By the time
Giorgio Moroder released
Déjà-Vu, the world was as ready as it could be for his return. His work on
Daft Punk's
Random Access Memories was the most vivid reminder of his influence on decades of dance music, but artists such as
Goldfrapp and
Chromatics ensured that his brand of atmospheric disco and synth pop was nearly as in vogue in the 2000s and 2010s as it was in the '70s and '80s. Despite its name,
Déjà-Vu isn't entirely a blast from the past; instead,
Moroder splits the difference between making contemporary-sounding dance music and reviving disco. Sometimes he combines those impulses, nodding to his roots while shaping them into 2010s dance-pop: "Wildstar," which features
Foxes (who has also worked with
Zedd), is one of his best fusions of old and new. He sounds most nostalgic on the album's handful of instrumentals, such as "74 is the New 24," which feels like a time capsule full of vocoders, arpeggiated synths, and windswept drama. However,
Moroder spends most of
Déjà-Vu collaborating with 21st century pop singers. The album comes closest to greatness on "Back and Forth," where
Kelis' commanding, just-gritty-enough vocals help
Moroder recapture and update the glamour and drama of his definitive work. "Diamonds" makes the most of
Charli XCX's frothiness on one of the album's most inspired pairings, while
Sia and
Kylie Minogue's respective contributions on the soaring title track and crystalline disco-pop of "Right Here, Right Now" are just as entertaining. ~ Heather Phares