Dance gem remixes abound on this quick shot disc of 7 club tracks from budding British artist, Candy Rose.  After listening to Candy Rose’s Meet You In The Club for the first time, there will never be a last.  It’s that hot. The first 3 tracks are a trifecta of dance music body blows.

The race car rhythm and airy chorus of “Hooked on You” is an energetic start to the record while the bullet-like back-beat and synth frenzy of “Just So You Know” rockets in from outer space. The third track, “You Are Everything,” the strongest song on the album, has so much infectious rhythm in it that if indie electro-dance DJs knew about this Latin dance slap in the face, they would be begging to remix it.

The songstress explores Latin flavors of meringue pianos on the grinder “You Are Everything” and composes a dance party with sonic urgency on “Stop Talking.” The latter song brings with it a girl-power force that echoes early No Doubt à la “Don’t Speak,” or Janet Jackson’s “Nasty Boys.”  Even though Ms. Rose tends to experiment with different dance rhythms on songs like “It’s You That I Love,” she doesn’t veer far from the core pop hooks that make the songs so appealing.  But don’t be mislead that she would appeal solely to the commercial masses; deeper listening reveals more.

Although the majority of tracks are in the same vein as commercial pop and dance radio, there are undercurrents of progressive dance in a couple of the songs. “Now I’m Gone” possesses a Middle Eastern sound that eventually peaks into a trance-like crescendo.  It’s songs like these that fall outside the terrestrial radio realm.  This is the area where Ms. Rose can break the mainstream dance club mold, much the same way Santigold has done in the hip-hop world.  If Candy can push the edges the same way she does on tracks like “You Are Everything” and “Now I’m Gone,” her music will carry with it not only commercial appeal, but brand new audiences.

Meet You In The Club is one of those albums that can be played straight through a gym workout or long car drive to somewhere far and intriguing. One part dance party queen, and another progressive dance club vixen, Ms. Rose has the pop goods and dance music chops to break through both commercial and indie underground success.  Fans of Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera should buy this record now.

Review by Mike Morgan

Michael Morgan, Reviews Candy Rose, Meet You In The Club

Candy Rose knows how to draw you in. She knows how to create a beat that moves the heart and a rhythm that frees the soul. Her album A Rollercoaster Love will grab a hold of you and take you on a ride that you will never forget.

Tracks

“Stop Talking” – With this track listeners are introduced to Candy Rose’s downright catchy deep base vibes. This is the type of electronica infused club mix that you would expect off of Madonna’s next album; incredibly well produced and Candy sounds like she’s a seasoned veteran that has been at this for years. It’s not just her voice that sells it.  It’s her attitude. Certain artist simply radiate with attitude, and Candy Rose is one of those artists.

“It’s You That I Love” – This track takes your typical candy-pop sound and infuses it with R&B. The result is a soulful twist on what could have been a cookie-cutter song. At times the chorus is a bit too repetitive, but the techno influenced highlights make up for it.

“So You Know” – A simple pop/R&B track with a deep bass mixed with an orchestral melody. It’s not quite as catchy as the other tracks on this album, but it showcases Candy’s rich melodic voice better than the others.

“Just Say You Love Me” – definitely the premier ballad of A Rollercoaster Love. It’s a song that initially doesn’t seem like much, but grows on you over time. Candy may be more in her groove with faster pop tracks, but there is no denying the power that resonates from her voice in slower tracks such as this. Her voice is simply mesmerizing.

“I Just Miss You” – Absolute whimsical pop. It’s a slow easygoing track that’s easy to get lost to. The music is impressive with its mellow yet exciting vibe, and again it’s Candy’s voice that makes this song smooth, sweet, and soulful beyond words. It should also be noted that this song (and pretty much every song off of this album) is extraordinarily well produced.  It has that well polished sound that you typically find on Grammy-winning albums.

“Patrick Stump” – This track takes on more of a pop/rock sound. It works for the most part, but the music has room to grow, as it seems outside of its comfort zone like a kitten trying to act like a tiger.

“Take Me As I Am” – Candy again explores the pop/rock genre with this track. The music is an improvement from “Patrick Stump,” but it still doesn’t come off sounding natural. It’s a pity because vocally and stylistically Candy nails it. With a few tweaks to music to give it a near Moby vibe this track could potentially storm the airwaves and climb the charts.

“Hooked On You” – This tracks title says it all. It hooks on you. Candy Rose is the queen of hooks. With this and every track off of this album she seems to hold the uncanny ability to create rifts, rhythms, and beats that hook onto you and never let go. This is a pop song that brings to meaning to catchy. It has deep rhythmic bass vibes just screaming for the clubs and pop hooks (pardon the pun) that demand that this song be elevated to single status… Now!

“You Are Everything” – It’s songs like this that Candy seems at most in her element. This track isn’t her best, but still it has a simple sublime quality that makes it work.

“Tell The World” – Acoustic elements mixed with a deep base is a risky stylistic bled, but this track pulls it off beautifully. The smooth dream-like quality of Candy’s voice pulls it together and makes it work. It’s no secret that Candy credits the king of pop Michael Jackson as one of her main influences, and while her voice doesn’t really sound like his, something stylistically about it is definitively MJ.

“Now I’m Gone” – Big surprise here, but this song is damn catchy. It’s not complicated. It simply delivers pop driven hooks with a hint of a hip-hop vibe.

The Verdict

Candy Rose is the queen of hooks. Her songs are incredibly catchy and her voice has the attitude and soul of a pop legend. Whether it’s the clubs, the airwaves, or your iPod, A Rollercoaster Love is guaranteed to take to you on a ride.

Review by Zack Daggy

Reviews, Zack Daggy A Rollercoaster Love, Candy Rose

Imagine you’re in your mid-to-late thirties with a preschooler at your side and an impending work day breathing down your neck.  After fighting your way through your day as best you can, you arrive home to find a package inside your front door.  You open it up to find a CD from an artist you’ve never heard of before until that moment.  Imagine that, after the preschooler has been put to bed, you decide to make the album you’ve received a part of your wind down routine.  You begin to listen as you wash the dishes and prepare yourself for tomorrow’s daily grind.  Your ears take notice to the fact that the singer’s lyrics read like a list of breakup chronicles and you wonder to yourself if love is the only subject worth talking about anymore in song. 

Soon after that, however, it dawns on you that you are not the audience that this album was made for.  You take a step back to think things through objectively and ask yourself the following question:  Can you see a crowd of teenage girls knowing every word to these songs and singing along at the top of their lungs at a live show?  The answer comes back a resounding YES.

U.K. based singer/songwriter Candy Rose is going for broke with her debut album, A Rollercoaster Love, penning most of the songs on her own as well as producing and financing the release herself.  She describes herself as “camera shy,” so you won’t find one photo of her in the CD booklet, nor are there any snapshots found on her MySpace or Facebook pages.  A risky move, given that image is damn near everything in the music industry.  (FACT:  The first video aired on MTV was “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles.  You’re kidding yourself if you think that’s a coincidence.)  However, at the end of the day, image will only get you so far.  Sonically speaking, this album embraces pop music in all its forms, from dance music for the clubs to post-punk rocking out.

“Stop Talking” gets the album started on a high octane note as Candy lets her unfaithful boo know that it’s over.  Don’t be surprised if you see remix support from the dance community in the next few months.  “It’s You That I Love” seems like the perfect choice for a single.  Just shy of three minutes with a catchy chorus and sampled percussion as a drum loop, Ms. Rose reminisces on love shared and the combination’s a slam dunk.  Citing Fall Out Boy as an inspiration, she sets one song aside to let the guitars rip and sing the praises of “Patrick Stump.”  Outside of that, look towards the acoustic-led lament of “I Just Miss You” and the revelation expressed in “Tell The World” for engaging song arrangements.  Hopefully the combination of social media and the Internet will work to Candy Rose’s advantage.  May the artist and audience meet halfway and continue to build from there…

Reviewed By Jason Randall Smith

Jason Randall Smith, Reviews A Rollercoaster Love, Candy Rose