Jason Derulo

“EVERYTHING IS 4”

Beluga Heights/Warner Bros. Records

To understand the true chameleon that is Jason Derulo, it’s instructive to start with “Broke,” a collaboration with Derulo, Stevie Wonder and Keith Urban. There are no typos or factual errors in that sentence.

“Broke” begins with Wonder singing “mo’ money, mo’ problems,” after which Urban slashes a few chords on the banjo. Derulo then arrives, whining about women wanting him for his money, so better that he has none. Then Wonder returns, playing hyper, shrill blues harmonica. Later, there are Usher-esque tender tones from Derulo, militaristic Southern hip-hop chants, and hootenanny handclaps. At the end, Derulo shouts, “Stevie, play for ’em!” And Stevie plays on.

What just happened here?

Not all of Derulo’s new album, “Everything Is 4”, is this sort of kitchen-sink pileup. Derulo is a reliable pop star, though not an especially bold one. And even now, in the context of taking some risks, he’s still leaving few fingerprints. That a possibly chaotic song like “Broke” is so seamless and effective — even one-upping Kesha and Pitbull’s unlikely dance-country smash “Timber” in its easy hybridity — is more hard proof of Derulo’s strategic neutrality.

Derulo may be the only true cross-genre pop star of the day, moving among styles with such fluidity that he barely leaves a lasting impression on any of them.

And yet “Everything Is 4” is his second strong album in a row. Here, Derulo is a shameless collaborator, a gleeful regurgitator of styles, and one of the most surprisingly savvy decision-makers in pop.

— Jon Caramanica,

New York Times