Customer Reviews

Trouble

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

 

 

I would purchase Sandy Rivera on the strength of his past productions. I always felt "In The Night" was a banger that never fully got it's due in the club's. In fact I was kind of excited when I saw this release. I was hoping and wishing for more of "It's In The Lifestyle" -- this is NOT, and I guess it's a little unrealistic to expect more of the same. Sandy went for a completely different sound and that is what you are supposed to do if you are growing as an artist/producer/DJ. Do I like it -- the jury is still out. What I keep in mind is that Sandy has a global presence although the few times he has played NYC he brought it hard. World beat and ethnic music has greatly influenced House music and "Touble" is a reflection of that.

... "Trouble" is nevertheless quite a strong achievement. If "It's In The Lifestyle", the first KOT long play (released in 2000, after a worthy compilation "The Beginning", two years earlier), was surely the strongest disco-house output of that genre so far (and still is now, sorry Joey Negro...), "Trouble", as its title suggests, is a mixed bag of styles, emotions and production skills. And it's clearly on that last point that this album doesn't quite fulfill its promises: if the opening track "Make Believe" (featuring the GREAT Steve Edwards on vocals) is an 8-minute long epic that you wish would never end, most of the other tracks suffer from their edited format presented here. "Changes", "Another Day" or "6pm", to quote just 3 of these, are ended by fade outs making you wonder why Mr Rivera didn't let the goog times roll on a little bit more (a trick not used on "It's In Lifestyle", for some mindstorming results, as with "Young Hearts" or "Tear It Up"). Overall, "Trouble" sounds a lot like a man frustrated within its "vocal house" tag, and therefore wanted to show he can't be pigeon-holed into one single genre of its own: "Rain", for that matter (another tune presented in its full unedited glory), sounds like a tale of urban poetry littered by subtle beat trickery and wallowing strings, while "Dreams" (with its obsessing "Caravan"-inspired chorus - Duke Ellington must be dancing in Heaven to that one !) is a true smashing dancefloor cut(and one of the only two here, alongside the great "Through"), with vocalist Haze sounding like Dieter Meier from Yello getting back from some secret wild house party and ranting on what he experienced there (in his... dreams ?). If Sandy Rivera wanted to show how diverse his productions can sound, "Trouble" is a brilliant catalogue of these. But as a whole, it's a bit frustrating to hold such a long record (16 tracks in 77 minutes) within which there are few fillers ("London Fog", anyone ?) that could have been left over in the process. Had it been reduced to its ten best cuts, in their unedited form, "Trouble" would probably have outclassed its predecessor. But this almost minor weakness aside, KOT's second full-length is anyhow one of (if not THE) best CDs of 2005 all genres altogether. And if you're addicted (like me) to "Dreams", "Through", "Another Day" or "6pm", please notice that they all got released as singles featuring their full-length versions (a mere 10 minutes for "6pm").

Great CD, but get "It's In The Lifestyle" first if you haven't already.

I have always been a big fan of Kings of tomorrow and house music (lounge, deep, funky, you name it...), and therefore I listen to house albums with a very good ear. I must say, they have outdone themselves, and I've been thoroughly enjoying this album, the tracks are a fusion of so many different music styles which I absolutely love. So, if you take it from me, this album is a must buy...Hope you get is soon, so that you can be as lucky as I am...rea**

This is one of the best albums I have ever come across. Im a HUGE fan of house, just the lyrics on their own are amazing yet simple. Nothing sounds the same, they invoke emotions and make you want to groove all nite.

Buy it and support one of the greatest DJs/producers ever! :D

Kings of Tomorrow was a welcomed surprise for me! This one came out of nowhere to produce one of the best house songs this year so far! "Make Believe" is the song I'm talking about. It's catchy hook with its catchy lyrics just grab you. "Another Day" is a laid-back downtempo song that does a lot with its "simple" lyrics sung by an innocent sounding girl. "Changes" is another standout to me as well. Some of the other songs are kind of average, but the three songs I mentioned are worth the price of admission on this one. I look forward to hearing more from "Kings of tomorrow".