Jay Sean - All or Nothing Review

ll or Nothing is being quaintly willed onto American store shelves thanks to Jay Sean's apparent friendship with Lil Wayne (who drops in for a generous cameo) and also in order to buttress Universal's appropriately all-or-nothing "Super Monday" CD release glut. (Other artists being shoved into the same street date like so much turkey stuffing: Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Shakira, and Adam Lambert. In other words, everyone you just saw perform on the American Music Awards Sunday evening…plus Susan Boyle.) Obviously Jay is being used to fill out the roster, but it's not exactly like he's coming without credentials. "Down," the aforementioned collaboration with Weezy, somehow topped the Billboard Hot 100 last month. His sound is a flawless copy of the Auto-Tuned, open-throated, electro-popped sound of the moment. And, well, his hairdresser-gorgeous looks don't exactly queer the deal. Hell, there are even a few good songs in here. "If I Ain't Got You" is as midtempo-stately as anything Tricky Stewart and The-Dream came up with for Mariah's latest annoyingly level-headed album. "Fire" is expansive and atmospheric and comes spiked with a neat recurring bass pop. And "Ride It," which was actually the leadoff single from his previous album (unreleased stateside), is a halfway decent sex bumper, albeit one buried underneath needlessly exotic tabla drums (Jay Sean is British Indian). But the calculated monotony of All or Nothing's set isn't only predictable—it's downright boring. The entire album is stuck in the missionary position....full text Jay Sean's third album is already out in the US, reflecting his star status there: the single Down was the first by a British Asian artist to reach No 1 in the Billboard chart, which was achieved through the device of sounding as American as it's possible for a Londoner to do. (Lil Wayne's yappy guest rap probably didn't hurt, either.) All Or Nothing has also been calibrated to appeal to R&B fans across the Atlantic, with little in Sean's keening, Akonish vocal to suggest that the singer was raised in Hounslow. The only signs of Britishness are the drum'n'bass foundations of If I Ain't Got You and a duet with ex-Sugababe Keisha Buchanan on Far Away – a performance of such weediness that it could only be by two Brits. Interestingly, a collaboration with Craig David, Stuck in the Middle, is much more vigorous. The rest is glossy, super-catchy R&B that should finally establish him in the UK....full text You’ll find no evidence of his London or Punjabi roots on Jay Sean’s formulaic third album, but his sleekly effective R’n’B pop has made him arguably the most successful British urban artist ever. His single Down topped US charts this year. Sean specialises in structurally concise, melodic, romantic songs delivered in a clear, sweet voice to a gushing, synthetic backdrop. Bland but effective....full text