Leona Lewis' Album A Letdown
Posted at 02:53, 2007-Nov-29 in Fresh Faces
Leona Lewis became a well known voice and face as a contestant on The X-Factor’s third season. Bringing extraordinary talent to the stage, she was likend to divas such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Pleasing both the judges, including the very critical Simon Cowell, and the UK audience, she quickly became a favorite. With her talent overpowering her lack of self-confidence, this now 22 year old female brought an honest personality to TV along with her musicianship.
After recording an album when she was only 15years old that went nowehre, she almost gave up on her dream of singing until her long time boyfriend encouraged her to audition for The X-Factor. As most amateurs on the past seasons, she belted out jazz standards and contemporary pop songs, but Lewis’s tone and style made her superior to others. As the winner of the season, she had become the show’s promise to be a true star. Other producers and music professionals told Cowell, who has also become her mentor, that he had better make the right album for the girl’s gift.
Her debut album, Spirit, was released in November 2007 and has beat out others on the charts such as the Spice Girls, Celine Dion and One Republic. Spirit proved to be the biggest first week sales of 2007 to date in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Her first single, “Bleeding Love,” has stayed on the top of the charts since it was released. After Perez Hilton had promoted her so much that he even posted her music video on his website, I also, was an immediate fan of “Bleeding Love.” With Simon Cowell and Clive Davis coming together to produce her album, I was anxious to hear the album in its entirety.
After listening to it two or three times, I decided that I am still a fan of Lewis’ voice but not her album. It may be because its sound is more of a traditional pop sound that Europe eats up. Unfortunately, Leona is belting out songs that Whitney and Mariah should’ve belted out earlier in the 90’s - not today.
I realized that it is only her upbeat songs that can keep me interested in listening. “Take a Bow,” a heavily synth-riffed power anthem is reminiscent of Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter” with her lyrics “You should know that your performance has made me stronger now.” Another song with strong beats, “I’m You,” is a bit more mid-tempo groove with its Mary J. Blige vibe that has grown on me. “The Best You Never Had,” another mid-tempo feel good musical monologue, could be a Natasha Bedingfield hit, if she had snatched it up beforehand. When I listened to “Whatever It Takes,” I could have sworn it was another Ne-yo song, but hey, I like him, so this is another good R&B track.
However, just because the song has a decent beat or rhythm, doesn’t mean the song has credibility. “Angel,” with its lyrics, “When we make love/it’s overwhelming/I just touch the heavens” is evidence of this complete failure. Take out the fast beats and it’s the rest of the album – a waste of CD space with unnecessary bad pop ballads. With the exception of “Homeless,” a could have been hit from the 90’s similar to Mariah soulfulness, and the cover of “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” the rest of album is filled with songs such as “Better in Time,” which I believed to be another bad Avril-esque teen pop song, (but I realized that Avril was actually a co-writer for “I Will Be”), “Footprints in the Sand,” “Yesterday,” and “Here I Am,” which all should have been songs for sappy Spice Girls, N’Sync or Backstreet Boys tunes. Sure, they are pretty but the songs seem to go nowhere and that’s a shame since Lewis’ voice is capable to bring you to a better place. Many albums today focus on love, but this love album whines a bit too much.
“Bleeding Love” is still on one of my itunes playlists for current favorites, but it’s a little disappointing that the first single of any album is the best song on there; especially when it’s co-written by Jesse McCartney.
Music directors for her album have told the public that any of the songs could be hit singles, but they are not spoiled as they think they are. Yes, Leona Lewis can bring them fame and fortune as well, but they have to be extra careful when they pick her singles after her album is released in the US (March 18, 2008). We Americans don’t necessarily eat up the syrupy ballads as well as Europeans can. People are saying that Lewis is one of the stars the US should watch out for during the year of 2008. Let's hope they're right. If they are smart, her five hit singles should be: “Bleeding Love,” “Take a Bow,” “Homeless,” “I’m You,” and “The Best You Never Had.”
If you want to see the true talent Ms. Lewis has to offer, youtube her performance of “Summertime” and “All By Myself” in your spare time.
- sl
Love Bareilles' "Love Song"
Posted at 02:09, 2007-Oct-2 in Fresh Faces
After speeding all the way to Ann Arbor, MI this past Saturday (September 29th, 2007) I arrived at the second level of Borders only to see that all the seats were already taken. I cursed my inability to wake up early. All these people sitting in front of a small stage were waiting to see the amazing Sara Bareilles perform and I didn’t have a seat.
Although I live in Holland, the moment I found out that this incredible singer-songwriter was going to be doing a performance (for free) AND doing a sign and greet, I was more than willing to pay the gas money. For many artists who do this type of tour with Borders, the people who show up for these performances range from dedicated fans, who will probably see the artist again the same night at a real venue to people who just happen to find out that “some singer” is going to perform and decide to spend a few minutes to see how it all goes down.
I had found a spot on the floor in front only to be joined by five other 12 year old girls (with better taste in music than I had when I was that age) who claimed to be “so excited!” and I have to admit that I was a complete teeny bopper especially when I replied back with a “me too!” After announcements such as Sara opening for Maroon 5’s US tour this fall – starting the same night at The Palace in Auburn Hills, that her performance was going to be broadcast on Ann Arbor’s 107.1 FM station, and showing us where we could purchase her first major label album, Little Voice, we all got a glimpse of Sara behind the stage.
She seemed more petite than I had imagined her to be from all her publicity photos. Her hair was in a simple pony tail. She was wearing an adorable but casual outfit which consisted of a t-shirt length light pink dress over a white tank top complete with gold earrings and necklace. She looked like any other nice girl in her early twenties. As she walked onto the stage with two supporting band members, she gave a polite wave to her audience. She answered the emcee’s interview questions with a professional but down to earth attitude and commented on how we were such a “clap-happy audience” but that it was okay because it was “the best kind to be.”
She started out her live set with the hit single, “Love Song” which most audience members discovered on itunes when it was the free single of the week. The chords keep the song in drive and the lyrics create exactly what a pop song should sound like today. As her catchy pop voice permeated the air, her fingers seemed to be as happy to be playing the full length keyboard as her face seemed when she cheerfully looked out into the audience with what looked like appreciation. She couldn't have been any further from being a sour-faced or dilluded crap pop star like Avril.
The second song she chose to share with us was an even more blues-upped version of “Many the Miles.” Sara also made sure to enlighten us with the fact that it was about “a positive outlook on life... a pro-life song.” Her pop voice was still honest and innocent but it now had an edge that could definitely pull in the soul genre audience as well. Sara must have excelled in her communications studies at UCLA (even though she chooses not to use the degree) and remembered that audience participation always makes a performance more memorable. She broke it down towards the end of the song where she used her a cappella voice and just her snapping fingers. Pretty soon, the entire room was snapping along to her Fiona Apple/Norah Jones-on-uppers sound and for the first time, I noticed audience members swaying to and fro as they sang along to her lyrics.
Sara closed her short but worthy set with the touching song, “Gravity.” As her band members left her alone on stage and just before she played those two intimate chords in the introduction she informed us “You can thank my ex-boyfriend for this.” As she sang, “You’re neither friend nor foe/Though I can’t seem to let you go/One thing I know is that you’re keeping me down,” and making “down” the most shockingly and powerful you note you ever heard, the audience couldn’t have been disappointed even if she was just “some singer” at the beginning of the day.
Thank god for musicians like Sara Bareilles to ensure Avril is a dying breed.
- sl
Official Sara Bareilles Website
Official Sara Bareilles Myspace
