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by Gregg Shapiro – July 15-21, 2010

Tea-dance divas

Crystal Castles vocalist Alice Glass alternates between disco diva status and punk banshee, sometimes in the same song, on the Canadian electro duo’s aptly named sophomore effort “II” (Fiction). You can get a taste of that in the suitably titled opening track Fainting Spells, which should come with its own smelling salts. Doe Deer and I Am Made of Chalk pack a similar punch. Seasoned clubgoers who survive those cuts are in for a real treat for the remainder, including the heavenly disco of Celestica and Baptism, the fat stomp of Year of Silence and Pap Smear, the eery Empathy and the airy Suffocation and the exotic Vietnam.

Coming as it does, just a few years after her triumphant and accomplished “Back To Basics” disc, Christina Aguilera’s “Bionic” (RCA) is a disappointment. “Identity Crisis” would have been a far better name for the record. Combining the worst and most dated elements of Madonna’s early sex-pot period and those of Madge’s pre-fab Disney clone Britney’s, Aguilera gets lost in the process on songs such as Not Myself Tonight, the Nicki Minaj collaboration Woohoo, Glam and Prima Donna. The album isn’t a total loss. Aguilera’s gorgeous reunion with Linda (Beautiful) Perry pays off, as does the resilient M.I.A. co-write Elastic Love, all three of the Sia numbers (My Heart, I Am and You Lost Me) and the stimulating LeTigre/Peaches co-penned My Girls, featuring an appearance by Peaches.

The aforementioned Sia delivers her most dance-driven disc with “We Are Born” (Monkey Puzzle/Jive) and one listen confirms that she was born to be a dance diva. The Fight (from which the album’s title is drawn), struts and pumps and gets the juices flowing. But it’s the ecstatic and irresistible Clap Your Hands (go ahead, try not to clap your hands or dance, I dare you) that sounds as though it’s destined to be the tea-dance tune of the summer of 2010. The retro Stop Trying, crunchy Bring Night and thumping You’ve Changed prove that Sia is nothing if not versatile. Of course there’s more to Sia than that, as you can hear on the soulful Be Good To Me, the atmospheric and fluffy Cloud, the bouncy pop of The Co-dependent and a respectable reading of Madonna’s Oh Father.

Dragonette, led by Martina Sorbara, isn’t afraid to toss in a banjo sound on a dance track such as Gone Too Far, from the trio’s “Fixin To Thrill” (Bandroom) disc. Liar is a truly delirious dance cut and the syncopated Easy is hard to resist. Pick Up The Phone has the ring of a dance anthem, We Rule The World has the potential to rule the dance floor and Big Sunglasses sounds like an homage to Lady Gaga. (Dragonette performs at Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Aug. 7)

As tea-dance divas go, few can hold a candle to Swedish sensation Robyn. Her brilliant 2008 eponymous disc (and its preceding “Rakamonie” EP) put some distance between the Robyn of 20th and 21st centuries. “Body Talk Pt. 1” (Konichiwa/Cherry Tree/Interscope) continues in a similar vein. A list of things that are “killing” her, Don’t F***ing Tell Me What To Do is a rant that you can dance to. Fembots is everything that Aguilera’s Bionic track isn’t. Dancing On My Own, the best track, is that rare dance cut that stirs up emotions while whipping the listener into a dance frenzy. None of Dem (featuring Röyksopp) is almost as good, while Cry When You Get Older is a pleasant pop song. The Euro reggae of Dancehall Queen is the only misstep.

Longtime tea-dance goddess Kylie (Minogue) retains her status with her dynamic new “Aphrodite” (Atralwerks/Parlophone) disc. There’s no question about what’s on her mind because the first word she sings on album opener All The Lovers is “dance,” and you have no choice but to obey. Get Outta My Way is something you might shout on your way to the dance floor to cut loose to the song of the same name, while the exuberant Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) could be kissing cousins with Sia’s Clap Your Hands. But the big news on this disc is Kylie’s interesting choice in collaborators. Too Much, co-written by Minogue, Jake Shears and Calvin Harris is just right for dancing, while the pop-oriented Everything Is Beautiful co-written by Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley is striking.

One of the more surprising entries into tea-dance territory is from Kelis of Milkshake and Caught Out There fame. When Kelis chants “we control the dance floor” at the end of the intro from her “Flesh Tone” (will.i.am/Interscope) full-length, you know that a change is in the air. Turns out there was a full-fledged dance diva under her tough urban cookie exterior all along. Just listen to 22nd Century, the explosive 4th of July (Fireworks), the slamming Acapella, the liberated call of Scream and Emancipate and the motherhood anthem Song For My Baby as audible proof of this distinctly different side of Kelis.