Jay Sean is another one of those artists where you wonder where in the world he came up with his stage name (though I guess Kamaljit Jhooti doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). His first two albums were met with limited success, but somewhere along the line he crossed over with the obligatory-song-featuring-Lil-Wayne, "Down" -- but to be fair, he IS on Cash Money Records now. Anyway, Jay comes at us with his latest album, All or Nothing.

I didn't really know what to expect from this album not because Jay isn't good, but he doesn't really sound much different from any other singer out there. I listened to the album though, and it turns out to be pretty good. "Down" is the best song on here, but there are other standouts like "Do You", "War" and "Stuck in the Middle".

Jay also does a good job with otherwise tired subject matter. "Fire" doesn't have him talking about anything new, but it still works; and I wasn't exactly looking forward to the necessary end-of-album remix-of-the-first single, but it turns out to be a beautiful acoustic piano version that's more about love itself than strictly sex (although some of the lyrics are omitted rather than changed). "If I Ain't Got You" gives the topic an interesting twist, and there is a good metaphor to be found in "Lights Off" (notice I said metaphor, so it isn't what you might think it'd be about).

I couldn't really get into "Cry" or "Stay", and Lil Jon's adlibs on "Do You Remember" aren't necessary. And normally I would knock my rating down to three-and-a-half stars upon discovering that five of the songs on here already appeared on Jay's previous album My Own Way, but I didn't because that album is only available on import -- correction: WAS available on import; it's now out of print. Anyway, All or Nothing is a great example of Jay Sean getting his career on the right track.

Anthony Rupert

Amazon got the 13 track edition while other retailers like target have the 14 track edition. The 14 tracks have a exclusive bonus candlelight remix of the song "Down". Another different is that the 13 tracks have the song "maybe", meanwhile the 14 tracks have the song "Cry" instead. Personally, I am a big Jay Sean fan and I have listen to his music way before he entered the U.S. market. Half of the song in this album is new and the other half is imported from his previous British Album, "My Own Way". "Cry" and "maybe" was imported from his previous album and I got to admit I like "Cry"( in the 14 tracks version) much better than "Maybe"(in the 13 tracks version). So depending on personal taste, you should listen to both song on youtube before picking which versions you going to get. Beside these 2 songs above, every other track are the same in both version accept the 14 tracks have an extra song( Which is Down candlelight remix). I would highly recommend his album. The new song that he have in this album are terrific. My favorite are down, Do you Remember, If I ain't got you, and War. War is a really sad song and it has become my favorite Jay Sean song so far and I am surprise that they haven't air it on the radio yet. So please, if you like Jay Sean's music go out and buy this album, it is worth every single penny.

I know "All Or Nothing" is classified as an R&B album, and that Jay Sean is on the same label as hip-hop/rap star Lil' Wayne, but after listening to the album all the way through, I'd say Jay Sean and his music are more along the lines of pop than R&B. It has some R&B influences, sure, but if you listen to this album you'll find that Jay Sean reminds you a bit of Justin Timberlake (vocally) and his style of music more akin to that of a boy band (minus the band). The voice is definitely good and on point but the various tracks are rather hit or miss.

The Good: Jay Sean's best feature is his voice. If "All Or Nothing" accomplishes anything it is that it allows his voice to shine and be on display more so than busying each track with a busy, complex, distracting backing track. He's obviously comfortable singing in a ballad/emotional song setting more so than the fast-paced and upbeat mode but the best tracks of "All Or Nothing" are those that take a few chances. "Down" is probably the most upbeat, club-ready track on the entire album; it's definitely the most addictive with catchy pop-ish lyrics. "Fire" is another stand-out track with an interesting backing track that never overcomes his voice but keeps the song moving and somewhat upbeat. Lyrically, "War" is the best track on the album. While most of the songs on the album have something to do with being in love, approaching a love interest or sensual subjects, "War" is about heartbreak and it's a slow paced ballad-type track with an unusual instrument backing and lyrics that actually have some thought behind it.

The Bad: Listening to the whole album, I teetered between three and four stars. I settled on three because really, if you take away the instrument backing, a lot of the tracks have a similar sound. They're sung and performed in the same register, same tone with the same emotion. While it was nice to finally have an "R&B" artist that actually can sing, I would have liked some variety. Listening to all of the songs in one setting left me feeling as if "All or Nothing" was rather similar sounding and average. It felt like watered-down imitation pop/R&B, something similar to what you'd expect from The Backstreet Boys. Having the chance to listen to the U.K. version of the album, I also realized that some of the U.S. tracks like 'Tonight' attempt to give him more sex appeal but the tracks removed (such as 'Cry' or the stripped-down version of 'Down') show that Jay Sean is more comfortable in the ballad/pop genre and that some of the songs are lacking or sound too similar because the instrumentation/backing is all rather generic and unremarkable and he's at his best when he's allowed to sing slower, moodier songs. Some of the upbeat tracks like 'Maybe' or 'Do You Remember' are good, but they don't truly fit his voice or style and he sounds somewhat disconnected from the music.

In all, the album is okay. If you like Justin Timberlake or Shayne Ward, Jay Sean is definitely for you. He's able to sing in a lower voice and then go falsetto within a beat and he actually has vocal talents and doesn't require computers or auto-tune to show them off. The tracks on this edition that Amazon.com is selling are okay. Really, the UK/Import version with a few additional tracks are nice because it removes some of the upbeat/weak songs stuck on this edition that are included to appeal to the U.S. market. I didn't like the entire album but it's definitely not bad music overall.

Listen To These: "Down", "Lights Out", "Do You Remember", "If I Ain't Got You"

I love this album! I bought the whole thing even though I had half the songs from when I bought "My Own Way." And I don't regret it one bit. Whenever I listen to it, I just find myself smiling. I haven't had that reaction to a whole album in a long time. I respect it even more because he had a hand in the songwriting.

The only reason I bought this cd online is because I couldn't find it anywhere else. I am so happy with my purchase there wasn't any scratches or anything and I listen to it all the time.