By Larissa Focke
It doesn’t take much to be a pop star these days, all you have to do is sample someone else’s beat and write repetitive lyrics for it. It also helps to use vocal processors to modify your voice.
This is exactly what Sean Kingston has done on his self-titled debut album. The hit single on everyone’s lips, Beautiful Girls, samples Ben E King’s Stand by Me’s popular bassline, Me Love samples Led Zeppelin’s D’yer Maker and I Can Feel It borrows from Phil Collin’s track In the Air Tonight. Having said that, I must say the production on this album is killer.
JR Rotem started his own record label, Beluga Heights in 2006, along with his manager, Zach Katz and Sean Kingston is their first signing. Born in Miami, bred in Jamaica, at the tender age of 17, Sean shows limitless potential and is definitely an up and coming young star.
I would recommend watching the music video while listening to Beautiful Girls because that way you can really appreciate the composition and brilliant production of the song. It pays tribute to the 50s doo-wop theme, and it’s really nice to see and hear the cellos, drums and piano come alive at the end of the track.
This CD definitely has it “all” in terms of club bangers, radio-ready hits, ballads and remixes. Beautiful Girls, which knocked Fergie off the charts to top in at number one, is already a summer hit with its catchy tune, and Me Love will probably follow in its footsteps.
He comes across as being a bit schizophrenic – one minute he’s singing sweet love songs with a childish innocence, the next thing he’s fronting like a wannabe gangster. Sean Kingston is the reason why I don’t listen to the radio, as his hit single is sure to be overkill on the airwaves.
