Post by M!TCH on Jul 9, 2009 1:12:36 GMT -5
REVIEW
THE SOUND OF CHERONA
by MITCH ANDREWS
Cherona burst onto the scene in early 2009 with their debut single "Ching Chang Chong". Following in the footsteps of other popular German pop acts, such as BeFour and Banaroo, CHERONA brings a new flavour to dance music, combining soft catchy melodies and sweet singers with heavy thumping beats. Their album "Sound Of Cherona" is nothing short of perfect, and is exactly what we bubblegum dance fans would have hoped for for 2009. In a world where most new music is dark and somewhat negative, it is refreshing to hear fresh happy new dance music - and Cherona does it so well. Here is a track-by-track review of the new album.
SOUND OF AFRICA (HEYAMA)
The first song of the album, "Sound of Africa" reminds me of Se:Side's hit "Kamboleo (The Drums Of Africa)". The song is original and the vocals (of the boys in particular) sound very similar to Banaroo. The style takes a mysterious, drum-riddled, trance-like style, which echos the rituals in African culture. Very catchy well-written and produced song. 9/10
CHING CHANG CHONG
Cherona's first real hit, and one of the best songs on this album. Banaroo, BeFour and Ch!pz's influences are best portrayed in this song; a simple catchy melody is repeated over and over, with powerful vocals and strong production. They encourage you to sing along, and you'll probably find yourself singing along because it's just so catchy! The Extended Mix which is included on the CD Single emphasises the heavy dance beats of Cherona - one of the main differences to past bubblegum acts. 10/10
DRAGONFLY
The first Bubblegum dance cover, "Dragonfly" was originally performed by SMiLE.dk on the album Future Girls. The cover brings a fresh mood to the song, and I particularly like the detail in the instrumental production. Being a huge fan of SMiLE.dk, I was hesitant about this remake, but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Cherona captures the mood of the song, maintaing the Japanese-style, and adding their own style to make it their own. While the song was originally performed by two women, I am in favour of Cherona's new male vocals and think that it gives the song more depth. 9/10
RIGGA-DING-DONG-SONG
Cherona's second cover and second single, I will admit I prefer Cherona's version of "The Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song" more than the original, which was performed by Passion Fruit in 1999. Cherona maintains, and to some point even enhances, the Spanish flavour. The vocals are very good, of both the male and female, and again I enjoy the detail in the instrumentals. In comparison to Passion Fruit's original, Cherona's cover is slightly slower, but I am in favour because it makes the lyrics easier to hear. Cherona also adds a lot more details in production (such as horns and whistles), which gives the song more depth and attitude. 10/10
DANCING IN THE RAIN
This is a slower original song with strong synths and female vocals. This song doesn't really stand out so much on the album, but the good production saves it from being a song to skip. This song acts as a nice break, and in a way prepares the listener for the ballad which is next in line. 7/10
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOW
The slower song on the album, this song is also original. "In The Middle Of Now" features lead male vocals (which aren't that strong I'm afraid, but keeping in mind English isn't the first language of these singers). The style of this song reminds me of something that may have come from S Club 7, Steps, or A*Teens. 5/10
STANDING TOGETHER
An obvious inspiration of BeFour's "We Stand United", Cherona's "Standing Together" even shares some of the same lyrics. An original song, this is one of my personal favourites on the album. Those who listen to the album in order will be picked up from the slow ballad and blasted into an action packed song with heavy beats, tongue-twisting and senseless lyrics, and powerful vocals! An instant 10/10
GOLDEN SKY
The second SMiLE.dk cover, "Golden Sky" was originally included on the 2002 album "Golden Sky". Cherona's cover, like Dragonfly, brings a fresh mood to the song, with added detail in production, new male vocals (the male vocals are notably weak in this song) and a maintained Japanese-feel. Overall, I rate this cover 9/10
DISCOTHEQUE
Cherona mean business with this cover! Originally performed by Yamboo, Cherona's cover most resembles Yamboo's "Discotheque (Original Single Mix)" on the CDM. In comparing the two versions, the vocals of Cherona and Yamboo acutally sound quite similar. "Discotheque" is a high-energy delight, and like Cherona's other covers it is very strong. 9/10
HURRY UP (SOS)
"Hurry Up", or "Harry Up" as it is mis-pronounced throughout the song (hehe), is an original song in a similar bubblegum dance style to the other music on their album. I have a small spot for well-produced, synth riddled bubblegum dance music, and the instrumental and note change at 2:33 is a very nice detail. I think the song could have had a stronger ending, but overall is a very catchy song. 8/10
SPACEMAN
I originally suspected when reading the tracklist that "Spaceman" might be a Bambee cover, but was surprised to find it is an original track. There are some influences of Bambee's song here, such as the robotic-sounding "spaceman" "echo" in the background of the chorus. "Spaceman" is a nice original song with a cute melody and story. 8/10
TIME FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS
For fans of tropical bubblegum dance songs, "Time For Summer Holidays" is sure to please. An original track, the style of this song is very Chipz-influenced. It is riddled with juicy synths and bouncy bubblegum beats. A nice track to finish the album. 8/10
_____ ____ ___ __ _
Overall, "Sound Of Cherona" is a very complete bubblegum dance album, and is an extremely promising release for 2009. Best songs in my opinion are "Ching Chang Chong", "Standing Together" and "Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song", as well as the SMiLE.dk covers that give the songs a fresh and new lease of life. I highly recommend this album to fans of Banaroo, BeFour, Ch!pz, Culture Box and Se:Side.
-=M!TCH
THE SOUND OF CHERONA
by MITCH ANDREWS
Cherona burst onto the scene in early 2009 with their debut single "Ching Chang Chong". Following in the footsteps of other popular German pop acts, such as BeFour and Banaroo, CHERONA brings a new flavour to dance music, combining soft catchy melodies and sweet singers with heavy thumping beats. Their album "Sound Of Cherona" is nothing short of perfect, and is exactly what we bubblegum dance fans would have hoped for for 2009. In a world where most new music is dark and somewhat negative, it is refreshing to hear fresh happy new dance music - and Cherona does it so well. Here is a track-by-track review of the new album.
SOUND OF AFRICA (HEYAMA)
The first song of the album, "Sound of Africa" reminds me of Se:Side's hit "Kamboleo (The Drums Of Africa)". The song is original and the vocals (of the boys in particular) sound very similar to Banaroo. The style takes a mysterious, drum-riddled, trance-like style, which echos the rituals in African culture. Very catchy well-written and produced song. 9/10
CHING CHANG CHONG
Cherona's first real hit, and one of the best songs on this album. Banaroo, BeFour and Ch!pz's influences are best portrayed in this song; a simple catchy melody is repeated over and over, with powerful vocals and strong production. They encourage you to sing along, and you'll probably find yourself singing along because it's just so catchy! The Extended Mix which is included on the CD Single emphasises the heavy dance beats of Cherona - one of the main differences to past bubblegum acts. 10/10
DRAGONFLY
The first Bubblegum dance cover, "Dragonfly" was originally performed by SMiLE.dk on the album Future Girls. The cover brings a fresh mood to the song, and I particularly like the detail in the instrumental production. Being a huge fan of SMiLE.dk, I was hesitant about this remake, but was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Cherona captures the mood of the song, maintaing the Japanese-style, and adding their own style to make it their own. While the song was originally performed by two women, I am in favour of Cherona's new male vocals and think that it gives the song more depth. 9/10
RIGGA-DING-DONG-SONG
Cherona's second cover and second single, I will admit I prefer Cherona's version of "The Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song" more than the original, which was performed by Passion Fruit in 1999. Cherona maintains, and to some point even enhances, the Spanish flavour. The vocals are very good, of both the male and female, and again I enjoy the detail in the instrumentals. In comparison to Passion Fruit's original, Cherona's cover is slightly slower, but I am in favour because it makes the lyrics easier to hear. Cherona also adds a lot more details in production (such as horns and whistles), which gives the song more depth and attitude. 10/10
DANCING IN THE RAIN
This is a slower original song with strong synths and female vocals. This song doesn't really stand out so much on the album, but the good production saves it from being a song to skip. This song acts as a nice break, and in a way prepares the listener for the ballad which is next in line. 7/10
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOW
The slower song on the album, this song is also original. "In The Middle Of Now" features lead male vocals (which aren't that strong I'm afraid, but keeping in mind English isn't the first language of these singers). The style of this song reminds me of something that may have come from S Club 7, Steps, or A*Teens. 5/10
STANDING TOGETHER
An obvious inspiration of BeFour's "We Stand United", Cherona's "Standing Together" even shares some of the same lyrics. An original song, this is one of my personal favourites on the album. Those who listen to the album in order will be picked up from the slow ballad and blasted into an action packed song with heavy beats, tongue-twisting and senseless lyrics, and powerful vocals! An instant 10/10
GOLDEN SKY
The second SMiLE.dk cover, "Golden Sky" was originally included on the 2002 album "Golden Sky". Cherona's cover, like Dragonfly, brings a fresh mood to the song, with added detail in production, new male vocals (the male vocals are notably weak in this song) and a maintained Japanese-feel. Overall, I rate this cover 9/10
DISCOTHEQUE
Cherona mean business with this cover! Originally performed by Yamboo, Cherona's cover most resembles Yamboo's "Discotheque (Original Single Mix)" on the CDM. In comparing the two versions, the vocals of Cherona and Yamboo acutally sound quite similar. "Discotheque" is a high-energy delight, and like Cherona's other covers it is very strong. 9/10
HURRY UP (SOS)
"Hurry Up", or "Harry Up" as it is mis-pronounced throughout the song (hehe), is an original song in a similar bubblegum dance style to the other music on their album. I have a small spot for well-produced, synth riddled bubblegum dance music, and the instrumental and note change at 2:33 is a very nice detail. I think the song could have had a stronger ending, but overall is a very catchy song. 8/10
SPACEMAN
I originally suspected when reading the tracklist that "Spaceman" might be a Bambee cover, but was surprised to find it is an original track. There are some influences of Bambee's song here, such as the robotic-sounding "spaceman" "echo" in the background of the chorus. "Spaceman" is a nice original song with a cute melody and story. 8/10
TIME FOR SUMMER HOLIDAYS
For fans of tropical bubblegum dance songs, "Time For Summer Holidays" is sure to please. An original track, the style of this song is very Chipz-influenced. It is riddled with juicy synths and bouncy bubblegum beats. A nice track to finish the album. 8/10
_____ ____ ___ __ _
Overall, "Sound Of Cherona" is a very complete bubblegum dance album, and is an extremely promising release for 2009. Best songs in my opinion are "Ching Chang Chong", "Standing Together" and "Rigga-Ding-Dong-Song", as well as the SMiLE.dk covers that give the songs a fresh and new lease of life. I highly recommend this album to fans of Banaroo, BeFour, Ch!pz, Culture Box and Se:Side.
-=M!TCH
