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Written by Sarah Mudgway
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Thursday, 29 October 2009 21:29 |
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‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’ is the third release from German dance group CASCADA.
Featuring Natalie Horler on vocal and image-duty, plus record producers DJ Manian and Yanou in charge of the beats, the album is catchy at best... and hit-and-miss at worst.
The album opens up with title track and hit single ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’ which is clearly the standout track on the album.
Coupling slick production and a distinct pop sensibility with an almost Lady Gaga-esque feel about it, it’s not surprising that the track was chosen as their lead single from the album and has been well received worldwide. |
Unfortunately, the strength of the first track is easily forgotten once the rest of the album plays out. The first 30 seconds of second track ‘Hold On’ is reminiscent of a budget radio jingle with fluffy vocals over an acoustic guitar and drums, before kicking into a 90's dance floor beat. ‘Ready Or Not’ could have come straight off of a Basshunter album with its heavy synths and bass, which may not be a bad thing considering the mainstream revival of dance music of this calibre. Second single ‘Dangerous’ as well as ‘Fever’ and ‘What About Me’, follow the same formula of a slow beginning which showcases Horler's vocal ability before kicking into a pounding bassline and heavy synths which will see the rave dance floors turn into a glow-stick mess.
‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’ takes a different turn at the halfway point, with ‘Hold Your Hands Up’ and ‘Breathless'. The former is an acoustic guitar-pop track which while being a refreshing change of pace, Horlers’ vocals don’t prove to be strong enough to carry the song and the song is easily forgettable. Following immediately after is ‘Breathless’, which has Kelly Clarkson written all over it. Kicking off with a verse eerily reminiscent of ‘Since U Been Gone’, before entering the dance-pop territory with a somewhat catchy chorus; the track seems to fall a little flat.
Its undeniable that Cascada have experimented with their sound and have taken some risks by stepping away from the strict dance-only style they cemented for themselves... and played around with genres and techniques which don’t come naturally to them. Unfortunately, this may be one album where the experimentation doesn’t pay off, and they would have been better off to follow the Basshunter buzz and stick to what they know. |
