Jason Derulo has long been a force when it comes to singles, though decidedly less successful with full-length efforts. For his fourth LP, the Miami native has called on a raft of A-list names. How unfortunate, then, that he doesn't bring his A-game.
Sure, 'Want To Want Me' has already met with a chart success, but his ability to write a tune was never in doubt. When he sticks to what he knows – on 'X2CU', for example – he can certainly impress. Slick, radio and dancefloor friendly R&B is clearly Derulo's thing; well, that and singing his own name.
Most of this record, though, is eminently forgettable, and you fear that any strong memories it does create will revolve around the truly horrific midsection; a big pop effort with Meghan Trainor, a Justin Timberlake-gone country misadventure featuring Stevie Wonder and Keith Urban, and a Madonna and J-Lo assisted track which samples 'Sexual Healing' making up perhaps the worst three-song sequence ever heard. It's terribly misguided, kitchen sink stuff. That won't stop you from hearing 'Get Ugly' in every club and pub later this summer, or the summery, upbeat 'Love Me Down' soundtracking spin classes for the foreseeable future. But if Derulo harboured hopes of making a complete and coherent album, he'd be well advised to make 5 Much Less.