Book Review: Diane Adams - Stronger in Your Hands

Book Review: Diane Adams - Stronger in Your Hands


So it's finally here. This on going story that chronicles the lives of Alex and Jared has hit the point where Alex is finally 18. Yes, we all know what that means. He's now legal to participate in more adult activities.


Capturing the heart, Adams characters are nothing short of breath taking. The trials and pain that each character faces stops the heart and leaves it clenched. The sadness faced by Alex's best friend, Stevie, will leave tears in the eye of even the most stone hearted reader. The flawless wording leaves nothing to the imagination of the anguish that each character bears in the story.


Fortunately, the story is not completely maudlin. There are some beautiful and uplifting moments throughout. The favourite being the very last scene where the older version of Alex and Jared are dancing together in a park while it rains after the fourth of July fireworks. The scene is moving and the words that grace the screen reveals just how truly intimate the pair are and the deep love and affection that they share.


Of course, now that Alex is 18, there is an entire other side of the story which is more focused to the adult readers out there. Jared is now introducing Alex, a man 5 years his junior, to the world of sex. It's not by any means smut in it's description. Instead, Adams has managed to made it sensual and fun. The interaction between the pair shows an entire new level of intimacy and shows just why The Making of a Man is such a heart warming series.


Do not be afraid to fall in love with the characters as their on going relationship is endearing and even after you've read the title for a second or third time. Every time you read, it feels like a voyeuristic look into the life of a couple who are committed to each other and their relationship . Thankfully, it also feels like catching up with old friends. 


Diane Adams has written a world in which you are welcome to join and love along with the people who are featured. This is recommended for anyone who isn't afraid of love in all it's forms.


Stronger in Your Hands is out now through Silver Publishing

Coming Soon: DJ Fresh feat Sian Evans - Louder

Coming Soon: DJ Fresh feat Sian Evans - Louder


So you know Sian Evans as the vocalist of Kosheen. She's teamed up with the amazing DJ Fresh and have dropped what is set to be one of the years biggest dance anthems.


This track is very dub step and, as a result, has come under heavy fire. Apparently, not every one likes dub step. Yeah, it is a surprise. Still, this is a testament to the ability of both Evans and DJ Fresh as they have kept their finger on the club pulse and have listened closely to what people are loving.


With Evans' soaring vocals and slick production on the part of DJ Fresh, it's an easily accessible track. Every time Evans hits the chorus, there's an urge to start pumping the fist in the air. This is certainly a collaboration that leaves most other recent releases in the genre behind. They have set the bar and they have set it high.


This is an exciting summer party tune (if you live in the northern hemisphere that is) that will rock the world around. Sorry folks, there doesn't seem to be a release date for the southern hemisphere at this stage... best bet is to add it as a favourite on youtube.


Louder is out July 3rd through Ministry of Sound


Have a look, see what you think:

Movie Review: Transformers Dark Side of the Moon

Movie Review: Transformers Dark Side of the Moon

Well here it is boys and girls. The final installment in the Michael Bay franchise and the movie he should have made instead of Revenge of the Fallen. Bay has it all this time around. Action, romance and comedy.

The first notable difference is the lack of Megan Fox and the addition of Rose Huntington-Whitely. There has been some less than friendly reviews about Rose's acting in the movie. Those reviews must have been written by jealous Megan Fox fans who were annoyed that Mikaela didn't return. How was that worked around? She dumped Sam apparently. Precious little gets said about the character which, for some of us, is a positive.

Also appearing in the movie is the legendary Leonard Nimoy. No stranger to the Transformer universe, Nimoy voiced Galvatron in the 1986 animated debacle Transformers: The Movie. Nimoy comes on board to play Sentinel Prime, the leader of the autobots before Optimus assumed the role.

Other stars pop up such as Patrick Dempsey, Frances McDormand and Ken Jeong. They have their own roles. Some you can't help but like. Others... well. No so much. They do give it a good go though, don't hesitate to believe otherwise. Of course there is also the franchise staples like Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and John Turturro.

For those not sure how Bay handled the movie, the answer is simple. Very well. The movie contains all the explosions of the second movie and the chemistry of the first movie and blended them well together. The fanboys and fangirls are going to try to tell you it was a bad movie. Sorry children, the cannon has changed and the original cartoon universe no longer applies.

The story is actually well put together with only one or two flaws but, all in all, isn't a bad yarn. The one that was heard most when leaving the cinema was "That's BS. How can there be Sentinel Prime in this movie when they said Optimus was the last prime in the last movie?" Apparently, people didn't actually consider that no one knew Sentinel Prime was still 'alive' until NEST soldiers told Optimus.

Without trying to reveal the ending, it seems highly unlikely that there will be any more movies in the franchise. Unless, of course, they decide to do a reboot in which case they're just going to irritate a lot of people.

The final verdict... it's a good movie. The audience, mostly, seemed to enjoy it. There's a lot going on in the movie and it's certainly a no-brainer. The story line is easy to follow, the one liners are perfectly delivered and the last hour is back-to-back action sequences with stealth, big bangs, fireworks and lots of oversized robots dying. The twist though, was perfectly thought up and well delivered. They say the third time is the charm. In this case, it certainly was.

Transformers Dark Side of the Moon is out now.

Music Review: Wynter Gordon - With The Music I Die

Music Review: Wynter Gordon - With The Music I Die


So you're saying that you've not heard this dance diva? She has dominated the airwaves since the release of her solo debut album Dirty Talk which hit number one on both the Australian ARIA charts and the US Dance charts. 


Gordon has also worked with dance mastermind David Guetta on his album One More Love on the track Toyfriend. Not to mention her rise to fame started with writing the title track for Mary J. Blige's 2005 album, The Breakthrough. She's also had a hand in writing no less than four of the tracks on Jennifer Lopez's latest album Love. Gordon also worked with other dance heavy weights The Freemason's on the non-album track Believer. Adding to her credits is her track Putting It Out There which was the theme for Sydney's 2011 Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.


Not only is this woman an amazing talent at writing outstanding songs, she can also belt out a track. With slick production and catchy lyrics, there is no way that Gordon's debut artist album isn't going to be something that classics are made of.


Opening the album is the title track With The Music I Die. It's catchy, it's got a good beat. It's also not the strong album opener that one would expect. It's a not a bad track, don't be mistaken. It's just not the great track that an album should open with. Gordon's vocals sound shaky and like she is competing with the music when she really shouldn't have to.


Thankfully, here to save the album is Dirty Talk. This Australian three time platinum selling album reminds us why Gordon is in the industry. The catchy lyrics and easy beats are made for your pleasure. With seductive lyrics that put Rhianna's S&M track to shame, it's not hard to realise why this song took the world by storm.


Continuing the mission the get you dancing is Don't Stop Me. It's got a catchy riff that will get stuck in your head and a beat that bounces amiably along and is perfect if you're one of those people who like dance music before heading out. Gordon's vocal recovery is strong and confident. The music is just as powerful but, thankfully, doesn't threaten to overwhelm Gordon's singing.


The tracks Buy My Love and Still Getting Younger are both happy and playful. They prove that Gordon has set a new level and standard for all future dance diva's to live up. Her talent shines through with her dynamic and, at times, almost ethereal voice.


The track Rumba features Kevin McCall and is catchy like you wouldn't believe. It's certainly one of the reasons that even if you don't want to buy the album, you should listen to it. Fusing together dance music and Spanish guitar playing, the track is such a side step into something new, that it can't be described properly. It's a grabbing track that you want to hear.


Dance maestro Robbie Rivera also pops up on the album. He works with Gordon on the track In The Morning. It's as close to a ballad as you're going to go on this album. The rolling music that comes in waves from ambience towards up tempo and then back down to ambient is all very signature from Rivera and suits Gordon's voice perfectly. It's a track that's designed for a Sunday morning recovery after a big Saturday night out.


Gordon closes the album down with Renegade which features Static Revenger.  It's, again, quite a side step from the general sound of the rest of the album. It's very heavily electronic with the beats and basic melody. It's quite an addictive song with the way it deviates from Gordon's standard formula. It's catchy all the same, so don't worry. Just be ready to have a bump and grind dance time.


Despite the shaky opening, the album is quite strong in it's production and delivery. One slightly questionable track out of twelve is pretty good stats by anyone's imagination. this is certainly not a 'one listen only' album. The more times you listen to it, the more times you hear something different which you hadn't picked up on before. She's our new dance diva and definitely has something to share.


With The Music I Die is out now

Music Review: Above and Beyond - Group Therapy

Music Review: Above and Beyond - Group Therapy


Baby you think you've heard good music, you ain't hear nothing yet. Above and Beyond have just dropped their follow up artist album Group Therapy and it's fantastic! Hold onto your hats, you're in for an exciting ride with this album.


You learned to fall in love with Above and Beyond when they released their debut album Tri-State, now learn to fall in love again. This release follows a similar, almost ethereal, trance sound as the last did. This time, however, it branches off into it's own unique path and redefines the talent that Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamäki possess and sets them firmly back into the spotlight. 


There is heavy temptation to refer and compare to Tri-State but that wouldn't be fair to either body of work because both are exception beacons of what is very right in the trance world at the moment.


If you did not understand the previous comment about how they can produce an almost ethereal track, listen to the opening track Filmic. It's a clever move on the band's behalf as it is almost misleading as to where the album itself will go. It's haunting and near spiritual with the serene beauty of the track.


Unsurprisingly, they do have vocal trance tracks on this album. Rather than polluting the album with a new singer for every track, they have used the same two the entire way through. Zoe Johnston has returned to add her stunning voice to five of the tracks which includes the outstanding highlight Giving It Out. The steady driving beat and up tempo make it easily one of the most enjoyable songs on the album. 


The other vocalist on the album is Richard Bedford. We've all heard the first song that was released off the album being Sun & Moon but don't take that as the penultimate song Bedford will be featured on. There's also the stunning track On My Way To Heaven which has an almost symphonic opening before ensnaring the senses and dragging them to the dancefloor.


Then, of course, there is the latest single Thing Called Love which is a strong reminder of just where Above and Beyond started. That's moving people on a dancefloor with heady beats and pulsing rhythms. If this track hasn't become a favourite at music festivals yet, you can't help but wonder why? This is trance. This is the track people want to dance to. This is the track that trance artists inspire to write.


For those who like pure trance track with just the steady beat that will get you moving, you haven't been forgotten. As mentioned, the album opens with Filmic but then you get halfway through the album and your senses will be blown open with Prelude. Don't worry, it's not a 15 second filler track that some artists do. This is sensory bliss that will have you amazed and moving your head in time up until midway through the song where the anthemic and symphonic music kicks and you can't help but raise your eyes towards the heavens in agreement. Just wait for the tribal chanting, you'll know beauty.


Closing out the album is the other instrumental track Eternal. It's a blended elegance between piano and eletronica. There's something spellbinding by this piece of work that you will listen to it repeatedly. It really is the perfect song to have as the final track on a release. It's serenity and beauty is seamless and just breath taking.




All in all, Above and Beyond make have taken 5 years to release this album but it's more than worth it. If more trance artists could follow in this group's footsteps, we would have any amazing world of dance music out there. This album is going to be a legacy. This album is going to get played for years to come, just like it's predecessor. This album will remind you why you fell in love with trance music. You want this album.


Group Therapy is out now through Ajunabeats Records

Music Review: Josh Gabriel Presents: Winter Kills

Music Review: Josh Gabriel Presents: Winter Kills


In a musical era where reproduction and mimicry are so common place, it's refreshing to find original work that stands tall above so many other acts. The stunning release of Josh Gabriel and Meredith Cal's work under the guise of Winter Kills is welcomed with open arms to an industry where astonishingly mediocre is considered highly acceptable.


The introduction to Winter Kills was made back in 2009 with the release of the club phenomenon Deep Down. Since then, the team have been in the studio, not only working on their own debut artist album but also contributing to Armin Van Buuren's last artist album with the track Take A Moment. 


The first thing that is apparent as the album takes hold is the innovation and unrestricted musical freedom that the duo have been given to create this brilliant piece of art. The slow pick up of the first track, Tomorrow, to the steady beat of the latest single, Hot As Hades, and onto the eerie Deep Down. The album is a journey that loops back on itself and, at the same time, keeps soldiering forwards.


Meredith Cal's voice across all the tracks is haunting and enticing. The songstress has found her niche in the market full of pretty faces and dainty voices. Her singing ability is genuine and refreshing. Her talent undeniable. When this is coupled with Josh Gabriel's 25 odd year career, there is something undeniably right about the release.


Surprisingly, they even include a cover version of I'll Stand By You. It's been modernized since the original 1994 release by The Pretenders. Cal doesn't try to replicate the sound of Chrissie Hynde's voice. She finds her own footing in the track and makes it her own. The two version cannot be compared as they are so unique and different that to say one is like the other or one is better than the other is to do it no justice.


Over the 13 tracks of diverse musical creativity, it is difficult to find stand out tracks as the pair have worked hard on each and every track. The success of the album will make that apparent to anyone who takes the chance and listens all the way through the album. 


As a debut, this is the album that many artists want to release. Showcasing an awe inspiring talent and commitment to the perpetuation of the music industry by providing a legacy that will live on, even if Gabriel and Cal choose not to continue with the Winter Kills project.


Josh Gabriel Presents: Winter Kills is out now through Armada Music

Music Review: Lady Gaga - Born This Way

Music Review: Lady Gaga – Born This Way

We all knew her return was inevitable. Following up on the world wide phenomenon first album, Lady Gaga is back with her sophomore album Born This Way. It’s bold, brave and exciting. From the Queen of the Kooky, she’s proven that she has what it takes to dominate the charts for a second time.

The best thing about this album isn’t that it doesn’t try to mirror the success of The Fame/The Fame Monster. Gaga has kept a similar formula for creating her songs but has also expanded. It’s quite easy to hear the 80s influence which plays across each track while still staying true to her dance/pop roots.

By now we all know Born This Way, Judas, and Edge of Glory but the show doesn’t stop there.  For example the opening track Marry The Night. When the track starts, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d just put in the latest Glee soundtrack. That is disillusioned pretty fast when the tempo and talent kicks in. It’s a great start for the album and you just know that you are in for an absolute treat with the next 16 tracks.

SCHIEβE is a brilliant club stomping track. With the start delivered in what, to an untrained ear, sounds like flawless German, the track is just fascinating and then after you get past the intro the heavy house music influences kick in and the beat starts. Please move to the dance floor and dance like you really don’t care.

Not content to remain in just the pop style of music, 

Gaga also dabbles in electro-rock with the track Bad Kids.  It’s an interesting combination which works to Gaga’s advantage. The lyrical content of the song is a story in itself. The younger generation who are, in essence, good people but have been told that they aren’t or are a ‘bad kid’. Those labelled a degenerate and those who have nothing the offer.  It’s a song to remind them that they aren’t the lost causes and they are still a person with a heart that is pure.

There’s also the track You and I which has a country influence. It’s not the banjo playing, foot stomping, swing your partner around country.  Don’t worry it’s not talking about the cows dying or the tractor breaking down either.  It’s a story about the joy of having something special with that someone special.

Closing out the album is Edge of Glory. It’s catchy and filled with that Lady Gaga magic that singles out each track as hers. Of course, it has the club influence interpolated with the trade mark pop music that Gaga is so renowned for.

If you were wise enough to get hold of the deluxe version of the album, you will be delighted with that second disc which contains 6 remixes for your listening pleasure. Included is Born This Way (Country Road Version) which was streamed by Gaga not long after the initial release of the song. It’s such a change from the usual music we hear from Lady Gaga but it’s certainly a welcome change given fact that it does show her diversity. Also included on the second disc are remixes of Judas, SCHIEβE and another remix of Born This Way.

Many discounted Lady Gaga as a fad who was disappear quickly after the initial craze. With the release of this album, she’s proven that she isn’t going anywhere and is a musical force to be reckoned with. The album is going to garner her more attention and loyal fans. Be ready for the world to keeping going mad for Lady Gaga for some time to come. Either get on board with loving her or keep quiet. Either way, Gaga and her army of little monsters aren’t going to be silenced.

Born This Way is out Monday 23^rd May 2011.