Summer 2010 Music Recommendations

There is nothing better than some great tunes to accompany you as you strut your stuff at the local pool or beach. This summer has brought some great music along with it and it is my duty as a fellow music lover to share the goodness with you. I have been listening to a few CDs over the past few weeks and there are some noteworthy finds.

First and foremost we will focus on Aphrodite - the musical return of the now 40+ queen of dance Kylie Minogue. Aphrodite is very smooth from start to finish. By now Kylie seems to have perfected the exact formula for creating a very enjoyable album experience. The beats and lyrics are strong and catchy and even though she doesn't really deviate much from her previous records, her sound remains fresh and appealing. The best songs in the album in my opinion are: "Put Your Hands Up", "Looking For An Angel", "All The Lovers" and "Aphrodite" - I give this album a 9 out of 10 for heavily relying on previous successes instead of willing to experiment and grow further.

Next on our list is Kaskade's Dynasty. I must admit that even though I had always enjoyed Kaskade's sound I often found myself not being able to fully immerse in it due to its lack of lyrics. I love dance music in general but I tend to get bored of instrumental music quite quickly as I love singing along. Dynasty is a completely different story. In this new album Kaskade collaborates with various female artists to create a true masterpiece of both beats AND vocals. Dynasty has some amazing songs like "Fire In Your New Shoes" featuring Dragonette and my absolute favourite "Say It's Over" featuring Mindy Gledhill. The overall sound of the album is electro-dance and in my opinion Dynasty should be a part of anyone's CD collection. I give this album a perfect 10 due to the strength of its sound and the cohesiveness of the album.

Unexpectedly so, Taio Cruz also really delivers on his debut album Rokstarr. As of right now Taio is not very famous in North America but he is already quite popular in Europe. His album is a mixture of contemporary love songs, hip hop music, and club hits. His smash single "Break Your Heart" is a good indication of what the rest of his album is like - if you enjoy that song I am sure you will love the rest of the record. For a debut album Taio did a great job in establishing himself as a recording artist. I give Rokstarr an 8.5 out of 10 for strong and seductive vocals accompanied by sexy beats.

Another famous dance artist to re-emerge this year is Goldfrapp with her album Head First. Goldfrapp has been known to inspire artists of the caliber of Madonna. Goldfrapp's album delivers exactly what Kylie's misses - a unique and experimental sound that will undoubtedly aid in the evolution of electronic music. The now classic song "Rocket" is just one of the many examples in which Goldfrapp shows her masterful use of music as a language. Head First is a deeper album in all meanings of the word and as such it can be deemed as artistic. I give this album a 9.5 out of 10 for its originality and for Goldfrapp's ability to combine old and new sounds with grace.

The end of our musical journey ends today with a series of albums I stumbled upon simply by chance. I am referring to a compilation that gathers the best artists and songs of electronic music in the last five years and puts them together for our enjoyment. The Kitsuné Maison CD series is put together by the French fashion and electronic music label Kitsuné. Even though you may recognize some of the artists in this series I can guarantee that you will also discover some amazing new talents that will blow you away. To this date I am still grateful for having been able to come across these CDs as they are a true musical gem - a definite 12 out of 10 score!