RYAN CABRERA

For the upside of a year now, the United Kingdom has ushered the lion's share of chart-worthy new pop talent to these shores. American label priorities become all the more confounding after a single spin of Ryan Cabrera's "Say," the catchiest, coolest, most immediate release of the year—since the platinum-selling artist is currently unsigned. Altogether: Duh! Cabrera, best-known for 2004 top 15 "On the Way Down," self-financed new set "The Moon Under Water," due in May, and man, does he put money where his mouth is. This summertime smash brings to mind New Radicals' equally frisky "You Get What You Give," with driving tempo, an inescapably blithe singalong chorus, pop/ rock instrumentation that would make grandma get down and a loose, breezy vocal—not to mention the 25-year-old's manly new look: The blond spikes have retreated for curly, brunette shoulder-length locks. It's all here, baby. Cabrera 2.0 is primed for his close-up. —Chuck Taylor