Wynter Gordon - With the Music I Die (Album & EP)

Wynter Gordon brought her fierce look for this album! The colorful wing-like art compliments the black & white photo nicely. Such a beautiful cover—WORK IT, WYNTER!

tl;dr (Too Long; Didn't Read) version—With the Music I Die is amazing! My only complaint is that the U.S. should have received the full album and not just an EP. Fortunately, some of the tracks that are on the album but not on the EP can be bought as individual singles from previous releases.

Once in a while I have this habit of skipping over some artists simply because I have too many songs in my music queue, even though they would fit in perfectly with the rest of the songs on my iPod. Then out of nowhere I somehow find myself listening to one of their songs without noticing, and I give myself a slap on the forehead when I realize that this is the same artist that I passed over without reason some time ago. I actually did this to Lady Gaga, and if you know me well, then you can probably guess that I gave myself multiple forehead slaps for that mistake. Actually, I still do once in a while… (For those who do not know me well, Lady Gaga is currently my favorite artist.)

It looks like I will have to give myself another slap on the forehead, because I did the same thing to my friend, Wynter Gordon. At first I was going to skip over her newest release, With the Music I Die, since my music queue was especially long this summer. That is, until I found out that this was the same lady who released "Dirty Talk" about a year ago. I've been obsessed with this song for the longest time, but since I only heard the song in passing I had no way to identify the song—no artist name, no song title, not even a snippet of the lyrics. Yes, for the past year I would occasionally hum this song just to keep its tune in my head, in case I was lucky enough to run into it again. I was beyond excited when I finally found it, and the accompanying album! (And then of course I gave myself the slap on the forehead.)

A lot of the "missing" tracks on the EP have actually been available in the U.S. for some time now. I recommend dishing out the extra money to get them.

With the Music I Die is, simply put, pure dance-pop perfection! Every song on this album ha the potential to be a dance floor hit that could even make Kesha tremble in fear. My personal favorite is Denzal Park's Radio Edit of "Til Death". This wonderful album opener and current album single is filled with so much energy and so many catchy lines (Wearing all black like a brand new bride/ 'Til death do we party, with the music I die~) that you will keep begging for more when the song ends. Other wonderful songs, like the summer-in-Paris feeling "Buy My Love", the Latin-sounding track "Rumba" that would even make J.Lo jealous, and of course my year-old favorite "Dirty Talk", clearly show that Gordon wants to send you off to a nonstop dance party. Even the only "ballad" on the album, "Back to You", blends in well with the rest of the songs, and is so emotional that you will probably end up crying and dancing on the dance floor at the same time.


With all these good things that I have to say about the album, I also have similar good things to say about the U.S.-exclusive EP. Although the EP falters when compared to the album, on its own it makes a great addition to anyone's music player. It keeps some gems from the album, and it even has a couple of its own, like the amazing hip-hop/reggae-sounding Rock-It Scientists Remix of "Til Death" and the extended remix of "Buy My Love". Still, a lot of other gems were left off, but they can thankfully be bought as individual tracks from Gordon's previous releases in the United States. If you don't want to get all of the missing songs, I would at least recommend getting "Dirty Talk", the Famties Remix of "Right Here" (a deluxe edition track for the album), and the Denzal Park Radio Edit of "Til Death". Unfortunately, some songs are simply not available anywhere in the U.S. market, like "Drunk on Your Love", "Rumba", and "Back to You" (I really think "Back to You" would have done a great job in the United States, too…).

All in all, I love With the Music I Die, and I will be jamming to this album over and over. If you still need some convincing, you can preview both the Deluxe Edition Album and the U.S.-exclusive EP on this YouTube channel. I'm also leaving you with the music videos for the two singles, "Dirty Talk" and "Til Death". Enjoy!

Dirty Talk (Official Music Video)


Til Death (Official Music Video)