This single recently spent 2 weeks as the number one club track on Billboard's Club Play chart- the only other single so far in 2003 to do so was "Dark Beat" by Oscar G & Ralph Falcon. This is the belatedly released cd single from J Records but worth the wait. The cd comes with 6 remixes plus the original version. The time listing for each track is a little off from what the times really are but no big deal. The first remix is by Mac Quayle (6:15)and is a really good straight up house mix. The next mix is the Goldtrix Club Mix(6:33) and is kind of a wondering type of mix. It just seems to flow with the flow and that is all it does. The best mixes are by the hot guy at the moment The Scumfrog. His Club Mix(8:30) and Knob Dub Mix(6:51) are what took this song to the top of the Dj's lists and charts. The background vocals are pushed to the front and bring them to a more aggresive stance that is missing from the others almost like "Missionary Man". To say this mix is fiery and incredible is an understatement. Incredible also doesn't come close. The next mix is the great Gabriel & Dresden Club Mix(10:08) and this is one of their better mixes . They take the same background vocals and make them sound like "Cool Blue" or any great song from the Touch collection. Great mix. The final mix is the Shanghai Surprise vocal mix(7:03) and begins as a nrg/tea party mix but moves into a deeper groove. The final track is the original album mix(5:11). A great cd single from Annie Lennox. Now how about J Records puuting out Monica's "So Gone " on cd single now!!!!!!!!

Well why J Records released this single a few months later than its radio release is unknown, but I am glad they did it anyhow. Simply because this CD-maxi single is just the best this year.

The first remix is by the Mac Quayle remix is a trademark remix from the duop who has done much work for Madonna. A commercially-tailor club mix that comes with the usual grooves.
The Goldtrix Club Mix starts to build some excitement for this song by introducing some techo house bits lined with Annie's haunting vocals.

The Scumfrog Club and Dub Mixes continue the tempo with a stomping dancebeat where the vocals take a back seat.

The Gabriel & Dresden Club Mix is my favorite mix of the lot. It begins with a long upbeat intro before breaking into the original song with vocals and finally culminates into a high point of techno, dance and electronica. A riveting 10 minutes of dance anthem.

The final remix is the Shanghai Surprise Vocal mixwhich builds up its groove gradually. Nothing spectacular but a regular club mix.

Well, the last song is the album version which needs no introduction as a haunting and sorrowful tune from the lady herself.

This is a maxi-single not to be missed and the only place where you'll find all the remixes. EXCELLENT!

"Pavement Cracks" was the first release off Annie Lennox's "Bare" LP, and the track became one of the top dance/club hits for 2003 - topping the chart in August of that year. The CD single includes a bevy of excellent mixes, all with top-rate production.

What really stands out is the song itself. Beautiful, haunting, and deeply sad - not the easiest material to work with on the dance floor. The remixers did an amazing job turning this haunting song into a dance floor smash.

My favorite mix on the CD is the Mac Quayle Extended Mix. It's the most simplistic of all the mixes, but has all the makings of a summer groove, and probably was the most popular of all the mixes when this song peaked in summer 2003. Despite the sad lyrics, this mix definitely has a party and togetherness vibe. The remix kind of says "well, life isn't going all that great right now but you know what, i'm gonna dance and party anyway". We can all relate to that from time to time!

The Shanghai Surprise mix is also a standout on this single. I was skeptical at first (hadn't heard of the production team before), but this mix turned out to be excellent. It's the most "anthemic" of all the mixes on this release: uplifting and tribal sounding, and containing some interesting vocal effects with Annie's voice.

The Goldtrix and Gabriel & Dresden mixes are both excellent - and unlike the other mixes they keep the darker vibe of the song. Both are good "after-hours" type mixes - and great for listening to in the car. The Scumfrog mix is the only one on here that was disappointing to me. Similar to some of their mixes, its more of a dub and doesn't have all the vocals. A good mix, but I wouldn't rank it as one of their best.

All in all, this is easily one of the best collections of remixes for any track to come out in 2003. Maxi-singles are becoming harder and harder to find, and it's rare to find such a great collection of mixes on one CD anymore.

First, a fantastic full length album 'Bare' released June, and now this marvel!!! I think it was a smart idea for J Records to release this single AFTER the full length album...since sales were high on 'Bare', they could easily finance the production of the first maxi-single 'Pavement Cracks'.

I would have never thought that a somber song like 'Pavement Cracks' could be remixed into a dance anthem, and actually sound GOOD!! The remixes are great, and they don't all sound the same, lots of variety with this one!! My personal favorite (the one I've heard MANY times on XM radio, but was not available to the public) is track 3 (Scumfrog Mix)- a very trancy mix, good stuff!! Track 6 is cool, too (Shanghai Surprise Mix). I only wish that there were more photos and artwork, but that's a maxi-single for you, kind of low budget and light packaging...but otherwise, I love it.

Bottom line- a fabulous maxi-single, one that younger Annie fans will love I'm sure. Annie has really outdone herself this year, and I hope this one will sell right off the shelves just like 'Bare' did.

I bought this one as a pre-christmas present for myself. I'm loving it over and over again.

Rarely does a remix CD come out full of excellent, well-mixed remixes.
I've been so disappointed by other big name artists and their remixed versions of their own, previously released music. Sometimes it can be really tacky & cheap, when an artist remixes stuff that's already fine as an "original version".

Annie Lennox's soulful voice matches the smooth, liquid sounds of all 6 versions of "Pavement Cracks" remixes.
I'm really happy to have bought this CD before Christmas. It helped me through a really bad slump, and it will bring you out of any slumps too, with all the ultra-dancy, vibrant beats and sounds.

For about 3 months, I've been anticipating on getting hold of the "official" remixes of Pavement Cracks, and now the time has finally come.

Primarily, what pleases me is the fact that the original melody, body of the original version and Annie's voice, are all left pretty much intact, instead of tearing the song apart to make a whole, new, noisy and ultra "soul-less" song.

This is the tracklist:

Mac Quail Extended Mix - 6:30
Goldtrix Club Mix - 6:26
The Scumfrog Club Mix - 8:21
Gabriel & Dresden Club Mix - 9:56
The Scumfrog Knob Dub - 6:45
Shanghai Surprise Vocal Mix - 6:59
Original Version (album) - 5:09

I don't have any complaints about the CD, nor do I have any "least favourite" tracks.
You must remember, that with a producer & songwriter such as Stephen Lipson, teamed up with Annie...anything by Annie will not be a waste of money.

A thought just popped into my head:
(The one thing i like about having the original version at the end of the CD...is because it's a great way to slow down from the excitement from all the dance versions, rather than starting out with the excitement, and then "BANG", right into beats & rythms.)

Does this make sense? I think it does!

The cover artwork is really simple and keeps all the excitement for the music you'll hear on the CD.
Oh, and the slimline jewel case is the exact kind that should be on every CD single. There are some places and some artists that release singles in CD-R cases, and that goes to show just how cheap some artists & their music companies can be! But not Annie! No, she's always released stuff that's pleasing to the eye, the ears and the wallet too!

I don't have much else to say. Go buy yourself a copy of this CD single now. You won't regret it!