears to be a huge UFO golf ball in the green sky, on the back cover.

The CD itself is predominantly black, and states it has been distributed by 'Universal' - with accreditations being given on the back of the CD's outer listings to singer/producer/artist Darren Styles who has been a big influence on the lads 'Commercial Electronic' style.
In addition Rebecca Rudd is highlighted- a great female vocalist who has starred in several of the dancier, disco-type tracks since collaborating with the group since 2006.

Listed below are the entire album's track listings:

1. Intro
2. Pretty Green Eyes
3. Sure feels Fine
4. Feelin' Fine
5. Elysium(I Go Crazy)
6. Better Than Life
7. Paradise & Dreams
8. I'm Not In Love
9. This Love's For Real
10. I Wanna Touch You
11. Right Here Right Now
12. I Want Your Love (Frankie's Land)
13. 1000 Kisses
14. Feel It With Me
15. Goodbye

Beneath the listings are little snippets of production members per track, plus vocalists on certain records, i.e. Mike sings on all the songs except 3,4,7, & 10 which are harmonised by the lovely Ms. Rudd.

Now to the best bit for me in this epic review, my favourite tunes and the reason why!

Track 2: 'Pretty Green Eyes' - The song that made Ultrabeat the Electric Trance Gods they are today (yes, yes, yes in 'my eyes'!), and on pretty much every self-respecting all-time Trance album great compilations!
This huge success around the dance floors of Europe and beyond, was massive in both the summers of '03 and '04, with a medley of mixes by various up and coming DJ names in the music business.
On a personal note this is known as 'my' tune, all my friends and family know it and sing it to me as I have cat-like green eyes so really identify with chorus chant!
I still adore the words to this day and can often be seen driving along screeching loudly along to Mike Di Scala's deeply sexy lead vocals!

Track 4: 'Feelin' Fine' - what a great and catchy tune with a really uplifting beat that, if you know the contents, you just can't help singing in time to, no matter how low you are feeling in yourself.
I love it in it's entirety from the slowly synthesised start with Mike's gently gruff vocals, to the more upbeat dancey section that most clubbers throw their heads back and join in drunkenly becoming a huge, boozy backing group along with the piano's crisp notes accompanying the scruffily trendy male Scousers distinctive timbre.

Track 5: 'Elysium' (I Go Crazy) - a very poppy rhythm with a deep guitar beat and lots of drum action in there too!
This is definite a massive anthem and very famous amongst the disco scene in practically every mainstream nightclub I've ever been in, either here or abroad. This track features Rebecca, my namesake, as the band's joint vocalist, hitting Number 38 in the charts in the April of 2006.
My younger sister and I have has some blinding club nights out bopping away to this, very inebriated and very happy in places like Newcastle, Whitely Bay, Blackpool, Nottingham and so on - Ahh, good times people, good times!

Track 8: 'I'm Not In Love' - Yes 'Pop-Pickers', a cover of 1OCC's iconic 1975 Number 1 smash hit single, bravely done in a very lively way, electro-modern way.
I really enjoyed this version of this timeless classic and it certainly wasn't the type of song, I expected to hear from a Dance/Trance group - a very original, melodic take on the traditional Soft Rock romantic song.

Of course there are other dance tunes I also love on this album; not least 'Sure Feels Good' which takes me back to a happy place, way back when...

Overall I think this is a fantastic well-mixed upbeat mixture of recordings; quite electronic - as you would expect a group of this genre to be, plus very finger-tappingly good if you're in the right mood.

Keyboards feature heavily in the guy's music, with heavy drum and bass emphasis placed on a lot of their rhythm. A heavily synthesised technique in parts as mentioned before, with a tendency to be quite 90's in style - the heyday of 'Loud and Proud' Trance and dance era of popular music.
Ultrabeat seem to favour a slow, melodic House build up at the beginnings of their songs, and then into a more lively pace finishing with a flourishing crescendo on their more well-known of tracks.

The music is energetic, fun, cheerful, romantic, plus quite hardcore in one or two places (Paradise & Dreams is a great example of that frenetic beat at times), and quite honestly I find it as sexy as hell as the Trance rhythm has always appealed to my particularly manic brainwaves!

Ultrabeat's overall strength, I believe, is in their ability to keep the chorus's free-flowing and catchy, quick to learn and then shout them out in the middle of a frenzied dance floor!

Arms in the air, jumping madly at times, body swaying at others - and that's just me driving along in my car...daren't tell you lot what am like out in public after the hours of darkness, mwahhh!

Brian Adams meets Westlife's Brian McFadden would aptly describe the rough and ready Mike Di Scala's slightly gruff, rough distinctive vocals, whereas Rebecca Hudd adds a great female mid-range balance to some of the more club-orientated melodies.

On seeing the band live last year and hearing some of the biggest anthems ever, they sang a great set, and one of the things I liked most was how true they kept to the original recording - many groups try to 'sex' their most famous songs up but I find that annoying. I want to hear the same tunes I listen to on my CDs and the radio.

Ultrabeat, ever true to their Liverpudlian roots and make that very clear on stage, keep their music 'real'... is that the secret of a good group's success, I ask?
Well whatever their magic formula is the band is still going strong, touring and recording, with Scooter, Kelly Lorena and the disco-like.
As I sit here two-finger typing listening to the fun music I wanna go clubbing...hurry up bad back and get better - time to dance the night away!!

This album is one I can truly recommend and for around a fiver, why it's a bargain at the price - go out, buy it, and then dance the place up a storm.

It's fun and you know you want to...don't you?!

Summary: EVEN IF IT'S NOT YOUR GENRE OF MUSIC GIVE IT A GO - THERE ARE SOME GREAT & GROOVY TRACKS ON IT!