Alexz Johnson Island

This author has reviewed Alexz before for Voodoo. This time we get another review by the same author.

Source

Alexz Johnson: Reloaded
Story by: Kenyth Mogan

Alexz Johnson is an artist, period, and like all artists, she has a specific vision for her music and how she wants it to be heard. However, as Johnson herself has discovered, artistic vision does not guarantee commercial success. This is where producers like Demacio Castellon aka Demo and his team the Demolition Crew come in.

On April 26th Johnson releases a remixed and reinvented version of her 2010 debut: Voodoo. Entitled Reloaded: The Demolition Crew Voodoo Remix Collection, Johnson and Castellon worked very closely together to give the songs of Voodoo a radio friendly make over. But to say that the album has simply been remixed is doing a great disservice to those that were involved in its creation and the actual product that was produced.

Though the songs (obviously) have similarities to those in the original, Reloaded is an entirely different listening experience and can stand on it’s own as an album. “I feel like each song on the original “Voodoo” album has a unique theme.” Johnson states. “It was important to me that it was carried onto the Reloaded album.”
Voodoo aopens the album with a simple piano and chorale of ethereal voices that meld quickly into an up-tempo track that is as haunting as it is beautiful. Look at Those Eyes, is the album’s second single and Johnson’s favorite track. “I feel like it’s my heart speaking in that song… it reminds me of a very specific time in my life when I wrote it. It’s a very personal song for me.”

Other highlights from the album include Boogie Love, (the album’s first single) which brings us back into the 70s with a fun and funky beat. A Little Bit is probably the most commercial and is one of those summer love songs you turn up full blast and sing too in your car with the windows rolled down. Superstition is the only track on Reloaded that sounds like a remix and is very danceable. Hurricane Girl has been converted into country and has been done so very well. Taker draws the album to a close and uses a loop of a military ‘left right, left right left,’ chant. Upon first listen the song seemed strange and haunting, but is still very good and a perfect book end to the album’s opening.

Though the Demolition Crew worked extensively on the music for Reloaded they left Johnson’s vocals virtually untouched. Her voice is her instrument and it is perfect just the way it is. That being said though, there are several songs on the album that could easily be remixed for the dance clubs. Reloaded offers another chance for Johnson’s music to be heard and if it proves anything it is that her voice really is very versatile and an artist can still stay true to themselves while making music fit for the masses.

The album will be offered on online retailers like amazon.com and iTunes as well as in various packages on Johnson’s website www.alexzjohnson.com. Certain packages include both physical and digital copies of the record as well as Reloaded sunglasses and personalized hand signed postcards by Johnson herself.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 at 8:31 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.