Taio Cruz: Departure
Friday, 14 Mar 2008 11:56
Taio Cruz has previously twiddled the knobs for both Mya and Usher.
Universal, out March 17th.
In a nutshell...
British R 'n' B at its finest
What's it all about?
Departure is the debut album from the Taio Cruz, the 23-year-old British-born writer, producer and artist. Multi-talented Cruz is destined to be the next thing in British R 'n' B. A toss up between Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake and Usher, the singer writes fine tunes combining crisp and slick beats with smooth vocals.
Cruz's first single released from the album I Just Wanna Know reached number 29 in the UK top 30 singles chart in 2006. The second single which was Moving On was released in 2007, also landed itself in a respectable position.
The third release off the album is set to be Come on Girl which features Luciana, the vocalist from Bodyrox' Yeah Yeah. Come on Girl already has had major airplay in the UK and reached the top ten.
Great hits on the ten-track album includes a number of up beat tempos with tracks such as Fly Away and the anthemic I Can Be, however the best track on the album has to be the superb remix of She's Like a Star. Conversely it also consists of few tracks for the heartbroken people out there - be sure to love the first track I'll Never Love Again; the title says it all…
Who's it by?
Born to a Nigerian father and Brazilian mother in Sussex, Taio Cruz is not a newcomer in the R 'n' B scene and has been around for quite a few years despite only being 23 years old. Cruz has spent the last few years writing and recording in the US with the likes of Tricky Stewart, who was behind Rihanna's Umbrella. In fact the smash hit was originally given to Taio to perform, until Jay-Z heard it and stepped in with US dollars.
Taio has worked with many artist and his contributions to music were rewarded when he was chosen to write and produce the debut single Let Me See Dat, for new Island/ Def Jam US artist Vawn, as well as several other tracks under his belt for her forthcoming album.
Cruz is certainly a man with long list of credible friends, associates and even a Brit Award perching on his shelf for Best Single for Will Young's Your Game.
As an example...
“She's my star, my light, starry night/Aviator shades, 'cos she shine so bright/Beats on the G5, songs I write/Just so I can take her on a G5 flights." - She's Like a Star
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Even with one award under his belt I doubt this talented star will have many thank you letters and speeches to be nervous about just yet. He is definitely collaborating with the right people almost certainly has a full phone book but in originality he is anything but a novelty. However, as the R 'n' B genre is becoming more mainstream in the UK the futures bright for this young star.
With his writing skills already in demand, it is a possibility he could bring home a friend for his previous Brit award. His music is at a high quality for a British artist in the R 'n' B department; just attempting to conquer this subdivision is a brave enough move for the multi talented singer. All we can say is Bravo for making that move as British R 'n' B has not exceeded expectations since… Lemar and Craig David. Well, maybe just Lemar.
I'm sure at most he will attend many more celeb parties and perhaps be nominated for best male R 'n' B act at the Mobos but that may be the end of his journey down the award road for now. Let’s hope I'm wrong!
What the others say
"The album is absolutely drenched in wonderfully camp disco strings - at one point Cruz even ushers them in with the spoken instruction 'Strings!'. Cruz's own swooping vocals are most reminiscent of Seal; Never Gonna Get Us seems permanently on the verge of segueing into Crazy." - Alex Macpherson, Guardian
"Departure sounds tremendous. Sadly, it's let down by an over-reliance on slow jams, with only the rock-influenced Fly Away revisiting the carefree, dancefloor-friendly vibe of Come On Girl." - Nick Levine, DigitalSpy
So is it any good?
Departure could go either way for the Mr Cruz, either people will think he's just another US R 'n' B artist or they will love the songs because it sounds like anything else of that ilk. The album is highly enjoyable and a definite must have if you are a fan of this genre.
Conversely, the album is anything but unique in terms of R 'n' B, sadly to say. As many of his sounds have very much a Timbaland feel and almost sound familiar but after careful consideration this still does not exclude it from being any less pleasing.
Cruz is clearly a talented young artist who could be the UK version of Ne-Yo (although the only thing British about him seems to be his passport) but he is good at what he does especially in areas such as songwriting (we all love the cheesy lyrics) and producing.
There's not much predominantly wrong with his sound except that it could be anyone's. It is generic R 'n' B at its best, so could easily be lost in the swarm.
Departure could be considered as an extremely Americanised album but we can understand why Cruz has done a Joss Stone on us Brits, with so many more opportunities for progression in the States. We are quick to forgive Mr Cruz, especially when hearing an all round good quality album. Keep them coming…
8/10
Natalie Gurvitz
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