Album: Flo-Rida – Mail On Sunday

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Courtesy of some fresh faces (Pitbull, T-Pain), as well as some rejuvenated veterans (Trick Daddy), Florida has emerged as one of music’s biggest hotbeds; not merely relegated to being a seaside vacation spot or the home of cocaine trafficking. As all eyes, and more specifically ears, are seemingly on the sunshine state a new star has emerged, he goes by the name of Flo-Rida (isn’t that a clever little moniker?!)

Originating as a regional star, Rida was introduced to the wider world by the T-Pain assisted single Low, which also appears on the Step Up 2 soundtrack. The track certainly lives up to its name, as it is not much more than lowest common denominator club music.

Beneath the elementary synth-based production and tired Teddy Pain routine lay Flo-Rida’s unique double time sing-songy flow (equal parts Bone Thugs and Nelly, with a splash of Twista). It’s that unique style which he plans to cement in the public’s collective memory with his studio debut Mail On Sunday.

Elevator, the album’s second single (masterminded by Timbaland), is a much more suitable platform for Flo to strut his stuff. Much like its predecessor, it has club hit written all over it; except this time with good reason. While it is impressive overall, you still get the feeling that Timbo’s human percussion-driven symphony takes the spotlight for itself, leaving Flo-Rida somewhere in the middle.

Fear not though, Mr. Rida is given the opportunity to showcase his sizeable talent for crafting entertaining lyrics and attention-grabbing hooks on efforts such as the adrenaline rushing finance anthem Money Right, where he is joined by fellow M-i-Yayo representatives Brisco and Rick Ross.

Every rapper has their own unique story of how they overcame the odds to get where they are today and become the person they are. All My Life fulfills this requirement for Mail On Sunday. The fact that it is a heartfelt musical excursion, from Flo’s pained vocal delivery to the somewhat melancholy synth beat, helps its cause; you can hear the emotion in his voice as he states “purple hearts in the hood, them ghetto scars/where every time I saw my daddy it was just a mirage.”

For the most part, Mail On Sunday is an exceptionally impressive debut release, that doesn’t mean it is perfect by any means. Flo-Rida’s in top form as far as riding the beat is concerned, but when that beat is a tepid Will.I.Am electro-flavoured beat though, as it is on In The Ayer, it may not be a good thing. Although the concept behind Priceless is vaguely clever (borrowing from Master Card’s slogan), it ends up being nothing more than a by-the-numbers paper chase ode, helped to no end by a dreadful Birdman guest appearance and generic southern-fried production.

On his debut, Flo-Rida has succeeded with showcasing his remarkably nimble flow and attention grabbing sing-songy cadence, crafting a mostly likable set. There is still room for improvement though, as the ladies man and street hustler sides of his personality battle for time throughout Mail On Sunday. It may not be a blip on the radar from the perspective of Hip Hop ‘purists’, however from a purely musical standpoint Mail On Sunday for the most part delivers the goods.

Available Through Poe Boy/Atlantic Records