In the club

The two CDs today come from artists who have staked their reputation on being fixtures within the club scene  whether as performers and musicians, or as regulars and omnipresent entities. In the case of Pitbull, it seems that this year, everything he touches or gets involved in hits gold, and becomes club anthems. Solenn Heussaff is a new recording artist, staking her claim as the newest local “slash” artist; as in actress/model/recording artist/fashion maven/designer.

Pitbull  Planet Pit (Sony/Ivory). Singer-songwriter/record producer/rapper and Miami-native Pitbull has come far from his Cuban roots to emerge as one of the powerhouse names dominating the global club scene. Planet Pit is the hotly-anticipated follow-up English album, and if you love Pitbull, you won’t be disappointed! More on club and dance anthems than show-casing him as rapper or hip-hop artist, the album sizzles with guest stars and collaborators like T Pain, Enrique Iglesias, Marc Anthony, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Kelly Rowland, Afrojack, Vein, Sean Paul, and the list goes on and on. Especially liked Give Me Everything, International Love, Shake Señora and Castle Made of Sand. One of the original “slash∏ artists comes through!

Solenn Heussaff   (MCA Music). Approaching this CD with no expectations, I was pleasantly surprised to find Solenn in possession of a distinct, on the husky side, voice, in control of its range and capabilities. The songs and arrangements seem to have been tailor-made for her and there is a confidence and joy that is quite palpable. Her takes on Bruce Springsteen’s Fire and Sheryl Crow’s All I Wanna Do kick off the playlist; and I did like the rearrangement of Prince’s Kiss. On the down-side, Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn left me cold, as it had been stripped of its natural upbeat charm. Surprisingly, it’s the dance tracks where the energy flags, and it would seem her voice and delivery as better suited for the mid-tempo songs!