Guetta leaves lasting impression with CD

David Guetta knows how to drop a beat. Walk into a club any night and you’ll probably hear a track from this electronic mastermind. Nothing But The Beat is the fifth studio album from the Parisian DJ and producer who has made his way to the top of the charts with catchy, danceable tracks. Showcasing his skills for creating complex, movement-inducing electronic tunes, Nothing But The Beat proves Guetta’s popularity is matched by his undeniable skill.

Nothing But The Beat includes tracks with and without vocals. Surprisingly enough, the star power Guetta uses in his tracks, with vocals from artists like Taio Cruz and Timbaland, pales in comparison to the expertise he shows in his instrumental tracks.

In fact, the only huge downfall of the album is that, despite collaborations with veritable names from the pop world, the tracks with vocals are not always successful.

Certain tracks like “I Just Wanna F-” show a disparate quality between music and the lyrics. The track starts off with scintillating noises, a beat muffled in the background before coming to the foreground with the fast beat of a snare. The pairing of singer Dev and Timbaland sounds like a pop/dance match made in heaven, but the lyrics they sing are horribly cheesy. The track incorporates the theme of the alphabet with poorly written lines like, Imma L, M, N, O in your Ps and 26 letters of pleasure with me, which are close to being clever but end up sounding comical. That being said, the loud beat mixed with the daring and repetitive chorus “I Just Wanna F-” will likely make this song a party hit.

It’s disappointing that Guetta’s beats couldn’t be paired with better lyrics. Tracks like “Turn Me On” and “Little Bad Girl” only continue the trend of weak songwriting, trite situations and wasted opportunities.

But if you were looking forward to powerhouse collaborations that gave the best of the dance and the pop world, you need not be completely disappointed. A few gems, including the already chart-topping “Where Them Girls At,” manage to mesh Guetta’s adroit mixing with quality melodies and writing.

“Night of Your Life,” featuring Jennifer Hudson, is one of the most engaging tracks on the album. Though Hudson might not be the first person to come to mind when thinking of dance music, she manages to infuse the track with a sass and vocal dexterity that comes easily. Guetta pairs his high-energy sounds with Hudson’s range to create a song that is both dance-worthy and full of talent.

Similarly, “Nothing Really Matters,” featuring the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am manages to show a chemistry some of the other tracks lack. Here, Will.i.am’s club-friendly voice meshes with Guetta’s artfully placed sounds, including violin notes that turn the track into an equally sentimental and groovy tune. The chorus is aggressive in the best sense, making it hard for listeners to stay still.

But Guetta’s true talent is best appreciated in the tracks where he can show off his electronic slickness alone.

“Glasgow” sounds like something that could be in an action movie. The rhythm stays pretty much the same but is transformed as Guetta alternates between making it deeper then crisper, and faster then slower. He builds up the tension expertly and presents layers of sound that creates a momentum that is irresistible.

But it’s “Toy Story” that takes Guetta’s finesse into a new level. The track begins simply before blossoming into a multi-layered tune that perfectly meshes an accessible beat with robot-like sounds that make you feel as if you’re entering some sort of dance video game.

Guetta aptly gauges where to slow down the track and build tension in order to create a satisfying dose of beautifully frenzied noise. He also pays attention to the details of the track, throwing in simple sounds to create a complex whole.

Near the end, the sounds get more dubstep-like and the beat slows as Guetta shows off his penchant for intergalactic noises. “Toy Story” is almost Daft Punk-like at moments, but Guetta’s talent for mixing a variety of tunes and making them coexist beautifully in one track is a talent all his own.

Though not every track on the album is a club hit or even a chart-topper, each track has obviously been carefully crafted and thought out by Guetta. In paying attention to even the smallest of details, Guetta has crafted something that will certainly keep electronic music lovers coming back for more.