Just Be

You're likely looking at this album and this review having only heard Tiesto's 'floor filler' tracks of which no doubt you will have heard and will love 'Flight 643' or the Tiesto mix of Delerium's 'Silence'. Be warned, Tiesto albums are not all floor fillers. Do not expect a CD full of semi-mainstream trance and anthem tracks. You see, Tiesto is smarter than that...

What Tiesto delivers in this album is a very intelligent and mature kind of trance, just like he did with 'In My Memory'. That album was effectivly 'themed', In My Memory was all about the industrial landscape, it painted a picture for you, took you on a journey and along the way there happened to be some very very good 'mainstream friendly' tracks, such as Flight 643.
Just Be is in the same vein of music, it is an -album- and it is meant to be listened to as such. In the order presented, with you -listening- to it, not just put on as background music. Having said that Just Be seems to be less strongly themed than In My Memory. Instead it seems to be aiming solely at creating interesting and heartfelt trance tracks, and in this it succeeds beautifully.

The CD has some very clever stuff going on, it's smooth and yet manages to be intense and powerful. Put it on, turn it waaay up and you'll find yourself enveloped in some seriously good sounds which will push your buttons. There are tracks here to make you grin, there are tracks that will close your eyes and make you wear that 'mean' kind of smile - you know, the one you get when something momentous is going on. Like when a deep and dirty track follows one of those playful 'happy happy' tracks at a club. You realise the change in mood and you -go for it-

You probably won't like it as much as you'd hoped on first listen. You'll play it again though and you'll notice some clever stuff. Then you'll play it again and you'll -get it-. It's an album that grows on you, because it's got layers and you have to notice them before you can really appreciate it.

If you're after a CD to throw on and just have it do all the work i'd not advise this album.
If you're after a CD with much more depth than the usual floor filler collection (al la Ministry Of Sound, Gatecrasher etc) but that will still put a grin on your face... you can do no better than a Tiesto album, and Just Be is as good as In My Memory. It's just a little different in mood.

One word conclusion of what this album is?
Heartfelt

The first track (forever today) is very misleading to begin with, seeming more like a classical song than dance/trance. Give it 2minutes though and it levels out into a very nice, rich, trance song. Love comes again has some great music to it, not too sure about the vocals but i'm sure many people will love this. The joint best song on the album: Traffic. This song is unbelivable, truely stunning. I'm not sure what else to say, other than i would happily pay the asking price just for this song. Nyana is another great song on this great album. The only let down on the album is 'Ur' but i can let that pass. With the last track your ears are rewarded with a song that sends so many shivers through your body that you'll probably need a stiff drink to calm them down. This mix of adagio for strings is truely one of the great trance songs, far better than the Ferry Corsten mix. I have played this song many many times since getting this album.

This album is superb, do not hesitate about buying it.

Pete