Spirit is the debut album of Leona Lewis, the winner of the hit reality show, X-Factor, which is a British version of American Idol. Both shows were created by talent judge and music producer Simon Cowell.
Cowell believes that Lewis has the potential to be the next Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey or Celine Dion. After the release of Spirit in both the U.K. and U.S. in November 2007, Lewis has become an international star, selling over 6 million copies worldwide.
Spirit has a mixture of contemporary music, R&B, pop, and powerful ballads. One of the most popular tracks on the album is “Bleeding Love,” which was written by OneRepublic lead singer Ryan Tedder and singer Jesse McCartney. “Bleeding Love” became an international hit, and one of the best-selling singles of 2008. Just in the U.S. alone, the single has sold over 3 million copies. In 2008, Spirit was nominated a Grammy for Best Pop Album, while “Bleeding Love” was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year.
In addition to the facts and figures of the successfulness of this album, several critics were impressed by Spirit. Other critics had mixed emotions about the album. They felt they didn’t experience the powerful ballads that Lewis displayed on the show, X-Factor.
Personally, I really liked this album. I wouldn’t say all the tracks are great, but there are more than half that are really good. Overall, Lewis sounds very similar to a young Mariah Carey in the early '90s, but also has a mixture of Whitney Houston’s powerful vocals with an R&B twist. There are four songs that I believe stand above the rest. The first, of course, is “Bleeding Love”; next is her second released hit single, “Better in Time.” Another is “I Will Be,” which singer Avril Lavigne co-wrote, and finally, “Take a Bow” – the beat reminded me a lot of Justin Timberlake’s song, “Cry Me a River.” Most of the songs are ballads, but there are a few songs that are upbeat with some electronic '80s style to them.
I would definitely recommend this album to Mariah Carey fans. If you have missed Mariah Carey’s style from back then, Leona Lewis will definitely bring back those old memories. After listening to this album, more than likely, you will become a fan of Leona Lewis.
Reviewer's Rating: 8 out of 10
Reviewer: Bridget Campos
Originally posted on January 18, 2009
Link: http://thecelebritycafe.com/cd/full_review/13879.html
No comments:
Post a Comment