Conor Maynard - Contrast

What we thought:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's a teenage boy with dreamy blue eyes who got discovered on YouTube and has a thing for street style and sings lyrics such as "Girls, girls, girls I just can't say no" – meaning those Justin Bieber comparisons aren't far off.

But it's another Justin – Timberlake – who is the true inspiration behind this engrossing collection of dancefloor fillers and white boy soul songs.

With a refreshing lack of crazy vocal tricks and heartbroken yearning, Conor Maynard's debut album is a bona fide good time. Which is expected when the album is co-produced by former Timberlake collaborator Pharrell Williams.

Playful tracks like "Can’t Say No" and "Mary Go Round" are offset by songs that will actually make you sit up and take notice – particularly his two collaborations "Turn Around  (feat. Ne-Yo) " and "Better Than You (feat. Rita Ora)" acting as a powerful centrepiece.

Best track:

"Vegas Girl". It's finally found its way onto those frustratingly tight-fisted radio playlists and while it doesn't pack the punch of "Better Than You", it's got that infectious electro/hip-hop thing going for it that's impossible to resist.

Worst track:

"Glass Girl". A slightly overwrought dubstep-heavy track that veers a little close to Timberlake's most heart-bleeding moments, and lacks the conviction of the rest of the album.

Sounds like:

Conor is probably going to be burdened with the title of "the British Justin Bieber" for a long time still – there really are plenty of similarities in their road to the recording studio. Definitely one to check out if the prospect of buying the new Chris Brown album is just too stomach-churning.

Listen to snippets of the songs here: