Little known British songwriter turned singer/rapper (a la Timbaland) Taio Cruz, (Taio pronounced as Tay-Oh) brings to the table a bunch of irresistible electro-pop/R&B in a bouncy set of tracks that makes you feel fresh, something you may’ve heard before, but an artist who puts his own charm into the music making you go for the rewind button at times. Comprising of just 11 songs, a few taken from his debut effort ‘Departure’ (2008) Cruz’ second offering can best be described as the sounds of tomorrow.

The toppers include Break your heart featuring Ludacris with its funky throbbing rhythms. It has a highly infectious chorus, a vocal hook so sharp that you just cannot ignore it. Dynamite full of electro – pop styles explodes with the same intensity as before and is a sure dancehall club song. No Other on is a lesser loved track on the album and probably a little passive in its harmony as well as chorus goes, but a stickler for sure. There’s also the glitchy R n B of ‘Best Girl’ full of percussion and good rythmic vocals that immediately give you a high.

Written, produced and arranged by the multi-talented Cruz, the album has nothing objectionable in terms of lyrics. Of course a certain amount of sleaze is seen in Dirty Picture, featuring US super hot rising star Ke$ha, that talks about a photograph of the loved one and how he/she misses each other. With every new artist using the Autotune, Cruz can’t be far away. He uses it, of course, but subtly in such a way that you can’t even tell if he is using Autotune or not, except when deliberately used for a robotic singing voice. Lookout for it on No other one and you’ll might just notice it. Cruz has a good understanding on how to create just the right balance between beats and melody for as we have said there are some infectiously big beats here as well as satisfying tunes. Dance, pop and a soulful voice have come together in a feel good album. But one wonders why the title spelt ‘Rokstarr’?

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira