“Around for more than a year, Sam Sparro’s “Black & Gold” has created the kind of viral buzz you can’t buy. It’s a Gershwin-meets-Goldfrapp song of tragic love, delivered by Sparro with a plaintive soulfulness that breaks hearts. On his debut self-titled full-length, the Australian-born, Los Angeles-residing singer/songwriter doesn’t try to repeat “Black,” because he doesn’t have to: He can do it all. “Too Many Questions” beats Jamiroquai at its own game, getting closer to the essence of Stevie Wonder. “Sick” brings back the synth-washed narcissism of ’80s Depeche Mode better than the band itself can. Even Prince gets punked: “Sally”—an ode to a stripper—is so funky it’s downright purple. But the best part of Sparro is that he’s not just multiplying old styles by new sounds. Dressed like a raver B-boy, switching between Rufus Wainwright and D’Angelo, the boy’s not faking it. —Kerri Mason”
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