The way album promotion usually works, you’ll hear a single from the album about a month or so before the disc release date to build up a little hype by the time the whole thing comes out. Not so with Tramar Dillard (aka Flo Rida). It seems like Flo has completely embraced the recent dying off of album sales by holding fast to the almighty single, and building subsequent “albums” off the success of them. Some call it the downfall of modern music, but in our dollar-a-song culture, the man is making it work for him.
After three successful albums which charted top ten hits with tunes like “Low,” “Right Round,” and “Club Can’t Handle Me,” Flo’s not done a whole lot to tweak his successful formula. Wild Ones comes on the very distant heels of its first single “Good Feeling,” which debuted almost a full year ago in August 2011. If you are not familiar with this track already you probably haven’t been to a club, a cardio class, or listened to much top 40 in the last year. It’s success, sampling a hook which in turn sampled another hook (Etta James’ “Something’s Gotta Hold On Me”) has been humongous, and the pattern for most of the other eight tunes on the album.
Second single and title track, “Wild Ones” followed last December, (see where I’m going with this?) and featured Australian popsinger Sia on the chorus. It seems Sia has found a new niche in the danceclub market, following this and huge hit “Titanium” with David Guetta, and both are sure to get your BPM up on the dance floor or the gym. In fact, the whole thirty five minute disc is a great workout CD and sure to get the blood flowing.
The first half of the album is incredibly stacked. Those two singles are included, but a third hit, “Whistle” starts the whole show off with a bit of acoustic strumming and (you guessed it) whistling. The whistle has worked recently for Foster The People and Maroon 5, and I predict another gargantuan single from this one, making it a late summer hit. There is even a video for a fourth single out already for “Let It Roll,” which samples Freddie King.
By the middle of the disc, it starts to drag a bit, but Flo doesn’t let up for long, blasting “Sweet Spot” with Jennifer Lopez (See also 50 Cent “Candy Shop”) and then pulling it all together for “Run,” which features Redfoo of LMFAO and elements of Bryan Adams’ “Run To You” on the chorus. It’s one of the more fun songs on the disc, and technically a “Bonus Track,” but I’m not sure how you get away with calling it that on a CD that only had eight songs on it prior.
Overall, Flo’s rhymes never get to deep, or get much further than getting a girl out on the dance floor, but the lyrics are squeaky clean minus some mild innuendo here and there. He’s been called the equivalent of musical fast food by reviewers, but if you want a great beat, rapid fire lyrics, and a fun disc to sweat to, Wild Ones serves up a half hour of what you need, and I don’t see Flo Rida dropping off the charts any time soon.
Try This Track: “Whistle”
