noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 57 August 2008 - Index

STAY UP
LEGS UP
Visit
noiZemag.com
for more
music reviews
each week!
Armin Van Buuren Imagine
Armin Van Buuren is nothing short of amazing: At the age of
32, he had made the steep ascent to international stardom
that earned him the status of DJ Magazine’s No. 1 DJ of
2007. A seven-year weekly gig as host of the popular radio
show “A State of Trance,” a successful compilation series of
the same name, his own Armind label, three albums and an
overwhelming list of artist tracks and remixes hardly seems
an appropriate résumé for someone whose humble beginnings
fresh out of secondary school into a local Dutch nightclub
began in 1995. Armin proves that if you follow your
passion, the potential for success is limitless.
Imagine is Armin's third artist album. It includes the DJ Shah
collaboration track "Going Wrong" featuring Chris Jones,
and employs the vocal talents of Jaren, Audrey Gallagher,
Sharon Den Adel, Jacqueline Govaert, Kathy Burton, Vera
Ostrova and the soon-to-be-classic Jennifer Rene. Though
not breaking any new ground thematically, the album demonstrates
the vast emotional depth electronic music is capable
of and the stark beauty of a lovelorn voice. Vocal tracks
like "Unforgivable,” "Never Say Never" and "Fine Without
You" seem destined for a single release, and instrumentals
like "Imagine" and "Intricacy" will doubtlessly be making
appearances on purist trance compilations.
Leona Lewis Spirit
Heralded as having the biggest debut of any winner/contestant
from a musical talent game show, Leona Lewis has
been turning heads and setting records ever since the world
took notice of her on Britain's American Idol predecessor, X
Factor. Leona set a world record when her debut single "A
Moment Like This" was downloaded over 50,000 times in
the first 30 minutes after she was announced the winner of
the show’s third season. Then BBC News reported that she
had set another record when the first single from her debut
album Spirit, "Bleeding Love,” was downloaded 1.7 million
times in one week.
Spirit employs the combined efforts of many of today's hitmaking
producers and songwriters, including ballads by
Avril Lavigne, longtime Mariah Carey collaborator Walter
Afanaseiff and Simon Cowell himself. Unlike many involved
in these career-making game shows, Leona's debut isn't a
misfire attempt at creating a career via image for the artist.
Instead Lewis' debut album cover looks not unlike Mariah
Carey's—not overly sexy, not overly styled, just a beautiful
face set against a black background and timeless type framing
her. This woman has a voice and if you purchase this
disc, you're going to hear it. Simple and honest. Expect even
more big things from this one for years to come.
39
Healthy Am I! Happy Am I! (W)holy Am I!