albums and tracks

Editor's rating

Here's Sam Sparro: an Aussie-American-Brit with an ear for a tune, a big distinctive voice, a face for the magazine stands, a whole heap of charisma and, hell, a cute name too. What could possibly go wrong? Well, not a lot does.

Sparro has conjured up a hitfest, a big dollop of robot pop with a heart and soul. It's led by current smash 'Black And Gold' - a slice of disco existentialism with a killer, superglue melody - but the single is only part of a mighty opening quartet that threatens to establish Sam as a major player from the get-go.

The heavily '80s electro soul of this debut should reek of cheese and hard-nosed commercialism, but there's a whiff of the real deal about Sparro. That he comes close to pulling it off is testament to the man's chutzpah - that he narrowly fails is the price of premature ambition.

After the four-song opening statement - the steady grind of 'Too Many Questions', 'Black And Gold', the Daft Punk filter disco of '21st Century Life' and the bouncy-finger synths of 'Sick' - Sparro eases off and slips into track after track of shiny, queasy funk. It's the kind of thing US duo Chromeo carry off with a bit more zip and humour.

The album's second half isn't a total write-off, boasting a pretty strong Prince-a-like workout in 'Hot Mess' and some memorable pulsing electro-pop in 'Pocket', but the squelchy synths and liquid bass become a chore. Sparro needs to mix it up a bit.

After some storming Italo house piano on nominal closer 'Can't Stop This!', there's a not-particularly-hidden track where Sam emotes over cabaret piano chords that he's "still hungry" - and so he should be. If he can channel the appetite, he can match his aspirations. Maybe then we'll see Sam Sparro fly.

Matthew Horton