A few years ago, Britsoul took over the music scene marking a British contribution to the music scene that hadn’t been felt in that magnitude since the 1980s arrival of The Police and U2 or when The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Davy Jones of The Monkees made their mark in the 1960s. It’s true that since then we’ve had amazing groups like Coldplay as well as pop phenomena like The Spice Girls but the arrival of Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Corrine Bailey Rae, Duffy, Estelle and Adele came in an unforeseen wave. Noticeably absent from these international superstars are males. With the exception of international DJ and proucer Mark Ronson, few recent British male artists are making a noticeable mark. There was that blip by Daniel Merriwether, but a reference to his name alone has just left most readers scratching their heads. (We didn’t forget Craig David, but …umm yea.)

Moving in to change the gender dynamics of British musical exports is Mr.Hudson. Moving away from the distinctive soul styling of his female counterparts, Mr. Hudson’s R&B/Pop sound has caught the ear of movers and shakers in the music industry. He appears on Jay-Z’s latest album The Blueprint 3 on the final track “Forever Young” crooning the lyrics of 1980s German pop band, Alphaville, bringing it into the 21st century with a smooth sound that is decidedly in contrast to Jay-Z’s harder rap style.

If Jay-Z is a fan, then you know Kanye West is not far behind. In fact, it is Kanye who signed Mr. Hudson to his label and Mr. West is also featured on Mr. Hudson’s second album Straight No Chaser. The title is a preview of exactly what Mr. Hudson offers. The songs tell stories without roundabout premises. Lyrically he gets to the point. His singing style avoids unnecessary flourishes and a clean production in the background provides a crisp and clean experience. Several of the songs on the album deserve special recognition, including the title track “Straight no Chaser.” On “Knew We Were Trouble” Mr. Hudson sings of a love that both parties recognized as wrong from the start, but continued. “Anyone but Him” is one of two tracks featuring Kanye West and in contrast to a lot of R&B/Rap collaborations the transitions are seamless with West and Hudson matching each others tempo, flow, and demeanor beat for beat. Also not to be missed is “Stiff Upper Lip” on which Mr. Hudson laments that he can’t allow situations to continue to go on in the manner that they are.

In numerous interviews Mr. Hudson has spoken about influences and several people have been ready to make comparisons. Your iTunes Genius may mix him up with the likes of Bowie, Prince, and Sting. I’d have to put the album with Maroon 5’s Song About Jane. The continents may be different, but obviously a woman can drive a man to drink. Straight…no chaser.