Yahoo! Music Review

Released on 05/05/08
Label: Polydor

You can see the theory behind this. How to rescue Will.I.Am's dire solo album from commercial oblivion in the UK? Simply stunning us into submission with vulgar inanity didn't work as well with "Got It From My Mama" as it did with "My Humps", while leaping on the Obama bandwagon didn't translate as well here as it did Stateside. Don't even mention the "Thriller" anniversary debacle. Well, what about borrowing tabloid lightning rod Cheryl Cole - recently humiliated by that oaf of a husband - and getting her to inject some glamour and frisson into a song called "Heartbreaker"?

Yes, you can see the theory. Sadly, in practice Cole's bland, breathy backing vocals bring about as much glamour and frisson to proceedings as a hotel hairdryer. Not that the glorious Dusty Springfield could have done very much to spruce up this slight, underwritten half-song with its curious mixture of insincerity, self-pity and preening self-congratulation. As that great truth-teller Eric Cartman might say: "Weak, guys. So weak."

    by Jaime Gill