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Break off a single or two and leave the rest for aspiring producers to study.
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Rokstarr bounces to a beat that feels fresh and vibrant.
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On his second album, Rokstarr, British pop-soul artist Taio Cruz croons about the highs and lows of love over a wide variety of electronic-influenced beats.
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This is an agreeable, singles-going-steady kind of collection that should make for endless radio fodder.
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You can forgive Cruz for wondering who he's meant to be for his second album, but we're less indulgent of such wishy-washy nonsense that "Rokstarr" puts across in the name of heartfelt R&B.
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The only song of equal caliber to [''Break Your Heart"] on his Stateside debut is the Ke$ha-assisted sexting number ''Dirty Picture.'' The rest of the tracks are forgettable and include a cut for throwing hands in the air (''Dynamite'') and one awkwardly placed effort to uplift (''I Can Be'').
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Although Cruz’s downfall comes when he acts the player (‘Break Your Heart’, ‘Dirty Picture’), it’s obvious his real talent comes when he exchanges vocal manipulation for balladeering as on ‘Falling In Love’, and disregards romantic cynicism for a rather hopeful ‘The 11th Hour’.
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Cruz's singing lacks personality, and Rokstarr is ultimately a collection of decent, but generic, Eurodisco tracks without a star--"rok" or otherwise--to hold a listener's interest.
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Up-tempo club jams like "Break Your Heart," "Dynamite," and "I Can Be" sport melodies sturdy enough to support all the digital detailing, and power ballads such as "I'll Never Love Again" and "Falling in Love" do the gathering-steam thing as efficiently as more traditionally presented songs by Diane Warren or Kara DioGuardi.
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As an artist himself, he's proficient but generic.
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There are vapid lyrics to navigate (“Hit the floor cause that’s my plans plans plans plans/I’m wearing all my favorite brands brands brands brands,” on “Dynamite” ), but they don’t disrupt the mood, which is emphatic and rarely sensual: turns out Mr. Cruz has no off switch.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 5 out of 25
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Mixed: 5 out of 25
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Negative: 15 out of 25
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Feb 12, 2011
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Dec 19, 2016
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Oct 13, 2015