Maroon 5, Robyn

 
Flying high on her successful U.S. Tour (and her especially excellent New York shows), Robyn continues her winning streak with Body Talk Pt 2. The second part in a trilogy of albums issued this year, this latest installment gives us lots to talk (and dance) about. Easily as strong and consistent as its predecessor, Pt 2’s songs are a delicious mix of Robyn’s signature quirky pop—riding the line between lovelorn, bittersweet dance tracks (like “Love Kills” and sensational “Include Me Out”) that have proved her greatest success, hip-hop-infused electro (“U Should Know Better” featuring Snoop Dogg), and more humorous, clever tracks. The latter category includes “We Dance to the Beat” (similar to Pt 1’s “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do”), where she goes off on everything from bad kissers to corporations consolidating assets, and “Criminal Intent,” which has Robyn getting busted for getting too excited and ripping off her clothes on the dance floor when they play her song. The acoustic version of “Indestructible” leaves us with unyielding excitement for Pt 3—where the song will undoubtedly get reworked for the next edition (as current fantastic lead single “Hang with Me” is here after appearing acoustically on Pt 1.). It’s already a winner! Meanwhile, “Hang with Me” has been issued a separate remix package include reworkings by Starsmith, Avicii, Kaiserdisco, Reset! and Hot City.
 
Speaking of sequels, Usher returns with Versus, a companion EP to his Raymond Vs Raymond album. Capitalizing on the success of urban dance hit “OMG” (Raymond’s breakout single), Usher largely focuses on the dance material here—most notably in the standout lead single, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love (featuring Pitbull),” which has already gone Top 10. The others don’t quite match the hotness of “DJ” and at times it feels more like a B-sides EP than a standalone release, but “Hot Tottie” offers some slamming beats and features Jay Z while “Love ’Em All” will get urban heads bouncing with its classic Usher feel. On the less exciting side: “Stranger” hijacks Keri Hilson’s “Return the Favor” synthesizer with a far less bumping track.
After the success of their 2006 album, Sound Advice, and club classic “Lola’s Theme,” the Shapeshifters (a.k.a. Shape:UK Stateside; a.k.a. producers Simon Marlin and Max Reich) are finally back with a new single, “Helter Skelter.” The synth-driven track doesn’t have the soulful vocals their previous efforts are known for, but it does offer a more electro-house sensibility that’s catchy and fun.
 
Another band we love, Maroon 5, has a new remix package for their latest hit, “Misery.” Offering misery-free mixes are Bimbo Jones, Cutmore, Diplo and Dylan Dresdow with all the tracks bright and leaving any gloom behind.    N