One Love

One Love is an ambitious, ingeniously crafted album that sets forth nothing less than a bold and beautiful manifesto for global pop and dance domination. The huge number of A-listers who flocked to guest on this album also make it one of the most star-studded album projects of 2009. Kelly Rowland, for example, was moved to tears at first hearing the instrumental work-in-progress that became “When Love Takes Over” on the dance floor at Guetta’s famed F*** Me I’m Famous party in Cannes, greeted him in the DJ booth, and was later given the track to write to. Similarly, will.i had first approached Guetta to contribute to the club-inspired album planned by Black Eyed Peas–Energy Never Dies-–and their collaboration snowballed to include two tracks on One Love; the out-of-control “I Wanna Go Crazy” and “On the Dancefloor” joined by apl, a fresh evocation of the hip-hop/house fusions of the late 1980s.
Throughout the agenda-setting One Love, Guetta serves up a body-rocking, all-embracing blend of hip-hop, soul and electro-–an audacious fusion that’s been sorely missed ever since rap and dance audiences became polarized at the turn of the 1990s. With a global following of nearly five million celebrants at over 200 DJ performances in 2008 attesting to his musical authority, it’s no wonder that Guetta has emerged as a catalyst and a curator of an exciting musical hybrid, his magical producer’s touch bringing out the best in all his collaborators–even as accomplished a hook-meister as Akon, who sings the album track “Sexy Bitch”.
A rare dance album spotlighting its vocalists as well as its beats–each singer cast flawlessly in tracks tailored to their individual qualities–every one of One Love’s vocal collaborations is marked by arresting hooks, inventive musical development, and compelling humanistic messages. Notable among the guests who leave truly personal stamps on each song is Chris Willis, Estelle, Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi, Wynter, and Makeba.