Echo [CD]

It’s not often a former Pizza Hut waitress gets to perform on TV (X Factor) then makes a debut album (Spirit) that outsells the Spice Girls’ Greatest Hits compilation two to one. But while the career of Leona Lewis has been an undeniably successful experiment in ‘democratic’ pop, most critics have patiently awaited her sophomore effort before deciding if the singer has what it takes to move beyond a “one album wonder” phenomenon. Simon Cowell and Clive David have subsequently thrown all their weight behind Echo, bringing in a prodigious team of producers that includes Ryan Tedder, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Rudolf, and 90s hit-maker Max Martin. Strangely, this hasn’t yielded much in the way of diversity. With a couple of exceptions – the surprisingly upbeat electro song “Outta My Head” for example - Echo plays it safe with a mix of slowies (“Can’t Breathe”, “My Hands”), plenty of power ballads (the single “Happy,” “I Got You,” “Broken,” and Timberlake duet “Don’t Let Me Down”) - and a bit of bouncier saccharine pop such as “Love Letter” and “Naked”. There’s no question that some of these songs are good, and that Lewis’ vocal talents are impressive. But ultimately the unadventurous arrangements and lack of risk-taking in general renders Echo merely a capable instead of a truly dynamic record. The jury, it seems, is still out.--Danny McKenna

One begins listening to this second album from the 2006 X Factor winner hoping its title isn’t prophetic – nobody needs an echo of Lewis’s soporific, saccharine debut, Spirit.

While her 2007 album remains the fastest-selling debut release from a British artist – it outsold the Spice Girls’ greatest hits compilation by two to one – Spirit offered little beyond the anticipated. An assortment of big-lunged ballads, replete with lyrics about overcoming adversity, it ticked all necessary boxes and met audience expectations disappointingly perfectly.

More is expected of this 13-track set, which hasn’t quite hit the ground running as its lead single, Happy, failed to set charts alight internationally (though it's sure to perform better domestically). Recorded stateside over the course of nine months, Echo is undeniably a bolder affair than its predecessor, but still falls into the same trap of an over reliance on Lewis’s voice – not half as strong as her supporters might think – in favour of developed arrangements musically muscular enough to render attentions rapt.

When she reaches for the highs, Lewis comes off as a discount Mariah Carey – Can’t Breathe is an unbearable exercise in vocal histrionics that will have all but the most fiercely loyal of devotees reaching for a bucket. Its staccato tics might briefly recall the addictive “‘ella, ‘ella, ‘ella” motif of Rihanna’s Umbrella, but it lacks any of the Barbadian singer’s sassiness and compositional edge. Better are the Arabic overtones of Brave, but it’s still more straight-to-DVD Disney than DreamWorks blockbuster in scope.

The employment of an assortment of co-writers, including Justin Timberlake and OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, hasn’t resulted in an album of pronounced diversity. With only a couple of exceptions, Echo sticks to safe songs that complement their singer’s ballad-heavy catalogue. Outta My Head is a sidestep into cheesy Eurodance beats that almost comes off – it’s a touch too cheap-sounding, too tinny of production – and the Timberlake duet Don’t Let Me Down shuffles to subtle percussion evocative of the American singer’s Cry Me a River and What Goes Around…, albeit without any comparable soulfulness.

Echo’s problem is that its central protagonist simply doesn’t stamp her authority on proceedings – yes, that’s her dominating the mix, but there’s no character in her performances, no life in her voice beyond that prompted by out-of-shot puppeteers. Its songs are fine for what they are, and clear improvements on what came before. But for a multi-million selling artist, Lewis still lacks an album worthy of her international profile. --Mike Diver

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Echo is the follow up to her six million plus seller, four times Brit–nominated and three times Grammy-nominated debut album Spirit. Leona’s debut album Spirit entered the UK album chart at number one and became Britain’s fastest-selling debut of all time selling over 1 million copies in the UK in its first 5 weeks. Echo sees Leona working with Ne-Yo, John Shanks, Max Martin and Ryan Tedder, as well as with new collaborators Xenomania and Julian Bennetta.

titolo-echoartista-leona lewis etichetta-syco musicn. dischi1data-13 novembre 2009supporto-cd audiogenere-black (r&b/soul/gospel/reggae)----brani1.happy 2.i got you 3.can't breathe 4.brave 5.outta my head 6.my hands 7.love letter 8.broken 9.naked 10.stop crying your heart out 11.don't let me down 12.alive 13.lost then