Best known for his work with Lady Gaga, Germany’s Zedd (Anton Zaslavski) has only been an active producer for three years. And yet there’s a fair amount of anticipation for this, his full-length debut. The album gets off to slamming start with “Hourglass,” a clubby techno track that features sultry vocals courtesy of Madonna wannabe Liz. But things quickly deteriorate with the by-the-numbers electro house track “Shave It Up” and “Lost at Sea,” a song that features echoing, overproduced vocals from guest Ryan Tedder. The soulful single “Clarity” has real depth and fares better than most of the tunes here; it shows just what Zedd is capable of. Too bad most the other songs sound so sterile and lifeless.

This article appears in Oct 10-16, 2012.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.