The Vitals:

Label: Reverb/Warner Chappell/Chrysalis Music
Genre: House (General)
Number of Tracks: 11 (CD Single)
How to Obtain: Tower Records

Factor Scores:

• Production Quality: 8
• Programming and Arrangement: 7.5
• Entertainment Quality: 7.5
• Total: 7.6 — Good

Du Nord's Take:

This is a great long-playing single containing the title track (“When The Dawn Breaks”) and two others entitled “I Like It” and “Safe From Harm”. With three mixes of WTDB and four remixes of ILI, SFH also rounds out the disc with four remixes. I recognized a few of the remixers like Behrouz, Pete Lorimer and Peter Rauhofer. Behrouz has made the DJ circuit to Honolulu and I wish I could’ve seen him. Unfortunately his mix of WTDB is perhaps the least appealing to my ear. I liked the Original and MK & MTV Mix better as I feel the vocal was brought out better. Andy Morris does a stellar job on the vocal and although the Behrouz mix is “sound” it just doesn’t seem to fit somehow.

“I Like It” is a somewhat familiar song to me and features another great vocal by Yvonne John-Lewis. I really love the Original mix as the synths are bright and airy and the whole track has a very uplifting feeling. I totally relate to the desire to go to the club and experience a “release” from the stresses of the day, Dancing and mingling is very appealing after the “humdrum” of day-to-day living. The Lorimer 29 Palms Mix is also good and nice to hear more of his work after his great mix of Conjure One’s “Center of the Sun” a couple years back. More driving and electro-oriented this is a great driving song. Excellent use of the vocal track as well with snippets and accents well placed throughout the track.

The last track remixed on the CD is “Safe From Harm”. Also featuring Yvonne John-Lewis this is a “good” track but I don’t like the vocal inflection and style. It reminds me of Kosheen and I’m just not a fan of that style of House. All the mixes are solid with Deep Dish, Dean Coleman and Rauhofer doing the honors. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t care how you remixed the song I just don’t like it.

Overall this is a great value with 11 tracks but I only really liked the first two songs. I may be able to use some of these mixes in a set but I’d have to choose carefully. If you like middle-of–the-road 4/4 House this is ideal but I tend to favor Progressive and Trance, which makes me score it a little low.