Spirit - Leona Lewis > Reviews > Leona is here! But was it worth the wait?

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Slick production, easy to get into, 14 tracks !
Disadvantages:	A few too many ballads, a couple of tracks could have been removed without issue

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Well, it's been a while but has she cracked it? After a year of keeping her under wraps, it must be a sign they are taking the winner of X Factor 2006 VERY seriously. In fact, after her debut single A Moment Like This back in December 2006, she drifted into what we thought was the typical X Factor obscurity bubble along with that Ray bloke with the quiff, and those other chaps...Journey erm, ... well there you have it. Can you name any of the others? No? Me Neither.

So Leona. The vegan, non-leather wearing, non-swearing, non-drug taking, not-a-bad-word-against-anyone soul. Is this girl in the right business? Thankfully, for music lovers and those appreciate fine vocals....Yes. Definetley. Without a doubt. There was a reason she has been hiding under the duvet all year - and this album proves it.

This review may be biased anyway so remember that - when Leona did her fist "cold " interview I turned to my wife and said "that's the girl who'll win". And no, I didn't put any money on it. Poo.

Anyway, having bought it on release day, it went straight into the car for the journey home and within 2 plays I was hooked. Not totally, some songs do require a few more listens to. So how does it rate?

Well it's inevitable this girl is going to be compared to Whitney, Christina and Mariah. Is she in the same league? On this album it's too early to say - a career in pop is rarely a long term thing, but with a voice like this, it will be longer than the average. Compared to her "rivals", Leona is the sweet girl on the block. She looks adorable, she is humble and appreciates just what she has achieved in a short time (although wholly tortuous!) which is a rare array of qualities I hope she can retain. So Spirit, the debut album from the our British ChristWhitMar. Or is that WhitMarChris. Whatever girlfriend!

So what about the album?

Well it all starts well with the excellent Bleeding Love as you would expect - vocals at full stretch as Leona takes us through a range of pitches, a catchy tune and a great bass line. My only criticism would be why the beat stops quite short of the end otherwise it would be a corking dance number. From there the second track Whatever It Takes tries it's best to stay on the dance front with good vocals and beat.

Tracks of note include Homeless which is no doubt going to be compared to Beautiful by Christina, as Leona is able to let fly vocally to the melody of a haunting tune.

Some of the best tunes include her rendition of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face which is stunning, a real belter with vocals that send shivers done your spine. Another couple of goodies to listen out for are Footprints in The Sand and Yesterday. I think these tend to get call power ballads and power they are.

My only other criticisms are that the album does favour the ballads over dance or feel good songs which might put some off, and the way they have been listed on the album sometimes mean they all kind of drift into one another and you almost forget it's a different song. There are a couple of R&B songs in there, but personally I would have liked more. My other criticism is that there are too many las, oohs, mmms and warbles over the start of songs, which are unnecessary - but I can forgive her.

Overall, I like the album. It's too early to say whether it will be a longer term listen - one you will keep coming back to now and again and more so - and I doubt it will ever reach the heady heights of being labelled a classic. I think it's more a "safe" album. No song on here will offend, there's no "Parental Warning" sticker on the front, meaning the kids won't want it - well, not all of them anyway, and the songs are instantly likeable.

As a young girl with an amazing voice, she has a lot going for her does Leona. The thing is, you WANT her to do well. You WANT her to succeed. I think of this album as her first day at work - she wants to impress but doesn't want to be seen as overbearing or arrogant and not offend anyone. She accomplishes that and is building the foundations for a rewarding career. There will be ups and downs for her, it won't be all plain sailing and sooner or later Simon Cowell will get bored of his new toy - but that's probably not a bad thing - a bit of artistic freedom may spawn. You go girl.