Dirty Vegas
Not exactly dance-pop as commonly defined byErasureor thePet Shop Boys, Dirty Vegas's self-titled album nonetheless fits into the genre. In fact, "trace-pop" is arguably the best definition, as it is the likely offspring of Madonna'sRay of Lightand Electronic's seminaldebutCD. Promising, yes, but the songs become rather indistinguishable from one another, mainly because the vocals--compressed and folky--lend a sameness to tracks that are otherwise diverse in tone and pace. About half the album really shines. "I Should Know" marries a thumping techno beat with a euphoric Disney-like wonderment. "7AM" boasts the best melody on the album. The instrumental "The Brazilian" showcases the song's strength underneath the homogenizing vocals. And finally, "Days Go By," featured in a popular car commercial, mesmerizes with synthesized bongos and cosmic rhythmic brush strokes.--Beth Massa