Jason Derulo’s new EP “Tattoos” sounds like it was written in a high school boy’s locker room.

Every song is essentially about the same thing: convincing a girl to get into bed with him. The only song on the EP with any real depth is “Marry Me,” which would stand out even more if it didn’t sound so much like Train’s 2010 hit with the same title. Most of the songs on the EP are filled with simple beats and mediocre lyrics.

The opening track, “The Other Side,” is one of the few saving graces. It peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and his vocal range in it is impressive. But while it might be one of the strongest songs on the EP, the parts that kill me every time are his cringe-worthy rhymes. For example, he sings: “But we got closer, soon you were eating off my spoon, you’re coming over, and we would talk all afternoon.”

Sadly, this isn’t the only time Derulo forces rhymes. Similar lyrics can be heard throughout the EP.

In “Talk Dirty (feat. 2 Chainz),” Derulo actually says “Uno, met a friend in Rio, Dos, she was all on me-o.” The whole song is just poorly written, and the addition of 2 Chainz’s unnecessarily vulgar verse doesn’t help.

Plus, this song sounds almost identical to Pitbull’s “International Love (feat. Chris Brown).” We’ve already heard about foreign women from different countries and how exotic and wonderful they are, courtesy of Mr. Brown. We really don’t need another song regurgitating this idea.

“Tattoos” was originally going to be a full-length album before Derulo’s label changed its strategy and decided on releasing the EP in the United States and the full-length album internationally. One track on the full-length album worth talking about is “Stupid Love.” Derulo’s falsetto seems surprisingly effortless, but the song itself sounds like a B-side to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.” The resemblance is uncanny. I’m expecting a lot of future mash-ups of the two songs.

But the unoriginality is not really Derulo’s fault. He’s just giving us what he thinks we want to hear. We really can’t fault him for that.

To his credit, there are a few endearing moments during the EP. It’s pretty subtle and therefore hard to catch, but the EP’s title is referring to a song performed by his fiancé, Jordin Sparks. She also makes a cameo in his song “Vertigo,” and she appears in his music video for “Marry Me.”

In an interview with radio.com, Derulo explained that making the EP was very emotional for him. “My first album was written when I was 19 years old. I wanted to be sure this album was far different from that one, to make sure that the growth was present. I’m 23 now. I really wanted this album to be a direct representation of who I am. I didn’t want to hide anything…I wanted to tell a story.”

He didn’t achieve that goal. It’s hard to see any real growth or difference from his other work. But that’s not to say he isn’t talented. It’s just not exactly any different from his earlier singles, including the Imogen Heap-sampled “Whatcha Say” and the 2011 hit “It Girl.”

Derulo doesn’t do much experimenting here. It’s relatively simple with guest appearances by Jordin Sparks and 2 Chainz. Perhaps on his next album, he should step out of the safety zone of his typical pop music.

Published on October 28, 2013 at 10:48 pm

Contact Elaina: ekcrocke@syr.edu