* 1/2PAULA ABDUL”Shut Up and Dance, (The...

* 1/2

PAULA ABDUL

“Shut Up and Dance, (The Dance Mixes)”, Virgin

Want to clear a dance floor in record time? Just play this lame batch of remixes of songs from Paula Abdul’s mega-hit album “Forever Your Girl” and watch the dancers run for cover.

Armed with the raw materials of a great dance-mix album--such as the singles “Opposites Attract” and “Cold-Hearted”--a corps of mixers has come up with a collection of startlingly unimaginative remixes marked by plodding rhythms and mundane instrumental extensions. The lone exception is Frankie Foncett’s dazzling reworking of “Forever Your Girl.”

Deemphasizing and disguising Abdul’s thin vocals should have been a primary goal of these mixes. But on all of them--Foncett’s included--her vocals are still too prominent. Even “Straight Up,” a melodic little pop-dance gem, drags. With a properly punched-up bass and drums and a few other cosmetic touches, this could have been one of best dance remixes of the last few years.

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