A New Dance Lifter - “I’ve Got 2 Believe”

Aug. 18, 2009 - PRLog -- NEW YORK, NY -- I was in a hurry finishing several home cleaning projects while in between writing assignments. A new dance track was already assigned over to my desk and waiting for review. Just another unknown dance tune and producer trying to get “noticed”.  I thought I’d give it a quick listen while I organized a few shelves in my home office. After listening to only 20 seconds, I was forced to stop and sit down. Without knowing it, my house cleaning took second place as this track seized my body emotionally! What was submitted was a 7 and a half minute track! Longer than your typical 6 minute club extension! Although unfinished, the vocals, the sound, the arrangement, the theme and the composition overwhelmed my imagination. Generally, dance tracks just persuade you to… dance, right? In my entire career, I have never heard anything like this.

“You want drama? This dance track will give you drama!”

“I’ve Got To Believe” is a love-journey into heroic happiness. An, ‘I can do anything’ dance theme, but not your ordinary, ‘I can do anything’ dance theme. It starts off dramatically setting up the ‘broken heart’ and then discovering all you simply need is… ‘you’. Eventually this leads into a stronger and improved love. The lyrics are concise and to the point, pouring out through deep thought and emotion.

I was submitted an edit-mix properly titled, “I’ve Got 2 Believe-‘I Need a Hero’ Edit Mix”. I was confused at first, but after listening into the first minute, it made sense right away. This edit version (not the original) presented the old familiar idea from the Bonnie Tyler tune about desperately looking for a lover you deserve and feel safe with … and then takes a 360 into a new improved theme suggesting that sometimes it’s a good idea to first feel safe with ‘you’, before looking for someone else. In other words, YOU are the “Hero”. Interesting. No dance track that I know of has ever been able to accomplish that.

“Dr. Phil, eat your heart out!”

Written and sung by recording artist and Broadway actress, Raquela, her skillfully power-driven voice pierced at me with so much determination. I could feel her cutting through her own veins. I apologies for the detailed description, but there is no other way to describe her performance. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear the vocals well enough, possibly under compressed, with perhaps too much high end. Not to mention, there was a spot where her long held notes may have gone flat, but I remind myself this is an un-mastered recording. Every day, I listen to so many dance recording artists calling themselves ‘singers’. This IS a singer. This is a vocalist. It’s clear she “gets it”. I rarely write about dance vocalists like this because it only ends up sounding so cliché, but here goes… I had chills, and then… I cried.

“Compelling!”

But wait, it gets better. Composed, arranged, co-written and engineered by producer, Keith Kemper, this track WILL take you on a persistent voyage. If you listen to this song, you MUST hear it from beginning to end. Keith is relentless! During the first 3 minutes, he punches you from the left with emotional transitions. I found myself happily exhausted. Then there was the next 2 minutes. As I mentally rushed around looking for a seat belt, my soul was lifted, flown through the eye of a violent yet hypnotic hurricane in the middle of the Caribbean Sea. (Sorry for the metaphors) Just when I though it couldn’t go any further, Keith strikes at me again from the right, with an encore arrangement of remarkable elements. When the track was over, it was too soon. Although its familiar melody was already stuck in my head, I still caught myself playing it over and over again. I needed to continue feeling whatever it was that Keith Kemper’s track forced me to understand. Considering his background and experience as a composer and writer, I’m should not be surprised at all this. This dance track’s theme is melodically accomplished. Bravo Mr. Kemper.

“Riveting!”

But the “icing on the cake” is to be applauded to award winning DJ and producer, Juan Valentine. I never thought I’d write like this about a proclaimed DJ, but his direction is ultimately what got this track to where I feel it successfully needed to be. His choice in vocalist and composer couldn’t have been any finer. I mean, I’m still on a high feeling like a superman. I would think it to be dangerous to put something like this together. In order for mastery of this level to materialize musically, you would have to understand how to paint with music. Most importantly, you would have to understand true inner self. Without a doubt, if he was trying, Juan has certainly achieved that mission. Where did he come from and why haven’t I ever heard of Juan Valentine before? As I dove in deeper into Mr. Valentine’s background, it’s no wonder why. I learned of his humble beginnings that lead into so many celebrity collaborations he initiated alone. He’s known to be one that doesn’t feel its right to announce self-made accomplishments. He had been quoted often, “For the love of music first, before yourself”, or something to that effect. I hope he will forgive me for giving him mandatory credit in this review; after all, he is the mastermind behind this stunning piece. I must thank Mr. Valentine. I hope this review will encourage him to continue producing collaborations like, “I’ve Got 2 Believe”. I have a feeling, he already is.

“I’ve Got 2 Believe” What of its fate?

I know everyone is tired of hearing me write about this one subject, but once again, another talent has influenced me to bring it up! Every day, there’s a about a thousand new wealthy individuals cashing into the music business and getting away with calling themselves an “artist”, only to bury genuine artists like Keith, Raquela and Juan into a dust of music-submissions. What can they do to help pull them out and find “I’ve Got 2 Believe” a fair and legitimate notice? Money from a sponsor? A simple mass message from several private email accounts? Because of how the internet has taken over the music industry, it would require so much more. Perhaps the CEO of myspace, or iTunes, Facebook or even Sony and Microsoft? That would do the trick. Ah, wishful thinking. If it could only be that easy. Since “I’ve Got 2 Believe” is un-mastered and not being released, I am told they are first seeking television and film. I think this is a brilliant and more realistic start.


Appropriately edited into a video/fan-promo, spinning off into NBC’s television series, “Heroes”, I invite all to watch “I’ve Got 2 Believe” on Youtube. I invite all to leave comments and rate it top star. I invite all… to invite all. Its tracks like this we need more of. Maybe soon someday I’ll turn on my XM radio and pleasantly hear a fully completed, “I’ve Got 2 Believe” while finally finishing this mess I still have in my house!

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-Sal I. Amad is a music critique and assignment writer for Associated Content’s Music section in, “Arts and Entertainment”. He reviews Philharmonics, Gospel, Rock, Pop, Musical Theatre and Dance/Electronic.

www.associatedcontent.com/music

The Video Promo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rea64NGc0A