Reviewed by Manja Visser

New dance duo Nicos and Aliki Vouris. aka JC Culture from South Africa, make a great impact with their self-titled album which is just released in Holland and their home country. The album features very uplifting Eurodance which can be compared with the sound of popular acts like the UK duo Cappella and former Dutch dance outfit Twenty 4 Seven while on the Christian scene the album has a quite similar feeling to MIC's latest "Stories From A Dry Land", but that's probably due to the efforts of Gunther Schroeder who produced both albums. Songs "Free", "Follow Your Heart" and "Without You" are outstanding, each featuring the frantic bpm sound of Euro. All three cuts would also fit well on radio. My favourite track is the dance ballad "He Loves You", which sounds a bit like 2 Unlimited's "Nothing Like The Rain". The songs "He Loves'You" and "Trust Me" are very appealing, if you have gone through times of pain and hurt. Another brilliant thing about this album is the worship orientated "His Greatness" where Nicos and Aliki really worship God for...yes, his greatness! But there is a downside. Nicos' English is pretty erratic. Also. Aliki's vocals have some suspect pitching, for instance on the track "Where". Also that particular track has almost lost every kind of dance feeling so I don't know why they actually put it on the CD. Anyway, these are just minor quibbles which hopefully won't put anyone off buying the album. JC Culture's Eurodance is authentic and better than those fake American 'Eurodance' albums. If you would like to try out a genuine Eurodance sound then this is a good place to start.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.