Taio Cruz: 'Departure'

Since Craig David became as much a punchline as a popstar, and Lemar sacrificed his street cred for a slice of the Magic Radio pie, the British urban scene has been holding out for a hero: why should the Americans lay down all the freshest beats, eh? Attempting to fill the increasingly cavernous hole marked "UK R&B Superstar" comes Taio Cruz, a 23-year-old singer/songwriter/producer, born in Sussex to Nigerian and Brazilian parents, who's already won a Brit Award for his work on 'Your Game', a 2004 hit for Will Young. With Cruz's current single, the thrilling electro-R&B floorfiller 'Come On Girl', making itself comfortable in the top ten, it's all looking very promising indeed.

Cruz's official biography is at pains to inform us that Departure, his debut album, is "not just written and performed, but arranged, produced and mixed by Cruz himself". Too clever by half he may be, but you can't blame Cruz for laying claim to the album's sonic template: with its super-sized synths, dramatic string samples and just-as-crisp-as-Timbaland beats, 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'. More typical is the hard-edged balladry of Cruz's early singles 'Moving On' and 'I Just Wanna Know', which combine sleek, electro-tinged production with surprisingly bleak lyrics about romantic ups and (mainly) downs.

Their lack of club appeal notwithstanding, Cruz's songs have much to recommend them: proper pop melodies, smooth, yearning vocals and a vulnerability sorely lacking in many of his contemporaries. 'So Cold' is particularly affecting, with Cruz picturing his romantic successor in the "house we bought for you and I… the bed where we made love". Can you imagine the Ushers and Justins of this world placing themselves in a similar situation? Meanwhile, both 'I Just Wanna Know' and 'Moving On' find Cruz waiting for a lover to call time on a troubled relationship. Ending it himself, tellingly, doesn't seem to be an option.

Not that Cruz is a shrinking violent, mind. 'Never Gonna Get Us' is bold and defiant, while the anthemic 'I Can Be' is positively dripping with confidence, as Cruz boasts that he "can be anything I want to be, all I have to do is put my mind to it and I can do it". This frequently impressive debut suggests Cruz can make good on his pledge – once he realises, of course, that variety is a staple ingredient of any great pop album. For now, though, Departure's combination of state-of-the-art beats and lovelorn lyrics points to a meeting with Leona Lewis' A&R man very, very soon.


> Click here for our recent interview with Taio Cruz