Armin van Buuren -
Embrace (2015)
I was looking forward to this release, as it's always seemed that Armin has been able to bring something new to the table. Although Armin's been criticized for going the commercial route in the past, or "forgetting about trance," I have not bought into that. That is, until I heard this album. Despite their lofty themes, the songs are unapologetic in their over-the-top cheesiness, and due to what feels like lackluster production, they also come across as generic manifestations with lifeless, empty cores. Some of the featured vocalists are okay, but I find Mr Probz's voice to be boring (Armin's been using him a lot recently), and I'm annoyed by Kensington's.
Overall, my impression of
Embrace is that it comes across as an output by an artist heading into the twilight of his career -- comfortable with where he's gotten, settling into a comfort zone, and not taking any risks. Couldn't embrace it.