David Guetta's 4th album "One Love"

I told you previously in my french DJs' summer albums post that I couldn't wait for David Guetta's fourth studio album One love to be released and now it's been released a week ago and I've listened to it more than a couple times, I can review it fully.



Well, I guess I was awaiting too much of it, its first single When love takes over gave me great expectations while second one Sexy bitch should have let me know it was gonna be a mixed bag, full of too much US R&B influences... Not that it isn't a great album but David Guetta's moved a little too far away from his usual sounds for me.

1/ WHEN LOVE TAKES OVER feat. Kelly Rowland 3:12
The song starts with these gorgeous Coldplay inspired piano notes and builds up into the anthem of the summer 2009, maybe the club anthem of 2009, who knows? It could be. The song has everything : a beautiful melody, great arrangements, memorizable lyrics, perfect chorus, a nice slowed down bridge and a powerful vocalist. I really hope Kelly Rowland has learned of her recent hits (all in the club territories, over her R&B flops) and will work on a full electro-house solo album. Doesn't even Beyoncé get remixed to have higher hits (Freemasons somewhere?).
I must have listened to this song a million times already but I'm sure I ain't never gonna get bored of it... Did I told you it reached #1 in the UK charts? 20/20.

2/ GETTIN' OVER feat. Chris Willis 3:00
The song starts like previous Guetta/Willis collaborations, with minimal keys and soulful Chris Willis voices belting out but then, at 1'10, comes a dirty elektro loop that is on full repeat mode to get on our nerves before more nearly acapellas by Chris Willis heal our ears, but then the awful sounds come back and alternate with the "just no gettin' over you" final parts. It seems to me like David Guetta had recorded a Love is gone clone and wanted to disturb it a little, to make it sound raw, so re-arranged with cut/paste techniques : sometimes beautiful, sometimes boring : 14/20.

3/ SEXY BITCH feat. Akon 3:16
Having recently watched a lot of Kid Cudi vs Crookers' video on MCM, I can't forget Sexy bitch verses' sounds a lot like Day N Nite : minimal beats and confessional conversational lyrics. But then comes the pre-chorus then real chorus with full uplifting elektro treatment... This one is a grower, with the underground appeal it's been censured into Sexy chick for US radios : it's already reached #1 in the UK charts : 18/20.

4/ MEMORIES feat. Kid Cudi 3:28
Weren't we talking of Kid Cudi ? He is next on board with a darker voice on Memories verses and a full "Hey hey, hey hey" chorus line that must be one the the poorest chorus lyrics I have ever heard! But it must be about the rhythm, not about the lyrics, to make people move bodies and dance. So it's okay, I suppose. I won't trade it for the joyful Day N Nite though... 12/20.

5/ ON THE DANCEFLOOR feat. Will.I.Am & Apl de Ap 3:45
This first of three Black Eyed Peas/Will.I.Am collaborations starts with an annoying and repetitive rap before the music gets even more annoying mixing acid loops and shoutings by the boyz. This one's got me using the SKIP button each time I listen to my CD ! 00/20.

6/ IT'S THE WAY YOU LOVE ME feat. Kelly Rowland 4:10
Thankfully for my ears, When love takes over, Part II comes in with a more syncopated arrangement that makes me nod my head in rhythm but still an uplifting melody and charming vocal by Miss Kelly Rowland. Oh how I would like this one to be released as a single... but I doubt another Guetta/Rowland will be granted with such a bliss unless 2/3 of this tracklisting becomes singles : 19/20.

7/ MISSING YOU feat. Novel 3:07
A pulsating rhythm, a warm voice and african inspirations all melt into the following track, but just like on Gettin' over, there's too much elektro loops at some times to make it really work in my heart : 15/20.

8/ CHOOSE feat. Ne-Yo & Kelly Rowland 3:57
Now this is what some would call a missed opportunity : gettin' Kelly Rowland AND Ne-Yo sing on the same song and finally get THIS ! It sounds like an unfinished demo with an annoying repetitive chorus line "You wanna make me choose" repeated like endlessly on speeded up beats all with noizy blib-blips... I don't understand how this studio jam (afterhours and after smokin' a lot for sure) could have saved its place on the CD and really hope This kind of "music" ain't the future of Music ! 02/20 (for Kelly's contribution...)

9/ HOW SOON IS NOW with Sebastian Ingrosso & Dirty South feat. Julie McKnight 4:09
David Guetta or his record company must have been in the know some tracks were hard on the ears because they are always followed by old-school house anthems and How soon is now, a collaboration with Sabastian Ingrosso, Dirty South and Fred Riesterer is another perfect feel-good-with-your-hands-in-the-air lightful anthem where Julie McKnight's beautiful voice shines all through it : 20/20.

10/ I GOTTA FEELING (FMIF REMIX EDIT) by Black Eyed Peas 3:54
Some people may not know but Black Eyed Peas' recent #1 hit I gotta feeling from their #1 album The E.N.D. is produced by David Guetta and this remix by Mr. Guetta and Fred Riesterer has its own place on his album. For once, I like it more when the 'Peas are singing than when David's alone at twitchin' the knobs : over 30'', it becomes very annoying, and there are too many alarm sirens sounds too. I believe my parents would instantly die by blips overdose if I was tempted to hold them listening to it till the end ...and it's less than 4' long ! 12/20.

11/ ONE LOVE feat. Estelle 4:01
Once more, salvation comes from a true diva, from England this time (she may have found her American boy but she's all a british girl!) and Estelle's one and only collaboration gives its title to the album. One love has got some african inspired beats with non-primal electro arrangements and a beautiful vocal line, nearly gospel at times. Another anthem in the making and for sure a future single ! 18/20.

12/ I WANNA GO CRAZY feat. Will.I.Am 3:24
"Let's go!" shouts Will.I.Am in I wanna go crazy intro and I'm fearin' another awful mess ...that it is not, for once. This new collaboration is not the one I like best out of this bunch for sure but this time they made it hearable till the end. Allow me to think that Will.I.Am ain't a singer nor a good rapper on my shores... His flow is very binary, but isn't rap musically very primary too? 15/20.

13/ SOUND OF LETTING GO with Tocadisco feat. Chris Willis 3:45
Previously Guetta's favourite Chris Willis comes back for a second track, a new collaboration with Tocadisco and, just like Tomorrow can wait, it's another winner. Mr. Willis should get the chance to have a solo album of his own, for his vocals are always so soulful, and at the same time so perfect for house music ; I can't understand how he is so under-used by dance music producers round there. I'd hear it easily on radios if it was released as third single over Gettin' over apparent choice ! 17/20.

14/ TOYFRIEND with Afrojack feat. Wynter Gordon 3:17
Toyfriend starts with oriental chants with what sounds like a boat siren and it sums up perfectly what the song is : a journey into India/Africa with an electro mixing desk in our baggages. I can nearly see it in the background of a DVD showing David Guetta on a flight to Ibiza or Istambul. Refreshing but not my cup of tea... 13/20.

15/ IF WE EVER feat. Makeba 4:40
A nice female voice opens up for the final track of One love's tracklisting, with beats sounding like waterdrops falling behind the melody line. But when the chorus comes, all breezy and light, with a powerful wall of sound, it is a pleasant surprise. But the speed falls back for verse two, before a pulsating beat arrives in time for second chorus and lead the song into clubland, afterhours. It must be 5 'o clock in the morning, time to cool off at the beach before movin' back home for a nap... Ibiza dream : F*ck me, I may be famous? lol 16/20.

16/ WHEN LOVE TAKES OVER (BLAME REMIX) * feat. Kelly Rowland 5:13
First of two digital bonuses is an electro meets 2step/garage remix of the first single and I can't hide the truth : it's a real massacre !!! This remix has erased all the lightness of the track and the drum'n'bass rhythm has never done anything to me : 06/20.

17/ IT'S YOUR LIFE * feat. Chris Willis 3:45
Chris Willis gets a third card on the album's digital edition with It's your life, a better song than half the tracks on actual CD so I can't understand how it could have been put aside ...well, except Willis ain't a big name like Ne-Yo or Will.I.Am in the US bizness so it's safer to keep this one as a bonus. It is another winning collaboration between the two's, with aerial arrangements, hypnotic but discreet groove and amazing vocal performance : 18/20.

SPECIAL EDITION BONUS MEGAMIX CD including
I NEED YOU NOW feat. Samantha Jade
Now's another new song that only appears mixed in between others on the One love megamix on bonus CD for the special edition release. I need you now is another wonderful club anthem (except Miss Jade ain't got Miss Rowland's powerful voice) that should have won its place onto the physical CD! All I need now is to find where the complete (unmixed) version of the song is available to download and buy it straight away to complete my special One love folder on my mp3 player. 17/20.

* Digital Bonus Tracks

So what? it's a mixed review... but if I let aside a couple of tracks that are unhearable and a couple others that don't fit to my tastes, there's still enough to make a great electro/house album, more than able to cross-over in the US and make his electro/R&B sound the sound of tomorrow. Minus these bad tracks' notes, the global appreciation goes up from 13,4/20 to 15,6/20.
One more thing to add : for the first time, David Guetta has joined forces with other co-producers than Joachim Garraud on this album #4. In an attempt to prove that he is a producer of his own, who ain't staying in mister G's shadow, he has mainly worked here with Frédéric Riesterer or Jean-Claudre Sindres and Antoine Clamaran's co-producer Sandy Vee, and it does still sound like Guetta.

Summer albums from french DJs

I cannot wait for the release of David Guetta's fourth album One love (including the wonderful summer anthem Love takes over with Kelly Rowland and the not that wonderful Sexy bitch with Akon) at the end of August for reviewing some other full albums by french Star DJs that have been released for summer.


First, there's been Junior Caldera's Debut, featuring the previous hit single Sleeping satellite, electro cover version of the Tasmin Archer intemporal song.



First let me confess I'm totally in love with the beautiful, classy and sexy artwork of the entire CD booklet and that is a plus to get this album physical rather than digital.

The album starts with the summer single The way featuring male vocals by Elan and we're all in the summer electro house territory a la R.I.O., Bob Sinclar meets Axwell or Yves Larock. Perfect for cooling with a perfect beat pulsing in your ipod on the beach under a sunny blue sky. Then comes Sleeping satellite where Junior succeeded making Tasmin Archer's hit an electro dance clubhit thanks to beautiful vocals by Audrey Lavergne. I feel this is gonna be a wonderful album full of dance/pop song but some of the following tracks give me a bit of a letdown.
Feel it first is good but more of an electro-dance track than a song and the following Bang bang bang has an annoying and rather repetitive "blip-blip" rhythm although the vocal melody is fine and the vocal by Dee Gordon fresh and catchy. Cozi Costi (of Guetta's Baby when the light's fame) co-wrote it as well as the next folk influenced dance-pop A little bit more (with vocals by Keely Pressly this time) and her influence gives both tunes a pop song structure that is lacking on further tracks on Debut. I wish there have been more dance songs over dance tracks here, if you know what I mean.
Rockin' to the beat with its few vocoder vocals, Shut up! with its boring electro loops, Get together, Sexy and Suddenly are of that kind. Junior Caldera is nearly the only brainchild for these ones so I guess I like him more when he's sharing some influence with a vocalist or a co-producer.
But there are more songs to look for on the 15 tracks listing : Elan came back for another breezy electro house anthem, Be free, displayed on two versions, the original sounding like The way and Junior's remix more electro. UK Diva Lizzy Pattinson added her breezy vocal on a synth-pop inspired dance number that has been co-produced by swedish team 2N (long-time collaborators for Kate Ryan) amongst others and her Heartstrings sounds like a further single to me. Another vocalist Lamiela is covering Shannon's Let the music play in, at parts, a Giorgio Moroder tribute electrified version. But the big surprise and perfect combinaison is, when on track 13, Junior Caldera let UK songstress Sophie Ellis-Bextor take the lead and sing her co-written Can't fight this feeling. Sophie shines on Junior's hypnotic beats with her unmistakable voice goin' "Coz I just can't fight this feeling, we should be lovers..." THAT SOUNDS LIKE A SURE HIT and the sticker on the CD I bought included it along The way and Sleeping satellite so it must become a further single paving the way for Sophie's next album too. What is strange is that a brand new song called What you get is looking like being promoed although not included... Is there a re-release in store ?
All in all, the actual CD is nice enough : there are 10 tracks in the dance/pop territory and only 5 all electro/clubby so I can't pass it on.


Another album that has been released in time for summer is Bob Sinclar's Born in 69 with its Lovesexy inspired plus cut&paste patchwork cover.



Christophe Le Friant's new album celebrates his fourty years and takes on from where Rock this party ended. Like its CD cover, it's a collage that is a little too much for me to like. Too much salt, too much pepper, with too much sweet and spice too. Like if you were trying to put everything in a sandwich and make it tasty as a whole.

Born in 69 starts with the Lala song that features some of the Sugarhill Gang members on rap and a children choir for chorus with funky disco beats, OK. Then Roland Clark (remember Arman Van Helden's Flowerz hit?) takes the lead for a festive summer latino house track Give me some more that samples the Lambada. I like it except for that Kaoma's melodic lines.
Then comes the unbearable flow of Dancehall king Shabba Ranks with his eternal lyrics loverman gimmicks on new single Love you no more. That would have been enough for me to HATE the track if not only Bob Sinclar hadn't mixed it with Manu Chao's Je ne t'aime plus, mon amour chorus line sung by french girl Anouk Khelifa. It's like a megamix of unmixable songs. There is only one way to escape : SKIP!
New new new and its jamaican dancehall male/female vocals by Vybrate and Queen Ifrica follows and I can't help but pushing the SKIP button again. There's only the chorus "sung" by diva Makedah that saves that track from just beeing an annoying dancehall repetitive mess. But I guess that will fill the dancefloors in R&B crowds. The Jamaica connection continues with Jamaica Avenue and Tony Rebel on vocals duty. Thankfully this time the instrumental is all light and uplifting when the latter was heavy and phatt, which makes it hearable to my ears.
What's more pleasant is that first part of Born in 69 has ended and the second part is less R&B oriented. Peace song and People of tomorrow both feature Steve Edwards on lead vocal and, like for previous hits World hold on and Together, their collaboration sounds successfull. Peace song is a nice, uplifting and breezy song about ...umh, Peace, while People of tomorrow sounds accoustic with some gypsy rhythmic guitar but still soulful house. Ron Carroll preaches and sings for Bob on Axwell co-produced What a wonderful world that is a better result in the same soul/house kind of hit, having a more catchy and memorable chorus than the previous two's.
What Bob Sinclar likes more than anything for sure is get where he isn't invited like on track 8 : with Brooklyn's guitarist and singer Ryan Scott, he is covering Bob Dylan's Mr. Tambourine man in an addictive way. Ryan has nice haunting vocals and the rhythm displayed here is a good effort. More rock guitars are on the intro for The way I feel but this 1979 cover version of Adrian Gurvitz turns all into retro disco-synthé glamoury with perfect vocals by camp boy Adam Joseph.
The last part of the album starts with the indian folklore sounding (with Zithar) We are everything with its choir vocals before Belly dancer where Bob gives Kevin Lyttle beats back to sing with but both don't appeal to my euro tastes.
In the end, an album that I like less than Western Dreams but Bob Sinclar has always been to me more of a singles master than an album provider.


But the true masterpiece of this summer's french DJs' albums is Antoine Clamaran's new one, Spotlight.



After gettin' some success with previous singles Release yourself, Feel it, Keep on tryin' and Give me some love, all featuring power vocals by canadian diva Lulu Hughes, and releasing with Universal a Best of CD, Inside, in 2007, Antoine Clamaran joined forces with Sony Music and won a club as well as radio hit at the start of the year with the wonderful Gold. Now is the time for the brand new album and, dare I say this, it ain't a simple album of 16 tracks, it is a true Greatest (new) Hits.

Gold opens it up with its brilliance and catchiness. Newcomer vocalist Shamel Shepherd shows she got what it takes to become one of our beloved dancefloor divas. Penned by Clamaran with Laurent Pautrat and Sandy Vee (Wilheim) like most of the tracks here, it is a real anthem to shine for the years to come, dance-house at its best. The new single Reach for the stars follows along from the same goldmine, still with vocals from miss Shepherd, but only supporting the lead by Annie C. And it's another winner, a new sing-a-long house anthem in the making. I can't get enough of both of them.
What is nice with producer/DJ's albums is that they always invite talented vocalists to shine on their productions and Spotlight shows on the following title track that there is a good male/female diversity here for Duane Harden takes the mic. Do you remember Armand Van Helden's You don't know me hit from 1999 ? It was him on vocal duties. Warm, sensual and powerful both apply here for Duane's vocals as well as for this catchy electro/housy song. The tentative following single though should be track 4, When the sun goes down, with some female vocals back with Mazaya, for a full on disco/house uplifting number ; Hit guaranted.
The potential singles come one after one, with the eurodance reminiscent but still housey I've got your number (with some power vocal perfomance by Max'C), the wonderful from atmospherical intro to bouncy techno/house Is this love (with Duane Harden back) or Everybody, wich sees Max'C doing his best James Brown meets Tom Jones' sex-bomb at a Martin Luther King meeting on a catchy discofunk that makes your feet move in rhythm, and your head goes left and right while it goes "la da dee, la da da", like a reminder of Crystal Waters' Gyspsy woman.
Antoine wouldn't have possibly released a new CD without his usual diva, so Lulu Hughes brings girls power back with her raunchy vocals on the extremely catchy Feels so good, Haunt me, which starts all slowly to build up into an atmospherical anthem, and a bouncing cover of James Brown's It's a man's world, full of electro loops showing off her power on the mic.
Shamel Shepherd is offered another beautiful song, Devotion, all working on layers and layers of atmospherical synthés lifting her etheral voice to clubbers' heaven. This song is pure delight, drug for the ear and I'm hooked, spellbound and totally addicted to it... The same can be said to the following track, Serious, with John Biancale, though the vocal lines and electro loops make it a lot more repetitive, but it works. It sounds like Pink Floyd on ecstacy. "This can't be real" he is singing and I can't believe how sweet it feels to be lost in these warm rhythms.
An unmistakable voice starts track 12 a cappella and you find yourself nodding along Antoine Clamaran and Sandy Vee's remix of Ministers de-la-Funk 2000 hit Believe. It is Jocelyn Brown, you must know, who shines on this update of a wonderful hands-in-the-air pure house anthem. It is near the end of the CD's tracklisting and the sounds are getting harder to the end to announce on tracks 14 & 15 instrumental electro/techno club tracks, Dead fish, that lasts 8'52, and that I must admit bores me, followed by a collaboration with David Guetta's usual partner Joachim Garraud, Anthem, for the same results to my heart and ears... Both are for past underground followers of the Clamaran DJ while I'm just here for the mainstream dance radio hits. They are 13 out of 15 so I won't complain at all. The boring tracks are at the end so I don't even need to use the "skip" button, just to "stop" before the end.
You should dare listen to Anthem till the end though for there is a hidden track called Abandonned child. Sung by Cissé Damayé, it is a surprise as it finishes the album with a trip-hop sound and mellow rhythmic melody you could have easily found on a Massive Attack CD for example. Nice, but still not what I came here for ; I bought Spotlight for Gold and Reach for the stars and I got 11 other dance jewels in a row so I really hope this album will sell well 'cause it is a must-have in every dance lover's CD collection. GO BUY IT !

David Guetta's third studio offering : POP LIFE

After 2002 Just A Little More Love and 2004 Guetta Blaster, David Guetta released on 18th of June his third album Pop Life and I naturally added this nice piece of electro pop dance to my CDtheque.

Not that I liked all tracks from his previous releases, I have always been mixed up between high standards like Just a little more love, Love don't let me go, You, Give me something, People come people go, Money, Stay, Get up, Time, and less poppy tracks like Distortion, Atomic food or Last train but as you see there has always been enough (and more) good songs to win in my heart against the other ones...
This time I ain't disappointed at all!
David Guetta and his partner in crime Joachim Garraud deliver good electro in pure pop format, what is to say for me songs that do not last over 4'30, are radio friendly, and with bonus cuts, this album extend to 16 tracks !

Once again, favourite vocalist Chris Willis is back on board and for the better, for 8 tracks, just half of the album. He's lead on the new single Love is gone, that is featured in its original edit version and in the radio remix, by Fred Rister & Joachim Garraud. His other performances are ALL great and I wish this man could have his own moment of glory with a full album under his name very soon... Check Everytime we touch, Tomorrow can wait, Don't be afraid & Take me away. The 7th song is the original version of his Ghostbuster's sampled radio mix (Never take away) My Freedom and the 8th the The Egg confrontation on Love don't let me go (Walking away).

From 2nd album has stayed other vocalist JD Davis who, this time, still sounds like Dave Gahan on Winner of the game but like Roland Orzabal on future single potential Always. His last collaboration This is not a love song has his voice so filtered that it's awful and maybe the only track of the album I skip each time!

But David invited new team mates too and what a team!
Ex pop star & now awarded worldwide hits songwriter Cathy Dennis wrote the lyrics to the first track and for sure next single Baby when the light, which features unknown vocalist Cozi on a production collaboration with swedish star Steve Angello. This one teams up with David & Joachim again and with fellow Sebastian Ingrooso on Everytime we touch and it looks like Ibiza's F**ck Me I'm Famous! star David Guetta is now a big name enough around the planet to get their partnership on a record... Fine for him and for our ears too.
Tocadisco, whose remix version was the radio one for The Egg single, is their partner on Tomorrow can wait and it sounds just like the previous hit...
Another unknown Thailand sings on the very Benassi influenced trashy electro cut Joan of Arc which closes the tracklisting at #12 before the bonus and Avalon's Juliet offered her vocal on the angry & repetitive Do something love. But it's from the other female vocalist invited, Tara Mc Donald, that comes the latest jewels : Delirious (a sure hit single again!) & You're not alone... There ain't no skipping on these ones!

So to conclude this new offering from Mr Guetta, there are still sounds that made him famous with his first hits but he has added the latest ones that got him back high in the charts a la Tocadisco and when some will say it's auto plagia, I'd say it's just declension : David is offering us what he is made of today and it appeals to me a lot.
I have to add to that that I can't thank him enough not to make albums full of epic 7' and over tracks that bore before gettin' to your heart like other DJ star release. The extended & remix versions are reserved for the club/CDmaxis and I like that!

A last word to say that Mr Jean-Baptiste Mondino himself shot the cover & booklet photos and Mr Guetta must have felt praised cos the booklet is nearly only made of that... lyrics would have been fine too!