Deltiimo – Time Tunnel

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
May 1, 2024
0

Deltiimo – Time Tunnel – Album Review

BIG album!

You can look at this release from Deltiimo in a variety of ways. You could take things on the surface level of how this record has been prepared for your consumption in 2024, and you could make the assessment that it has taken two years to create this lineup. Or…and just hear me out…considering that all of these songs were originally written back in the 1990s…maybe it’s more accurate to say this particular record is about three decades in the making. I’ll let you be the judge and jury on all that. No matter which way you slice it though, Deltiimo’s Time Tunnel has officially arrived, finally, at long last.

Most of y’all know what it’s like to pursue that next record and how long the process can end up taking. Deltiimo’s already busier than most to begin with, so one can only imagine how many obstacles he’s had to overcome in order to get Time Tunnel out to your speakers. He’s enlisted many of his own family members for samples…he’s added in reputable all-stars like Veronica Largiu & Chloe Kay to update the material…he’s kept original featured guests like singer Paige Gooden…he’s got his current collaborator Bradon Grobler assisting him in overseeing the whole project – make no mistake, the source material for this album spans a significant length of time, hence the name, but it’s been polished up for the here & now. It’s a commitment at seventeen songs in total, but if you’re a fan of Deltiimo’s work, I’m more than confident that you’ll find plenty to love about what he’s added to the lineup here on Time Tunnel.

The energy and excitement begin instantly as “Take Me To The Waterside” starts the album. I dig the intro, and the way the song is structured to open up is highly effective. As Veronica started to sing, I felt like we immediately got to hear some of her best to-date…she’s got soul, she’s got style, she’s adding in the confidence, the boldness, and the beauty I’ve been craving from her all along – she’s absolutely nailed this performance and given us a glimpse of the fireworks I’ve always known she was capable of. The production from Deltiimo and the music you’ll hear has got the JUICE to it, there’s no doubt about that – for an opening track, “Take Me To The Waterside” checks all the right boxes for a huge WIN right off the drop, and it provides the audible incentive you wanna find at the start of an album. You want those notable reasons to keep listening and something to spark your interest right at the beginning of a record – it’s CRUCIAL – and you’ll find that both Deltiimo & Largiu have brought their A-game instantly. For those of you that follow charts and whatnot, or place value in that kind of measurement, you’ll be interested to know that “Take Me To The Waterside” immediately shot up to number twelve on the US Masspool Dance Charts, which put this collaborative effort ahead of mixes that featured Beyoncé.

Obviously, accolades and recognition like that confirm the album is quickly off to a great start. The upbeat vibes continue as you shift into “Happy For The Weekend (Tech House Mix),” which I believe features the original singer Paige Gooden. Most of the songs you’ll find on Time Tunnel hover safely around the three-minute mark, which is a solid strategy in the realm of Electro-Pop and seeking out tunes the DJs can remix & the charts can track. Gooden does a decent job…the verses come out a little bit dusty and probably could have used another run through or two to get the most out of the melody, but when it comes to the hooks of the chorus, she sounds outright incredible. I’ll be real with ya in the sense that, a track like “Happy For The Weekend (Tech House Mix)” is just short of pandering to each and every one of us in how it’s designed to release us from the icy cold grip of the daily grind as we head into party mode for the weekend – but at the same time, I have to acknowledge that feeling is VERY real for all of us as well. We’re all “Happy For The Weekend” when it comes, aren’t we? Deltiimo has kindly created the anthem you want as you leave behind your cubicle for a couple days – and I genuinely believe that no matter who you are or what you do, you’re gonna appreciate how the energy of the main hooks in this track will work their magic on ya. We can all relate to this song in some way, and that gives it the additional edge of being relevant to everyone that listens on an individual level as well.

“Break Free” is a track that was pre-released in advance of the album as a single back in February this year as we were still getting introduced to the collaborative efforts between Veronica Largiu and Gary Louca, aka Deltiimo. As I’ve often said, context matters and it can certainly count for a lot when it comes to how we listen to music. As a single, I enjoyed “Break Free” – but here on the record, where it’s surrounded by similar energy and fits so seamlessly into this lineup, I felt like I actually enjoyed it even more. You can read my original thoughts on this song by clicking here, but looking back at “Break Free” now with a bit more time between for perspective, I can hear how this track was really one of the first to reveal the superstar potential of Largiu and feel like I appreciate that even more. Still a stellar choice to have put out there as a single, but it’s an even better fit into the lineup of Time Tunnel in my opinion.

When it comes to something like “My Body Likes To Bump It,” I probably have no real choice but to admit that I’m old…and that this song ain’t really designed for a fossil like me. My body likes to ache at this point…and the most it bumps these days is usually into a dresser drawer or a countertop. BUT – if you’re among the younger folks on this planet…sure…I can see this actually being a solid hit with ya. I’ll be real with ya – I think “My Body Like To Bump It” has some excellent things going for it…it’s vibrant, it’s lively, it’s got the spark that’ll make you move to the dancefloor, as intended. Singer Chloe Kay does a solid job with the material and essentially gives you a flawless performance as well – that’s another positive. When it comes to the use of the word ‘funky’ – and how often it’s featured in this track – I think there could be at least a little room for debate. To me, that’s a word that pre-dates the overall sound and ends up being a bit less of a natural fit into this vibe…but…I also have to admit it’s just not a word that I enjoy on a phonetic level. We all have a few in life that we discover over time, and funky is a word that has already made me wanna crawl right outta my skin. That’s on me though, not Deltiimo.

As far as “Teardrops Fall (Smooth Dance Mix)” is concerned, which also features Chloe on the mic again, I guess I had a bit more of mixed reaction. Not so much to the performances or the core material, but probably towards the approach being taken by Deltiimo in a few spots throughout this song. I think the added vibrato to Kay’s vocals is already an interesting choice, even though I’d be willing to bet it’d be a fairly polarizing one for most folks giving this track a close listen…but as “Teardrops Fall (Smooth Dance Mix)” progresses and the pitch begins to shift on Kay’s voice…yeah man…I dunno! Like, that first hit of it on the upscale around the 2:20 mark…I guess that felt like it COULD be a step too far, at least for me on a personal level in terms of what my ears enjoy sound-wise. That being said, what makes this a unique experience is that even though I didn’t really like all the choices being made with respect to the mix and effects and whatnot, the material and hooks are so freakishly bulletproof that it never seemed to matter all that much to me – I still think “Teardrops Fall (Smooth Dance Mix)” is an extremely solid tune at the end of the day. That’s not usually how I end up feeling when my ears are questioning other things along the way, but here we are and that’s the case. I can still hear that there’s an audible appeal to what Kay and Deltiimo have created here, I still feel like this song is fully cohesive with the lineup as well – there are many positives even despite it feeling like there might have been a stronger way to present this cut.

Ahhh, you gotta love it – music ABOUT music, right? “Take Me Now” explores a classic theme that has been drilled into by many artists and bands out there throughout the course of history, but it’s always been a welcome concept that listeners can relate to. It’s an interesting idea really – because where it starts is from a very humble place that simply expresses the inspiration that comes along with creativity – we get energized from investing ourselves into the art & music we create, and that’s a beautiful thing. Somewhere along the line though, there’s actually a transfer of energy from creator to consumer, and it’s seamless…so where you get a line like “my music takes me higher than I’ve ever known” – it’s as true as true can be in the moment that it’s created, but it’s equally true and just as personalized when people would listen to it as well, know what I mean? It’s originally the creator’s music, of course – but once you release anything into this world, you’re essentially setting it free – so now that concept of “my music” becomes what a listener would choose to add to their playlist – see how that works? That’s what their music is – it’s yours – and what’s yours, becomes theirs – ain’t that neat? So if you’re out there bumping “Take Me Now” by choice, that’s YOUR music now, and it’ll probably take YOU higher than you’ve ever known. I know, I know…Electro-Pop isn’t meant to become a course on philosophy…sorry, not sorry – you all know who I am and how I listen to music at this point. Solid performances all around on this one.

“Wrapped Around Your Finger” is a great tune, and a perfect example of why you’d want to bring an old tune back to polish it up & make it new again. Lemme give you the main reason, right off the bat here – have you heard “Wrapped Around Your Finger” yet? No? Well, there you have it folks – if you’ve got a decent tune that you think people should hear and the whole world hasn’t heard it yet, keep pushing it out there! What’s that old adage we all cite? A good song is never finished, only abandoned? Here’s your proof of how that’s true, only it’s no longer abandoned because Deltiimo was wise enough to keep this one in his back pocket for the right time. While it’s somewhat true that you can hear a bit more of a dated sound at the core of this vibe that would date back to somewhere between CeCe Peniston and Jennifer Paige, I still feel like that’s a fairly timeless style that is endlessly applicable to whatever the scene is doing currently. “Wrapped Around Your Finger” is a clever cut that details the addictive nature of love and how it can hold us captive in all the right ways…how we so willingly become devoted to the ones we share our time with…and how lucky we are that they use that power for good instead of evil!

Production-wise/sound-selection, you can make similar comments towards “Keep On Loving Me (Now Baby)” being a bit geared towards a throwback vibe, but again, I’d still argue that’s it’s got a timeless relevance to it. I really like what original singer Paige Gooden brought to this song, and the completely sunny-side-up disposition of “Keep On Loving Me (Now Baby)” is pretty damn addictive if I do say so myself. Great hooks, great energy…there’s really nothing stopping this track from reaching the audience it deserves, and in many ways, possessing a bit of an older sound to its structure and sound gives this song a bit more of an all-ages range that should totally benefit the song overall. I’d honestly go as far as to say that Deltiimo might be smart to test this track out as a single…there’s something about “Keep On Loving Me (Now Baby)” that is genuinely irresistible, and that X-factor energy it has is likely guaranteed to keep people coming back for another helping of this track time and time again. Definitely the kind of song you wanna have on your playlists for the summer & good times you’ve got planned ahead for 2024.

You’ve gotta admire the definition and dynamics that Deltiimo adds to his music, especially when it gives his featured guests the ability to shine like they should. Case in-point, you get a sensationally soulful performance from Veronica on “All I Wanna Do Is Make Sweet Love To You,” which is another one of the best I’ve heard from her so far. When my biggest complaint would simply be about the title of a track, you’re in pretty good shape in my opinion, you feel me? Deltiimo had me wondering briefly if he was just making a slight update to Heart’s mega-hit “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” by adding the word ‘sweet’ into the mix…but no…this is indeed its own song and completely different. Largiu has done an exceptional job of really going for it when called upon to be the singer in the songs she’s on throughout Time Tunnel…she’s dialed right into what the songs are calling out for, and delivering with stunning professionalism that gets the best out of the material. If anything, I’d say that there’s a good chance “All I Wanna Do Is Make Sweet Love To You” even outperforms its expectations, and becomes one of the record’s sweeter surprises in terms of how appealing it becomes through this collaborative effort. Strong hooks lead the way at the end of the day…this cut really has an inspired spark to it, 100%.

It can be tough to create a lineup of songs like this without showing some kind of cracks in the armor. In the case of Time Tunnel, where the material has been gathered over such a long span of time, I think that Deltiimo deserves a lot of credit for the fact that, production-wise, you’d hardly notice at all because he’s done such a stellar job of updating each track to his current standards of sparkle & shine. Having said that, the reaper eventually comes for us all at some point – and ‘studio ears’ can be a very real thing…sometimes it’s not until you get an objective opinion outside of your headphones that you realize something didn’t quite measure up. “Aphrodisiac” for instance – great song, but it’s tremendously pale in comparison to the rest of the lineup in terms of its final mix…it’s missing the extra oomph and inspired spark we’ve heard in every other song in the set, and unfortunately, you can’t really help but notice it. Where the real tragedy is here though, is that “Aphrodisiac” DESERVES a better mix than it currently has…in my opinion, this could actually have gone on to become one of the album’s strongest tunes and feels like a bit of a missed opportunity as it currently stands. It’d still have a bit of a throwback vibe to it that would reveal the roots of its original creation, but yeah…there’s something in this cut that feels like it could go on to be something significantly special if it had a lil’ more spit & polish.

To know what I’m saying about “Aphrodisiac” is true, you simply need to listen to the album in order. You’ll hear the lively production on “All I Wanna Do Is Make Sweet Love To You” disappear as “Aphrodisiac” begins, and come back to life once “Love Me Baby” starts up. What’s odd is that Deltiimo is usually pretty on top of that stuff, but if anything, this slight misstep simply proves he’s still every bit as human as the rest of us. Besides that, what’s much more important than any slight mistake, is how you go about rebounding from that – and “Love Me Baby” would be yet another one of the album’s strongest cuts. In the past reviews I’ve written about Largiu, I’ve often felt like I wanted a little bit more out of her voice, simply because I could hear the vast potential in Veronica. As many of you regular readers know, there’s precious little I enjoy more in life than being proven RIGHT as an artist goes on to live up to what I thought I heard and tap into the best of what they can do. Sometimes it’s only a matter of the material…Largiu has been a completely perfect fit into the songs she’s appeared on throughout Time Tunnel, and I feel like she’s going to end up with a whole bunch of listeners out there rushing to jump on her bandwagon after hearing this record. “Love Me Baby” is an excellent example of how cohesive the collaboration between Deltiimo and Veronica can be when they’re both at their best and most focused on the mission at hand. Track by track, song by song, they continue to show us all the plethora of reasons they should keep making music together – they’re a remarkable pairing, and it’s tracks like “Love Me Baby” in addition to the others you’ll find with Largiu on the mic that confirm it. Stellar combination of rhythm and melody at the heart of “Love Me Baby” – they nailed this one tight.

“Never Ending Love” is probably what I’d consider to be a highlight example of great performances being able to compensate for material that’s not quite as stellar as the rest. Ultimately, I don’t think that anyone that’s been digging Time Tunnel wouldn’t dig “Never Ending Love” just as much – but that’s exactly what I’m talking about here…that’s the advantage of having true professionals at work. Do I think “Never Ending Love” measures up to the rest of the material overall? No. But like I said, most listeners aren’t going to notice that at all because of how well Largiu and Deltiimo work together. They’ve managed to take a song that’s not quite up to the same standard as the rest of the record and make it seem like it IS – which is musical alchemy of sorts! I’m not here to say that “Never Ending Love” is THAT far behind the rest of the content…to be completely fair, it’s not – but it does have the feeling of being just another song that is filling space in the lineup as opposed to being one that listeners will come back to ravenously seek out time and time again – make sense? It’s the difference between what we tend to consider to be single-worthy sound versus the deeper cuts on a record, but by the same token, you really DO need both in the context of a record so that our ears understand the actual difference between the good and the great. That’s the ebb & flow of ANY album you’ll find out there…it’s natural, even if it’s not always the desired intention…and it’d basically be impossible not to find peaks & valleys within a lineup of seventeen songs. I’ve relentlessly stated over the years here that there are about five perfect albums over twelve tracks throughout all of history, and I maintain that’s true. All you can do is put everything you’ve got into everything you do and let the chips fall where they may. Even if I don’t think “Never Ending Love” measures up completely against the rest on this record, you might, and that’s completely because they still performed this song with the professionalism they built their careers on.

While I’ll always believe objectivity is a crucial aspect to making a record, albeit a very tough perspective to have as creators of the content – I’d also readily acknowledge there are different goals to different records too. For Time Tunnel, it’s not only a representation of Deltiimo’s work throughout the years, but it’s also intended to be a fairly all-inclusive experience. Hence you get tracks like “Welcome To The Real World Every Little Thing” or “Let’s Get Together Sunshine Again” that don’t really feel like they belong to this record sound-wise, but are more of a consistent fit with the vision Deltiimo had for this particular album in terms of what he wanted it to include. I’ve reviewed both of these tunes in the past you can find “Welcome To The Real World Every Little Thing” by clicking here, and my comments on “Let’s Get Together Sunshine Again” by clicking here. They each include Gary’s family members, with Ricky making an appearance on “Welcome To The Real World Every Little Thing” and Maria appearing on “Let’s Get Together Sunshine Again” – and they kinda are what they are…well-intentioned tunes that serve a different function than simply being something more to listen to. These tracks are ultimately more of a memory that the Loucas can share together than they are songs completely intended for us, and that’s OKAY y’all! I’m not here to bash on doing something like that…you’re all free as free can be to create and do things however you’d wanna. Do I think the people out there that loved the first twelve songs will love these two just as much? Not necessarily I suppose, but I don’t think they’d turn listeners off either. The addition of Chloe Kay into both infuses a bit more relevance to them that’ll help a bit…but objectively speaking, these two tracks probably work a little better as singles as opposed to coming after what’s been geared towards a more mature lineup so far as we’ve experienced on Time Tunnel. The bottom line is they’re a great representation of the FUN that Deltiimo has in making music, his desire to include those he loves most into what he creates, and his all-inclusive approach that gives everyone a lil’ something to listen to. At the end of the day, that’s all admirable stuff built on the sweetest of intentions…they might not sound like they belong on this album, but conceptually, they do.

With nearly a third of the record referencing love and even more of these songs centered around the theme altogether, it’s pretty clear as to what inspires Deltiimo the most. And hey, why not? Everyone loves love, don’t they? Admittedly, there’s already a ton of that subject in every corner of music that you could possibly look, but as the old saying goes, clichés are clichés for a reason! We write about what we’re interested in, and looking at music from a snapshot view from high up above, you gotta smile about the fact that so many write about the feeling of love and how it connects so many of us together. We never seem to tire of the topic, even though we haven’t really said anything new about it for decades and decades now. There’s something oddly beautiful about that, and it’s very human. “Hold On To Love (Tropical Pop Mix)” has a bit of a lower-key energy to it, but appropriately so. All-in-all, I’d go as far as to say that this cut offers listeners something a bit different than the rest of the set does, even despite its main theme being similar. Sound-wise, you’ll hear what I’m hearing – “Hold On To Love (Tropical Pop Mix)” includes Spoken Word elements, a slower beat and mellower energy, and as a result, gives Time Tunnel a bit more dimension & depth thanks to its inclusion. I’m all for it! Diversity is almost always a good thing in the art of making music, and the song still sounds like it belongs in this set of tunes too…so you get the best of both worlds really; versatility to the sound, and cohesion as well.

What was I tellin’ ya earlier on? I mentioned the fact that there could very well be a better way to present the ideas and sound of “Teardrops Fall,” didn’t I? Despite the fact that, yes, I suppose I could see the set-list and titles in advance, I actually didn’t spot this song being included twice when I wrote about it before in this review. It wasn’t until I heard it that I realized it was even the same song! What can I say? I’m not always the most observant person on Earth, I can promise you that and so can anyone out there that truly knows me. The question is – is the “Acoustic Ballad Mix” an upgrade for this version of “Teardrops Fall?” I’ll be honest with ya…I don’t know for a definitive fact that to say that would be true. I think that…hmm…to some extent, I’m a bigger fan of the “Smooth Dance Mix” in terms of the energy and how the hooks come out overall, but I like the more natural spin on Chloe’s vocals in this second variation. I also think that the “Teardrops Fall (Acoustic Ballad Mix)” works really well as the ballad it’s intended to be, but that there’s probably a better place for it than found within the context of this record, which is highly upbeat overall. So…yeah…it still feels a little out of place I guess, but I’d be the first to tell you this is a really damn good tune. Do I think Deltiimo and Chloe have completely capitalized on its full potential in either version? Not really, no – I still think there’s something about this song that speaks volumes on behalf of how it has more to give no matter which version you’re listening to…but I appreciate the differences in each attempt, and feel like they’ve gotten close to it.

Where things get tougher for me to assess personally, is the ending. Deltiimo’s brought back The Kids to finish off this album with “Our Mum Thinks We’re Naughty (April The First Mix)” – and sure, it’s as cute and charming and sweet and all that good stuff you could write about tracks like “Welcome To The Real World Every Little Thing” or “Let’s Get Together Sunshine Again.” It FITS cohesively with the concept and the vision Gary had for Time Tunnel…I’d never take that away from him. Having said that – he’s got it in his head that he wants to include a bit of a “trademark joke / fun song at the end of each album” – and all I can think of doing is to advise him to not. In my opinion, it could easily take a little bit of the credibility he establishes for himself as a serious producer, and even the professionalism of the artists that he’s working with throughout the lineup as well by proxy. There’s risk being taken in including something like “Our Mum Thinks We’re Naughty (April The First Mix)” and I’m not entirely sure that it’s a risk worth taking for a “joke” – you follow me? I’m not opposed to the idea of humor and music combined – I love tons of stuff from Jon Lajoie to Lil Dicky, all the way back to MacLean & MacLean or how Steve Martin added sound to his comedy back in the day – there IS a time and a place for it, but I don’t know that it’s gonna be a natural fit at the end of any given record. I guess we’ll find out…I’ve only ever reviewed Deltiimo’s singles before, so this is my first experience with his “trademark joke” at the end of a record. Make a whole ALBUM of stuff like this, and I promise ya I’ll be first in line to listen to it…it’d make sense to do that in a wide variety of ways instead of this one somewhat inside joke approach. I’ll even admit to liking the sound of “Our Mum Thinks We’re Naughty (April The First Mix)” – truly, it’s enjoyable, it’s lighthearted, it’s fun! Does that make me feel like it belongs here in this set of songs? No…I think you’re all picking that up…but I do get where Gary is coming from in his desire to include it once again. It’s about something more than just making music – it’s about making memories, and sure, I’ve got love for that inside this cold, cold heart of mine…don’t get me wrong. Is everyone out there gonna understand that in the same way that I do? I mean…fingers crossed…from my experience, people don’t put a whole lot of effort into understanding the mechanics of a record and why something would be this way or that way…but I hope for Deltiimo’s sake that it’s sincerely worth the effort. All-in-all…he’s done a great job of bringing the past forward into the present with the songs on Time Tunnel – it’s not something I’d recommend everyone out there to try and do with their own material…most of what’s in the past should usually stay there in my personal opinion…but I feel like Deltiimo has given this set enough of an update that it should have no problem at all enticing you Electro-Pop fans in to listen.

Find out more about the music of Deltiimo at the official pages below!

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