Flo Rida - Elevator (Feat. Timbaland)
[Atlantic Records]

Timbaland has appeared on more releases this year than Amy Winehouse has grabbed tabloid headlines. So much so, he's in a dangerous position of over-exposure or like in this case, burning out and offering something sub-par compared to some of the big releases he's been responsible for.

'Elevator', the new single from Flo Rida, is like Timbo has hit the randomiser on his mixing desk, seemlessly picking-out all the trademarks elements from his client list - synth-y chorus, horns, shakers & instantly recognisable beats. But one striking point; the chorus sounds exactly like 4 Minutes, only with less bravado and less style - almost like a demo idea of Madonna's hit single. Instead of this flat-packed furniture approach to bashing-out instant hits, Timbaland should be focusing on developing the niche he's carved himself even further - this track couldn't be further away from the term 'Shock Value'.

As the 'Mail On Sunday' album showed, Flo Rida is not yet at the stage where he can handle being a solo artist. Instead we get tracks, much like 'Elevator' or the T-Pain starring Low, where he is helped along by larger established names. If you remove these high-end producers and top name collaborators, there isn't much about Rida to get too flustered about.