Albums

David Guetta - Poplife

Louise Evans 20/08/2007

Rating: 3/5

From rather more humble roots as a DJ in Parisian clubs in the early 1990s, David Guetta has risen through the ranks to become a multi-million selling producer, recording artist and promoter. As well as drawing in the A-listers to his club nights, his previous two albums have both well exceeded gold record status in Europe alone. Add to this three gold-selling Fuck Me I'm Famous club night mix cds, a record label and a DJ of the Year award, and his success is glaringly obvious.

With new album Poplife, Guetta is looking to continue his two-pronged attack - to produce tracks which work as well on a club dance floor as they do on the radio. The knack to being successful at this seems to be the right mixture of repetition and melody to maintain interest and forge a more emotional connection at home, which is what Guetta prides himself on excelling at. Each of the tracks features a stomping bassline for clubs, more often than not the first thing you hear, yet twisting around this are other elements which soften the effect somewhat. Guetta's monster hit 'Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)', which should be known to nearly everyone after being a top 10 smash around the world, is present on the album alongside other tracks proving that success was no fluke.

Long-time collaborator Chris Willis pops up for vocal duties all over the place; 'Love Is Gone' ventures into classic Guetta territory, Willis belts out the lyrics over a huge bassline building up to a catchy chorus. On 'Everytime We Touch' Willis gives a slightly more soulful edge to his vocals set to a pure club track. Poplife marks a first for Guetta in featuring co-writers such as Karen Poole (Girls Aloud) and Cathy Dennis (Kylie); Poole's input on 'Tomorrow Can Wait' lessens the prominence of the beat shifting the focus slightly onto the more melodious electronic rhythms and less powerful, poppier vocals. The influence of Dennis is more evident on her effort 'Baby When The Light'. The Guetta beat is removed and the result is a gentler pop track than the rest of the album; female vocals and an acoustic guitar give a softer feel and even the electronics have a more twinkling sound in places. It seems unlikely that Poplife will do anything but further cement David Guetta's place as a popular recording artist as well as a DJ. On this evidence we can expect to continue to hear him in the charts and clubs - just as he wishes.