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By Andrew Bates - A&SB Contributor

Mashups aren’t anything new to the world of music, but rarely do we get to hear a truly well produced and well crafted set of songs. In the case of Viva La Hova, Terry Urban and Mick Boogie do a fantastic job showcasing some of the best songs from Jay Z’s library to date, by meshing them with the smooth sounds of Coldplay. The result is undeniable satisfaction resonating through the listener’s earlobes.

Viva La Hova is a collection of twenty mashups, several produced by Boogie and Urban, and the work they do here is fun to dive into. Things get moving quickly with “Public Speeding” as Jay-Z’s infectious beats chime in with the introductory lines “Allow me to re-introduce myself/ My name is Hov’, OH, H-to-the-O-V/ I used to move snowflakes by the O-Z/ I guess even back then you can call me/ CEO of the R-O-C, Hov’!”

The chorus to this mashup is reserved for the distinct vocal prowess of Chris Martin as the Coldplay song “Higher Speed” takes off in the chorus. While a strong start, the sounds only get stronger.

“Never Changing” “Lost part 1″ and “Science Is Ignorant” are standout tracks on Hova, and these few seem to work the best lyrically and musically. For some reason, Coldplay’s guitar work sounds even better when it surrounds the right hooks and jabs from Jay-Z’s lyrical boxing match where the listener goes down swinging more often than not. This is due to a simple collection of sounds overpowering the ears to the point of pure rock/rap bliss.

Urban and Boogie take mashups to a level where a brand new song is created. The only true collaborations on the mix are “Lost part 1″ and “Beach Chair” both produced by Coldplay. On a relevant note, most of the tracks here are done by several producers recruited by Boogie and Urban (nVMe, The Amps, 9th Wonder to name a few). One of the better tracks on this album is towards the end, called “Take The Hill” by nVMe, a relatively unknown underground producer. Coldplay’s guitar work here really packs a punch when coupled with Jay-Z’s lyrics from “The Takeover.”

Perhaps the most appealing element of Hova is seeing well loved classics from both parties molded into something so refreshingly smooth that it makes the listener wish Coldplay and Jay Z would collaborate more often so we don’t have to settle for these gloriously delicious mashups. I suppose it’s not so bad to settle every now and then.

Mixes used:
Intro (Various Songs)
Public Speeding (High Speed + Public Service Announcement)
Know My Place (U Don’t Know + In My Place)
Never Changing (Never Change + Never Change)
Miss Trouble (Excuse Me Miss + Trouble)
Back At My Place (Back Then + In My Place)
No Love Coming Home (Homecoming + Ain’t No Love)
A Spy’s Prayer (Spies + Pray)
Science Is Ignorant (The Scientist + Ignorant Sh*t)
The Reverse Fix (The Bounce + The Fix)
Hola Blanco (Hola Hovito + White Shadows)
Take The Hill (Takeover + Violet Hill)
Lost Part 2 (Momma Loves Me + Lost - Import Mix)
Cold Success (Success + Lost - Import Mix)
What If We Cry? (What If + Song Cry)
Falling In Shadows (Fallin’ + White Shadows)
Life of Clocks (Clocks + Party Life)
X-Y-Z (No Hook + X&Y)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Album downloads slower than an elephant running through molasses on a cool summer day with a sprained ankle (Maybe they should have released it through A&SB It’s totally worth it though. Trust us.