Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger noted that the song "juggles aggression and melancholy, and makes both immediately appealing – the juddering riff which opens "The Power" set against the slow pace and lonesome spaciousness of the production and Pennye Ford's vocals. This one will be huge." Complex magazine described it as "a more industrial take on the hip-house scene that blew up" at that time the song was released. Yet none of it seems forced or contrived, and it doesn't sound quite like anything else that's out there right now. Expect big crossover action." Ernest Hardy from Cash Box said the song is "set against a basic hip-hop beat, but all sorts of computer-generated enhancements are added, as well as a great bassline, soul-drenched female vocals, a male rap that sounds a bit like Heavy D, and, depending on the mix, elements of house. Critical reception īill Coleman from Billboard wrote that "thanks to a healthy buzz generated via underground import attention, this hypnotic, street- soul jam should have no trouble duplicating its smash U.K. It was made by Transceptor Technologies of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Released in 1990, it was controlled by voice and could, among other functions, automatically download articles from USA Today by a built-in modem. "Personal Companion" was a computer-like device for the blind and visually impaired. This song is written in the key of B minor, and opens with the spoken Russian "Американская фирма Transceptor Technology приступила к производству компьютеров „Персональный спутник" (meaning "The American company Transceptor Technology has started production of the 'Personal Companion' computer"). The samples were then all legally cleared and the song was finally re-released under the new name Snap! on 12 March 1990 in the UK and 6 April 1990 in the US, despite the fact that Jocelyn Brown had commenced legal action because of the unauthorized sampling of her vocals. Simultaneously, Arista Records wished to release their own edition in the US, but because it was not legally possible for the label to simply reissue the original German single, it was decided to re-record the entire track with new lyrics by rapper Durron Butler, known as Turbo B, and additional vocals by Penny Ford. However, this version was credited under Power Jam and not Snap! Wild Pitch issued a stateside single and video with his lyrics from "Let the Words Flow" on 5 March 1990. Rob G, who was signed to Wild Pitch, consented, initially thinking the deal could be lucrative for his career. Despite it becoming an early 1990 hit in Germany and appearing on the Dance Singles chart in the UK, none of the credited vocals were cleared, and Stu Fine, former owner of Wild Pitch Records, wanted to release the song in the United States. The original version was released on 3 January 1990 through Logic Records in Germany and contains samples from "Let the Words Flow" by Chill Rob G, " Love's Gonna Get You" by Jocelyn Brown, and "King of the Beats" by Mantronix. Written and produced by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III), "The Power" went through several renditions.