Divas Take Back the Dancefloors

This week, it was evident on the Billboard chart end-dated January 18, and on some promos that came across my desk and Internet, that there are some major, power-house divas ready to reclaim the discos! 2014 is starting off with a divalicious bang.

Deborah Cox's "Higher" (featuring Paige) is now #2. Ms Cox, who performed last summer at NYC's awesome Gay Pride pier dance, opening for Cher,  http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2013/07/on-pier-with-cher-and-hot-cox.html is always a welcome figure on the charts. Hopefully, she'll be taken even Higher next week to the heavenly #1 spot.

As for Cher, "Take It Like a Man," from her fab new album, is currently on the rise at #7, thanks to a bevy of robust remixes. The best of them is no doubt Tony Moran's Destination mix, a big-room rouser. I also particularly recommend UK's 7th Heaven EuroNRG revamp.

At #3, we have none less than Celine Dion, buoyed by the remixes of  "Loved Me Back to Life." She is seriously loved back to life by club-goers with this one. Although I prefer an unreleased LFB mix I heard months ago, it seems the only official remix is Dave Aude's club version. Good, mainstream remix for sure; it's a guaranteed floor-filler.

Kristine W, a diva's diva, peaked at #2 with "So Close to Me." Nine weeks on the charts, it currently hangs onto the top ten in the 9th nook.

And Donna Summer is back for the dancefloors via new dj-promo remixes of "MacArthur Park" by Rosabel, Laidback Luke and Frank Lamboy. Rosabel's mix gallops along nicely for contempo clubgoers; one of the more successful efforts to come off the recent remix tribute album. Laidback Luke's re-do, however, is a tinny calliope-like mess while I found Frank Lamboy's version a busy and belabored one. "MacArthur Park" is currently #14 on Billboard's club chart. Joel Dickinson recently informed us he has a remix forthcoming in a second wave. Seriously looking forward to that!

Lady Gaga's "Do What U Want" is on the rise at #19. And Jody Watley seems to have peaked at #18 with "Nightlife," dropping now to 22nd place when it really deserves to go higher. But major diva power is the trend right now on US Billboard's dance/club chart for certain.

Meanwhile, not on the chart but hopefully headed there, the upbeat and quite winning club number from Spice Girl Mel B ("Scary Spice"), "For Once in My Life," given new life by Dj Pornstar from Sobel Promotions.

And I received 7th Heaven's club mix of Dario G featuring Dame Shirley Bassey's "We Got Music" ~  and it is as fabulous as you might hope! Always a pleasure when Bassey returns to the dancefloors. Lisa Stansfield is also back! Moto Blanco (who can virtually do no wrong) has a club mix of her "Can't Dance" that will transport you to the floor in soulfully divine disco style. "We're gonna crucify the dancefloor!" And Ms Stansfield is back in full vocal range and all her glory!

Lastly, Sanna & Petron do a nice job of remixing Australia's Tina Arena, whom we've missed, with "Reset All." The diva returns in fine voice, though the song, as written, may not be catchy enough to catch on, at least in the USA where she is not a household name.

But the divas are distinctly back in force at the top of the year. Let's hope this is the trend for 2014!