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\STLrave Records are rated on a four-star scale, four being best.
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\STLrave Madonna, "Remixed & Revisited" Rating: * * 1/2 Maverick/Warner Bros.
This EP is an amusing collection of novelties _ half a dozen new versions of old songs plus a previously unreleased number _ though it's little more than an "oh by the way."
It includes four unconventional revamps of songs from the singer's recent "American Life" album. In a twist on today's standard mode of remixing _ turning them into tiring dance cuts with no personality and only tentative links to the originals _ these tracks are crafty reinventions.
Jason Nevins retools the gorgeous "Nothing Fails" with gutsy imagination. The new version starts with a bouncier beat, then piles on floating synthesizers and ever-grainier electricity. He also strips out the melodramatic choir from the original (smart move) and, despite the more emphatic production, keeps the attention on Madonna's full-bodied, sweet vocals.
Remixer Ray Carroll puts his mark on "Love Profusion" and "American Life." The former withstands an invigorating squall of guitars for a rocking overhaul, while the latter, a choppy cut to begin with, is improved as a thrashing metal epic. And like Nevins, Carroll keeps the vocals at center.
Meanwhile, Mount Sims loads Madonna onto the retro-electro bandwagon with a playful...