Joe McElderry: Wide Awake - review

(Syco)If The X Factor's female winners have comprehensively outperformed their male counterparts, it's because the men are often less endowed with promising raw material. Last year's victor, Joe McElderry, is a case in point. Eight months in the making, his debut album aims for the sparkling disco insouciance of the Scissor Sisters and Mika, but is stymied by McElderry's perfectly characterless vocals. He's been pitted against layers of hissy synths and chattering drum machines, which only make ...

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