DJ Eddie Baez
SUPERSTAR DJ EDDIE BAEZ VOL 2
(LOGIC/BMG)

The second full-length CD from the New York City–based Baez starts off in an awesomely sexy traxx-style groove — the song is " Inri, " by Robbie Tronco, who invented traxx, a version of house that features Latin habanera rhythm supported by " tribal " percussion and sound effects. And the disc just keeps on pumping, intense and girlish, from Lucrezia’s remake of Madonna’s " Live To Tell " through the fourth track, a remix of Kristine W’s " Lovin’ You " that has all the diva propulsion, glamor drumming, and over-the-top vocals that her own second CD, Stronger, most emphatically did not offer. Pushy, plushly orchestrated, full of pump and scream, Baez’s " Lovin’ You " raises Kristine W, ordinarily a business-as-usual diva, to the Loleatta Holloway goddess level. The funky overlay mix he uses to move from " Lovin’ You " into DJ RK’s barebones beat track " Horizon " sustains the ecstasy, but the non-vocal minimalism of the rest of his set lacks the warmth and glow that Lucrezia, Tronco, and Kristine W established. A 10-track session that climaxes before the midpoint can only disappoint.

Issue Date: August 23 - 30, 2001