Taio Cruz returns this week with his latest album ‘Rokstarr’, for those that don’t know Mr Cruz is the latest in a line of radio and ringtone friendly pop stars who skirt the urban genres.

Now its at this point I develop an incredible problem with this album.

Essentially twelve tracks that are more or less carbon copies of each other, you know like when you print from a copy each successive version gradually deteriorates in quality. That’s pretty much what we have here.

Now a few members of the press have been making proclamations that Mr Cruz is ready to play with the big boys like Timberlake and Timbaland. I feel at this point I must ask, what the fuck were they listening to because it sure as hell wasn’t the same album I had on my stereo.

Cruz is chasing a transatlantic vibe that sadly comes off sounding a little like a lightweight version of Akon. Its a shame because in the past he has done the odd track that has shown more potential than this. Production wise, its all top end fizz and froth to the point where it comes across like cheap ‘Sharon and Tracy Trance’. The kind you expect to hear in bad nightclubs where they give you a free bottle of wine that tastes like vinegar for your birthday and sometime after midnight you’ll see someone get glassed.

Even the obligatory guest star of the moment Tinchy Stryder can’t do anything to improve matters. This is a contrived and soulless album that I heartily recommend you to avoid.

Awful. Oh and its out now.