Spirit - Leona Lewis > Reviews > Well worth waiting for!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Not applicable
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Excellent songs, not a bad track on the album
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

It's been nearly a year since 22 year old Leona Lewis was crowned the winner of the third series of 'The X Factor'. Leona was mentored by Simon Cowell throughout the series and praised by the other judges and was a firm favourite by many people from the beginning, she was definitely one of the most talented contestants in the third series and was even being compared to major singing sensations such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Christina Aguilera. So really it was no surprise that she actually ended up winning the show. She was given a £1 million recording contract and released her first single 'A Moment Like This' which went in straight at No1 in the charts during Christmas week. The single was so successful that it actually sold more copies than the rest of the top 40 combined!

However, things have been very quiet ever since as Leona has been taking her time to record an album that she is happy with rather than rushing out an album full of covers straight away. It is clever that she had started releasing again as soon as the new series of 'The X Factor' started! I'm sure that can't just be a coincidence!
Leona has just released her debut album 'Spirit' in the UK which again went straight to the number one spot in the charts. It has also been confirmed that the album will be released in the USA.

Bleeding Love - After Leona disappeared for almost a year, this is the single that she has returned with. It's a very catchy song with an infectious chorus that you will keep singing, 'You cut me open and I, keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love...'. This is definitely one of my favourites on the album, she really does have such a strong voice; I have no idea how she hits those really high notes!
Again, this single went straight to No1 and has had a lot of airplay. The accompanying video is also well produced.

Whatever It Takes - This is quite an upbeat song with another catchy chorus that will get in your head after just a couple of plays, 'Whatever it is I'll fly, whatever it takes I'll try, so don't pay no mind to what other people say', the song is about not wanting to listen to what other people say because they don't understand. This song would probably make quite a good single.

Homeless - This is one of my favourite songs on the album, it is a powerful ballad that has quite a dark feel to it. It reminds me slightly of 'Hurt' by Christina Aguilera. The song starts off sounding quite depressing but then it gets faster towards the end when the drums kick in. 'There's a sign on your door, no vacancies just emptiness, without your love I'm homeless', the song is about wanting to be forgiven for something and how she is missing someone and feeling so empty without their love anymore.

Better In Time - I really really like this song, it's quite upbeat and is just a catchy pop song which would make a good single. The song is about how time can heal things and although there may be pain it will all be worth it in the end, 'And even though I really love you, I'm gonna smile cause I deserve to, It'll all get better in time'. This song is one of the best on the album in my opinion.

Yesterday - Again, this is another of my favourites. It's a really good pop tune with nice lyrics, 'They can take the places that we said we would go, all the broken dreams take everything, just take it away, but they can never have yesterday' I like the meaning behind the song; you can never have someone take away all your memories. The song has a nice melody and even though it's one of my personal favourites it's probably weak in comparison to other tracks on the album.

Take A Bow - I love this song! It's very commercial and I definitely see this being a single in the future. The song is about being over someone completely, 'So take a bow, cause you've taken everything else, you played the part and like the star you played it so well, take a bow, cause this scene is coming to an end'. This song is quite different to anything else on the album, it has more of an r'nb feel to it.

I Will Be - This song was actually written by Avril Lavigne and has also been recorded by her. It's another strong ballad and gets slightly rockier towards the end. I have also heard Avril Lavigne's version which is also really good; not really sure which one I prefer though.
This is one of the best ballads on the album, 'I will be all that you want, and gather myself together cos you keep me from falling apart'.

Angel - This track is really easy to listen to with a nice melody to it, although it's not one of my favourites and I'd say it's one of the weakest songs on the album. However, the song is well written, 'We're like Romeo and Juliet, families can't divide us, like the tallest mountain or the widest sea, nothing's big enough to hide us'.

Here I Am - This is another powerful piano ballad with really nice meaning behind it, It's about friendship and how everyone needs someone to turn to when times get hard or when you just feel alone, 'If you need a place where you can run, if you need a shoulder to cry on I'll always be your friend'. I really like this song, Leona's voice definitely suits big ballads like this one. This song reminds me of something that Mariah Carey would sing.

I'm You - This song is midtempo but slightly boring, after a few plays I haven't found it very memorable at all, not compared to most of the other tracks on the album anyway. Not one of my personal favourites but maybe it will grow on me.

The Best You Never Had - This is another song that I really love, one of the best upbeat songs, it's very commercial and I'd definitely like to see this one released as a single in the future. It has a really catchy chorus and I like the beat to it, 'You put me through so many emotions, now baby it's your turn for that cos in you're empty heart I have left a mark, the best you never had', it's about loving someone who doesn't feel the same way about you.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - This is a cover of the Roberta Flack classic. Leona sings this beautifully, although it's not a favourite song of mine - a bit too slow for my liking. 'The first time ever I saw your face, I thought the sun rose in your eyes'

Footprints - One of my favourite ballads on the album, I think this song has actually featured on this years series of 'The X Factor', and I'm not surprised after I saw that Simon Cowell was in the writing credits for it!!
It's a very powerful song with great lyrics, 'You walked with me, footprints in the sand, and helped me understand where I'm going', the song picks up the pace nearer to the end. It's another song about friendship and always being there for someone

A Moment Like This (UK Bonus Track) - This was the song that Leona was given to release as a single when she won the 'The X Factor' last year. The lyrics are appropriate, 'I can't believe it's happening to me, some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this'.
I was a bit confused as to why this was the song chosen to be the winner's song as it was originally written for Kelly Clarkson when she won American Idol in 2002. Although Leona has done a good job on this song, I have to admit that I still prefer Kelly Clarkson's version as it's slightly more upbeat - I think I'm just moe used to hearing that version anyway.

Overall I am really impressed with this album, especially as it is a debut album. I think it has worked in her favour that she went away for ages to work on it rather than rushing out an album straight away like some people do after winning these talent shows. I'm sure Leona will be sticking around for quite some time yet...I don't think anyone from this year's series will quite live up to her standard.
I'd definitely recommend this album to anyone, although if you're not overly keen on ballads then you probably wont like it too much. It is well worth getting though!