Rokstarr | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 12 October 2009 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:00 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer |
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Taio Cruz chronology | ||||
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Singles from Rokstarr | ||||
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Rokstarr is the second studio album by English singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. It was released on 12 October 2009 in the United Kingdom. On 11 June 2010, a revised version of the album was released in Europe and the United States, appearing as Cruz's debut album there. On 22 May 2011, a second revised version of the album was released in Brazil, other South American countries and Europe. [2] The album debuted at number 14 on the UK Albums Chart and number eight on the US Billboard 200.
Speaking to Pete Lewis of the Blues & Soul, Cruz explained the musical background behind the album: "This album shows quite a bit of scope. In that, while it's still got underlining hip hop, dance and R&B-type tones to it, it also has like rocky and indie rock elements. And lyrically, because essentially I come from a ballad place of listening to people like Boyz II Men and Babyface, many of the songs do tend to be about relationships in one way or another. But the difference this time is that, as well as the full-on love songs, I am having a little bit more FUN with it all!" [3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
BBC | (favourable) [5] |
The Boston Globe | (positive) [6] |
Digital Spy | [7] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [8] |
NME | [9] |
Rolling Stone | (mixed) [10] |
The Guardian | [11] |
The New York Times | (favorable) [12] |
Billboard | [13] |
The album has received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 61, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [14] Mike Driver from BBC gave an extremely favorable review, saying that: "Rokstarr bounces to a beat that feels fresh and vibrant". [15] Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe says that Rokstarr is "an agreeable, singles-going-steady kind of collection that should make for endless radio fodder." [16] The New York Times review states that "There are vapid lyrics to navigate ("Hit the floor 'cause that's my plans plans plans plans/I'm wearing all my favorite brands brands brands brands," on "Dynamite"), but they don't disrupt the mood, which is emphatic and rarely sensual: turns out Mr. Cruz has no off switch." [17] Entertainment Weekly opined that "The only song of equal caliber to "Break Your Heart" on his Stateside debut is the Ke$ha-assisted sexting number "Dirty Picture". The rest of the tracks are forgettable and include a cut for throwing hands in the air ("Dynamite") and one awkwardly placed effort to uplift ("I Can Be")." [18]
The Rolling Stone review bluntly states "Cruz's singing lacks personality, and Rokstarr is ultimately a collection of decent, but generic, Eurodisco tracks without a star--"rok" or otherwise—to hold a listener's interest." [19] NME confess that "Although Cruz's downfall comes when he acts the player ('Break Your Heart', 'Dirty Picture'), it's obvious his real talent comes when he exchanges vocal manipulation for balladeering as on 'Falling In Love', and disregards romantic cynicism for a rather hopeful 'The 11th Hour'." [20] David Jeffres from Allmusic rated it 3 stars (out of 5) and concluded that: "The hooks are plentiful on Rokstarr and infectious as they come. while as a producer Cruz is the Akon-meets-will.i.am-meets- Xenomania package that radio and record labels have dreamed about. Sounds good, and the album does the whole way through, but lyrics are a sore point and when ballads appear to help round out the effort, just help emphasize how his words are trite. Still, when you let the clichés fade into the background this is a master class in what the mainstream wants for a soundtrack in 2010". [4]
The album debuted at number 8 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 24,000 copies. [21] [22] In its second week, the album tumbled to number 50, with sales of just 9,000 copies. [23] It dropped to number 101 on its third week.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Break Your Heart" | Cruz, Fraser T Smith | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:22 |
2. | "Dirty Picture" (featuring Kesha) | Cruz, Smith | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:41 |
3. | "No Other One" | Cruz, Smith | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:38 |
4. | "Forever Love" | Taio Cruz | Fraser T Smith | 4:12 |
5. | "Take Me Back" (featuring Tinchy Stryder; Version A^) | Cruz | Fraser T. Smith | 3:34 |
6. | "Best Girl" | Cruz, The Arcade | Taio Cruz, The Arcade | 4:09 |
7. | "I'll Never Love Again" | Cruz | Taio Cruz | 3:49 |
8. | "Only You" | Cruz, Smith | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:42 |
9. | "Falling in Love" | Cruz, Alan Kasirye | Taio Cruz, Alan Nglish | 3:31 |
10. | "Keep Going" | Taio Cruz | Sandy Vee, Taio Cruz | 3:28 |
11. | "Feel Again" | Cruz | Taio Cruz, Alan Nglish | 3:40 |
12. | "The 11th Hour" | Cruz | Taio Cruz | 3:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Falling in Love" (acoustic version) | 3:11 |
14. | "Come On Girl" (live from iTunes London Festival '08) | 3:44 |
15. | "I Can Be" (live from iTunes London Festival '08) | 4:08 |
16. | "I Just Wanna Know" (live from iTunes London Festival '08) | 4:04 |
17. | "Moving On" (live from iTunes London Festival '08) | 3:40 |
18. | "She's Like a Star" (live from iTunes London Festival '08) | 3:44 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Dynamite" | Taio Cruz, Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Benjamin Levin, Bonnie McKee | Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco | 3:24 |
2. | "Break Your Heart" (featuring Ludacris) | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith, Christopher Bridges | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:06 |
3. | "Dirty Picture" (featuring Ke$ha) | Cruz, Smith | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:39 |
4. | "Take Me Back" (Version C^^) | Kwasi Danquah, Smith, Cruz | Fraser T Smith | 3:12 |
5. | "I'll Never Love Again" | Taio Cruz | Taio Cruz | 3:49 |
6. | "I Can Be" | Cruz | Taio Cruz | 3:47 |
7. | "No Other One" | Cruz, Smith | Taio Cruz, Fraser T Smith | 3:37 |
8. | "Come On Girl" (featuring Luciana) | Cruz | Taio Cruz | 3:33 |
9. | "Falling in Love" | Cruz, Alan Kasirye | Taio Cruz, Alan English | 3:32 |
10. | "Higher" | Cruz, Sandy Vee | Sandy Vee, Taio Cruz | 3:08 |
11. | "Feel Again" | Cruz | Taio Cruz, Alan English | 3:39 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Dirty Picture" (featuring Kesha and Fabolous) | 3:40 |
13. | "Break Your Heart" (featuring Ludacris; Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Remix) | 3:48 |
14. | "Forever Love" (non-North American edition) | 4:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Higher" (featuring Travie McCoy) | Cruz, Sandy Vee | Sandy Vee, Taio Cruz | 3:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
12. | "Dirty Picture" (Spanish version; featuring Paulina Rubio) | 3:39 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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10. | "Higher" (featuring Kylie Minogue) | 3:07 | ||
11. | "Feel Again" | Cruz | Taio Cruz, Alan English | 3:39 |
No. | Title | Length |
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12. | "She's Like a Star" | 3:38 |
13. | "I Just Wanna Know" | 3:58 |
14. | "Forever Love" | 4:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "She's Like a Star" | 3:38 | ||
13. | "I Just Wanna Know" | 3:58 | ||
14. | "Forever Love" | 4:12 | ||
15. | "Higher" (featuring Travie McCoy) | 3:38 | ||
16. | "Break Your Heart" (Agent X Remix) | 5:42 | ||
17. | "Dynamite" (Ralphi Rosario Radio Edit) | 3:39 | ||
18. | "Higher" (Club Junkies Radio Edit) | 3:17 | ||
19. | "Dirty Picture" (Redtop Radio Edit) | 3:24 | ||
20. | "Telling the World" | Taio Cruz, Alan Kasirye | Taio Cruz | 4:09 |
Notes
^ Version A is the main version of the song, which was released as a single, and included on Stryder's album Catch 22. It features three rap verses by Stryder and the hook and chorus by Cruz.
^^ Version C is a solo version of the song, which replaces Stryder's rap verses with sung verses by Cruz. This version does not feature any vocals from Stryder.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
Certifications
|
Region | Release date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 12 October 2009 [56] | CD, digital download (original edition) | Island |
Poland | 7 May 2010 [57] | Universal Music | |
United States | 1 June 2010 [58] | CD, digital download (revised edition) | Mercury |
Canada | Universal Music | ||
Brazil | 7 June 2010 [59] | ||
Australia | 16 July 2010 [60] | Island | |
Europe | 19 November 2010 | ||
Brazil | 1 April 2011 [32] | CD, digital download (second revised edition) | Universal Music |
Jacob Taio Cruz is a Brazilian-English singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which he wrote, arranged and produced. The album achieved certified gold status in the United Kingdom and earned him a Music of Black Origin Awards (MOBO) nomination.
"Take Me Back" is a song by British rapper Tinchy Stryder, featuring vocals from Taio Cruz, it was produced by Fraser T Smith. The song features on Stryder's album Catch 22 and was released as the album's second single on 19 January 2009. The music video features both Tinchy Stryder and Taio Cruz in various black and white backgrounds as well as in front of cars, large dogs and women dancing in swim costumes.
The discography of Tinchy Stryder, a recording artist whose real name is Kwasi Danquah, consists of four studio albums, one compilation album, one collaboration album, five extended plays, four mixtapes, 17 singles, five singles as a featured artist, and ten collaborations. Danquah has sold over 22.2 million digital singles worldwide. Danquah performed under the stage name Stryder from 1997 to 2006, and has performed under the stage name Tinchy Stryder since 2006.
Catch 22 is the second full-length solo studio album by recording artist Tinchy Stryder. After three successful singles leading up to the album, the album was then released on 17 August 2009. The album is produced and co-written by award-winning producer and songwriter Fraser T Smith, whose previous credits include James Morrison, Craig David and Kano.
English singer Taio Cruz has released three studio albums, one compilation album, one live album, one extended play, twenty singles and twenty-three music videos. After signing a publishing deal at the age of 19, Cruz released his debut studio album, Departure in 2006; it reached number 17 on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The album contained five singles, all of which reached the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart: "Come On Girl", which peaked at number five, was the most successful of these singles.
"Break Your Heart" is a song by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz. The song serves as the lead single from his second studio album, Rokstarr (2009). It was written by Cruz and Fraser T Smith and produced by Smith. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 20 September 2009, followed by a release in the United States and other markets on 2 February 2010. The single version features US rapper Ludacris; that version was the single released in North American countries. The song, originally penned for Cheryl Cole, is an electropop song with dance-pop elements, accompanied by Cruz's vocals. The song is lyrically a warning to someone about being a heartbreaker.
"No Other One" is a single by Taio Cruz, the second single from his album, Rokstarr. It was released on November 30, 2009. The song peaked at #42 on the UK Singles Chart, making it the lowest charting single from the album.
3 Words is the debut studio album by English singer Cheryl Cole released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's "Heartbreaker" (2008), on which she sang additional vocals. Following this, it was announced that Cole's band Girls Aloud would take a break from releasing material, having enjoyed five successful albums and twenty consecutive top-ten singles. In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material in Los Angeles and London, mainly collaborating with will.i.am, who served as executive producer of the album.
"Dirty Picture" is a song by British R&B singer Taio Cruz, which features vocals from American singer Kesha and was released from his second studio album, Rokstarr (2009). The song was written and produced by Cruz alongside Fraser T Smith, and later released as the album's third single on 5 April 2010. Originally, Cruz wanted the female vocals to be done by Lady Gaga but opted to switch to Kesha due to heavy influence by Dr. Luke and for finding her voice unique. The song was later re-recorded as an album bonus track for Kesha's debut album, Animal (2010), and dubbed the "Kesha edit" or "Dirty Picture Pt. 2". Lyrically, the song is about sending a dirty picture to a significant other whom you miss.
"Dynamite" is a song by British singer and songwriter Taio Cruz from the revised version of his second studio album, Rokstarr (2010). Cruz co-wrote the song, along with Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Benny Blanco, and Dr. Luke; the latter two are also the producers. The song features additional instrumentation by Cruz himself. It was released internationally as the fourth single from Rokstarr. In the UK, the song was released as the first single from Cruz's compilation album, The Rokstarr Collection (2010). On 30 May 2010, it was released to US and Canadian radio stations as his second single and across Europe as his fourth single. An official remix was released featuring new label mate, Jennifer Lopez.
The Rokstarr Collection is the first compilation album by English R&B recording artist Taio Cruz. It was released on 20 September 2010. According to Cruz's website, the album combines "the biggest hits of Taio’s debut album 'Departure' and recent album 'Rokstarr'". The album includes all of Cruz's singles from his first two studio albums, excluding "No Other One". The album also includes album tracks and the American version of "Break Your Heart", featuring Ludacris. Island Records added the video advertisement for the collection to their YouTube account on 18 August 2010.
Third Strike is the third solo studio album by recording artist Tinchy Stryder, and his second studio album with Universal Island Records. It was released on 15 November 2010. Prior to the release of Third Strike, Stryder featured on the grime collective Roll Deep's first compilation album, Street Anthems, which was released on 19 October 2009. Third Strike was preceded by a free downloadable extended play (EP), III EP.
"Second Chance" is a single by recording artist Tinchy Stryder. It is the second single from his third studio album Third Strike. It was released on 31 October 2010 as a digital download and on 1 November 2010 as a physical single. The song also features vocals from singer Taio Cruz. A music video was made for the single and was premiered on Tinchy Stryder's YouTube channel on 24 September 2010.
"Higher" is the fifth single from English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz's second studio album, Rokstarr. It was written and produced by Cruz and Sandy Vee, and was released on 26 November 2010. This song was originally written for Australian singer Kylie Minogue's album Aphrodite, but plans fell through. However, Cruz and Minogue recorded a version of the song for the European release, while American rapper Travie McCoy recorded guest raps for the American release. The Brazilian and United Kingdom versions have parts of McCoy's rap mixed into the Minogue version. The version on Cruz's albums feature a solo vocal by Cruz with no guest vocalist and an edited version of the solo version was added to Radio Disney's playlist.
"Telling the World" is a song by English recording artist Taio Cruz, released as the seventh overall single and first single from the second re-release of his second studio album, Rokstarr. The song also appears on his third album TY.O, and in the film Rio as the main theme for the film. The lyrics are sung in the perspective of Blu, the protagonist of the film. The song was released in the United Kingdom on 20 March 2011 via digital download, peaking at number 138 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was uploaded to YouTube on 18 March 2011.
"Little Bad Girl" is a single by French DJ David Guetta, featuring vocals from English recording artist Taio Cruz and American rapper Ludacris. It was released for digital download from 27 June 2011 by Virgin Records, serving as the second single from Guetta's latest studio album Nothing but the Beat. This song later appeared on Cruz's third album TY.O.
American rapper and singer Travie McCoy has released two solo studio albums and twenty-four singles, including fifteen as a featured artist.
"Hangover" is a song by English singer Taio Cruz from his third studio album, TY.O. Released on 4 October 2011 in United States, 18 October 2011 in Germany and 4 March 2012 in the United Kingdom, the song serves as the album's international lead single, and follows "Troublemaker" as the album's second British single. American rapper Flo Rida contributes guest vocals. Another alternate version of the song, titled "Takeover", was leaked online via NewJams.net.
TY.O is the third studio album by British record producer and singer Taio Cruz which features special guest appearances from Flo Rida, Pitbull, David Guetta and Ludacris. Taking a more electronic music sound than his previous releases, TY.O was released in December 2011 by Universal Island Records but for reasons unknown to Cruz, its British and American release were held off. Instead, a year after its original release, an extended play (EP) version of the album titled The Fast Hits was released in the UK on 16 December 2012.
"There She Goes" is a song by English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz from his third studio album, TY.O. The track was released physically and digitally as the album's third single on 20 April 2012 in Germany. The song features vocals from American rapper, pop singer-songwriter and record producer Pitbull. The track was later selected to be released as the album's third single in the United Kingdom, being released on 25 June 2012. However, the British release of the track does not feature Pitbull. The track peaked at #12 on the UK Singles Chart.