Here’s a late review for you! Taio Cruz’ ‘Rokstarr’ was out about a month ago, and is now next against the wall for review. Luckily it’s quite good, and so won’t get totally savaged.
There’s probably not a person on the planet who hasn’t heard ‘Break Your Heart’, the lead track on the album, and it’s probably the best one. Synth arpeggios ring their way through the track, and it suits perfectly the club atmosphere for which it was crafted. Nice job, Taio! It’s followed by the deliciously pervy ‘Dirty Picture’, which defies its pop-rave lead-in to slide into sublime Fedde Le Grand-inspired bass triplets. It’s not a single. Yet. Give ‘er time.
Later, male ‘chav du jour‘ Tinchy Stryder rears his head in ‘Take Me Back’. It’s a decent track, with those repetitive synth patches we heard in Timbaland’s JT hits echoing through the song like an AK-47 stuck on auto. Of course, perhaps predictably, ‘repetitive’ suits the album if you want an all-encompassing description. But that’s not a bad thing! This is pop, very good pop, and frankly, we weren’t expecting Cruz-san to break new, virgin ground with every offering. ‘Rokstarr’ is brimming, brimming with production line delights, and it’s a better album for it. Snap.
