Umii - This Time (Remixed)
Written by Chi Chi Thalken on September 26, 2018In July of 2017, Los Angeles producer B.Bravo teamed up with Portland vocalist Reva Devito to form a new group called Umii, who released their debut album, This Time, on Fresh Selects. Now, a little over a year later, we get to revisit the fun we had with them as we get This Time (Remixed).
As with any remix album, there are two key factors to consider – the source material and those doing the remixing. As for the source material, Umii gave us a great debut album full of danceable R&B, songs that you can sing along to and dance the night away with. Frankly, I couldn’t think of a better album to remix. That brings us to those doing the remixes. We’ve got B.Bravo himself faced with the difficult task of remixing two of his own tracks, but he manages to do a great job of reinventing the songs and breathing new life into them. Outside of that, we get contributions from Salva, Trackademicks, More // Night, David Marston, Elaquent, Danny Dwyer, and Touch Sensitive. Some take the music in more of a house or disco direction, while others move into dancehall, but they all ramp up the energy and make sure that you’ll get your butt on the dance floor. The exception to the rule, though, happens to be my personal favorite, Elaquent’s take on “The One.” It’s a slow jam to beat all slow jams, with really unique snare and cymbal work along with a subtle mixture of global melodic samples that seems to hint that music and romance are universal languages. Through all of this, I’m reminded of just what a great vocalist Devito is, and how she brings a great ear for pop hooks and a real intimacy to singing voice.
This Time (Remixed) is everything you want out of a remix album. Umii dropped a great debut album last year, and this remix collection lets you relive the fun of that album, while introducing you to some new grooves along the way.
Title: | Umii - This Time (Remixed) |
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Label: | Fresh Selects |
Year: | 2018 |
Rating: | 8/10 |