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Release Date: January 20, 2009 Label: Papa Joe Records Related Sites: · Official Site Grade: B-

Russian export An-ya is steadily climbing Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart (she's up to #16 after seven weeks) and the dance floor ready anthem sees several iterations on Nightlife (Remixes).

Hailing from Russia's largest port city on the Pacific Ocean, Vladivostok native An-ya revealed a devotion to music as a girl such that her family moved to Moscow so she could study at a renowned music academy. While there, she auditioned for the manufactured trio Yes! (which, for their sake, I hope Anderson and/or Bruford and/or Wakeman and/or Howe haven't caught wind of) and garnered notice and accolades as a member of that group.

Enticed to take her act solo, somewhere along the line she came to the attention of American Idol's Randy Jackson. The big dawg unearthed "Nightlife" as her introduction to the United States -- a tune by Lil' Eddie released in 2008 as a single in Germany. He recruited David Banner to be the featured rapper for An-ya's version, and the rest is currently making history.

Could the sun be rising on young An-ya's music career?

Mike Rizzo ("Can't Go On") has been the remix master on everything from Akon ("Right Now") to Lindsay Lohan ("Bossy") to Keri Hilson ("Return the Favor" featuring Timbaland) to, especially, Britney Spears ("Womanizer," "If You Seek Amy," "Break the Ice"). For "Nightlife" he offers the standard thumping bass drum backbone. The Global Radio Mix buries An-ya's vocals too far back in the mix but succeeds in altering the original's groove to make it stand out. The eight-minute Funk Generation Club Mix presents An-ya's breathy ambiance while adding a tad more electronica.

For something really fresh, you have to skip to the last track by Boston based international DJ Joe Bermudez (remixer extraordinaire of Kelly Clarkson's "Behind These Hazel Eyes"). His Club Mix features in-your-face buzzy synthesizers while also isolating the piano line in a move that serves to give the song its most organic feel.

"Nightlife" is not exactly a song to showcase An-ya's English skills, with its rapid-fire words in the verses often rendered as unintelligible. Still, Nightlife (Remixes) disguises this admirably with a variety of mixes to make this an above-average addition to your party pumping playlist.

An-ya is hitting a few radio stations and doing select performances stateside while spending studio time in Los Angeles, California, collaborating with some name producers. Songs she has written will eventually coalesce into a finished product, and a "debut album coming soon" as her official website promises. In the meantime, we'll be enjoying the "Nightlife" with this Russian doll.