"Just Dance" featuring various artists

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It’s a curious thing when labels collaborate.  Sometimes, joining forces creates a greater whole, as seen with the best-selling “Now” series that’s been at it for 10 years now.  In other cases, it’s a head scratcher.

That’s the way I felt when I saw the new compilation “Just Dance,” a collaboration between dance label Ultra Records and major label group Island Def Jam.  It straddles an awkward line: there’s a few big names on here, such as Rihanna and Ne-Yo, with more traditional dance artists like Kim Sozzi.  It allows for the names to sell the disc while mixing in some lesser known dance artists to give the CD some dance cred.

Sadly, it falls short.  It’s neither as compelling as the Total Dance series, which plays more towards the major names remixed, and is not as credible of a dance CD as offerings such as Ultra’s superior compilations like Ultra Dance.

The CD, like others helmed by Ultra, is a continuous mix.  However, this is not noted anywhere on the package we received on our review unit.  It is possible that the retail version will have a cardboard cover, like other Ultra releases, that makes this more clear.  However, we feel it’s worth noting.

The disc is a hodge podge where sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. There’s more winners than losers here, thankfully, and that still makes the mix interesting, offering some discovery, which adds some value.

The Island selections make sense in many cases; Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Mariah Carey… all solid choices.  Their addition of Anastacia’s “Absolutely Positively” is a highlight of the disc.  The underrated singer has a killer lyric of being certain she’s unsure about what to do, and is loads of fun.  The Lionel Richie selection, on the other hand, falls flat, as the label attempts to milk what goodwill audiences have left with this latest dance mix. Duffy’s song, which was new to me, offered a good mix.  The Killers’ “Human” was nonsense in its initial form, and the six-minute remix featured on this CD is just over the top and useless.

Ultra’s offerings are a mixed bag as well.  It’s great to see Kim Sozzi featured fairly prominently on the mix, coming between Carey and Anastacia, with one of her strongest tracks to date, “Feel Your Love.” Kraak & Smaak’s “Squeeze Me” plays well in the mix, while Utada’s “Come Back to Me” is one of many winners on an album that’s worth checking out (a full review will be online during this issue cycle at metroline-online.com).  The album falls off the edge by the end though, and the last couple of tracks are retreads that aren’t necessary – Alina’s “When You Leave” rehashes, yet again, the “Numa Numa Dance” chorus, while “All I Ever Wanted” uses the same melody and beat found on tracks like “Daddy DJ,” and offers nothing new.

It’s nice to see a major label take dance seriously, and partnering in turn with a major dance label.  However, it’s hard not to see this CD as a compromise that fails to satisfy those seeking the hits.  It may satisfy some dance fans, but it comes a bit short of being a home run in the mixed dance genre.  Given a huge hit by Lady Gaga with the name “Just Dance”, was only recently on the charts, it seems like that track is but one of many glaring oversights that could have strengthened the album.