Slinkee Minx - Electric Dreams

One of the most eagerly awaited pop trash album of 2007 has finally arrived! Slinkee Minx's "Electric Dreams" was four years in the making and the wait has well and truly been worth it. Before I get around to reviewing the album, I would like to thank Annemarie, Michelle and Belinda for sticking with the project through difficult circumstances and respecting their fans enough to deliver one hell of a package. "Electric Dreams" contains 25 songs over two discs - all for the bargain price of $17! The tracklist is also incredibly comprehensive, including all their singles, B-sides (with the exception of "Tell Me") and most of their remixes. A lot of time, effort and talent has been poured into "Electric Dreams". I just hope the album gets the recognition and respect it so richly deserves.

"Electric Dreams" kicks off with the band's signature tune, their smash hit cover of Belinda Carlisle's "Summer Rain". That song peaked at #5 in 2004 and still sounds as fresh and irresistible now as it did on release. Slinkee Minx switch gears for the floaty, trance sensation that is "Falling Free". I can't believe this beautiful anthem wasn't selected as a single over "Someday" or "Way Of Life", particularly when acts like Cascada are riding similar but far less impressive songs to the top of the charts. By the way, someone please tell me what they are sampling! It's driving me crazy. I think it might be Ian Van Dahl but I can't place it. Speaking of "Way Of Life", their recent single follows "Falling Free" but sounds a little uninspired in comparison. The next tune is one of two songs the girls released to clubs during their two year hiatus. "Every Little Thing" offers a throbbing bassline and an array of wonderful bleeps courtesy of mrTimothy, who spoils the listener with two awesome remixes on the second disc.

The girls have a knack for reinterpreting old hits and they work their magic on Real Life's 1980s classic, "Send Me An Angel". The Slinkee Minx version is instantly catchy and strikes me as another potential hit. "Send Me An Angel" is followed by their second single "Closer", which reached the top 40 in 2004. I wasn't particularly taken with "Closer" when it was released and time hasn't made the heart grow fonder. The album continues with "Hold Me", another fun dance number and the gorgeous "Nu Love". "Nu Love" has an unexpected sweetness about it, the piano breakdown is lovely and the girls' harmonies are really quite superb. It's nice to see that mrTimothy is just as comfortable producing straightforward pop as he is creating club anthems.

Another club maestro takes over the producing duties for "Think You're All That". Josh Abrahams has created a funky anthem, which positively drips with attitude. It's not quite as brilliant as his other contribution, "Falling Free", but it's still quality. The next song, "You Turn Me On", stands out from the other tracks due to its latin vibe, complete with Spanish guitar. I don't think it quite works but "You Turn Me On" is anything but unpleasant. I'd be interested to know if the song's author, listed as B. Caruana, is none other than the fabulous and sorely missed B.J. Caruana. The first disc of "Electric Dreams" concludes with the band's third single, "Someday", and their other club release, "Dance Everybody". I've loved "Dance Everybody" since it hit the clubs in 2006 and I'm ecstatic to finally have the song in my collection.

Disc two of "Electric Dreams" is mostly comprised of remixes. "Summer Rain" is represented with two mixes, as is "Every Little Thing". Fans should also be familiar with the Studio B Mix of "Way Of Life" and the majestic Moustache D-Day Mix of "Someday". The band's fabulous cover of "Careless Whisper" is a welcome addition, as is the Mike Felks Club Mix of "Closer". It's nice to have all of the band's best mixes collected in the one place but the real highlight of disc two is the new material. The first new track, "U Could Be", is a bright and shiny pop tune, which would sound perfect on a warm summer night. The brass instruments are a nice touch. "Feel The Vibe (Mike Felks Mix)" is a winning club anthem, while "Someday Part 2" completely transforms the band's third single into a superb dance anthem. If only this version had been released instead of the lacklustre original!

The lovely ladies from Slinkee Minx have crafted an irresistible dance-pop marathon, which has been burning up my stereo for the past week. There is nothing deep and meaningful about "Electric Dreams". Instead, it is happy to deliver a collection of fun songs that will drag your arse to the dancefloor and that is fine by me. "Electric Dreams" is undoubtedly one of the pop trash highlights of 2007.

"Electric Dreams" is a fantastic package and belongs in everyone's record collection! You can purchase the album from Chaos, Sanity and iTunes. Check out Slinkee Minx's website and Myspace for more details.