Although it has spawned a host of imitators, Verve's highly successful Remixed series has suffered from the same problem that plagues most club-friendly remix compilations based on classic songs: The remixes simply don't measure up to the brilliance of the originals. Not even talented producers like Thievery Corporation and dZihan & Kamien were any match for timeless numbers like Astrud Gilberto's "Who Needs Forever?" and Billie Holiday's "Don't Explain," and the first two Verve Remixed compilations felt half-realized and gimmicky as a result.

But the series has slowly improved with each passing album, and with Verve Remixed, Vol. 3, producers Dahlia Ambach Caplin and Todd C. Roberts finally seem to have mastered the art of pairing the right producer with the right nugget from the Verve vaults. The trick? Find outstanding but non-definitive versions of familiar songs, or neglected masterpieces, and give the remixers free reign to whittle away the original track until it's practically just a sample gracing an entirely new production. This strategy pays off best on the collection's more wistful, midtempo numbers, like The Postal Service's brilliant electro-pop reinvention of Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue" and The Album Leaf's even glitchier yet equally melancholy take on Simone's "Lilac Wine." But the voices of Verve's signature chanteuses also sound surprisingly at home on floor fillers like Adam Freeland's breakbeat version of Sarah Vaughan's "Fever" and Sugardaddy's funkified "Come Dance With Me," on which Tim Hutton and Groove Armada's Tom Findlay send fragments of Shirley Horn's punchy vocals and playful piano vamps skipping over a head-nodding groove.

Inevitably, there are a few miscues, most notably Max Sedgley's bombastic, Fatboy Slim-style assault on the "Peter Gunn" theme, which is hobbled from the start by its use of Sarah Vaughan's ill-advised vocal take (complete with embarrassingly lame lyrics) on Henry Mancini's famously gangsterish horn arrangement. But for the most part, Verve Remixed, Vol. 3 finally measures up to the promise of this trendsetting series. Plus, it features Danger Mouse giving the Grey Album treatment to Dinah Washington's "Baby, Did You Hear?" What could be cooler? - Andy Hermann

As with the two preceding Verve Remixed releases, the third installment of jazz classics from the Verve vaults -- remixed by modern electronic producers and mixers -- toes the line of consistency throughout its 13 tracks. Taking a decidedly different route than the first two installments, Verve rolled the dice and collaborated predominantly with artists known for their work in hip-hop and indie rock, thereby stretching their comfort zone beyond the predictable enclave of electronic dance producers influenced by jazz. The results pay off here and there: just listen to the Postal Service's remix of Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue." At times, Simone's voice seems largely out of place with the Postal Service's vibrant, bouncy beats and happy synth lines, but the reverence shown to her original recording is obvious throughout the remix. The same can be said of the Brazilian Girls' reinterpretation of Blossom Dearie's "Just One of Those Things." Unfortunately, there are times when even the best of intentions fall short of the mark, with remixes not only failing to give the original an interesting or appealing new treatment but, as a result, doing the songs a great disservice to boot. The remixes by Adam Freeland and Sugar Daddy show an apparent disregard for the original compositions altogether, while techno guru Carl Craig, on the other hand, follows in Metro Area's footsteps (their cut from Verve Remixed, Vol. 2) and remixes Hugh Masekela's "The Boys Doin' It," but any parallel between the two remixers stop there. Craig's reinterpretation is decidedly darker, rigid, and more claustrophobic than the Brooklyn disco duo's. It's also a mild disappointment, as Craig's remix work has few rivals in the electronic world, and this one simply doesn't add up to some of the moments in his impressive canon. There are some excellent remixes here, however, from RJD2 and Danger Mouse -- and given this context, they are indeed noteworthy of praise, with excellent work as well on Lyrics Born's outstanding remix of Jimmy Smith's "Stay Loose." ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide