This review covers the house track Staxx – Joy (Mondo’s Pussycat Vocal 12″).
This track was released in 1997 as a single.
The track starts with a warped orchestral hit and a drum kit. After some effects, the drum kit fills in more. The drum kit then drops out, leaving just a synth melody. A synth effect is added. A secondary synth melody comes in.
From there, the vocals come in after an effect. This ultimately becomes a verse. Some strings are added. The vocals do take the track into the main chorus.
In the next verse, the strings briefly drop out before gradually coming in. The strings become more prominent as the vocals take the track into the next chorus. At the end, the track drops out, leaving just some string and vocal elements.
A violin element then comes in. Some effects come in as a high hat is added. Some additional synth effects come in for a moment. A kick with reverb added to it then makes an appearance. The violin is layered with other elements to take up more presence. After some added effects, the drum kit then comes in. The vocals do drop out after a bit.
The violin and some other elements then drop out. From there, the vocals make a return for another verse. The vocals then take the track into the main chorus again. This is backed by a number of elements that were present previously. After some added kicks, the track then breaks down again. The track is led out by some synth effects.
For me, this track has some pretty good vocals. They really give some life to this track. The backing elements also work quite well. When everything comes together, this track sounds quite well done.
My only real complaint is that this track does wind up being a bit drawn out. It’s not terrible by any means, but it is stretched out a bit in my view.
Overall, this is a pretty solid track. There are plenty of elements in this track that make this a solid one to listen to. The vocals work quite well. When everything comes together, this track actually sounds great. It might be a bit stretched out for my tastes, however, but this is a minor complaint as it’s not too bad of an issue. Still, a solid track all around.
Score
7/10
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
