Sean Paul
Tomahawk Technique
Atlantic Records
Producer: Various
Score: 7 out of 10
By Jonathan Widran
As the album title and warrior artwork implies, the Jamaican dancehall artist follows his Grammy nominated 2009 set Imperial Blaze with an aggressive push into the realm of infectious pop via fresh and new collaborations with a batch of hit producers: StarGate, Rico Love and Benny Blanco. Despite the extra production glitz, Paul’s trade- mark mix of monotone, rapsing power vocals and electronic reggae grooves stand out to form the emotional core of the constantly in-flow set. Highlights include “Got 2 Love You,” a co-write with, among others, Ryan Tedder, featuring Alexis Jordan, and “How Deep Is Your Love,” whose hypnotic chorus is a spirited conversation between Paul and Kelly Rowland.
