Catch 22

And with Fraser Smith at the helm of this album, Stryder has done a terrific job with picking perfect singles: the dance club smash "Take Me Back" is a slice of David Guetta-esque pop-rap, while "Number 1" is electric first, rap second, and is perfect just like that. In addition, Stryder's collaboration with Sugababe Amelle Berabeh, "Never Leave You," wins the award for best-use-of-a-superstar-to-promote-a-newbie. The biggest problem with the album is the lack of follow-up material. Much of the rest of Stryder's album is a touch second-rate to what you've already fallen in love with on the radio; the strongest album cuts are "Halo" and "You're Not Alone," both of which are in the most similar vein to what's already charting; in other words, heavy on the synthesizers and dance hooks, as opposed to straight rapping. The problem is that many of the tracks simply become messy as rap and rhythm blend. That's not to say fans of Stryder's will be dissatisfied; quite contrarily, they will probably love Catch 22 as much as they love its singles; it has strong lyrics and solid hooks. However, those who didn't love his radio hits might not find much they do like on this release. Stryder's debut is perfect for complementing the mega singles, but not necessarily adding much to them, which in 2009, is something of a norm, so it's hard to knock him for that.