Credit where its due, JLS have at least broken with X Factor convention on their debut single. Rather than releasing a tacky covers record off the back of the show, or waiting a year so they can sponge sales off a return live performance on ITV1, they've got their heads down and come back with an original tune just seven months after they finished second on the nation's biggest singing contest. Perhaps more importantly, they've managed to avoid being moulded into Westlife/Boyzone clones by the mucky hands of mentor Louis Walsh, choosing instead to forge their own contemporary R&B sound.

In fact, 'Beat Again' sounds like something Ne-Yo could have slipped onto his recent Year Of The Gentleman album. The lyrics about "love CPR" are cheesier than a Jennifer Aniston rom-com and the beats and squelches may not be particularly original, but it's still considerably more exciting than 99% of X Factor-affiliated singles. Alexandra Burke best have something good up her sleeve because her old rivals have laid down a fairly decent gauntlet here.


> Click here to watch our recent video interview with JLS