Armin Van Buuren - Imagine

“Trance is dance music’s hair metal; all drama, riffs and power chords. Armin Van Buuren’s brand of it is more Bon Jovi than Poison. First single “Going Wrong,” with throaty vocalist Chris Jones, could pass as a BJ remix, with loose guitar strums and self-righteous lyrics under a shower of synth. Beyond that cut, the Dutchman’s third studio album opts for lushness over firepower, featuring soft-voiced females on the eight remaining vocal tracks. The melodies are simple, but Van Buuren packs some surprises, like the ’80s freestyle feel of the impossibly pretty “In and out of Love” and the restrained anger of belter “Unforgivable.” It’s not quite nuance, but he’s got an ear for what works. —Kerri Mason”