Album: Disc-Overy – Tinie Tempah

3.5 Stars

During the eleven months that it has taken to record his debut, Tinie Tempah’s jocular, no-frills lyrical style has taken him from relative obscurity to being one of the most talked about and promising artists in the charts, and initially, Disc-Overy seems to uphold the momentum of his previous success.

The piercing snare of Intro accompanies the visceral utterances of the South London artist. He vociferates,“I’m an extra terrestrial, Came out the f*cking dirt like a vegetable”, asserting his formidable presence.This is followed by the sonorous bass line of ‘Simply Unstoppable’, an unsettling drone that nods towards drum and bass, but presents itself in the embodiment of grime.

These factors are accentuated by the urgent synth noises dotted around the core of the sound and the ever-present pop hooks that make the songs even more forceful. The cross breeding of these elements result in a ferocious new species that’s both potent and progressive. However, the introduction of other factors into the gene pool causes the model to become defected.

For example, the vocal on ‘Written in the Stars’ emits the odour of David Guetta-esque tackiness, and the unnecessary employment of collaborations sometimes hinder the album, making the tracks seem disparate. Invincible, featuring Kelly Rowland, is dynamically flat and adds nothing more than marketing dreariness, and the partnership with Swedish House Mafia recollects Dizzee Rascal’s collaboration with Calvin Harris.

Disc-Overy has even got a ‘Holiday’ theme to the title – ‘Miami 2 Ibiza’. At these points, the album suggests haphazard exploration rather than genuine discovery, which is a shame due to the individuality that Tinie Tempah has demonstrated in the past. The modern allusions such as “All Saints” and “SD card” also seem a little contrived.

Disc-Overy is a good pop album overall; it does however lose integrity at points due to Tinie Tempah’s desperation for universal acclaim.

Mitchell Holmes