Crave Club Edition Volume 2
A mixed collection of the ‘hottest’ urban, hip hop and dance tunes, DJ Havana Brown’s Crave Club Edition Volume 2 is particularly American summer orientated in its release date and track selection – probably in an attempt for ‘Australia’s number one female DJ’ to crack it internationally.
Suited to parties where the crowd isn’t fussed by what music is playing and just want a party vibe, this album is a selection of tunes only really useful for this purpose. Brown should be credited for bringing female listeners further in to dance music, but a critically minded music observer will not think twice about purchasing this one.
Featuring the likes of Pitbull, Usher, Flo Rida, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Chris Brown says it all: it’s a turn-off for many dance music fans, and unfortunately for Brown the fans she may gain abroad will cause her to lose fans she has at home.
There’s limited variation and individuality across the record, and the clear mainstream audience focus only damages Brown’s musical credibility, if not her pay packet. The album cover itself is tacky and would be better off in the pop/top 40 section of the record store and away from the dance music section.
This could easily be a ranking of the US’ highest grossing and most played club tracks of the year, with nothing new or unexpected amongst the track list. The imagery and music Brown provides highlights the flakey, superficial things about clubbing and mainstream culture that aren’t what dance music is about.
TOM KITSON
