Customer Reviews

Stronger

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is Kate Ryan's second album following up her debut "Different" from 2002, and having both albums I gotta say this is better and has more depth than "Different" cos Kate was more involved with the production and she also wrote several tracks herself which gives the album a personal touch. Here's a rundown on the songs.

1. Another Day - Awesome dance tune in true Kate Ryan-style and a great one to open the album. The chorus sticks to your head and gets you up on your feet in no time.

2. Only If I - Recent hit single in Germany with an awesome video and a catchy chorus to go with it. Great pick for a first single from the album.

3. Je Lance Un Appel - She got known with the hits "Desenchant?e" and "Libertine" sung in french, so naturally she includes a french song here as well. I don't understand a word of it, but it's a great song anyway. Only french song on the album, which is a plus cos I prefer Kate when she sings in english.

4. The Promise You Made - This is a cover of an old 80's song if I remember correctly but the name of the original artist escapes me at the moment. Second single from the album. Bit weird style but works well for Kate.

5. Hands Up - This is a song with more clubby elements in it with lots of pianos and it's really a throw-down kind of track that will get any dancefloor moving singing along to the lyrics.

6. I Like The Way - When this track came on, I couldn't help but notice how similar the bassline and some of the synth parts are to Deepest Blue's hit from last year, "Deepest Blue". Both songs are nearly identical but Kate does her own twist on it in a faster tempo. Kate's producers were obviously very inspired by that song when they produced this one. Some of the chorus lyrics get repeated a bit too many times here but it's still a great song with a thumping beat.

7. Scream And Shout - It's back to the trance sound here and this is another excellent song to get you moving.

8. Can You Fix This? - Funny song title and a good dance track but the bpm is kinda slow. Still a song that will work on a dancefloor.

9. Start Me Up - This song has really fierce synths and a great drive that will have everyone throwing their hands up in the air jumping to the music. There is one funny thing here though - there is a slight grammar mistake in this song. Kate sings "I'm a girl that's on a mission" and it really got me raising my eyebrows lol. The correct line would be "I'm a girl who's on a mission" but, oh well... :p One of my favorites on this album.

10. Hurry Up. - This was the b-side on the german "Only If I" single and it introduced me to the more housy side of Kate Ryan. This is a song about a girl telling her boyfriend to get away from her because he cheated on her.

11. The Rain - This is more of a laid back chillout song and it's entirely written by Kate herself. It's good although it could use some more drums and percussion.

12. We Belong Together - It's back to the uptempo style on this track and the organs along with Kate's vocals sound really awesome. Great beats as well. Second favorite here.

13. Hard To Reveal - Another dance track that really moves you and it also has deep lyrics about being able to see through the mind of someone else.

14. Goodbye - The album ends with a beautiful ballad which shows that Kate can do more than just dance music and her voice really shines here. A really beautiful song about the ending of a relationship where the girl finds it best to break up with her boyfriend because he was unfaithful to her. A very emotional song with heartfelt lyrics and a perfect way to close the album. Third favorite and maybe my most favorite song on here.

All in all, this is an excellent album from Kate Ryan and she is the proof that Holland can make excellent dance music that will get any party moving. I recommend this album to anyone who loves dance and club music, you won't be disappointed.

I discovered this spirited and hard-working (and stunningly beautiful, I might add) Belgian on Eurodancehits.com. The very first video I saw was her signature hit, Mon Coeur Resiste Encore. I was promptly blown away. Maybe it was the sheer energy of the piece, the offbeat subject matter (c'mon, she's singing about *screaming*), or...okay, it was definitely because it was in French. Man, even on Eurodancehits.com, FRENCH songs barely get the time of day, and you can imagine how popular they must be in the heartland of America.

Well, I've listened to Stronger, and I must admit that a short way through, I wasn't too optimistic about her English-language work. Mainly because some of it is barely distinguishable from all the other dime-a-dozen trance pop out there. But after listening to all the tracks, I realize that she was trying really hard (within the limits of trance pop, of course), and some of the songs, while not breathtaking, are in fact quite enjoyable.

In any event, I don't regret getting this one bit. Still doubt she'll ever be able to make any real inroads in the American music scene...not for lack of trying!...but I wish her the best wherever she ends up.

P.S - Please, *please* don't end up like Sarina Paris. That's almost too sad to mention.

Great songs: Another Day, Je Lance Un Appel, Libertine
Nice songs: Only If I, The Promise You Made (both versions), Scream & Shout, The Rain, Goodbye
Okay songs: I Like The Way, Start Me Up, Hurry Up, We Belong Together, So In Love
Boring songs: Hands Up, Can You Fix This, Hard To Reveal

I discovered Kate Ryan while visiting Germany in 2002 and I fell in love with her Dance, Trance, tracks and her voice fits them perfectly!!!! I enjoy this US release also and hope she continues with great Trance music!!! I recommend this cd to anyone who loves EuroPop and Trance to get you moving on the dance floor.

Ricky

I was so glad to finally get both of Kate Ryan's albums, which I've heard on her site for the past 2 years.

Stronger is another great mix of trance, dance & pop.

My favourite tracks are:

Another Day, Only If I, Je Lance Un Appel, The Promise You Made, Hands Up, Can You Fix This.

This version of Stronger has 3 bonus tracks, The Promise You Made (Extended), So In Love & Libertine. So In Love & Libertine are on her first album Different, although this version of Libertine is extended.

Kate's sophomore album, (her first U.S. released album) is among the finest pop albums to come out in some time. She has a charimatic, flexible, distinctive voice which is very enjoyable to listen to on the ballads and faster songs. She is also a strong and creative songwriter and has self-written or co-written all her songs, which is rare in Dance-Pop music. There are so many standouts songs on this awesome album, such as the dynamic Dance-Pop songs, "Hard To Reveal" which sounds a lot like a Britney Spears song, which is sure to be an immediate favourite with people who have this album. The Adult Contemporary/Pop ballad "Goodbye" is the third single from the album. It should do well in North America as it is all that an Adult Contemporary song should be. It's a bittersweet love song. The lead single, "Only If I" became a worldwide smash and is a favourite of many U.S. clubgoers and dance club music lovers. It's an awesome, extremely catchy Euro-Dance song which recalls vintage 1990's Euro-Dance. The second single, "The Promise You Made" is another awesome song which is not unlike an Erasure song. Other standout songs include the catchy Hi-NRG song, "We Belong Together", the Modonna-esque ballad, "The Rain", the the piano-driven Italo House styled, "Hurry Up" which could easily become a hit in the U.S. as it is addictive, you will want to listen to this song over and over again! The same can be said about "I Like The Way" which is an irresistible Dance-Pop song that's has tons of replay potential. One can tell this entire album wasy created with care and she sings every song well! If you love or like pop music at all, you will love this album by this talente singer/songwriter!

I hope this girl really gets farther than Europe, the CD is great and it's really very versatile and a must buy if you like Dance Tracks.

My favorite: ONLY IF I, which has a great catchy tune and chorus.

I def, have fun dancing to it.

This latest release shows Kate Ryan to be truly versatile, with a voice that is even more clear and beautiful than before. There are some very catchy tunes and there is nice variety through a mix of the familiar strong dance rhythms with some more refined, mature tracks. The first four titles are just super and there is more - Can You Fix This, The Rain, and Hard to Reveal are striking pieces and reveal a new, different Kate Ryan. I just keep listening to this album over and over again and it still keeps growing on me - it would be an understatement to say that I love it. Kate Ryan is definitely stronger!

Kate Ryan has a beautiful Voice..And a prefect dance tracks the one I bought has 19 tracks!...And her music has beats...It be cool if they'd release all her singles and full cds in the US..

I bought this CD since I read a revew which said it was a great vocal trance CD. In fact it has 6 songs which fit this properly, the 2 balads are ok two, but the rest sounds like cheap up tempo pop. Still 8 good songs makes it worth to buy it. Kate's yet far behind from artists like Lasgo or Ian Van Dahl

It really strikes me how well Kate Ryan is in touch with her music. The title on her latest album, "Stronger" suggests just that. She has defitnitely matured on this album alot, even her voice is more powerful and stronger than before. Her previous album also had the perfect yet simple title, "Different", because unlike most dance artist, Kate also poured a little of her own influences in it with some ballads and such. This is definitely an artist willing to take risk and not make the same album twice. You can be sure to see Kate venture off into other styles of music in the near future. Maybe even her very own pop rock album which I am sure for Kate would be a dream come true. Any Kate Ryan album is a MUST HAVE!!!