“The Annie Lennox Collection”
For the first time, the greatest hits from the most successful female British artist in pop music history are available as a 14-song retrospective. The Annie Lennox Collection brings together her finest solo work and two new songs available exclusively on this release.
“I’m fairly grounded as a human being,” says Lennox, “but there’s another part of me that engages with the potentiality of music, melody, colour and sound, and I’m profoundly grateful to have been able to express myself through this exquisite medium.”
In the January 2008 edition, I reviewed Annie Lennox’s album “Songs of Mass Destruction” – from which a few tracks appear in this collection: one of my favorites “Dark Road”, and the single “Sing” that was released on World AIDS Day to raise funds for HIV/AIDS awareness. Lennox spoke about these tracks - in fact she had interesting anecdotes about every one of her revisited songs, from the filming of the music videos to the influences that inspired her to create them in the first place.
“The dark road is a metaphor for life’s journey, almost like the Pilgrim’s progress. You could get led astray; you could lose your way. There’s a future ahead and you don’t know where it’s going. …The function of [Sing] was to launch the SING campaign. I wanted to make an anthem. I want to come back and write more SING theme songs and use them as a vehicle. People talked a lot about the 23 artists that I invited to sing with me; it’s a call for solidarity. HIV/AIDS has so much stigma and people are terrified to speak up. Singing is a metaphor for speaking.”
Aside from that, the album features immortal themes like “Little Bird” and “Walking on Broken Glass”, as well as slower sentimental numbers like “Why”, “No More I Love You’s”, and “A Whiter Shade of Pale”.
The two new tracks were instant favorites: “Pattern of my Life” is a touching feel-good piece that reflects the ups and downs in life and love, while “Shining Light” is a catchy and upbeat ode to someone special - I haven’t been able to get it out of my head for the past week!
“Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes” – Rihanna
Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes is a remix album of Rihanna’s double platinum, chart topping Good Girl Gone Bad. This collection features new versions of her hits, remixed by today’s hottest dance producers including Tony Moran, Seamus Haji, Jody Den Broeder, Moto Blanco and Wideboys.
“Don’t Stop the Music” has been my partner’s proverbial favorite song for quite some time now, and it was on my own favorites playlist long before we received this new album. The version they feature is the Jody den Broeder version – one of the better remixes that I’ve heard out there. Meanwhile, the Wideboys remix of “Shut up and Drive” is bound to be a crowd pleaser with its heavy bass, jagged synths and shuffle rhythm.
It was my first time hearing “Umbrella” so I don’t really have the original to compare to. There are two different mixes on this album that book-end the playlist: The first one is a bouncy, with a mean and sassy attitude; the last one is a happy, light-hearted mix - both are utmost danceable!
Another favorite was the Jody den Broeder version of “Disturbia”. Yes, I have heard the original of this one on Makayla’s recommendation, so I can tell that they’ve transplanted a dance beat and minimal melody aside from Rihanna’s vocals. It’s better suited for the dance floor, certainly not a replacement for the original.
Tracks in the middle such as “Breakin’ Dishes”, “I Hate that I Love You” and “Push Up On Me” didn’t appeal to me quite as much, since they began to feel a little too groovy. Definitely some kickin’ dance rhythms, likely good to play while driving, but I found them far too strong for pleasure listening at home.
“Call and Response: The Remix Album” – Maroon 5
Being musically challenged, I had no idea who this group was until I found a personal connection in the song “This Love” – I’m not quite sure where I had heard it, but I definitely knew it. I found out Maroon 5 is a multi-platinum Grammy winning quintet, so as usual it was a what-rock-have-you-been-under moment for me.
“I’ve always found it really interesting that a group of people looking at the same painting can all see different things,” says Maroon 5 vocalist/guitarist Adam Levine. “That was the idea behind this record – to take a few of our songs and have them interpreted by some of our favorite artists. We were really blown away by what they came up with.”
The album is a collection of 18 Maroon 5 songs as seen through the eyes of artists Pharrell Wiliams, Cut Copy, Deerhoof, of Montreal, Cool Kids, David Banner, Paul Oakenfold, and many more. While over half of the tracks didn’t appeal to my tastes, the album was definitely worth it for the many good ones that I found.
It kicks off with a frenetic beat-breaking take on “If I Never See Your Face Again” by acclaimed hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz. I quite liked this track – it was an excellent introduction to Maroon 5’s style of vocals. It finishes with Paul Oakenfold’s angle on the same song – a dark and dirty dance mix featuring vocals by Rihanna!
I loved Mark Ronson’s take on “Wake Up Call”, an upbeat, almost humorous tale of a husband retaliating against his cheating wife’s lover. However, the more serious David Banner spin on the same song, appearing later in the list, left me pretty cold.
Questlove’s relaxed version of “Sunday Morning” conveyed a sense of melancholy abandon despite its catchy rhythm. I also highly recommend listening to Tiëtso’s dark dance mix of “Not Falling Apart”, and the morose Premier 5 remix of “Secret”.
