Rita Ora
Ora
Sony
***
Rita Ora has reached stratospheric levels of worldwide stardom almost overnight, breaking into the US in a way that artists such as Cheryl Cole and Tulisa can only dream of.
The scarlet-lipped It Girl of the moment delivers an album chock-full of songs that are bang on-trend. The instantly recognisable hits How We Do (Party), RIP and Hot Right Now have made this album a hit even before it touched the shelves.
Other highlights on the album include Love and War (featuring Ora's Roc Nation label mate J Cole), Hello, Hi, Goodbye and Fall in Love (featuring will.i.am). Ora's brand of edgy R&B dance-pop laced with expletives has resulted in comparisons with Rihanna but, aside from some sartorial similarities and the fact they were both discovered by Jay-Z, comparisons to the Bajan pop-tart have very little merit as Ora clearly possesses her own unique panache.
With the pressure to deliver hits looming like a dark corporate cloud over new artists more menacingly than ever, the album's (sometimes) generic nature is understandable. However, Ora clearly has the vocal chops and artistic charisma that hint at much more to look forward to.
