Dance Rock Reimagined| Posted March 03, 2017
Fans are used to hearing remix projects released, pop or rock projects turned into dance albums. But how about an EP that goes the other way?
Straying ever farther from their hard rock roots, Innova was Fireflight's foray into a dance and rock fusion. The cleverly titled Re-Imag-Innova EP takes a selection of the best of Innova and reimagines these songs as soft pop and borderline AC hits. Dawn Michele's strong vocals get to showcase their softer side throughout the EP, complemented by lots of piano and strings that make the songs a lot more radio friendly. It's hard to deny that Michele's vocals suit this style very well, and the originals still exist for the rockers and dancers.
"Resuscitate" sounds great as a more reflective entry, arguably better than the original, which never really clicked as a rock song for me. Michele is better able to sell the plea for God to breathe life back into us with this version. On the other hand, "Safety" was one of the original album's strongest cuts, and it doesn't seem to work quite as well as a more restrained ballad (or without the impeccable guest vocals of Stephen Christian). "Keep Fighting" and "Out of My Head" fare better in the transition, revealing some deeper and vulnerable aspect of the lyrics that might not have quite come through on the originals.
The Bottom Line: These reimaginings are an intriguing perspective on high-quality songs. Even if the results shine better on some songs than on others, Re-Imag-Innova is well worth a listen overall.
Song to Download Now:
"Resuscitate" (Get it on iTunes here.)