Sam Sparro - Return to Paradise

Somewhere on the walls of my bedroom in my old house there were the lyrics to Black and Gold scrawled in felt tip pens. Sparro's debut single, in all of its sleek glittery glory, carried such an effortlessly cool aesthetic both visually (the music video took place in a limousine!) and sonically. Even without Sparro's breathy soul vocal, the track just oozed sex to me. Not necessarily a one-hit wonder for me, '21st Century Life' and 'Hot Mess' from his debut self-titled 2008 album were similarly catchy and crested the wave of synth-pop just before it flooded everywhere, and then in 2009 his feature on Basement Jaxx's Feelings Gone was just about my favourite song of the year. Maybe. Probably not. But it was up there.

The Australian child actor now - although working with Adam Lambert - is faced with an alienating mainstream market. Unless he were to - I don't know - ride around Twitter calling Lady GaGa a cunt and then produce music videos of himself wearing nothing but a fig leaf, the event of him equalling Black and Gold's success, or reaching an audience as widespread as his debut single did, is fantasy. And when the critical reception to his first album was so lukewarm you could store ice cubes for a while, there's just a lot of alarming omens about him.

"We are the church and the steeple, sent down from Venus and Mars" is sung coolly in opener 'Paradise People' over jazzy keyboards and screeching sound effects, with guitar solos thrown in to try and assert some sense of musical experimentation. Ultimately it lacks in ingenuity and serves as little more than foyer music for the rest of the project. A sense of urgency kicks in with the piano chords of single 'Happiness', a direct beeline for the whole 2011 Coldplay Every Teardrop is a Waterfall bandwagon. Sparro is far more convincing as a disco diva than Chris Martin, though, and the track is far catchier. A touch of Chaka Khan (Ain't Nobody) then crops up in 'Let the Love In', a mid-tempo R&B offering that boasts gospel choirs and just about every 1980s chick-flick soundtrack mashed together. Stories about disfunctional teenagers give 'Yellow Orange Rays' a bit of a Kelly Rowland Stole vibe but with, again, an upbeat groove.

Up until 'Hearts Like Us' though the whole electronic-R&B thing seems a bit predictable and bromidic, but the cold monotone of the vocals here show signs of restraint. Here, greater attention is given to Sparro's voice (and a rather pleasant one it is) and the dramatic cries of "you are not alone!" sound convincing. The smoky, low-lit video for 'I Wish I Never Met You' should give some insight of how ostentatious the track initially appears, but as a ballad it works well and simply, reminiscent of recent Paloma Faith efforts. Far from literary eroticism, 'Shades of Grey' further demonstrates his vocal abilities. A clear Prince homage, he manages falsettos and surprises are abound. Returning to a much more familiar sound on 'We Could Fly', trumpets and disco piano chords do their utmost to kickstart a paradisal party. Lyrically, though, the track seems a bit lost.

Numerous times on Return to Paradise the instrumentals are executed perfectly and the vocals are relatively faultless, but there's little subject matter to pore over. On 'Closer', Sparro urges "can't see you smiling if you're not looking at me", but in a feminine voice that belies the intensity meant. A little more contemporary-sounding is 'The Shallow End' - a touch of Jamiroquai, a touch of cowbell - but it still struggles to convince me of its relevance today. It's an exciting track though, and caves eventually for our eponymous closer. 'Return to Paradise' is a slightly pastiche amalgamation of drum machines and lyrics intent on hypnosis. It's just too corny to appreciate.

For all its flaws and convincing arguments of his own irrelevance, Sparro still knows how to put on a good show. There are excellent pop tunes here and of a far more dazzling and interesting time than our current eurotrash, but no glimpse of a comeback.

Rating: 6.5/10
Highlights: Shades of Grey, Happiness, I Wish I Never Met You, The Shallow End
Avoid: Paradise People, Return to Paradise

Artwork Watch: Salvador Dali's Kraftwerk years. Shave it off, shave it off, shave it off.
Up next: The Hives