The infamous Leona Lewis.

**********How did she come about?*********

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For those of you who don't know (and if you don't know, where have you been!) Leona was the winner of the third series of (fi)XFactor (I think it's a fix hence the '(fi)' at the beginning).

Her debut single, 'A Moment like This', was to be the XFactor's winner's song to sing to Xmas #1. Funnily enough it was as if Leona was picked out when she had her first audition. 'A Moment Like This' was picked out as the winner's song half way through the series and it was as if the song was picked solely for her as it was obvious the song would not have suited Ben or Ray Quinn.

Released on December 20th 2006, the single was also available as a digital download from midnight on December 17th (4 hours after the winners was announced) and broke a world record after it was downloaded fifty thousand records in thirty minutes.
A Week later the song became the biggest selling single of 2006.
It stayed #1 till 27th January 2007 when Mika's - Grace Kelly came along.
Mika's - Grace Kelly was to be the biggest selling single of 2007 but guess whose now kicked him off the top…..???? LEONA! With 'Bleeding Love'.

Bleeding Love was released on 28th October 2007 and made #1 on 3rd November 2007. Bleeding Love in its first week sold 158370 singles. Now the singles selling even more… could this song be #1 at Xmas? Who knows?

12th of November 2007 saw her debut album, 'Spirit' on the shelves. Currently on Wednesday 14th November 2007, Leona Lewis - Spirit album was outselling its current rival and world class Super-Girl group Spice Girls by 7x's what the Spice Girls 'Greatest Hit' is selling.

In the first week;

1. Leona's Album - 375,872 copies
2. Spice Girls - 75,787 copies

Don't forget this is the first week both of the albums have been released.

Leona now has;

World Record for Quikcest Song Download (50,000 in 30 mins)
Biggest Selling Single of 2006 (A Moment Like This)
Biggest Selling single of 2007 (Bleeding love)
Biggest Selling album of 2007 (Spirit)
World Record For The Most Albums Sold In One Week (Spirit)

What an achievement from Leona. She definitely deserves a stand innovation.
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********** What's the Inlay cover and design like?? *********

the inlay cover colour is a dark shade of brown of possibly black… and the font on the CD looks like the papyrus font you'll find on Microsoft Word. The cover of the album is a mugshot of Leona (=P) and the inlay is very simple and basic in my personally opinion, but nevethteless appropriate and professional looking for a world class diva.
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*********Anyway, onto Leona's Album. 'Spirit'.**********

It is claimed Lewis will be the first winner of a major television talent show in both the UK and U.S. to be given a major global launch with the release of the album.
Leona Lewis's long-awaited debut LP 'Spirit' comes almost a year after the first single, 'A Moment Like This' was released.
'Bleeding Love' followed and this release sees Lewis collaborating with a wealth of different producers and writers (as well as Mr. Simon Cowell as executive producer).

Other producers, singers and songwriters the came to help on the album are;

Ryan Tedder, Jesse McCartney, Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson, Tony Reyes, Jörgen Elofsson, Jonathan Rotem, Andrea Martin, Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, The Jam, Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, The Runaways, Nina Woodford, Watters, Wayne Wilkins, Biancaniello, Tedder, Avril Lavigne, Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald, Johnta Austin, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen, Walter Afanasieff, Brett James, Eric Hudson, Shaffer Smith, Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, Ewan MacColl, , Per Magnusson, David Kreuger.

From this you can see what Simon Cowell sees in Leona. He will make a mint!

The impeccable RnB pop power ballads on this album are the best collaboration of tracks I have ever heard on a debut album.

Some critics are saying that Leona sounds like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey but I don't think so. She's definitely in a league of her own with this album. Okay so she had the help of Whitney and Mariah's producer Damian Dash. That's probably the only comparison and sound likeness

Below is the Track-listing and who helped on what track and how long the track is;

**This track-listing was taken from Wikipedia to save me typing it all up**

1. Bleeding Love (Ryan Tedder, Jesse McCartney) - 4:23

2. Whatever It Takes (Alonzo "Novel" Stevenson, Tony Reyes, Leona Lewis) - 3:28

3. Homeless (Jörgen Elofsson) - 3:50

4. Better in Time (Jonathan Rotem, Andrea Martin) - 3:55

5. Yesterday (Jordan Omley, Michael Mani, The Jam, Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, The Runaways, Nina Woodford) - 3:54

6. Take a Bow (The Runaways, Watters, Wayne Wilkins, Biancaniello, Tedder) - 3:54
7. I Will Be (Avril Lavigne, Max Martin, Lukasz Gottwald) - 4:00

8. Angel (Johnta Austin, Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Hermansen) - 4:14

9. Here I Am (Walter Afanasieff, Brett James, Lewis) - 4:53

10. I'm You (Eric Hudson, Shaffer Smith) - 3:48

11. The Best You Never Had (Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg) -
3:43

12. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Ewan MacColl) - 4:26

13. Footprints in the Sand (Richard Page, Per Magnusson, David Kreuger, Simon Cowell) - 4:09

UK bonus track

14. A Moment like This (Elofsson, John Reid) - 4:17

International bonus track

14. Forgiveness (Kara DioGuardi, Lewis, Salaam Remi) - 4:21

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W hats my view on the album and the songs?

The best tracks on the album are;

**********The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face**********

Folk singer Ewan MacColl originally wrote this in 1957 for his wife, Peggy Seeger. She was in a play and phoned him for suggestions on a song for a romantic scene. MacColl wrote this on the spot in less than an hour, playing it over the phone for his wife to use in her play - ### Source: Songfacts ###

Roberta Flack made this track popular in 1972 by becoming her first debut single and had a #14 UK hit, which led to MacColl winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and Roberta the Record of the Year Award. Now, Leona wants to have a go...

This song is a power ballad will make you weak at the knees. Leona sings it well and does Ewan MacColl proud.

**********Bleeding Love**********

Bleeding Love is a belter of a song that will do well wherever it's released. Forgiveness was the B-side track to when this singles was released and I think is so much more suitable for her voice.
Bleeding love's bass beat on this actually sounds like and the rhythmic feel of its seems to be imitating that's of a human heart....

Tip: Try and get hold of her version of Snow Patrol's "Run" that was sung on Radio 1's Live Lounge!!!.

**********Whatever It Takes**********

Number 2 on the album. It has a very cool R and B feel to this track at the beginning and I think has a slight rift of Celine Dion in the chorus. Despite all her songs being about love, it seems that this is the most up-tempo track on the song.

**********Better In Time**********

Possibly the track for Xmas? Considering the first line of the lyrics says 'I've spent the longest winter without you' of it could be the third track release after Footprints In The Sands, which is my favourite track on album. There are some weird lines in the song like 'I cant turn on the TV' just because she didn't have something to remind her of…. WTF? What the hell does that mean? Overall it is a nice song with or without the weird lyrics that just don't go.

**********Footprints In The Sand**********

My favourite track on the album. I resemblance between this track and 'A Moment Like This' is uncanny but this song sounds, feels and its perfect for Leona. I think this song will be her Xmas release. The chorus is very uplifting and always me want to belt out this tune.

**********Yesterday**********

A definate Mariah Carey comparison & resemblances her track 'Always Be My Baby'. My 2nd most favourite track on the album. Again though the overall feel is a slow, lovely dovey song which I don't mind as I'm very into my ballads.

**********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.

********** Homeless **********

You can hear a bit of Christina Aguilera's song 'I'm OK & The Voice Within' creeping in. It has an eerie sound to this track and I would say it was one of the better tracks on the album but its has originality and that's why I'm putting this song on my review. An enormous ballad about emptiness, loneliness and other things ending in 'less'. Hmmm…. Seems like she's losing a lot in the song?!

These tracks stand out for me. The others tracks I'm warming up to but don't want to give false pretences on thought and will add them when I feel connected to them.
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If you would like to have a sing-a-long with Leona's tracks and other songs she sang on the XFactor, go to this website for full lyrics listings

http://www.metrolyrics.com/leona-lewis-lyrics.html

Buy the album, and see if you can be the Leona Lewis.

Albums can be bought from all good retailer including eBay and the cheapest ive seen is £8.99 in Tesco.

10/10 for the album top notch. Créme-de-la-créme (is that's how you spell it)