10. Jason DeRulo, Jason DeRulo
Standouts: 'What If', 'In My Head', 'Love Hangover', 'The Sky's The Limit', 'Ridin' Solo', 'Encore'
I hated 'Whatcha Say' with a passion, after being forced to hear this song by the radio, it started growing on me, but it still wasn't my cup of tea. Fortunately, the next three singles were pop perfection, and that lead me to listen to his surprisingly solid debut effort. Very short album, it barely hits the 30 minutes mark, but each track does its job, with a sound that balances between the line of R&B and the new popular dance pop. 'What If', one of the standouts from the album, is a strong ballad about taking risks, perfectly written, and even though he is close to oversinging, it all works because it adds even more emotion to the dramatic tone of the song. His forte is not ballads, though, he nails the up-tempo dance pop songs, not to mention he is an incredible dancer as well. 'The Sky's The Limit' and 'Ridin' Solo' are extremely catchy and well sung, while 'In My Head' makes his impressing high register shine. Hit waiting to happen, 'Love Hangover', showcases his songwriting skills, falling in love with a one night stand, I'm sure many relate to it, or not. Jason immediately follows up this story with a second part, in the urban sounding 'Encore'. Jason DeRulo managed to conquer the charts with the majority of the singles released from this album, I hope I'm not wrong when I say he'll get even more success with his next projects, and maybe next time he has the star power to sell an album and break that singles-artist label he has at the moment.
09. Nicki Minaj, Pink Friday
Standouts: 'Your Love', 'Roman's Revenge', 'Right Thru Me', 'Blazin'', 'Moment 4 Life', 'Fly'
The hottest female rapper alive, maybe not, but she is pretty damn close to owning that title with just one album. It was extremely hard to just pick six tracks as standouts, so that's a perfect indication this album is pretty darn good. Many wanna come and say she didn't deliver the heat with all the buzz surrounding her, and I gotta admit I felt the same way, but after a few listens, you can't help it but just love the record and appreciate the album for what it is. Everybody was expecting a straight up hip-hop record, but Nicki grabs pop and r&b influences to satisfy everyone, smart yes, but it's one of the reasons everyone calls this a disappointment. Moving along, 'Roman's Revenge' has her switching personalities as she shares the spotlight with a very agressive Eminem; who comes on top? It's hard to tell, they both deliver classic lines. 'Fly' has a very inspiring hook provided in a very beautiful way by none other than Rihanna, and she goes head to head with label mate and friend, Drake, in the future urban smash, 'Moment 4 Life', such an excellent track. Other great moments happen when Nicki decides to flirt with a futuristic pop sound in which she addresses the haters and commands them to kill themselves ('Check It Out), or when Nicki and Kanye take turns to murder 'Blazin'', Nicki nails the catchy chorus also. Nicki doesn't need to rely on collaborations though, 'Save Me' and 'Dear Old Nicki' are simply brilliant, the latter one is the most personal track in the album. Lead single, 'Your Love', has the rapper almost singing over a very unique melody, and 'Right Thru Me' has the right amount of anger and desperation as she describes a troubled relationship. Pink Friday is not what everyone was expecting, true, still it's an entertaining record from beginning to end, I'm glad I gave it a second chance.