Calvin Harris - Ready for the Weekend (Music CD)

Calvin Harris' second album ups the ante on the glossy dance-pop of his debut I CREATED DISCO, boasting more energy, more hooks, more professionalism, and, in places, a little more sincerity. It's clear that Harris has an unaffected fondness for all the most immediate, most commercial dance music of the past 30 years -- from disco to synth-pop to video-game soundtracks to New York house. What's more, he has the talent to produce it all at the highest level possible, right up there with Daft Punk, creators of the best throwback dance music of the '90s and 2000s. This isn't stadium house as Paul Oakenfold envisioned it, but it's an enjoyable amalgam of dance energy and pop focus.