Eve Kelly, proudly Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi and born and raised in Whakatāne, has come back to Flash-Trax with a jaw-droppingly professional piece of pop. This track, Summer Lovin‘, has funk, R & B, an incredible earworm of a melody, and one of the coolest, tightest mixes I’ve heard from the genre in quite some time. Yes, I’m gushing.

This is one of those undeniable dance-floor fillers for the summer. It needs to be distributed through the island resorts like Bali, Fiji, Samoa, New Caledonia etc. as well as up over that equator in time for the kiss-me-quick and a bottle of lager-race-the-Germans-to-the deckchairs British 18-30 crowds invade the Mediterranean resorts! This epitomises the term Summer Hummer. I am enthused! DJs for the clubs – take note!

This includes VJs, because there’s a saucy yet tongue-in-cheek video up on the You Tubes for our viewing pleasure. Ōtautahi based Apple Box filmed the piece, and it was directed by Charlie Rose Creative. Set around the theme, light-hearted summer love on the beach, it totally fits with and dictates the mood. Eve co-wrote the track with fellow vocalist Kristin Paulse (KRISTN, Citris iNK – both of whom I have reviewed in the past and will again), and it got its knob-twiddling done with distinction at Parachute and Wyre with esteemed engineer Christian Tjandrawinata.

We have an exciting back-beat, setting the pulse racing and telling us we’re about to get up and move. As I said at the start of this review, funky R & B comes hurtling atcha with a great blend of orchestration sitting under a genuinely catchy, extreeeeeemely commercially savvy melody. The coupe de grace however is Eve‘s vocal. What a rich, versatile set of pipes this lady has! She’s a soprano who can dip into mezzo or raise to the heights too. As the track winds into its third and final minute and the track really paces up for the listener, the vocal becomes even more powerful and varied.

It’s not aiming at being a deep, thoughtful journey of introspection. It’s not even pretending to. This is a song that’s merrily shouting its aim to entertain all across its chops. And that’s fine, because we all need uncomplicated times of joy and wild abandon from time to time, to remind us that there are happy moments that can have a soundtrack to them for simply being simple.

This HAS to go on ZM, More FM, Mai, 99bFM, Radioactive, and on and on. Juice should pick it up. It also needs a European, Pacific and Asian distribution campaign, because this song will go down a storm in those spots. A house party, a big event, all sorts of fun scenarios would suit this great pop track. Out and out pop isn’t always my cup of tea but when it’s done this well and is this polished, and I like the tune too, I’m happy to say it’s won me and I’m a fan.

Find it on the You Tubes as mentioned. It’s also on the artists Spotty Fly and the Flash-Trax Spotty Fly too. Give Eve Kelly a like, show support please. This is an artist that’s good enough to be representative of our pop scene, anywhere at all.

Kia Kaha.