Alice Deejay Who Needs Guitars Anyway? CD

Alice Deejay: Judy, Gaby, Jane (vocals).
Producers include: Pronti, Kalmani, Maes, Gielen, Van Der Kuy.
Alice Deejay: Judy, Gaby, Jane (vocals).
Producers include: Pronti, Kalmani, Danski, Delmundo, Van Der Kuy.
Recorded at Violent Studios, Hilversum, The Netherlands; Kamo Studios, The Hague, The Netherlands; Svenson Studios, St. Niklaas, Belgium; Made Up Studios, Leidschendam, The Netherlands; Hazardous Studios, Vianene, The Netherlands.
Personnel: Gaby, Judy, Jane (vocals).
Audio Remixer: Danski.
Recording information: Kamo Studios, Hague, Netherland (1998); Kamo Studios, The Hague, The Netherlands (1998); Made Up Studios, Leidschen (1998); Svenson Studios, ST.Niklaas, Be (1998); Violent STudios, Hilversum, Net (1998).
As anybody who cringed at the sight of the Spice Girls' Mel C performing solo gigs in a Motörhead T-shirt can attest to, it's not a pleasant experience seeing authenticity sold down the river. It's even less pleasant hearing it happen. Because chock full of bleached-white smiles and powdered trance-pop, this girl-centric "collective" from the Netherlands relentlessly pours on the three-minute co-opted dance tricks until even the staunchest defenders of cheese will be reeling in pain. At least there are moments of dexterous banality that provide some comic relief. Pop-tastic dance muscles are flexed in the singles "Back in My Life" or "Better Off Alone" (unsurprisingly both stacked early on in the album), and during "Will I Ever," lead singer Judy even coos, "Will I ever fall in love/And will you be the one for me/Na na na na wheeooh nanana." One has to admit that this amusing ghost-writing savvy might prove useful sometime in the future. For the most part, though, the rest of the album's insufferable 12 tracks recycle old ideas ("No More Lies") and sugar-coat once impressive underground movements ("Elements of Life") in such high degrees it's almost unbearable. Who Needs Guitars Anyway? is an album that seems to jiggle to the sound of cheerleaders trying to convince themselves they ever understood anything important. It's merely the musical equivalent of a shameless, trite photo-op. ~ Dean Carlson
Alice Deejay broke out with her release of her first single "Better Off Alone" off of her debut album "Who Needs Guitars Anyways?". Her single, which got heavy rotation on Dance radio and also in clubs, made it one of summer of 2000 best dance songs. Hailing from Holland and has the reputation of one of the best Djays around. Her sound more of a trance-hip hop mix gives her a distinctive sound that could get anyone out on the dance floor at just about any type of dance club. ~ Amanda Nusbaum
Featuring cuts varying from trance-inducing to high-energy, with WHO NEEDS GUITARS ANYWAY Alice Deejay makes an instantly positive impression. The Dutch band offers a winning combination of hard-hitting grooves and synth-heavy musical layers, laced with a high dosage of house.
On the danceable "Better Off Alone," vocalist and band supremo Judy uses subtle yet powerful vocal stylings to hook the listener in to the memorable chorus. Other noteworthy, up-tempo gems are the swirling filters of "The Lonely One," the intricate electronic eddies of "Will I Ever," and the pounding beat of the title track.