Chris Brown � 'Chris Brown' (BMG) Released 06/02/06

Introducing Chris Brown: the sixteen-year-old future of commercial RnB. Turns out the future's not so different from the past, but hey, there's always a place for something familiar done very well. Brown's success is already snowballing into hype, but he's earned it. The guy's got talent, and coupled with some excellent production has delivered a pretty damn impressive first album.

The brief shout-out that kicks the album off sounds almost like a coming of age ritual. Set against honkytonk piano and a spitting drumbeat, it's a  temporary retrospective moment while Brown marvels at his fortune. There's something very earnest about it, and for a kid who's got to convince an apathetic world that he's worth their time and money, it's a good start. Singles 'Run It!' and 'Yo (Excuse Me Miss)' kick off the high-tempo first half of the album, the first a party  track with a Beverly Hills Cop electro hook, the second a low-key, almost wistful woodwind melody about grabbing the girl before she vanishes forever, with some surprisingly sweet lines. Gimme That has a classical flavour that'll remind you of that one Sisqo song that simply would not go away – you know the one I mean.

The pace drops for the second half, becoming far more laid-back with an emphasis on sultrier beats and softer vocals. Brown sounds comfortable with either style, from falsetto histrionics that echo Michael Jackson to Usher-esque breathiness. It's predominantly a party album, but Brown's equally adept at the more sombre stuff – take 'Say Goodbye,' a first-person account of one of those conversations with an attention to the little details that echoes Mike Skinner's lessons in social studies, but without the banality. Like 'Seen The Light', which stands out for tackling the more serious issues of gangs, drugs and crime, it has that stamp of personality and lived experience that makes a good song great and should convince even the doubters that Brown is a writing force to be reckoned with.

But the rest of the tracks stick to simple, light subjects like, partying, girls, girls, and partying. If the album has a flaw, it's that it's just too twee to feel true. 'Young Love' is a pretty fair example of this trend – it does exactly what it says on the tin, but how many teenagers actually call it “teenage love?� It's impressive what Brown's doing at this age, but too many songs revolve around it in a way that seems perhaps a little too calculated, a little too sugarcoated. But never mind; as debut albums go it's a blinder, and the perfect showcase for a rising star.