Colette: When the Music Is Loud Label: Candy Talk Records

Colette has been called the Queen of House, and those hard-thumping house DJ sets put her on the map. But on this album (her 3rd), she explores other musical styles, bringing influences from many commercially-successful genres of the so-called "EDM" scene. There's straight-up pop, dubstep/breaks-influenced tracks, and epic progressive tracks. The underground house community may critique her for doing all these more commercially-popular styles. But the truth is, Colette did a great job with them. Her vocals are sensual and lovely, and the best tracks on the album are the ones that work best with her voice. Those include #3 (Catch My Breath), #5 (Hotwire), #8 (We Feel So Hot), and #11 (Oasis). But there's lots to choose from, depending on the flavor of electronica you like.

1. "Best of Days" - Melodic progressive house with catchy hooks, warm synth samples.
2. "When The Music’s Loud" - Big dubstep-influenced electro basslines, driving synths and dramatic vocals; a slowed-down heavy beat.
3. "Catch My Breath" - Similar to Kaskade's work - lush and heavy synths, very catchy vocal melodies that work beautifully with Colette's sensual vocals.
4. "Electricity" - Colette slows down the tempo on this electro-heavy pop track.
5. "Hotwire" - A vintage 80s style acid-house track that's dirty & raw, but with Colette's smooth and sensual vocals - an unusual mix of glamour and grittiness.
6. "Physically" - Not as dirty as #5 but it's still acidic house, with pleading vocals here that add a tinge of melancholy
7. "Infatuation" - Epic dubstep-style electro drops, big synth swirls
8. "We Feel So Hot" - Huge broken-beat track with some dubstep influences - I had a chance to hear this live, and it was definitely pretty hot.
9. "Beautiful Tonight" - Lush vocals and fluttering synths on this sensuous pop track
10. "Worked Up" - Retro-sounding (80s-esque) dreamy synth pop
11. "Oasis" - Swirly synth-pop here, the bassline is catchy & the vocals are dreamy