TINIE TEMPAH
"Disc-Overy"
• Grade: A-minus
Tinie Tempah has already conquered his homeland with a smash album and four No. 1 U.K. singles and is ready to take on America with a new version of his "Disc-Overy" (Capitol) debut.
The 22-year-old from London, born Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu Jr., is set to be the first rapper from the British "grime" scene, which has included the formidable Dizzee Rascal and The Streets, to break into the American mainstream. The mix of hip-hop, dancehall reggae, and drum 'n' bass electronica is a potent one, and Tinie rides it well with clever rhymes and a slick, charismatic delivery throughout "Disc-Overy."
His American breakthrough single, "Written in the Stars," already set to crash the Top 10, is one of the album's more conventional tracks, with Eric Turner's singing on the hook and a triumphant guitar solo making it sound very Linkin Park-ish.
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The newly added "'Til I'm Gone," which features Wiz Khalifa, is slightly more adventurous, as Tinie delivers such nimble lines as "I'm like Mario on mushrooms, I'm like Popeye on some spinach."
What truly sets Tinie apart from the American hip-hop pack, however, are the more "grime"-oriented tracks. "Pass Out" is brash and fresh, especially once the dancehall and the breakbeat bits kick in. The barrage of acronyms in "Miami 2 Ibiza" over the neo-house groove of Swedish House Mafia is so smart it's dizzying.
Get ready, America. Tinie is gonna be huge.
MOBY
"Destroyed"
• Grade: B-plus
Can't sleep? Maybe you should listen to Moby's "Destroyed" (Mute). We don't mean that in a bad way - the atmospheric melodies and subtle electro dots and dashes have a relaxing effect. In fact, Moby wrote the 15-song album late at night in hotel rooms around the world while on tour. Maybe he should sleep less more often.
The first single, "The Day," offers strains of Bowie, while the lovely "Be the One" (originally heard on Paul Haggis' "The Next Three Days") is a ticket back to the electronic '80s - and worth staying awake for.
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