Rather than just stay in the realm of downtempo and do the same thing over again, there is a greater diversity of styles on VR2 from the trippy tango treatment of Gotan Project on S. Vaughan's "Whatever Lola Wants" to swing house style of Mondo Grosso on the remix of "Blues for Brother George" to Jaffa's soulful downtempo take on "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair."

Jaffa's track to me is the standout on the record, and I'm also in partial agreement that jazz lends itself better to downtempo treatments.

But that doesn't stop me from lovin' the hell out of this record. So what it if makes want to shake your moneymaker? Just bobbing your head gets old after awhile. GET OFF YOUR COUCH AND PUT DOWN THE CHEESE CURLS.

Obviously, the VR2 is going to be judged on a different basis -- the second record must live up to excitement and quality of the first and deal with the "sequel" detractors. Well, so far I think its doing well on both counts.

So thanks to Verve, almost 60 years after your inception, you're still one of the coolest labels on the face of the earth.

If you're like me and always on the look-out for a potential exercise/dance tape album that doesn't drone on or insult your need for smart music, here's a pleasant experience for your nerves! Whether it's the sensuous, pulsating "Whatever Lola Wants" (this song CALLS you to dance in a way you cannot fight much the way "Conga" by Miami Sound Machine did in the 80s) or the sassy, happy "Slap That Bass" you will not be disappointed. Finally an album with the moves that disco once promised but never really delivered (or at least in a way that didn't come across as cheap and unfulfilling .)

The reasons this album is special are many:

-"Brother Where Are You?" is haunting and evocative, unforgettable as is "Black is The Color of My True Love's Hair"

-"Do What You Wanna" is a party song in the spirit of the Isley Brothers or Marvin Gaye (i.e. "Got to Give it Up Part 1")

-"Soul Sauce," "Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries," and "Mama"
are great rhythm pieces that take you away to exotic places.

-"Angel Eyes" and "Here's that Rainy Day" leave you breathless with their beauty.

Some people may worry that messing with great artists such as Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald is sacrilege; normally, I would agree. But what you have here is a rarity: an album that merges the classics with the contemporary and comes marching out with respect, beauty and the original intent left intact. Clearly the artists who mixed these songs did so with love and gusto and what emerges is a smart dance album with a simple heart.

(Side not: You will also love the VERVE UNMIXED 2 album which keeps the original songs that are mixed for the REMIXED 2 album. It's a lot of fun to compare the original with the mixed versions and to discover that the source material is as wonderfully catchy and unforgettable as their touched-up sisters.
"Slap that Bass" on VERVE UNMIXED 2, for instance, will blow you away as if it were a leave blower on high octane.)