Sometimes, judging an album by its cover isn’t a bad thing. The only reason I discovered Sam Sparro, the English/Australian electrosoul singer, and his self-titled debut was because of the album cover. The hipster glasses, shiny shooting stars, and the kaleidoscope of colors made me think of Calvin Harris and the Klaxons. Not bad company to be in, seeing how both artists released two of the best pop albums of 2007.
Sam Sparro - 21st Century Life [YSI]
The album Sam Sparro moves listeners with a mix of disco, soul, and electro reminiscent of I Created Disco, the album released by Calvin Harris last year. The biggest difference between the two album is the lyrical content. With lyrics ranging from parental abuse, poverty, religion, pollution, and war, Sam Sparro takes you much farther than merrymaking or getting all the girls. Sam Sparro hits an intellectual-to-dancable balance that should make this album popular with the hipster set. A person can listen to Sam Sparro strictly to dance, but tell everyone they love the album because Sam Sparro’s songs “speak to the problems our generation”. The track 21st Century Life is a perfect example of this balance. It uses a Daft Punk sample and sounds groovy enough to be on Prince's Purple Rain album, but the lyrics address the hasty, impetuous life we live today and Sparro’s disappointment with how the problems of the 20th century continued through to the 21st century. Sparro also drops lessons in his best Prince-inspired falsetto on the track Hot Mess about how fame and public attention means nothing without love and self-esteem. And in Sally, he gives life advice to a stripper abused by her father over some Cameo-esque synth-soul. The 80s electrofunk production used throughout the album matches perfectly with Sparro’s soulful singing voice.
Sam Sparro - Cut Me Loose [YSI]
A good pop album has awesome production, meaningful lyrics, spectacular singing, and most importantly, it delivers a good time. Sam Sparro excels in all these areas to create what will undoubtedly be one of the best pop albums of 2008. Pick up the album here from Amazon.
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