I have only bought Sam Sparro’s debut self-titled album on Tuesday and I can’t stop listening to it. I’ve literally played it about eight times and as soon as the final track finishes, I start it all over again! I’m obsessed. I was worried that Sam’s album might have the horrible shelf life of Calvin Harris’ "I Created Disco" album, but oh how contrary that is. Sam has made a rather good disco freak record and I’m in love.
Aside from having the smash hit "Black And Gold" as the second song, there are a number of potential singles here. "21st Century Life" gets me dancing immediately as Sam discovers the joys of modern technology and the electro anthem "Sick" certainly will give hardcore electro fans a spark of delight. The tracks in the middle of the album like "Waiting For Time", "Recycle It!" and "Cottonmouth" aren’t the best tracks on the album, but "Hot Mess" sees Sam conjuring up a modern, yet retro-grade Prince record while "Cut Me Loose" is pretty much your "getting ready" soundtrack for the next three months of Saturday nights.
My favourite song on the album is "Pocket" – hands down. I absolutely love this electro diddy and Sam’s take on the old saying that "you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer" is fresh and inspiring. You’ll especially love the track "Sally" as we see Sam dishing out some good advice to a call girl while still managing to pay homage to The Police’s legendary 80’s track "Roxanne".
Despite having a secret song at the end of the album (I usually hate it when artists do that) this album is pretty amazing. The secret song talks about how Sam spent too much money on a fabulous pair of jeans which has left him penniless and hungry and lord knows how many times I’ve done that…So Sam, you’re forgiven for the secret song thingy because the rest of the record is suprisingly soulful and full of wit and personality – which you rarely see in electronic records these days.
You should all go out now and buy Sam Sparro’s record. EQ approved.