Spirit - Leona Lewis > Reviews > High Spirits

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
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	Excellent

Advantages:	Some lovely songs, Leona has a great voice
Disadvantages:	Full of ballads, no up - tempo numbers

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Unbelievably, it has been a whole year since the voice that is Leona Lewis came to our attention courtesy of Simon Cowell's reality TV show, The X Factor. For me, Leona didn't really stand out until the Boot-camp stages, where I realised that the girl really could sing. Her first few live shows were amazing, and Leona cruised to the final, trampling all over runner up Ray Quinn. After winning the show, Leona shot to number one with her debut single, and then seemed to disappear into oblivion after that. She resurfaced again around October of 2007, announcing that her debut album was about to make its way onto our shelves, together with a new single. So 10 months later....was Spirit worth the wait? Sadly, the cover didn't stand out as anything amazing, just a facial shot of Leona, which sort of reminds me of the cover of Britney Spears' debut single Baby, One More Time. But the tracks themselves? Well, you do get 14 tracks for your money from Leona, and what a stonking 14 tracks they are. I have reviewed them below in the order they appear on the album.

Bleeding Love: I wonder if there is anyone in the UK who hasn't heard this song at some point since it's release? This song was of course Leona's first single since winning The X Factor back in December 2005, and what a single it was. I will be honest and say I hated it as first, thinking it sounded like some 80's song. But it grew on me, and I couldn't get those strong drums and catchy chorus out of my head, and it is now probably one of my favourite tracks of 2006. Unsurprisingly, this song took Leona back to Number One for 7 weeks, selling a staggering 218,000 copies in its first week alone, making it the biggest first-week sales for a single in 2007. A stunning song, I dare you not to sing along!

Whatever It Takes: This one started off quite quietly but built into a good song, with a lovely chorus. Leona's voice sounds lovely in this one, not too forced and very easy to listen to. A large gospel choir comes in two thirds of the way through the song, and adds a real atmosphere to a powerful song telling the story of how far people will go for love.

Homeless: Starting with a haunting piano melody, Leona's sultry voice joins in and brings you into the song immediately. It sounds sad, right through to the end of the first chorus, but then strings come in with Leona's voice sounding more powerful. I really enjoyed how the song built itself up throughout, and ended up with a strong chorus with Leona belting out the lyrics with a heartfelt meaning.

Better In Time: I was a bit disappointed by track 4 to find that this was another ballad type track. I was hoping for something a bit more fast paced by this point, but at least this was a bit more poppy than Homeless. I found that this song, although quite good, was nothing special compared to the dark and haunting previous track, and I listened to it without really hearing it if you know what I mean! Leona's voice is quite nice in this one, but nothing amazing, so not one of the album's best tracks.

Yesterday: This song has a real R 'n' B feel to it, with a good beat and a gentle backing track with Leona's voice cascading over it. Melancholy lyrics reminiscing on the past sound over the track, but again not a stand out track. I did like Leona's voice on this one, she is very listenable, and even though this was track 5, I still wanted to hear more!

Take A Bow: Again this one has an RnB feel about it, although I can see this one could possibly be a single by Leona. Her voice is very powerful and she really belts out the chorus telling her man she is over him, and you can't get that catchy backing riff out of your head. I did find myself humming along to this one, it is catchy, and would do Leona well as a single.

I Will Be: Another piano led ballad at the beginning, although I didn't know this was actually written by Avril Lavigne until I read it in the back of the album booklet! This is a lovely ballad about the love between two people and how you will always be there for your love. Leona's voice works well with the rockier ending, and she belts this one out and sings with such meaning, a really beautiful song. I really love this one.

Angel: Right from the start, this song just didn't stand out for me. It has a pretty mediocre with an okay backing track. Another love song, it has some gorgeous lyrics to it, but just doesn't do much for me. It was a pleasant listen at the time, but after hearing it, its not exactly memorable and fades into the background, especially compared to some of the other ballads on the album. A bit disappointing.

Here I Am: I was immediately captivated by this song. The soft piano tones introduce you to the song, and Leona's smooth voice joins in, complementing the beautiful piano perfectly, not trying to compete with it, just working together to make lovely music. This song has such a good message, and I can see this sort of song being used on one of those soppy montages they do on "This Morning" as the lyrics are very sentimental, and the song is gorgeous. Mesmerising and one of my favourite tracks. Leona's voice suits a big ballad like this.

I'm You: This song started differently with a sitar-sounding instrument and a harp as well, creating an unusual song. A mid-tempo number, this one plods along nicely but doesn't really seem to do a lot. It is an okay listen but again doesn't stand out for me. I would say this is one of the album's weakest tracks, but that doesn't mean it is dire!

The Best You Never Had: Leona goes back to a more poppy record with this one, with a slightly faster pace than the previous few tracks. This one is quite catchy with a chorus which will have you humming along. It has a nice strong beat which gets your feet tapping along. My only complaint on this song is that Leona's voice doesn't particularly stand out as amazing, but is nonetheless easy to listen to.

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face: A cover of the Roberta Flack classic, I remember Leona performing this on The X Factor and getting goosebumps. And this version doesn't disappoint here either. It brings out the wonderful soulful side of Leona's voice, and the soft backing track just makes you want relax and soak up the lyrics and the gentle voice coming out of your speakers. Near perfection if ever I heard it, this really does make Leona sound like she has the voice of an angel. She makes it seem effortless to produce such a fantastic voice.

Footprints In The Sand: Yes, another ballad from Ms Lewis. This one is about friendships and being there you need a friend, and is again wonderfully sung. Clearly ballads are Leona's forte, and I think it is the lyrics of this one that I love. Not the best ballad on 'Spirit' but still a beautiful one, with a nice powerful ending.

A Moment Like This: This was the single Leona released as the winner of the X Factor 2006, so 99.9% of Britain has heard this one. This track gives Leona the honour of being the fastest download in British history, selling a whopping 50,000 copies in just 30 minutes, and was also the biggest selling single of 2006! It was also the Christmas number one for that year, selling well over half a million copies, outselling the entire UK Top 40 on its own...amazing! The lyrics of this song are appropriate for Leona as the winner of the show, but sadly I will always prefer Kelly Clarkson's version (Kelly won American Idol Season 1 and this was her winners single). The song does Leona's voice justice though, and she hits those high notes so comfortably, it showcases exactly what it takes to make a great singer.

So what did I think?? I was actually really impressed by the whole album. It sounded really polished and that Leona had given her heart and soul to each track in turn, making them the best that they could be. It may have taken her nearly a year for this album, but it really was worth the wait. Each song brings out a different area of Leona's voice, although I did expect more powerful ballads along the lines of her two singles Moment Like This and Bleeding Love. I would say the lack of "power ballads" is the largest disappointment of the album, as a voice such as Leona's is made for a power ballad. The majority of songs are ballads so if you aren't into slow songs, then this CD probably isn't for you. But if you enjoy a wonderful soft and silky voice who you can just chill out to, Spirit is the one for you. A superb debut, and I look forward to Leona's second offering.

You can buy the CD from Amazon for £8.98 but my copy was a Christmas pressie, so thanks to my mum for that! You can download the album too, but prices vary according to different websites. The album runs for approximately 57 minutes.

Thank you for reading! 

Pictures for the review

Display pictures

Leona Lewis