[Album Review] Armin van Buuren – Embrace

It’s that time in any trance fan’s journey, when they’re thrilled, exhilarated, astonished and what not. All of it for the reason that Trance Father who started it all for most of them has released his sixth studio album Embrace. Having created a lot of buzz since a month now when the master himself announced the new album on his radio show, Armin van Buuren finally released his new LP earlier this week that is an assortment of freshest of the styles with his always adored unique sound.

The title Embrace has been given to the album for a reason, as Armin once said that throughout the production period of the records, he was more inclined towards experimenting with different blending a multitude of genres with his far-famed and distinctive sound. As a result Embrace comes off as an album that encompasses a musical adventure without borders.

There has been a grand beginning to any Armin van Buuren album and Embrace is no exception either. The album begins with title track giving the best opening one could ever ask for. In ‘Embrace‘ Eric Vloeimans’ creates a jazzy atmosphere and blows the trumpet high enough to let your neighbours know something grand is kicking-off. Vloeimans’ romantic trumpet melody over a dramatic string section throughout the piece adds a perfect classical element to the track and later turns into a distinctive Armin trance piece; the segment that will definitely remind you of his compositions like ‘Mirage’ and ‘Intense’. To calm down the senses and bring that graph of high influence and upliftment to a jolly atmosphere in no time enters Armin’s collab ‘Another You’ with singer-songwriter Mr. Probz. A permanent spot holder in Armin’s sets already, ‘Another You’ brings in the pop vibes just as his track with Trevor Guthrie ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ did. One of those the housy compositions that would become a favourite immediately because of appealing vocals and anthemic pattern.

Unlike his earlier full-length albums, van Buuren just doesn’t stop with one anthem this time and enters his collaboration with yet another brilliant singer Cimo Frankel. An even more touching track with magnificent guitar chords accompanying the vocals, ‘Strong Ones’ one turns into one of the best progressive house numbers with Armin’s signature sound we’ve heard in long time. Next up is electrifying ‘Make It Right’ with Angel Taylor and revives the trance vibes after the first track. Mellow piano riffs are complemented Taylor’s seductive vocals until Armin’s melody fades in and takes over. A decent track that sets up the vibes for more euphoria to come in, ‘Make It Right’ is absolutely made right.

‘Face Of Summer’ with Sarah deCourcey with swirling chords and her uplifting vocals impart nostalgia of Armin’s old trance compositions. An idle trance flavour is poured in by the master here; a formula that we’ve loved time and again. A club mix of this one would be an icing on the cake for sure. ‘Heading Up High’ carries unexpected pop and rock vibes clearing showcasing Armin’s experiment with different genres as he embraces them on the record. Kensington’s emotive vocals are proper rock n roll styled and settle up with the electronic part smoothly. ‘Gotta Be Love’ kicks off with a pretty dope bassline and as it signals in the beginning, turns into one of our favourites in the album. Techy noises accompany the bass, until the mesmerising vocals of Lyrica Anderson unroll. If you’ve adored tech trance before, this will be your sure shot favourite because Armin’s innovative take and superbly inspiring vocals of Lyrica.

To cater your much needed club feels, Armin van Buuren brings in his club mix of ‘Hands To Heaven’ with American group Rock Mafia. Harsh bassline accompanied by lusty vocals transcend into an even more euphoric vocal sequence which is then burst open into a melody that you’ve been craving to listen ever since. Certainly one to leave a mark on your mind, ‘Hands To Heaven’ is our top record of the album. In case you are already loving the melodies on the album, you better wait for what’s ahead. ‘Caught In The Slipstream’ is Armin’s joint effort with BullySongs whose vocals on the track are gonna touch you again and melody uplift you even more. ‘Embargo’ with Cosmic Gate floods in more melody, one that would just burn any dance floor when exposed in the middle of a trance set. The punchy bass line with melody makes up for a singular anthemic experience as it uncovers the giants’ incredible association that they’ve garnered past these years.

Pop/Rock feels are back with ‘Freefall’ that features BullySongs’ vocals that are a highlight on the number. The track would just take you out of that intense melodic sequence feel and throw back to the joyful vibes like that of ‘Another You’ and ‘Strong Ones’. ‘Indestructible’ with DBX (from Tiesto’s ‘Light Years Away’ fame) is yet another progressive house take by the legend. Not as innovative as the previous records, but certainly one that’ll become a favourite festival banger. ‘Old Skool’ is literally old school as it is a blend of several elements of late 90s house/trance numbers, live arena noises and the modern sound of Armin that we adore. A simple yet rejuvenating melody rolls in until the smashing sample “Just take me back to the old school” gets in. An extremely innovatory and gutsy solo take as we move out of the album.

Hardwell’s collaboration with Armin ‘Off The Hook’ had been one of the most anticipated and lands on Embrace at the second last position which might not leave everyone happy due to its big room sound. Not to forget here is that it’s Embrace and here the master here has embraced different styles with an open mind and so should you. With ‘Looking For Your Name’, Embrace comes to an end as Armin and Gavin DeGraw take you on ride of memories and flashback with the beautiful acoustic number. A masterpiece that is going to see closing of several upcoming festivals and arenas and certainly the recently announced Armin Only Embrace world tour in 2016-17.

Armin van Buuren’s Embrace is an endless universe of possibilities, waiting to be embraced, and proves that as allied and flimsy as contemporary EDM has become in recent years, big artists like himself can still set examples for aspiring artists to look up to by putting out music with more depth than what usually winds up in main stage DJ sets. With Embrace, king Armin van Buuren has embraced a wide variety of musical styles and ventures where few dare to tread, using these unconventional sounds as ingredients to fuel his own sound. Purchase Embrace on iTunes!