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Released a half-year after Kaleidoscope (2009), Tiësto's fourth studio album to date, Magikal Journey: The Hits Collection 1998-2008 garners the highlights of his prior production work and adds a bunch of new material for fans who already have all his albums in their collection. It's an impressive collection that bolsters Tiësto's status as the premier trance artist of the ten-year span encompassed by this album. The first disc of Magikal Journey rounds up all the hits from his first three albums, In My Memory (2001), Just Be (2004), and Elements of Life (2007), and tacks on a couple previously unreleased productions, "Goldrush" and "Magikal Circus." The second disc is comprised of 11 remixes, a few of them by Tiësto himself and the rest of them outsourced to the likes of Airbase, Laidback Luke, and Sean Tyas. The digital version of the album includes a few additional remixes not found on the CD edition. While there's a lot to like about Magikal Journey, one drawback is that the hits compiled on the first disc are not featured in their album-length versions but rather in abbreviated radio edits. On the one hand, this is convenient because it allows for a greater number of inclusions, 17 of them in all. On the other hand, it's somewhat maddening to hear all the previously released material fade out around the three-minute mark while the two previously unreleased inclusions carry on for upwards of 12 minutes. Tiësto fans who already have all of his albums should think twice about getting Magikal Journey, not only because of all the previously released material but also because of all the radio edits. The two new tracks and remixes are tempting but probably not compelling enough of a reason to pay the cost of a double-disc album like this. That said, those who are unfamiliar with Tiësto's back catalog couldn't ask for a better overview than Magikal Journey, which includes all the hits and then some. ~ Jason Birchmeier
