[Snweyuag]

Since Rishi Rich's infectious track "Dance With You" and movie "Bend It Like Beckham" hit the mainstream.....everything these days seems to have an asian twist - as said by Jay Sean himself.

Jay Sean isn't the first British Asian artist to hit the mainstream. Apache Indian and Jas Mann of Spaceman have had chart successes in the 90s. So after many many years, Raghav from Canada has made a name for himself in the UK with his old school Indian beats and r n'b beats. And now there's Jay Sean, or MC Nicky J, or Kamaljit Jhooti or even Gay Porn...depends on where you know him from.

Jay Sean is a hip-hop/rn'b hybrid from the glamorous...Hounslow...not that glamorous if ya been there. He can freestyle, rap, and sing.......not that badly either. He quit medicine at Uni to be a singer....a move that would get you more slaps than Capn' Pimp would hand out from Asian parents!...but it paid off

Anyway...over to the album...

Eyes on You - If you lisdten to MTV Base, and you ain't heard this.....well....do you really watch it....or do you just watch the X-rated vids at night? A great track, with a brilliant beat...nice one to dance to. 9/10

One Night ft/ Juggy D - Uses a beat from an old Indian film, ok-ish...seems a bit too slow for my liking. 5/10

Don't Rush - Nice catchy beat, good lyrics, a good rn' b track....easy to listen to and enjoy. 8/10

On and On - Oh my....what a beat on this! Slow but good lyrics and a excellent background beat make this a really really good track on the album. All-around excellent song...not one to dance to though. 9.8/10

Stolen - A big hit, went to no.4 in the charts. A nice song, not great by any means..quite short but a nice beat, with a sample of a famous track from a Indian movie. Again not one to dance to....but a great slower track to think about and listen to. 7/10

Come With Me - Nice beat, great acoustic guitar on it, very nice song, seems to have alot of feeling behind, with helps make it a very good track. 8/10

Holding On - Without a doubt the BEST track on the album, an excellent track, beat lyrics....everything. It's sung brilliantly and really has a great flute in the background, giving it that asian vibe yet still being an excellent slow song to chill to, and really hits a chord with me. Just plain brilliant. 10/10

Dance With You ft/ Juggy D - Really old now, was a HUGE club hit last year I think, brilliant to dance to in a club or play in the car. Being that I've heard it too many times now it doesn't sound as great......but still a really good track. 7/10

Ramta Jogi (Man's World) - Ugh, uses a beat and sample from an Indian flick again, and just flops. Worst track on the album, just really poor...beat and everything. It's about Jay having a 17 yr old gf when he was 14....so pretty funny when you listen to it. 3/10

I Believe in You - Nice track, good lyrics, solid beat....nice guitar on it. Not spectacular...just nice. 7/10

One Minute - not bad, more of a slow jazzy/soul song, not my cup of tea...but nice to sit back and chill to I guess. 5/10

Meri Jaan - Means my life, or like...um...my soul mate. From Juggy D's album, so a bit of a rip-off if you have that album (as I do). Veyr nice beat, a really good song, the girls really love this one....Jay Sean and Juggy D are a good pairing and it shows. 7.5/10

Me Against Myself - The title track, and if you haven't heard this....please do. It's different to the whole album. This is Rn'B smooth talking Jay Sean, against fast rapping, freestyling Jay Sean. So quite literally he cussses himself throughout the whole song. There's some really funny bits like "your a pansy, you should have really been called Gay Porn", and "How'd you tell your parents/ you know how shit that sounds/ mummy daddy I want to be pop star/ SIT back down!". A really well thought-out track, sounds great from both-perspectives. This must have got Jay his deal because the versatility it shows is brilliant. 9.8/10

Okay...and the 2 hidden tracks..

You Don't Know Me - shit beat, lyrics are okay...sounds like some skit...pure cack...thank God it's only a hidden track. 1/10

Who Is Kamaljit? - Man this is the only full talk-rapping style of song, really funny - "my shit dropped so heard even pampers couldn't keep it in", "I ain't dealin with more bitches than the RSPCA", a really clever track....highlighting that he ain't claiming to be no gangsta rapper.....he's a normal Punjabi boy from Hounslow....very cool track with a weird yet really really good beat...should not be hidden. 9.5/10

Well overall I rate it as a top top album [i]9/10, didn't get into the top 20, but with Destiny's Child, Eminem and other big artists realising this week....anything in the top 30 is definately an achievement in it's first week. A hybrid of many different styles, showing versatility and real promise considering Jay Sean is only 22.

1 thing I want to point out, people may not buy it assuming he's Asian...they won't understand...it won't apply to people. But Jay sings/raps in English only, so the album is fully English, a bit of hindi singing here and there...but it goes with the song so you will understand it. It ain't like React by Eric Sermon where the women were singing 1 thing and Sermon was rapping about something completely different.

Also if it helps...Timbaland reckons Jay Sean is the hottest young talent the UK has possibly ever had. Recently Timbaland bought over £1000 worth of Indian Cds from Southall (the brownest/most-asian place in England).

So this isn't the last we've heard of Jay Sean...

[ November 14, 2004, 06:59 PM: Message edited by: Lionheart ]