ELEMENTS OF LIFE - TIESTO
It’s not as broad as its title suggests, but Dutch DJ/producer Tiesto’s third album is one of dance’s savvier recent packages. First single “In the Dark” plays on the modern rock trend, with vocalist Christian Burns belting a Killers-ish chorus in a perfect emo-boy whine. Charlotte Martin sounds just like Tori Amos on “Sweet Things,” and Amos remixer himself BT lends his radio-ready voice to “Break My Fall,” another crossover possibility for the proud mascara-rock fan. In between the vocals (including “Everything,” another ecstatic performance by Motorcyle singer Jes) are quivering slabs of indelicate club trance, all walloping bass and speedy staccato synths. Ten years after Fatboy Slim did it with breakbeats, Tiesto is blending trance with pop, with no apologies to dance music’s cognoscenti. Billboard
