ITunes Live: Taio Cruz

Has Britain got talent? It certainly looks that way if Taio Cruz is anything to go by. Already singled out by uber-producer Dallas Austin as ?the new Babyface?, this 23-year-old has all the makings of the UK's next R&B superstar, begging the question: Whatever did happen to Craig David?Born in Sussex to Brazilian and Nigerian parents, Taio's pop career started early. Having signed a US publishing deal at 18, he?d already written songs for everyone from Usher to Britney before a co-write on Will's Young's Brit Award winning ?Your Game? paved the way for his own solo career.With one brush with superstardom already behind him - Taio was originally earmarked to sing ?Umbrella? - he's offset the psychiatrist's bills with debut album Deliverance (March 2008). Here, skittering Timbaland beats, electro-floorfillers (including top ten hit ?Come On Girl?) and rock-centric grooves (?Fly Away?) blend seamlessly, while any vocal similarities to Seal on ?Never Gonna Get Us? will at least please his accountant. Slick, confident and thoroughly British (his cousin is Wigan striker Emile Heskey), Taio looks set to be some kind of superstar.