Customer Reviews

Power of One

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Well, I finally picked up this new CD maxi-single of Donna Summer's "Power Of One". As is the fashion these days, Donna's original ballad version (from the "Pokemon 2000" soundtrack) is transformed into 4 powerful dance mixes through the talents of remixers Jonathan Peters and Tommy Musto. This CD single contains three club mixes, and one dub mix.

First off, one qualm I had about the CD is that three of the tracks were mistakenly labelled as being longer than the tracks actually were -- all three were off by at least a minute. But aside from that, the four mixes contained in this single are all very well done.

Both of the Jonathan Peters mixes (Club Mix, Sound Factory Mix) are pretty hard and heavy sounding, as is his style. The J.P. Club Mix is a bit easier to listen to, whereas the Sound Factory Mix gets quite loud and overly intense at certain points in the mix. These two mixes are probably more suited to dance club enthusiasts than pop-music lovers.

For the pop-music lovers out there, the Tommy Musto Vocal Mix is the gem on this single. For this mix, Donna completely re-did her vocals. Because of this, the mix doesn't suffer from the Mickey Mouse-style speeded-up vocals of the Jonathan Peters mixes. This mix is an impressive fusion of pop, funk, and jazz elements, and that combination of styles works surprisingly well together. The background vocals add an interesting dimension, as does the frequent saxophone wailing in the background. The style of this mix is unlike any other of Donna's previous remixes, and that is what makes this mix such a joy and a treat to listen to.

The Tommy Musto Gel Dub is a typical dub mix, meaning a heavy beat with very little vocals - mostly samples, etc. It still is interesting to listen to, but it is not nearly as impressive as his Vocal Mix. This mix is also more suited to a club environment.

With that being said, this CD single of Donna's "Power Of One" remixes is definitely a worthwhile purchase. By far the best mix is the Tommy Musto Vocal Mix, but both Jonathan Peters mixes also provide some entertainment. These mixes prove that time and time again, Donna Summer is the queen of dance....and will always be!

While the orginal ballad version of this Song deserves merit, the club mixes on this disc, really soar. (espeically the Jonathon Peters mixes) The sound factory mix provides a little extra omph!! There is no denying the power of Donna Summer. Her voice is still an amazing instrument to behold. She is truely the greatest Dance Diva of any decade. She seemed to lay low for most of the 80's and 90's. But she came Back in 2000 as a force to be reckoned with on the club scene and Billboard Dance Charts.

I was so excited when I bought this CD, but soon delusion has grown bigger then excitement.The Power of one is a beautiful song and in the CD single (ballad version) Donna delivers it with a wonderful voice. These remixes cover her voice with noises and bumping (especially the two of John Peters)producing a not so good dance song. I like the Tommy Musto vocal version in wich Donna has rerecorded the voice and the sound is more jazz and funky. Very nice dance song. However if you like Donna's voice buy the CD single. Only for Diehard Fans. As I am.

This was the last CD Single of Donna that I wanted to buy to complete my collection. I cannot stomach the Pokémon craze, and I thought that she may have taken a dive doing this song; but, upon hearing it, I was floored with its rhythmic grooves and, of course, that voice that can carry any tune. The Tommy Musto Vocal Mix is indeed the best remix here. I still haven't heard the ballad version, but I can imagine it well. If you like Donna Summer, you must have this. You'll be as surprised as I am, and enjoy this single immensely. The lyric might well be shallow, but it does have its moments of power.

This CD Maxi Single includes four mixes of Donna Summer's song, 'The Power of One'. Jonathon Peters' Club Mix is a bit techno, a bit trance, and a bit disco. A heavy club mix of a song from a movie that was for five- to ten-year-olds? Bizarre! This incongruity, the quite contrived melodic phrases in the background and the kitsch lyrics of the song prevent this mix from making it as a serious dance track. The Tommy Musto Vocal Mix is great - The fantastic saxophone sound, wonderful snatches of keyboard trickling in and out of the mix, bouncing bass and the wa-wa guitar sound are reminiscent of some of Donna's early, more breezy recordings, such as 'Spring Affair' and 'Summer Fever'. Unfortunately, Donna's vocals, re-recorded to match the uptempo arrangement of this mix, aren't her best on this track. The other two mixes have a heavy club flavour. There is no doubt that the guys who mixed the tracks have made some interesting sounds, but perhaps the song itself did not lend itself to their style. Although not the greatest CD around, any Donna Summer fan will enjoy having this in their collection.

Come on people, Amazon and sellers who create these lousy pages with no pictures or information, you are giving online selling a bad rap!

TRACK LISTING:

1. Jonathan Peters' Club Mix 8:18

2. Tommy Musto Vocal Mix 9:16

3. Jonathan Peters' Sound Factory Club Mix 10:21

4. Tommy Musto Gel Dub 7:29

A sweet pop ballad by Disco/Dance diva Donna Summer gets the dance remix treatment, putting Mrs. Summer back into the dance groove were she has really made a name for herself therefore she is really at home with these remixes which could have easily been the original version.

My favorite is the Tommy Musto Vocal which sports a more soulful and bouncy feel opposed to the techno-infused JP versions.

Well, here we are, barely a year removed from Donna Summer's triumphant return to national consciousness via her VH1 Live And More concert special ... and already she's reduced to singing the theme to the Pokemon sequel. This is quite possibly the worst song Summer has ever sung, its lyric seemingly lifted word for word from a superhero comic book. The remixers, Jonathan Peters and Tommy Musto, turn in passable work; Peters brings his usual bouncy, over-the-top progressive style, while Musto's mixes are thankfully a bit lower-ley, leaning closer to garage. Of course, Summer's pipes sound as good as ever -- because she's so closely associated with disco, I think many people are dismissive of her talent, but any objective listen would reveal that she indeed has incredible power, depth and range. If you need evidence of this, then skip this tragic release and instead buy the VH1 live CD. There, not only does she prove (again) that she can deliver live, but also the two new studio tracks are terrific, certainly better than anything here. For die-hard fans only.

Geez... Did the rest of the reviewers listen to the same tracks as the ones I did on the CD? This is a beautiful song, and it works as a power ballad and as a dance/club mix. The artists worked very hard on this recording and it's wonderful. Mark Chait is a talented musician and composer, and I hope this will lead to bigger and better things for everyone involved. The record label hasn't been marketing this ballad in America in the right way... Why? Who knows... It should have been nominated for several music awards, because it would have stuck in the minds of the voting members, regardless of where the song originated from.

As far as the other reviewer is concerned, these lyrics say a lot about the human soul, and the way we can change "poison into medicine". In other words, they're i-n-s-p-i-r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l, with some positive Buddhist overtones. Something that this world needs more of!

The tracks are well crafted and could get a lot of additional mileage with additional recording artists covers (Hello Celine Dion, Linda Eder, Sandi Patti, Barbra Streisand... take a listen to this song!).

Okay, so there is justification for Donna Summer bringing herself back on track. However, her most recent hit single, The Power of One (featured on the soundtrack to Pokémon The Movie 2000), can't get into my list of favorite songs. It didn't make me cry. Even "The Prayer" brought me to tears harder. Although often pretty, this song just doesn't cut it, even if there are 100 remixes.