REVIEW: Various Artists, Club NRG Volume 1 /
Various Artists, Mega Hits Dance Party Vol. 1 (Interhit)
- Bob Gajarsky
Taking off where ZYX left off several years ago, Interhit has firmly established itself in the dance community as one of the leaders in the (American) Eurodance market. Club NRG Volume 1 and Mega Hits Dance Party Volume 1 only serve to cement that well-deserved reputation.
Club NRG is a 16 track compilation of songs from the past several years is packed with songs that, either in their current or original format, will be familiar to most city clubgoers. And, DJs will be happy to know that the beats-per-minute ranges from 120 to 140.
The Madonna sound-alike Blonde Ambition appear with two Hi-NRG covers from the Material Girl's catalog ("Live To Tell" and the classic Evita tune "Don't Cry For Me Argentina"). Lost turns "Because You Loved Me" from a hideously boring ballad into a listenable dance song, and Jimmy James' "Who Wants To Be Your Lover" offers the potential to be a hit in the same clubs that broke Erasure and Jimmy Somerville. Original songs by Interhit artists Culture Beat ("Take Me Away") and Sonic Dream Collective ("Don't Go Breaking My Heart") have shown up on other Interhit compilations and fit right at home here. The eminently popular cover of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Nikki French makes yet another appearance, this time in its 5 minute version.
A couple tracks miss the mark; even the most 'popular' dance cover of No Doubt's "Don't Speak", this time by Cynthiana, fails to spark this listener. And even with new vocals, the Barry Harris (Kon Kan) / Kimberly Wetmore "Together In Electric Dreams" falls short of the original Moroder/Oakey version from the mid 80s.
In a similar vein, Mega Hits focuses on cover versions of top 10 pop songs. Many unbearable ballads are turned into listenable dance songs; witness the transformation of the Spice Girls' "2 Become 1", in which Wildside do their best Stacey Q imitation, and Linda Imperial's reworking of "Unbreak My Heart". Some of the tracks have appeared on other Interhit compilations, but as always, enough 'new' songs make the collection fulfilling. And the bonus track "No Tengo Dinero" could be the latest song to capture American hearts with Spanish lyrics.
These Euro-discofied covers of pop songs will be a welcome addition for anyone who purchased any of the early 90s ZYX series of Do It Again or lovers of the new Eurodance trend.
