Off the Record: "Digital Rock Star" by Space Cowboy

(2.5/5 stars)

Best known for being a friend of Lady Gaga, Space Cowboy (real name Nick Dresti) is a DJ, producer and singer who has recently collaborated with many upcoming artists. His new album “Digital Rock Star” is his follow up to 2006’s “Digital Rock.”

The songs on “Digital Rock Star” sound more like commercial pop songs than dance music. He seems to be moving in a pop music direction as “Digital Rock” was more of a dance album. This time, he’s teamed up with RedOne, who became famous for producing Lady Gaga’s hits “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.”

The album is full of good production and has many instant hooks, such as the first single, “Falling Down,” featuring Chelsea Korka of the Paradiso Girls. The second single, “I Came 2 Party,” features German band Cinema Bizarre. The chorus is fun, particularly the lyric, “I came to party and you came to party so why don’t we party together?”

Other highlights include “Party Like Animal” and “I’ma Be Alright (Rent Money).” “I’ma Be Alright (Rent Money)” is about a poor guy who spends all of his rent money taking out models.

However, Space Cowboy’s drenched-in-Autotune voice gets annoying after awhile and all of the songs start to sound the same. Space Cowboy even has to remind you at the beginning of “Invisible” that “This one is called ‘Invisible.’”

The forty-second “Intro” to the album is basically throwaway because it only includes his trademark line “Space Cowboy just play that track” and though the production is good, it’s easy to skip. Space Cowboy also includes his collaboration with Nadia Oh, “My Egyptian Lover.” It’s good floor filler, though disappointing to be included here. The track was originally released in 2007 on “Digital Rock.”

On his MySpace album sampler, Space Cowboy has mixed the tracks of “Digital Rock Star” together in a way that sounds like it could be the pop album of 2009. On first listen, pop music fanatics hoping the album would be filled with dance floor anthems will be a little disappointed. Though many of the songs improve on repeat listens, a few tracks need some additional remixing before they are ready for the floor.