Tiësto - In My Memory

Tiësto's album is strongest on the dance-floor anthems, like the minimalist progressive house number "Obsession" and the techno-trance dance piece "Dallas 4 P.M.," with its sparse, low-end synth work. The closing track, "Suburban Train," is full of lighter, more interesting melodies, even if it does get into a bit of that Euro-trance cheesiness. He also composes a surprisingly good trip-hop track on "Battleship Gray," a tune reminiscent of Portishead, with the best vocals on the album (courtesy of the song's co-writer, Kirsty Hankshaw). In My Memory fails to connect on the opener, "Magik Journey," which starts with a nice dark ambient intro but unfortunately moves into more banal progressive trance territory. The downtempo "Close to You" grates with an overly sweet female vocal, while the hard, machine-like noisiness of "Flight 643" simply doesn't work. This one goes out strictly to the fans. If you're not already one, you may want to wait for the singles.