OMI not ready for prime time, says Rolling Stones writer after giving singer's album a negative review

Fast-rising international sensation OMI released his highly-anticipated debut album, 'Me 4 U', last Friday and since then, the reviews have been pouring in. Many waited with baited breaths for the project to drop to start analysing the entertainer's career.

Some genuinely wanted to hear the project in its entirety, while others simply wanted to use the album to find out whether the Cheerleader singer is a one-hit wonder. At least one writer from an established magazine believes the latter is true.

After listening to the 14-track compilation, Annie Licata, a writer for the prestigious Rolling Stones magazine believes that OMI isn't ready for prime time. While admitting that OMI's Cheerleader was a hit, Licata believes that the other songs on the project are a miss.

"OMI scored one of this year's fizziest hits with Cheerleader, a pop-reggae trifle with a fun-loving dance beat and lyrics about his decision not to cheat on his woman," she wrote.

"But the 28-year-old Jamaican singer's charm wears thin on his debut LP. Cheerleader was a years-old song that soared to number one after German producer Felix Jaehn remixed it. The rest of the songs here (on the album) show an artiste who isn't quite ready for prime time. The best tracks on Me 4 U are built for good times and warm weather, complete with steel drum beats and odes to the singer's island home."

While admitting a liking for Promised Land, the writer said some of the other songs, including Standing On All Threes, fell flat.

While being a tough critic, Licata did enjoy a few things about the compilation. She had a liking for the track Colour of My Lips, which features dancehall artiste Busy Signal.

She lauded Signal's contribution to the track and described his verse as a winning one. She also spoke positively of the track Hula Hoop, but seemingly only because it was similar in melody and vocal quality to Cheerleader. In concluding her review of OMI's 14-track compilation, which has been posted on the magazine's website, Licata stated that the entertainer's newer fans "would have a better time making a playlist with Cheerleader 14 times in a row."