Suzy Solar
The Perfect Trance 2.0
Neurodisc
Fortunately, my mad lust for Madame Mercury’s DJ skills (see recent review) frees me up to say that I suspect Suzy Solar may be trading at least as much on her appearance as on her own abilities – without fear that you will think I just don’t like girls behind the turntables.
Solar is a onetime Playboy model and DJ; this is her second mix CD compilation. She’s a strikingly attractive woman, but waxwise, she just can’t put it together as far as I can hear. Very few of the tracks here stand out, at least not in a good way. After two turns of this disc the only song I can remember is Jean Douce & Leela’s “Can I Touch You There, “ and that’s just because the title is repeated a lot. A…lot. Samantha Fox didn’t want to be touched this much.
It may not be strictly kosher to review one CD by direct comparison to another. But I am sorely tempted to tell you to seek out my review of Madame Mercury’s recent electro-flying CD and then add seven words:
“But Suzy Solar, on the other hand…”
You guys know I love my dance music, but this album is enough•or more to the point, isn’t enough•to make a man lose faith. Fortunately for all of us, that Peter Rauhofer fellow is still around to help us regain it (see upcoming review. Everything is connected, grasshopper).
Everything that made Mercury’s I Wanna Dance stand out as a dance music compilation is missing from this one. Under Solar’s fingers the music rarely swerves from the middle-of-the-road. This is music you’ve heard elsewhere, even if it wasn’t this mix or even these particular records, records that themselves aren’t much good for anything. Except annoying your electronica-hating neighbors, though granted, they are very good for that. Oddly, old-school Alphaville is even better. But I digress.
Suzy Solar wants this to be The Perfect Trance, and boy, wouldn’t it be great if it was? But perfection is harder to attain than that (ask Madonna. Either Madonna). This is the future sound of bargain bins.
Neurodisc: http://www.neurodisc.com/ • Suzy Solar: http://www.suzysolar.com/new/flash/
