Embrace

Snaking its way through soaring trumpet, strings, hard-rock shredding, Baroque arpeggios and a shuddering trance climax, the epic title track of Armin van Buuren's sixth studio album makes no secret of his ambitions. Favouring guest singers with gritty voices, like Kensington and Mr. Probz, the Dutch EDM maestro puts as much emphasis on radio-ready choruses as he does festival-sized builds and drops. "Embargo", with Cosmic Gate, is pure, unadulterated uplifting trance, but the acoustic "Looking for Your Name" offers proof that van Buuren remains electrifying even when unplugged.