Shivers

Enjoy Armin's finest work in the genre he was originally known for. Great production. Must own CD!

So this may not be a usual AVB album. And it does have a few slow and/or weird tracks, that are not his usual work. But, about 70% of the album is actually pretty good. This means that roughly 7 out of 10 tracks are a good trance. Any AVB fan would want to own this one, even if just for the Shivers only, so that his/her library will be complete. Oh by the way, there's a hidden song on the last track ;)

I just heard the famous song "Shivers" on videos, I thought just a reqular thing with no innovation but the song never left my imagination and now I know why Armin Van Buuren is truly an innovator in the dance genre. So MR Van Buuren Keep it up.

Not anywhere near Armins best work. The only song I liked was Shivers. I would highly reccomend Imagine it is much better.

For the most part, my love for trance has diminished in the past few years with hard dance taking over, a genre that I absolutely cannot handle. Of course, as we all know, electronic music, regardless of genre, is forever morphing, and trance is no exception. The big euphoric breakdowns and swirling and sparkling synths (examples of what drew me to trance in the early 2ks) are all but gone, but every once in a while, an artist comes out with a release that holds true to what made people fall in love with trance to begin with.Now, I'm not saying that this is an instant classic or that this is AVB's best work, but there are trax here that have classic elements. The first 3, Wall of Sound, Empty State and Shivers are all true trance trax, showcasing energy, nice beats, groovy bass lines and nice vocals. Being that this is an artist release and not a mix, there a couple of songs that just don't fall into the trance category. Golddigger, for example, sounds more like Enigma, just with filler vocals and an uninspired beat. But then, you'll find the real gems...Zocalo is by far my favorite on the album - a great melody throughout, with guitars a la ATB. It definitely has that classic early 2000 trance sound. The other is Serenity, a non-vocal number with driving, bass heavy beats and a great acidy, melodic breakdown. The only furrowed brow moment is the closing track, which is considered a "bonus". It's an all synth string, orchestral instrumental that IMO takes away from the album and sounds completely out of place. AVB could have closed the album with Serenity and called it a night.Regardless, this album has something for everyone: vocals, trax without, some with a Balearic feel, and others with a lot of energy. It's a really good cd and still shows Armin van Buuren is a trance king.

Armin has been mixing a blend of styles for as long as I've been listening to ASOT (which is a hell of a long time), and while it is true that he tends to champion uplifting trance more than any other mainstream DJ with the possible exception of Ferry Corsten, it should not come as a surprise to his long-time fans that he would use progressive, tribal or even tech in his sets and studio mixes. Now he has brought that versatility to his second ever artist album, and while his penchant for popular album mixing/production was never that of an Oakenfold or Tiesto, the attempt came off most pleasantly in my opinion.Previous reviewer, Armin was right; trance IS evlolving. It will never be what it was 7 years ago, and it's not even going to be what it was like last year. This CD reflects how Armin is evolving with it. Gone is the formulaic uplifting trance of yore, replaced by a selection of tracks that are not necessarily even in 4/4 beat, tracks that combine the sleek melodies of his earlier years with wicked techy basslines that remind one of Klitzing productions. Klitzing, minus the driving percussions and acid synths and plus a good dose of often unnecessarily cheesy vocals. It is a valiant attempt to try something new, which must always be applauded for one so well established as Armin; would it not be easier to just produce another uplifting trance album as many of you suggest he should have done?If there was one thing I dreaded when listening to this CD for the first time was the static repetition of used and reused motifs of years past, washed and watered beyond listenability, another ASOT 2004. I am glad to say, while there are pure trance tracks, like Serenity and ZoCalo (which is a GREAT track, don't let anyone tell you otherwise!!) there are also others, as I already mentioned, which use breakbeats, guitars and wicked basslines to shake up your listening experience to the right level.My one big complaint, Armin, is ALL THE VOCALS!!! There are too few instrumental tracks in the album, and this gets sort of annoying. I would have loved a nice ambient sounding instrumental track in there somewhere, sort of along the lines of Prodemium except with a nice chill beat. And some of the vocals are just plain bad; too cheesy for all but the most mainstream listener, which, I remind you, most of your listeners are not. For instance, the superb production that is 'Empty State' is needlessly ruined by some very subpar vocals.I also question the association with Remy & Klinkenberg; yeah Armin sometimes spins their stuff, but man are their two styles incompatible for production purposes!! The track itself proves my point. It is flat, sort of forced and entirely out of place in the album.Overall, good album, good listen, better than I expected, but far from perfect.