When it comes to her delivery and overall style, singer
Dev falls somewhere between
Kesha (the slickness, the street slang) and
Robyn (the Euro influence, the ability to go semi-deadpan), which in 2012 is a great place to be. That right place/right time feeling radiates throughout the dance-pop singer's debut album, and while there's a kinetic excitement that makes the opening "Getaway" sound monumental and the following booty number "In My Trunk" sound so sexy,
The Night the Sun Came Up bounces between the worlds of
Kesha and
Robyn without a care for overall flow, as if club tracks that make Kardashian-sized claims ("Lightspeed") always sit best next to soft, heartfelt teenage dreams ("Dancing Shoes"). Maybe they do if forgetting stuff in your locker is still an issue, but thanks to
Dev's chameleon-like abilities (she's not the one you take home to mother, and then she is) and production team
the Cataracs' keen sense of what makes electro pop,
The Night the Sun Came Up is a track-by-track success, offering readily accessible bits of dance-pop sass or dance-pop bliss whenever they're desired. ~ David Jeffries