For your's and the press's reviews on Leona's debut album Spirit

 

:D

 

I'll post mine later.

Great idea Gary :wub:

 

I saw some Positive reviews on a Website yesterday.... Ill post them 2Moro :heart:

BBC Music Review

 

When Leona Lewis slipped from the spotlight after last year's Christmas Number One, there were whispers that maybe she didn't have the x-factor after all. But in reality, Leona was one of the few people to come out of a TV talent show worth investing some time and money in. Not for her a rush-released covers album; instead it was off to the States to work with a host of big name producers like Dallas Austin and Jam and Lewis.

 

It's almost a shame all that effort went into crafting a bland pop album strong on mid-tempo balladry and spiralling vocal gyrations, but short on hooks, innovation and personality.

 

With sights firmly set on the lucrative American market, single ‘Bleeding Love’ is an 80s throwback that even Mariah wouldn't record these days. And the attempts at skittering r'n'b beats on tracks like "The Best You Never Had" and the Ne-Yo- produced "I'm You" are also fairly middle-of-the-road.

 

Elsewhere, "Take a Bow" is a slice of synthy melodrama, "Whatever it Takes" has singalong potential and big ballad "Footprints in the Sand" is a piano warbler that brings Leona's voice to the forefront. It's an amazing voice, no doubt, but if it wasn't for those elastic vocal cords, this could be anyone.

 

Only on the Leona co-written "Here I Am" do we get a glimpse of the Hackney girl herself, thrown into the pop machine: "This is a crazy world/These can be lonely days.../Who can you really trust" she asks. Otherwise, Spirit is just the sound of a generic diva.

 

Key Tracks

Here I Am

I'm You

 

Review here

 

 

Edited November 13, 200717 yr by Gazzalicious

Someone send me the damn album. :angry:

There are lots of reviews on Spirit's Wikipedia page, about 50/50 positive and negative.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit_(Leona_Lewis_album)

 

And here's my personal one:

 

Leona Lewis has been away for a year working on her debut album and to sum it up: it was definitely worth the wait! There is a fantastic variety of songs on Spirit, with a nice mixture of styles merged together. Here is a track by track breakdown:

 

1. Bleeding Love - Amazing comeback single! Seems like the whole of the UK is loving this one. It's had so much success and deserves it! Fantastic song, very catchy, great production and vocals from Leona! 10/10

 

2. Whatever It Takes - One of my favourites on the album. I love the soul/gospel sound and it's also really catchy. Definitely a possible single, nice feel-good song. 9.5/10

 

3. Homeless - Very emotional song, Leona's vocals are just perfect and the song is great. I love the subtle sound effects of rain at the beginning and end. The music really helps with the emotion of the song. 9/10

 

4. Better In Time - One of the stand-out tracks! Very catchy melody and chorus, love the use of piano and strings. My only criticism would be a longer final chorus with a bit more oomph and don't fade out at the end some amazing vocals. 9.5/10

 

5. Yesterday - Another one of my favourites. Takes a few listens to fully appreciate it I think. I find myself listening to this song a lot, great vocals once again and I like the old-school beat. 9.5/10

 

6. Take A Bow - Another of the stand-out tracks and DEFINITELY has to be a single. This will be a smash-hit I just know. Ryan Tedder produced this and Bleeding Love. He is an absolute genius, simple as. 10/10

 

7. I Will Be - A song you wouldn't expect on a Leona album! Definitely Avril-esque. Nice to see her delve into the pop-rock genre a bit. I'd like to see a few similar songs on her next album. 8/10

 

8. Angel - I started off disliking this song and thinking it was really average but I've grown to really like it now. Still annoys me that lazy Stargate rehashed that same beat yet again but it's a good song! 8/10

 

9. Here I Am - This is a beautiful song, beautiful music and lyrics, it just really needed a bigger climax at the end I think. It starts to and then ends so quickly. And with a massive ballad like this, I'd have expected a bit more from Leona's vocals. 6.5/10

 

10. I'm You - Not a stand-out track and people probably expected more from Ne-Yo as he produced it but I actually really like it. Funky music and beats, perhaps needs to be a bit faster. I like it more with every listen though. 7.5/10

 

11. The Best You Never Had - Love the music in this one and it's refreshing after all the mid-tempos to have something a bit more uptempo. Catchy chorus and melody throughout. It makes me smile, very clever lyrics. I also like this one more and more with every listen. 8.5/10

 

12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - One word: angelic. It takes a lot to move me, I'm not one to cry at films usually and all that but the vocals on this are just flawless. So exquisitically sung, love it. 9/10

 

13. Footprints In The Sand - Fell in love with this song the first time I heard it and still do! The lyrics are beautiful and Leona's singing once again lifts the song to another level. 9/10

 

14. A Moment Like This - Heard this about a million times but I still love it! I'm so glad they changed it quite a lot from Kelly's to make it more original. Glad it's not gonna be on overseas editions of the album but it's still nice to listen to every once in a while. 7/10

 

Overall: AMAZING album! Once I get my copy, it's going in my car and staying there probably indefinitely lol. Leona is without doubt the best reality show winner ever IMO, and Spirit is easily the best first album from one. Can't wait to see Leona develop as an artist and be around for years to come.

Channel Four Music Review

 

Bleeding Love

You know this one. It's totally amazing and without question the best single ever released by an X Factor contestant - although that's not a bar set especially high. Half ballad and half not, the bass-free production makes for an adventurous yet commercial pop single which more than deserved it's number one chart position.

9/10

 

Whatever It Takes

Hip hop-influenced production mixed with a simple and wonderful gospel ballad. Upping the tempo slightly from 'Bleeding Love', 'Whatever It Takes' is the album's biggest feel-good track. One of best.

8/10

 

Homeless

You can hear a bit of Christina Aguilera creeping in for the first real weepy. Not any of the recent Aguilera nonsense either, proper 'Beautiful' era stuff. An enormous ballad about emptiness, loneliness and other things ending in 'less'.

7/10

 

Better In Time

Plinky plonky piano opens a mid-tempo Mariah Carey emulator - 'Always Be My Baby' to be more specific, and totally wonderful for it. Along with 'Bleeding Love' this is as danceable as the album gets, which is not very, unless you know a disco where they play a slow one at the end of the night.

8/10

 

 

Yesterday

Still in full on Mariah mode, 'Yesterday' sounds a bit like 'Always Be My Baby' as well, but it doesn't sound like 'Better In Time' - which might sound odd but this sounds like the parts of 'Always Be My Baby' that the previous track didn't. Imagine splitting a song in half and making two songs out of it. We're losing our thread here so let's move on.

7/10

 

 

Take A Bow

Produced by Ryan Tedder, the man responsible for 'Bleeding Love', 'Take A Bow' ditches the mush for a bit of drama and is destined to be a future single. Why? Well it sounds a bit like Timbaland and is also probably the best song on the album. She should go up a mountain to film the video - yes, it's that good.

9/10

 

I Will Be

Is there a disaster movie being made at the moment? If so, here is its theme tune. Not quite Celine Dion's 'Titanic' theme but better than Faith Hill's 'There You'll Be' from 'Pearl Harbour'. A belter.

8/10

 

Angel

This one isn't so great. A lightweight mid-tempo track but nowhere near as good as the lightweight mid-tempo tracks near the start of the album, although it does have the best ending on the whole album.

6/10

 

Here I Am

This starts really quietly - so you know that by the time it finishes a herd of elephants will have come crashing through the studio with cymbals on their feet and bells pinned to their ears. It sounds a lot like 'Hero' by - surprise surprise - Mariah Carey. A lot like it in fact, they may have laid 'Hero' on the floor and traced around it actually.

7/10

 

I'm You

Mid-album lull. At 14 songs long this one could have happily been culled and no one would have pulled a face.

4/10

 

The Best You Never Had

We don't know who produced this, but if we had a big map of American producers we'd put a pin somewhere near Kandi Burruss - one time member of Xscape and secretly responsible for massive R&B hits over recent years. The most uptempo on the album and a must for a future single. Wonderful.

9/10

 

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

A perfectly pitched cover version as performed on X Factor last year. A sly wink to what a Leona Lewis album would have sounded like had it been released in March. Lovely, if a little unnecessary.

7/10

 

Footprints In The Sand

This sounds a lot like 'A Moment Like This' and a lot like Christmas. It will be a good one to have on hand in case she wins another competition sometime soon or just gets lucky at the bingo.

7/10

 

A Moment Like This

Like an old friend coming to visit, this is like every other reality TV show winner's ballad ('That's My Goal', 'All This Time') only sung nicer.

8/10

 

 

Review Here

 

 

I shall post mine shortly! ^_^

I'm going to do mine in a bit because I'm not tired and shall post it pronto!

Heres my own review:

 

'Bleeding love’ 10/10- Fantastic single, I knew straight away that this would be a smash hit, and it has been. People who say its nothing new or not original really baffle me because that’s one reason why I think its done so well, apart from the 80’s sounding backing it really stands out in the charts and has a very unique sound.

 

‘What ever it takes’ 7/10- A feel good song, quite a unique style- mixture of pop and gospel. Like Saz mentioned it feels like its missing something, but the vocal runs at the end make up for what the actual song lacks. Potential 3rd or 4th single.

 

‘Homeless’ 7/10- Good ballad with edgy lyrics, however doesn’t quite match up to ‘hurt’ as a song. Interesting arrangement however once it gets going it is over quickly, leaves you wanting more.

 

‘Better in time’ 9/10- One of my personal favourites, great melody, with you can sing along to, great pop/rnb sounding, it kind of has an old RNB feel but still manages to sound modern enough as well. Im still undecided however if it could be a single or not.

 

‘Yesterday’ 8/10- I wasn’t loving this at first but its really grown on me, its one that you can listen to again and again, it’s a pop/rnb up tempo ballad. Its very thought felt and emotive. It has the same old RNB feel as ‘Better in time’, nothing negative say it’s a great album track but not a single.

 

‘Take a bow’ 9/10- One of the best tracks on the album, very dramatic sounding, the chorus sounds very Timbaland, given the right remix it could be a good club beat. I can imagine a great video for this. Definitely should be the second single because I thinks it’s a good idea to keep the momentum going after bleeding love so she doesn’t fall back into the ballad singer stereotype. If it isn’t ill eat my key board!

 

‘I will be’ 8/10- Love this song, its quite epic sounding could imagine this in a film. Rock ballads like this tend to do quite well i.e ‘because of you’, so potential 3rd or 4th single. Not sure about the sates though because of the Avril comparisons.

 

‘Angel’ 7/10- Im abit surprised by the reaction to this song, think its quite good, really catchy, upbeat and easy to sing along, along with ‘TBYNH’ makes a nice change to the album. I think the star gate sound is very over used and that may be why but as C14 has said its radio friendly and these songs always do well, so could be a 4th or 5th single. Oh and its a lot better than tattoo.

 

‘The best you never had’ 7/10, it’s a catchy upbeat number, not one of my favourites but I can see it being popular with the teens so a good possible single. Im not so fond of the vocals in this as much as other songs for some reason. However adds something fun and uplifting to the album.

 

‘Here I am’ 6.5/10, need to hear this more, out of any this is the most reminiscent of Mariah, not as good as ballads such as ‘hero’ but still good. Is kind of over shadowed by ‘footrpints’. Outstanding vocals make up for everything though.

 

‘Im you’5/10, very disappointed in this one considering the hits Neyos come out with I was expecting a lot better, its not bad would probably be a good track on say Jamelias album (lol), but next to these other ones its not great. Leona’s vocals save the day though. I would prefer ‘forgiveness’ to take its place.

 

‘The first time I ever saw your face’, 7/10, a really beautiful song and great vocals, but a to bit slow for me. I would of preferred another great original on the album instead.

 

‘Footprints in the sand’ 9/10, Fantastic ballad, great lyrics. Does have a west life feel but if they sang it it would probably bore me to death. Good as a 3rd single, but it probably wont as its at the end of the album.

 

‘AMLT’ 6/10, listened to it so much a year ago im bored to death of it.

 

overall, fantastic for a debut album, the main criticism i have is there is one or two too many ballads, and should be replaced with some more edgy uptempo tracks like 'take a bow' and 'bleeding love' as most people are loving these the most and have the best single potential. 7.5/10

Edited November 13, 200717 yr by utoia2004

OK, here is my attempt at a review:-

 

Bleeding Love – This is an amazing song. The whole country seems to love it and have been singing along at the performances. This song fully deserved to be No.1 and Leona’s vocals superb. 10/10

 

Whatever It Takes – I liked this track when we first heard it at her album launch, but the quality did not do it justice. Love the song and it could be a possible single. 9/10

 

Homeless – I liked this song when we first heard the rumours that it was going to be Leona’s next single. Darin did not do this song justice and Leona’s version is amazing. One of favourites on the Album. 10/10

 

Better In Time – Love the piano intro to this song. One of my favourite tracks and is also a potential single. Amazing vocals by Leona again. 9.5/10

 

Yesterday - Another great song. I like the beat to the song and as usual great vocals. I have a feeling this is going to grow on me. 8/10

 

Take A Bow – Love this track and as a lot of people have said it has got to be a potential single. This will be a No.1 record. Ryan Tedder stikes again. 9.5/10

 

I Will Be - A different song, but I am still loving it. It has a rock feel to it. Amazing vocals again. 8.5/10

 

Angel – This is a nice song, but not one of my favourites. I feel that I might not have liked it if it was not Leona singing it. 7.5/10

 

Here I Am – Lovely lyrics, but there is something missing with this song. This does not portray Leona’s amazing vocals for a ballad. 7.5/10

 

I'm You – Although this is a good song it my least favourite on the Album. 7/10

 

 

The Best You Never Had - Love this track. It has a more up tempo beat and gives the album the balance it needs. I think this could be a potential single. One of my favourites on the Album. 9.5/10

 

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – This has always been one of my favourite songs. When Leona sang it on the Diva Show tears were rolling down my cheeks. It so beautifully sung. It probably won’t be a single, but should be. Avery passionate song. Definitely one of my favourites. 10/10

 

Footprints In The Sand – I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it on X-Factor. It is my favourite song on the album. The lyrics are amazing and Leona sings this with so much emotion. Another tear jerker. Definitely a potential single. Would be a good Christmas release. 10/10

 

A Moment Like This – We have all heard this so many times and I still love it. It shows off Leona’s vocals perfectly. 8.5/10

 

 

I have listened to the Album 5 times now and think that it is one of the best I have ever bought. There is not a bad song on it and some amazing ones.

Album Rating 8.9/10

My Review -

 

Bleeding Love

 

Well obviously it's amazing and probably one of the best singles of the year. A very impressive debut single from Leona, the haunting synths in it make it atmospheric and her strong vocals make this the perfect track for her to release. I still get shivers on the last chorus when she sings ''You cut me open and I----''. This proves why she won X Factor and possibly the best single from any Reality TV winner ever along with Girls Aloud.

 

10/10

 

Whatever It Takes

 

A slightly upbeat catchy number from Leona, perfect use of a choir as well. The catchy ''da da da da'' will keep you singing along to it for sometime. Sounds like something an early Mariah Carey would release, that's a good thing of course. I think this would make a very good potential single.

 

9/10

 

Homeless

 

Not the strongest on the album I don't think but it shows off her vocals very well ... as does every track really. It starts off rather bland and mellow but gets to a powerful chorus and I believe that you can feel the emotion in Leona's voice, and that's she's telling the truth. It also reminds me of Jamelia's ''Stop'' but a bit stronger, this wouldn't do too good as a single but its a great album track!

 

8/10

 

Better In Time

 

One of my personal favourites. The melody is great and very catchy. I think alot of people can relate to it too, including me. Has a slightly old school RnB feeling to it and again sounds like something Mariah might release. I think this would do very well if released as a single!

 

9.5/10

 

Yesterday

 

A beautiful song, not the strongest on the album by any means but it's still sweet and touching. I actually think this track shows off Leona's vocals the least but it's still very pleasant and works well as a album track.

 

7.5/10

 

Take A Bow

 

The fan-favourite I'd say and I love it as well. Very refreshing from the other tracks on the album.. I think this has the most single potential than any other on the album. I could imagine an amazing video for this if it were to be released. It almost sounds like it was Timbaland-produced, whoever did produce it did an amazing job!

 

10/10

 

I Will Be

 

Despite the fact that this is a cover of an Avril Lavigne B Side, it's an exceptional cover and possibly better than Avril's original as she obviously has much greater vocals than Avril and I personally think the song suits her more. ^_^ It obviously won't be released but it's an amazing album track and has beautiful lyrics.

 

9/10

 

Angel

 

One of the more mellow tracks on the album and again probably isn't the strongest I don't think but the chorus is very catchy. The only problem I have with this song is it feels that it's building up to something then doesn't go anywhere special. Still a very good track by Leona but I can't see it being released as a single.

 

7/10

 

Here I Am

 

This is where it starts to get a bit boring for me :( Although I do think alot of people can relate to the lyrics and she does have very strong vocals especially towards the ending of the song. Again, I don't think it should be released but it makes a very good album track!

 

6.5/10

 

I'm You

 

Has a very strange beat behind it I think :lol: The bridge/chorus is very good/catchy I think although it's by no means the strongest on the album and only makes a good album track in my opinion.

 

7/10

 

The Best You Never Had

 

Finally, things start to pick up again with a very strong mid-tempo RnB ballad. Sounds slightly like Beyonce's ''Irreplaceable'' which can only be a good thing. I think this would do really well if it were to be released as a single.

 

9.5/10

 

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

 

A beautiful cover of the song and sung perfectly by Leona. Her performance of it on Saturday Night Diva's was amazing and had real emotion in her voice, I don't think it should be released as it is a cover but its a very good cover of the song!

 

8/10

 

Footprints In The Sand

 

An amazing power ballad by Leona. It took me a while to get into it though but when I did I loved it :wub: I remember hearing it on X Factor a while back haha :lol:

 

8/10

 

A Moment Like This

 

Well the worst song on the album for me. Lacks what the other tracks have, any emotion and sounds so put together. But what else can you expect from a X Factor Winner's debut? Still nice enough and it did get #01 on my personal chart :lol:

 

6/10

Muchos Credit to all who has/will post Reviews <333

Here's my review :D :

 

1. Bleeding Love - 9/10

Obviously an amazing track! I admit I wasn't sure of it on first listen but I loved it more every time I listened to it.

 

2. Whatever It Takes - 7.5/10

This one also grew on me the more times I listened to it. Love the chorus and when the choir comes in at the end!

 

3. Homeless - 7.5/10

Again a grower for me! Not my fav on the album but the big note at the end definately makes the song for me!

 

4. Better in Time - 8/10

It's a nice song! Can't really think of anything else to say lol

 

5. Yesterday - 9.5/10

One of my favourites, love this song! I love the lyrics especially the chorus

 

6. Take a Bow - 9/10

Another amazing track and shows that Ryan Tedder's a great songwriter/producer! Should definately be a single and I think it'll appeal to people who say all she does is ballads!

 

7. I Will Be - 8.5/10

Another nice song, great vocals!

 

8. Angel - 8.5/10

Some people don't seem to like this one but I love it! I actually thought Leona might have written this one seeing the lyrics are very sweet!

 

9. Here I Am - 7/10

Nice lyrics but it'd be better if she did more big notes at the end.

 

10. I'm You - 7/10

I was expecting more with this song seeing it was made quite a big deal of her working with Ne-Yo. I like it more than I did but not a favourite of mine. Though I do like the oriental sound, it makes it different!

 

11. The Best You Ever Had - 9.5/10

Another one of my favourites. I'd love it to be a single! Very catchy, especially the chorus! I really love the high bits in the chorus even if they are hard to understand! :lol:

 

12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - 9/10

I didn't know this song before I heard Leona sing it and wasn't sure at first but I love it now. Her vocals are gorgeous on it!

 

13. Footprints in the Sand - 9.5/10

I adore this song! The lyrics are lovely and Leona's vocals near the end are incredible!

 

14. A Moment Like This - UK Bonus Track - 7/10

I do quite like this song but I don't really think of it as being a proper 'Spirit' track if you know what I mean!

 

Overall: 8.5/10

I have some songs I looooove (FIS, TAB, TBYNV, Y) and some I'm not quite sure on yet (HIA, IY) but overall I love it! Even the songs I'm not sure of Leona makes up for it with her amazing voice! I know this'll be in my cd player for a long time!

Thanks for sharing with us, Becky :wub:

01 Bleeding Love

 

- Don't know what to say about this, deffinatly one of the best on the album! We've all heard it, so not going to drag on about it!

10/10

 

 

02 Whatever It Takes

 

- A very light & mellow song, with a chorus that holds the song together. This is nothing to big and fancy, yet it works and makes it easy to listen and enjoy to the song. A wondefull blend of voices with the choir btw, although this song should be seated nearer to the end of the album.

08.5/10 *Possible single choice, no?*

 

 

03 Homeless

 

- Reminds me alot like Jamelia's 'Stop'. :/ The track shows of Leona's Beautiful voice, however the song fails to pick itself up after the choruses until nearer to the end. One minute the song will make you think, Wow this song is perfect, but then at other points it can make you think, this is quite boring.

8/10

 

 

04 Better In Time

 

- The track is stronger then 'Homeless', but not as great. I do love the sweet "Ahh ahh ah"'s though. Another track you'll probally skip on the album.

7/10

 

 

05 Yesterday

 

- Another Piano intro, must be a slow one. It's nothing that we havn't heard from the tracks before this. This track does nothing for me, at all.

04/10

 

 

06 Take A Bow

 

- THE best song on the album. The first track thats influenced with a bit of RnB. The chorus is addictive, so's the best and production of the song. It's a bit more upbeat then the past tracks, but Leona still keeps that soulfull voice flowing throughout the song. Works VERY well!

10/10 *HAS to be released!*

 

 

07 I Will Be

 

- Forget the fact thats it a cover of an Avril Lavigne, and focus on Leona's version. Then it becomes a powerfull, bold ballad. Leona has impressive control over her voice, and 'I Will Be' is proof of that. One of the few songs I could play on repeat without getting bored.

10/10 *Should get released, but I doubt it will happen hence it being a cover of a B-Side*

 

 

08 Angel

 

-Ok, another mid-tempo track, but at least this one keeps moving and flowling softly along. Leona's voice is once again, kept strong and not bursting into outragous notes [i.e. Whitney Housten/] which makes me like this track more, because it's strong yet toned down.

9/10

 

 

09 Here I Am

 

- It sounds like some failed attempt at a Christina Aguilera song. Well it's not a failed attempt, just bland. The song just goes on and on and on, and has burts of Mariah Carey's 'Hero' in some points.

04/10

 

 

10 I'm You

 

- Another song that just goes nowhere. If someone played this back to me, and asked me what the name of the song was, I wouldnt have a clue!

03/10

 

 

11 The Best You Ever Had

 

- Things are shaken up (a bit), and about time. Punchy and slick, me likes.

07/10

 

 

12 The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face

 

- Vocals are amazingly controlled. It's a beautiful song. All I can say really.

08/10

 

 

13 Footprints In The Sand

 

- The first "powerballad" I believe. Had been dreading this all along, and only one pops up on the album, and it's quite good!

08/10

 

 

14 A Moment Like This

 

WHY oh why did they include this on the album? 9 months after releasing this, I now REALLY detest this! lol. I know.

01/10

 

 

 

Overview:

 

If I was saying that this was the bestestesetesetest album of 2007, then I would be lying. If I was saying that I probally expected TOOOO much from Leona, then we'd be moving to me closer telling the truth, If I was to say that 65% Of the album lacks personality, then I'd be telling the whole truth. Apart from 4/5 tracks, the other 8 honestly do nothing for me. I have nothing against ballads and slow songs, but most of the time, the album just stops, and goes nowhere. The album lacks personality, HOWEVER, I have to hand it to Leona that, I was expecting looking forward to some big big amazing vocal performances on every track, and we didn't get that, which I now think is a good thing. We all know she has an astonashing big voice, but she also has a soft, pure, gentle but strong voice, which I've grown to love! Secondly, this album to me sounds nothing like what Mariah/Whitney/Celine have ever produced, which is a GOOD thing btw, so she can finally shake of that Mariah-Kareoke-Singer-tag. Leona IS the 2nd greatest vocalists to be discovered in the last 10 years (Anastacia being 1st :P ), but please next time, sack the producers and line up the people who work with artists like Beyonce or Britney, or maybe after falling in love with I Will Be, she could hook up with some of P!nks producers (Linda Perry?) and make some cool rocky tracks!.

 

I'd give the album an overall 6.5/10, but the average working from the scores I gave the tracks give the album a 7.4, which is respectfull enough! :D

I'll do a review in a few hours, after I reclaim my Leona cd from my mothers car! :lol:

Thanks for posting, Josh. ^_^

 

Leona Lewis: 'Spirit'

Released on Monday, November 12 2007

By Nick Levine, Entertainment Reporter - Digitalspy.com

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a79709/l...wis-spirit.html

 

 

You've got to feel for Leona Lewis. The once timid north London girl carries not only the weight of the nation's expectations on her slender shoulders, but also the future of The X Factor's credibility as a star-making vehicle. After cocking up royally with Steve Brookstein, and managing to propel Shayne Ward towards sales figures most accurately described as "bleh", nobody's taking any chances this time around. Simon Cowell recently dubbed Lewis "one of the most important artists in the world"; she's been allowed eleven months to ready her debut album - Ward barely got four - and Spirit's production budget is probably big enough to settle Heather Mills' outstanding legal bills: Dallas Austin (Madonna, TLC, Sugababes), Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey, Celine Dion) and Timbaland protégé Ryan Tedder have all strained their knob-twiddling fingers to make sure this disc's a winner.

 

Impressively, Spirit's A-list production team has largely prevented Lewis - a singer whose swooping, octave-conquering voice really belongs in the diva-dominated early nineties – from sounding too fusty or old-fashioned. Tedder, the producer and co-writer of the album's trailer single 'Bleeding Love', recently noted that "if you're going to push that kind of music [these days] - big ballads and big songs - you have to be edgier; they can't be clean and polished." To that end, he tempers 'Bleeding's lovelorn balladry with the sort of beefy, hard-edged beats you'd normally find on a Timbaland track, and gives Lewis an unexpected urban edge by adding an ear-snagging synth riff to 'Take A Bow'. Even the chipper pop-gospel of 'Whatever It Takes' is anchored by a rhythm track that wouldn't shame a boy-racer cruising through Harlem in his pimped-up ride.

 

Just as impressively, Spirit finds Lewis wallowing in darker lyrical territory than her wholesome image would suggest. 'Bleeding Love' is surely the first talent show single to feature a possible reference to self-harm – either way, "My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing" is a million miles away from the banal platitudes of 'A Moment Like This', Lewis' X Factor victory song that's tacked on here as a 'UK bonus track'. 'Better In Time' and 'Take A Bow' deal with failed romances in admirably stark terms, while 'Homeless', a power ballad that compares the end of a relationship to a life of queueing outside inner city soup kitchens, is almost unbearably bleak. "In this cold I'm walking aimless, feeling helpless," Lewis warbles in a tour de force of despair and misery.

 

Spirit isn't entirely without fault. Over 14 songs and 57 minutes, there's a dearth of uptempo moments – only 'Whatever It Takes' and the sassy 'Best You Never Had' really require Lewis to get her toes tapping – and, at times, Lewis apes her heroes a little too closely. The overwrought 'Here I Am' could have come straight from The Bodyguard soundtrack, while the histrionic finale of 'Footprints In The Sand' seems hellbent on revisiting Mariah Carey's schlock-pop masterwork 'Anytime You Need A Friend'. Tellingly, it's already taken 'Friend's place on those jubilant X Factor montage scenes that tend to round off a particularly red-eyed audition episode.

 

However, even Spirit's weaker moments are saved by Lewis, who never treats a song as an exercise in dead-eyed note-hitting rather than a chance to convey a nice bit of surging emotion. Not that she's a slacker in the vocal showboating stakes – the 12-second "eeeeeeyeeaayaaaaay" that jump-starts the crescendo of 'Homeless' is one of the most dazzling pop moments of the year. At this stage in the game, it's inadvisable – inexcusable even - to heap any more praise on Simon Cowell's planet-sized ego, but it's even more foolish to deny the truth: The X Factor just created its first superstar.

 

****/5