Naughty Boy - Hotel Cabana

As far as musicians' back stories go, winning £44k on a UK gameshow (Deal or No Deal) and spending the money on building a studio in your parents' garden, before striking lucky with the very first single you release (Never Be Your Woman, featuring Wiley and Emeli Sande) is a pretty strong start. That partnership with a then-unknown Sande would only go on to be Watford-born Shahid Khan's ace in the hole: singles released as a collaboration between the two have now resulted in six (!) UK top-ten singles (Heaven, Wonder, Never Be Your Woman, Clown, Lifted and Diamond Rings). That's an excellent track record for a pair that only started out 3 years ago.

It's his work with other fresh new talents that have resulted in Khan making a big name for himself, though: namely his #1 smash earlier this year with the great new voice Sam Smith, La La La. That song features on his debut LP, and so too do a list of established and emerging talents: Gabrielle, Bastille, Ed Sheeran, Wretch 32, Tinie Tempah, Wiz Khalifa and Ella Eyre all make an appearance. But making his debut record, in which so many guests appear, a conceptual one is a big risk. It's all very well to write it off as "guests coming to stay" but, as many Timbaland records have shown us, letting the stars dominate a record can leave it a little weaker in parts that aren't the hits. Personally, I was a little worried I wouldn't enjoy the record anyway on account of being sick to death with Sande, Sheeran and Bastille, but I needn't have worried.
 

A handful of interludes from George the Poet give the LP a small sense of intrigue, 'Act I' implying that suicide and the struggle between good and evil afflicts its guests, and 'Act II' is a little more dramatic. We're properly welcomed at the door by Sande and Tinie Tempah, neither of whom manage to stand out just yet, before 'Wonder' starts and the whole thematics goes out of the window. The track is undoubtedly catchy and full of fire, and puts Sande's voice to best use - not overpowered by the music, and not overpowering it either. I'm sure many consider her to still be a new voice, but 2013's real star guest vocalist is Ella Eyre, who's already had a #1 with Rudimental's Waiting All Night; on 'Think About It' she fights and blends well with Wiz Khalifa, and it'll inevitably be a hit when released in November.

After all of those breakthrough acts we need a bit of a powerhouse to tone us down a bit: step forward Gabrielle, whose smoky tones give 'Hollywood' a gorgeous effect. Similarly soulful, then, is Sam Smith's marvellous turn on 'La La La' - although it may have been enough for just the daftly-catchy la-las to make it a hit. Hopefully he goes on to enjoy similar solo success that John Newman's received this year. Two unknown (to me) names then make an album highlight here: 'One Way' is another of those rapper/songstress-duet-over-blustery-production formulae that should really be stale by now but somehow manages to retain interest - perhaps off the back of Khan's ear for a great production. His skill is proven often on the LP: 'Pluto' is an incredibly slick and heart-swelling instrumental for Sande to shine on (although, again, the lyrics are left wanting).

The only occasion where Khan pulls something off that could be construed as derivative is the backing to 'So Strong', which owes more than a little inspiration to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Featuring another Watford act, Chasing Grace, it's not the greatest track on display but is nonetheless enjoyable. The album ends with a trilogy of sadly irritating songs: 'No One's Here to Sleep', although a strong production, falls foul of my "fucking hate Dan Smith's voice" policy. One can't help but think that 'Lifted' would've been a great pop song had the chorus not consisted of the same word shouted 9 times - it has the same potential ingredients as the excellent Heaven but instead comes off as shrill and a little bit annoying. I suppose it could have been intended to serve as an energy shot to prepare for the Ed Sheeran-dominated 'Top Floor', a track surely destined for scientific research into the causes of narcolepsy.

The album is a little similar to Rudimental's earlier in the year in that the overall master behind it has a keen ear for great songs, but features a handful of guest spots that I just can't, in any world, enjoy. I'm sure, though, that this is just the requirement for all emerging DJs and producers, to work with big and current names to pull something off, rather than a future reoccurance in the same style as Khan's with Sande's already is. Hotel Cabana is a great start, though, and hopefully there's more to come.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: La La La; Hollywood; Wonder; One Way; Pluto
Avoid: No One's Here to Sleep; Top Floor

Artwork Watch: I am a fan of these fonts.
For fans of: not letting Emeli Sande die; Rudimental; Plan B
Up next: Jessie J