DJ ALEX GUTIERREZ / REWIND1039 /DISCO96fm / SOUTH FLORIDA DJ ASSOCIATION
George Lamond’s music back in the day was labeled as ” Freestyle” when he first came to the scene in 1989 with his debut single “Bad of the Heart” Although the quality and production values of his material, as well as his vocal range set him far apart from your average Freestyle singer. His album, also titled Bad of the Heart, included singles: “Without You”, “Look Into My Eyes” and “No Matter What” ( A Duet with Brenda K Starr.) Djs like myself immediately embraced his sound and enthusiastically played his tracks throughout the night.
For the last several years Freestyle music has enjoyed a resurgence and concerts all over the country have called upon LaMond as a feature or in many instances a Headliner for their shows. His vocal delivery and range have not suffered with the passing of the years , unlike many other performers of that era who routinely rely on backing tracks to augment their failing voices. (No names will be mentioned here to protect the innocent ). One complaint I have with many of these artists , and very few have pulled this off, is that they often try to change styles when they release new material. Again LaMond has succeeded in this department as well, releasing ” Entrega” his Salsa album in 1999 which gave us ” Si te Vas” a huge salsa dancefloor hit here in Miami in 1999 . I played the Remix expertly crafted by Baron Lopez.
Some of the Freestyle artists often try to delve into ” House versions” or EDM inspired versions of their old hits with laughable results and even worse when they perform these ” new versions” at their concerts , they are met with blank stares and confused looks as if they had gone into a Chinese restaurant and had been served pizza. Again LaMond has triumphed here as well with his dance version of Journey’s ” Don’t Stop Believing” a feat only a real vocalist could undertake. The result, a faithful reproduction of the original , familiar to audiences and acceptable at live performances.
On his new single ” I Believe in You” George does , what George does best. A solid Freestyle period track ,incorporating some very familiar ” Judy Torres style” percussion loops that work well on this track . We even get a call back to those cascading violin hits that were prominent in his songs of the past. From start to finish the track pleases all of our nostalgic desires as well letting you know that George has still got it, vocally and lyrically. It’s exactly what we expect from artists of this era when they announce a new release. Get in your ride open all the windows like it’s 1989 and crank this joint up. You’re going back in time and man, does it feel good!!