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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Bad Boys |
| 2. Good Night Good Morning |
| 3. The Silence |
| 4. All Night Long |
| 5. Bury Me (6 Feet Under) |
| 6. Broken Heels |
| 7. Dumb |
| 8. Overcome |
| 9. Gotta Go |
| 10. You Broke My Heart |
| 11. Nothing But The Girl |
| 12. They Don't Know |
| 13. Hallelujah |
Product Description
Review
Considering the sheer magnitude of The X Factor, the expectations of its champions are always going to be lofty. But while the majority of winners are lumbered with an oafish, soulless, throwaway debut single, 21-year-old London native Alexandra Burke’s triumph anthem – a largely well-received cover of Hallelujah – provided her with a launch pad above and beyond anything her forerunners were gifted.
So with the bar already set particularly high for Burke, Overcome is unsurprisingly an album that’s glossy, expensive and stylish in concept. However, an attitude-laden, RnB-pop vibe dominates sonically, as lead single proper Bad Boys attests (with Hallelujah itself tacked on the end, acting as a mere footnote). For an album with such a strong RnB influence, there’s a refreshing absence of self-indulgent vocal gymnastics. Burke’s voice is a mightily powerful weapon, but one she’s very much in control of, and she knows how to rein it in.
There’s a slight hotchpotch quality to Overcome, flitting from experiment to experiment and lacking slightly in fluidity. But it’s easy to forget that this is the debut offering of a brand new artist, given Burke’s background and profile, and therefore easy to forget that she’s still very much finding her feet. Good Night, Good Morning is the lippy kid sister of Sound of the Underground; Bury Me is a playful, if somewhat clumsy, nod to Motown; while The Silence, a gargantuan power ballad bridging the gap between Bonnie Tyler and Beyoncé, fully demonstrates the rich, emotive vocals which refuse to play second fiddle to the roll-call of producers du jour.
While it’s by no means revolutionary, Overcome achieves exactly what it needs to. It’s relevant, it’s contemporary, it’s edgy enough for younger fans but accessible enough for a wider audience. But crucially, it’s swathed in personality – something which a certain fellow X Factor victor is sorely deficient in. Rather than functioning solely as a pop album, Overcome is very much an Alexandra Burke record, serving as an illustration of who and where she is right at this moment, and carrying the promise of greatness further down the line. --Al Fox
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CD Description
Eight months after being crowned victor of the mighty X Factor, Alexandra Burke delivers Overcome. From the rumbling first bars of her sci-fi disco stormer single "Bad Boys", to the Red One fashioned dancehall groove of "Dumb", Alexandra’s A list produced Overcome is a party monster of a record, poised to knock the socks off even the most cynical pop enthusiast. Recorded over six months, Overcome is a collection of club smashes ("All Night," "Dumb," "Broken Heels") peppered with astonishingly soul-bearing slow jams ("Silence," "Perfect."). Created with the help of the industry's most in demand production houses (Roc Nation and Jay-Z, The Phantom Boyz, Red One, Stargate and The Freemasons) the album is a sonic manifestation of Alexandra’s ballsy personality, with the lady herself describing the collection as ‘a beast.’
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond The X Factor,
By
This review is from: Overcome (Audio CD)
Well, well, well! I have to admit to no small measure of surprise on
hearing Ms Burke's debut album 'Overcome'. The car-crash of a show which spawned her has not guaranteed any great degree of longevity (Ms Lewis a cautious exception) in the careers of its past winners (Mr Brookstein, Mr Ward, Mr Jackson - where are they now?). The difference with this young lady is that she has talent. She's funny and feisty, she has charm and chutzpah and above all this she can sing. Oh my good golly gosh can she sing?!! That this recording has had bucket-loads of cash thrown at it is self-evident. The investment is likely to reap rich rewards both for Ms Burke and for those who own her. We must hope that she is nurtured and looked-after a little too. The industry is a cruel and fickle place for the uninitiated. The intergalactic roster of producers and writers aside what we have here is a solid-gold pop album. A splash of R&B, a big spoonfull of soul, a dash of electro, a pinch of Motown. What's remarkable is that it is shaped into a coherent whole by the enthusiastic abandon of her vocal prowess. It's a largely up-beat collection with a couple of stonkingly wonderful power-ballads thrown in for good measure. Her collaboration with RedOne has been especially fruitful. 'The Silence', 'Dumb' and 'Broken Heels' are all cracking songs. The latter is destined to set countless dance-floors ablaze. 'Gotta Go' is a consumately soulful compositon beautifully sung. 'You Broke My Heart' confidently captures the spirit of 60's R&B. 'Bury Me (6 Feet Under)' is perhaps the only weak number in the bunch. Ms Burke does not seem to be entirely comfortable with the somewhat insipid melody and brittle vocal harmonies. Not dreadfull, just a tad lacklustre in the company of stronger material. I will never tire of listening to her performance of Mr Cohen's great song 'Halleluja'. It is a trancendent interpretation. I feel fairly confident that this will not be the last we shall hear from Alexandra Burke. I'm looking forward to the next installment already. Recommended.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better Than My Expectations,
By
This review is from: Overcome (Audio CD)
The X Factor can lead a couple of ways:
1) To worldwide success (e.g. Leona Lewis) 2) Not help you at all (e.g. Steve Brookstein) After one listen of "Overcome", it seems that Alexandra Burke will soon be following in the steps of Leona, by going on to worldwide success. This album has a good mixture of up-tempo and ballads. There are 4 stand-out songs for me, and two are ballads, and two are up-tempo. "Bad Boys", the lead single, is an excellent start to the album. It gets you up and dancing straight away, and is very catchy. An instant hit. "Broken Heels", a RedOne production, is huge. Up-tempo and very catchy, like Bad Boys, but possibly even better. "The Silence", another RedOne production, is more like a ballad. A nice echo in the chorus, and a really good key change in the last chorus. Would be a very good single choice if Alexandra wants to release a ballad. "Overcome", the title track from the album, has excellent lyrics and a powerful chorus. Fits in with the fact this is a debut album, and has a great placing on the album, straight after a couple of up-tempo tracks. Really great ordering of the tracks, as the same styles are split up, and you don't have a load of ballads/up-tempo all in one go. Strongest Song(s): Bad Boys, Broken Heels, The Silence, Overcome Weakest Song(s): Nothing But The Girl Rating: 8/10
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great debut album!,
By Janey C (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Overcome (Audio CD)
I bought this album because I'm a fan of Alexandra's voice and I really liked the singles taken from it. After only a few listens, I must say I am really impressed with this album. I particularily like the first half, which is very up beat with some really catchy songs. Not quite so keen on the second half, as there are more ballads which is not so much my cup of tea. I would say there are probably 6 or even 7 songs on here that are good enough to be released as singles.
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