When your mentor (who happens to be one of the most powerful and influential men in the music biz) declares that you have “the potential to be one of the most important artists of your generation” live to millions at the MTV Europe Music Awards there’s going to be a fair bit of pressure for your album to deliver. But when your mentor and executive producer is the hip-hop/R&B megastar Kanye West, you must know your in good hands, right…?
Taio’s hot right now with his single Break Your Heart only just vacating the top spot on the charts having spent the last three weeks there. Yes, the tables are a-turning for this UK singer-songwriter. But isn’t he an r&b artist? Nah, not in this young man’s opinion - and he’s been on a mission to get the message across loud and clear for quite some time. But will anyone listen? Is a cool album title enough to convince the cynics and will the music within capture the imagination of his established fans and perhaps claim a bigger share of the buying public’s affection? We ran the rule over his new album Rokstarr to see if he came up short…
The natty French duo of Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel who make up Air know what they like and like what they know. Lounge-style downtempo chamber pop is their stock in trade and seeing as they do it so well, why change a good thing? That’s the mantra behind their latest opus Love 2, which caresses your ears from the off radiating a hearty glow of recognition to fans and a full-blown charm offensive to the uninitiated. Sure, it doesn’t take too many risks, but why fix what isn’t broken?
Two years on from American Gangster, Hova is back with the uber-hyped The Blueprint 3, oozing a chilled yet complex flow that’s lyrically on point and packed with cameos. Jay-Z seems pretty confident with the end result - when the album leaked Jigga Man’s response was “bootleg away” - and for someone who never writes down his raps on paper, the result is pretty special. After ten chart-topping albums, it’s safe to say the hype is deserved- Jay-Z is a true living legend…
