Leona Lewis: Echo
On second album, “Bleeding Love” singer is bleeding immensely from dull compositions, lifeless performances and a bad case of musical experimentation
With the sweet pop charm of Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis supplanted herself in the midst of pop’s elite – using her breakthrough hit single “Bleeding Love” after making her superstar debut on the British televison show The X Factor. Attempting to follow up her international phnom, Lewis swings into her sophomore effort Echo. This time, she’s dried up with big hits, only showcasing her potential on scaled-back ditties that limp into forgetfulness. “Love Letter,” ringing with a Whitney Houston/80’s midtempo time clock, seems appropriate and offers up some promise of radio buzz. Other okay mentions like the whispery “Can’t Breathe” and “Lost Than Found,” totally reminiscent of Beyonce’s “Halo,” provide good listening but reveals a bit of weakness in how predictable her pop ballad are this time around. Even the electric pop dance vibes of “Outta My Head,” attached to a less than exuberant vocal performance, leaves some cloud of suspension of a hurried album release. Her beauty alone could have easily sold a million units in the MTV video age. Now Lewis has got to work even harder in the morbidly-depressing digital world if she’s going to prove she’s more than just a lucky, gorgeous reality-TV contestant.
J MATTHEW COBB
HIFI DETAILS
- Release Date: 9 Nov 2009
- Label: Syco/J
- Producers: Jeff Bhasker, Arnthor Brigisson, Ryan Tedderm, John Shanks, Max Martin, Kristian Lundin, Uriel Kadouch, Julian Bunetta, Shellback, the Y’s, Harvey Mason, Jr., Steve Robson
- Track Favs: Love Letter, Can’t Breathe
