Reloaded (The Demolition Crew “Voodoo” Remix Collection) – Review
This is a review by Charles Ryder. It’s very complete and really sets out what a Reloaded review should aim for and look like. It’s a great read.
So, it finally came out. After long, long vacations, I’m back and fresh, ready to start again, this time with the release of the new version of one of the best albums I have ever heard in my entire life. Of course, I’m talking about Voodoo, the debut album by Canadian singer/songwriter and actress miss Alexz Johnson.
Before beginning with the review, I want to state some aspects about what I am going to say on the album:
First and foremost, this is not a review based on the lyrics. In case you want to read something about the lyrics, the original sound and the style, go to the review of the original album. This review will be only based on the new versions of the songs, whether they work or not, that is completely different.
Second, if you are a hard Alexz Johnson fan like me, I strongly recommend you to do the next as an exercise for understanding this review, and for clearing up your mind as for what to think on the remixes: listen alternatively to each pair of songs (the original and the remix) in the order in which they come in the original album. They will make a lot of sense. The evolution is still there.
Of course, all the opinions I write during this review are completely subjective; if you do not agree with something I am saying and you feel like sharing your opinion, elaborate on that in the comment section of the post. I will be grateful for reading all yo have to say. So, now that I have stated te rules, let’s play the game!
What is Reloaded (The Demolition Crew “Voodoo” Remix Collection) ? It is a remix album co-created with The Demolition Crew that tries to give a more radio-friendly sound to each of the songs from the original album. It is simply the same material lyrically with new twists and turns. As a full concept, it works perfectly: it is fresh, fun to listen to, incredibly addictive, written with intelligence and remixed with originality. For many fans, it represents a conflict: which version should I like the most? Am I selling myself out if I choose to love the remixes? Am I less fan if I do so? The answer is: No, you are not. You should love them as a whole: as two sounds for the same text, an experimentation. Besides, if you follow miss Johnson’s steps as I do, you have probably heard her talking about the reasons why she chose to remix the entire album. That should be enough.
One of the reasons why I like a lot these remixes is that they do not try to sound as such. They are not the typical ones, in some cases they work as a completely independent song. You simply cannot stop liking both versions. Each one has its own changes, entangled in the creation of a single full album. With the remixes, some of the aims of the song change dramatically, but they still work for that to what they were changed for. Nevertheless, and as it occurs always, not all the remixes accomplish these goals. That does not mean that they get lost in translation either.
Voodoo was the one I feared the most for it is my favourite song of the album in many senses. It unveils the whole essence of what Alexz wants to share with us. Our new version introduces us something that the previous one didn’t have: a mystical aura that enhances the enchanting atmosphere of the lyrics. Stronger drums, heavenly created vocals. It is simply another way of portraying it. I would not even call it a remix, but rather a new version, or something like it. As the original, this song is still so deep, that even the name of “single” is not good enough for it. Personal verdict: Original = Remix.
Gonna’ Get It has been given a slower beat that reminds me more of the R&B style. The dramatical change of speed might cause conflict in many of the fans of the original version (it happened in me, but I have overcome it). The new arrangements for the shouting and the verses are really well accomplished. Nevertheless, the sticky choruses of the background singers lose strength thanks to the force of the new beat. I consider this song was already sticky and danceable. Now it even has a new veil of reflection. Personal verdict: Original > Remix
Look At Those Eyes is one of the most pleasing tracks of the whole album. Its calm and melancholic Western sound still can be be found in the song, but what caught my attention was the new tools that were used to show that same melancholic feeling: the new guitar sound and rock finale enhance the pain that can be felt during the song. The piano gives it a gorgeous feature and the final spoken lines still have that “stuck by watching your sad eyes” mood. Good choice for a single. Personal verdict: Original < Remix. On the other hand, L.A. Made Me offers us a new change in direction. I confess I was expecting a rock twist, and I was hit by a pop/dance track. This is one of the most flexible songs on the album and I think any kind of sound that had been added to it could have worked. A playable track, in other words. The remix indicates fun and an excellent future single. Rock traces can be heard sometimes, and some new choruses are added at the end (which is something I felt was missing in the first version). One for reflection, another one for dancing. Still, sometimes I feel it goes too quickly. Personal verdict: Original = Remix The rock style that I was looking for arrives and hits surprisingly with A Little Bit. For those who still prefer to listen to the Instant Star material over the new one, this will be a delightful gift for you, for it sounds as if it had been in one of the soundtracks of the series. It is one of the best remixes (if not the best one) because of its turn and the fact that you do not even think you are listening to a remixed version. It is a completely new track (I confess I would have liked some more songs with this kind of twist). Could work as a really succesful single. Personal verdict: Original < Remix. And what happened to Mr. Jones? Well, it receives a mixture of what we have already heard: rock, dance and background choruses. Its novelty comes in the form of the spooky sounds that already existed in the original version, but which are now enhanced to reinforce the mysterious aura that disappears by taking away the “spies theme” it had. It works really well, and my only “but” is that the chorus should no be repeated thrice in the final part of the song. Thumbs up for the background sounds after the first chorus. Reminds me of castles, vampires… a Van Helsing kind of setting. Personal verdict: Original = Remix. Superstition. This… is going to be difficult. Most of the charm of this song relies in its R&B influenced beat. But we are shocked with another radical twist: the ballad is transformed into an electrodance tune. What a conflict, is not it? I have even heard of many fans who did not like this remix at all. But hey people, it does not have to be that bad, right? The new goal of the song is well accomplished, it really makes you want to dance. The new sighs added to the choruses are beautiful. If you think of the fact that there is a lot of reflection behind the lyrics, it becomes one of the rather few songs of this genre that compiles both things: intelligence and dance (not a common combination nowadays). This is the remix in all extension of the word: for dancing. Alexz sounds great in all genres. Personal verdict: Original > Remix.
Trip Around The World, the first single from the original album, was also one of the first remixes we were allowed to hear entirely. I consider it the less worked remix, actually. The beat, as it happens with Gonna’ Get It was already there, and what really changes is the basic instruments used for the sound: this time, we hear a happy, funny and odd piano throughout the whole track. The transition to the chorus is a delicious second of music. Even though it does sound catchy, the emphasis on repeating the chorus more than the usual and without the middle pause that the original version included, may turn the track into something tiring. Personal verdict: Original > Remix.
Probably, Hurricane Girl is the song that passes rather unseen in the album, not because it is a bad song (on the contrary, it is an incredible piece of songwriting) but for its incredibly similar sound to the original version. As I said regarding Voodoo, this track should not be considered a remix, but a new international version, or enhanced rock track, you know what I mean. It is enhanced in all its aspects and the new musical arrangements work perfectly, especially the solo guitars at the beginning, the middle and the end. No new verses, no verses taken away. Just the hurricane girl. Personal verdict: Original = Remix.
Taker… Taker, Taker, Taker. Another one that becomes a conflict since the first glimpse. Its most impressive and shocking feature is the adding of a certain kind of chants in the background, that make me imagine a possible video for this song, located in Africa. Though this new element is difficult to digest, once you have done so, it becomes something trivial. The rhythm of the song is slowed down a bit but not as much as to make it sound different. New arrangements with the beat and the final drums do make it sound as beautiful as the original and it accomplishes the objective of the album: to sound more radio-friendly. Well done! Personal verdict: Original = Remix.
And finally… Boogie Love. Another track that is completely changed. I have read many comments saying: “What happened/went wrong with Boogie Love?” Well, it happens that it follows the formula of not remixing but recreating, as I previously stated. This is not a remix, is a new song built on the roots of another one. It is rather enjoyable and tries to create a 70′s aura different than the one created by the original version, which teleported you to the 50′s. The atmosphere works fantastically, and if it had conserved its original place in the tracklisting, it would have been an incredible final susprise. Personal verdict: Original < Remix. So, that’s it. You have read my personal opinions on the tracks. I personally like them all, ones more, ones less, but they still are part of one single material: Voodoo. Twenty-two well-produced and crafted songs: intelligently written, musically… an experience. I highly recommend to all those who do not know this singer, to take a chance on her. She will surprise you. Even though the remixes have a more friendly sound, they still do not have the typical consumist rhythm of the bunch of music we hear on the radio these days. They are clean, pure and sophistically simple but at the same time, quite complex in their creation. Whether you buy the original album, or the remixed one, you won’t regret in doing so, I am sure. And now, as a golden closure, the title track Voodoo (The Demolition Crew Remix) for you my people. Enjoy and get voodoofied by the power of Alexz Johnson. Her time has come.
