Victoria Abraham defines one up and coming artist each week so you can impress your friends with your musical brilliance. This week, she tackles Rita Ora, a British singer and actress. Her debut album, ORA, comes out this August.

Just like the DJ Fresh track that got everyone talking about her, Rita Ora is “Hot Right Now.” She expertly mixes street beats with pop, making you want to get up and dance. With her signature platinum blonde hair and bright red lips, this 21-year-old is set to blow up. Her debut album will be out this August, and she’s spending the summer opening for Coldplay.

Full name: Rita Sahatçiu Ora

Known for: Ora is known for her impressive vocal range and her edgy street style.

Used in a sentence: “Since you’re not old enough to drink, get a buzz going with Rita’s delicious musical cocktail of jazz, pop, street beats, and R&B.”

File next to: Rihanna and Aaliyah

Download now: Her new single “Roc the Life.”

Fun facts:  Read more…

Craig David likes three things: hypnotic women, after parties and the possibility of a break-up.

One of these topics can be found in nearly every song off his terribly monotonous third album, The Story Goes….

While David has made a solid name for himself in the United Kingdom, it?s been awhile since he?s done anything substantial in North America. Those with a good memory will recall his two songs that had decent circulation in 2000 and 2001 ? “Fill Me In” and “7 Days” ? off his debut disc Born To Do It.

So David is now back, trying his dance/R&B luck with thirteen new songs, including “All The Way”, the first single from The Story Goes?.

A general party tune, “Hypnotic”, “Just Chillin?” and “Take ?Em Off” basically follow the same formula. David likes ladies. He likes it when they shake it. He likes it when they come home with him and “Tear them sheets off the bed, ?cos we ?bout to go ahead and take ?em off/But girl them heels look so right, so just leave ?em on”.

David also includes so many songs about break-ups that I?m sure he?s never had a positive relationship in his life (maybe this is the cause of all the sexist lyrics?). He starts with “Don?t Love You No More (I?m Sorry)” and follows this with “Separate Ways” (“Just realise we?ve nothing to say/Neither of us wants to compromise/Too many secrets, jealousy and lies”). He follows these with “Thief in the Night”, “Do You Believe In Love” and “One Last Dance” (“And though it breaks my heart to leave/We both know it?s time to let it breathe”).

“Johnny” is the disc?s most grounding song. About a child being physically abused by a school bully, the song is so out of place on an album full of party and relationship songs that it is hard to take to heart.

I?m trying my hardest to give David credit because he actually writes or co-writes all of his songs, which is becoming such a rarity in the music entertainment business, especially for pop music. But lyrics like “I stepped into the club/Clocked this fly girl, shakin? her stuff, now/Lookin? so hot I couldn?t help but say, yeah” make my brow furrow. I would take off my bra and burn it in a stand against the overt sexism, but I think he would like it.

Unless David changes his tune to something with more substance, his vocals won’t carry him and he can count on remaining nothing but a two-hit-wonder in North America.

1.5*

Craig David: The Story Goes?
Release Date: September 6, 2005

Track listing:
1. All the Way
2. Don’t Love You No More (I’m Sorry)
3. Hypnotic
4. Separate Ways
5. Johnny
6. Do You Believe in Love
7. One Last Dance
8. Unbelievable
9. Just Chillin’
10. Thief in the Night
11. Take ‘Em Off
12. My Love Don’t Stop
13. Let Her Go