It's here! Leon has certainly gown up and changed a heck of a lot since his first audition, but his voice is still stellar. The genre choice was correct, the first single choice was perfect and the albums tracks are strong.Don't Call This Love was the perfect single choice, it's a gorgeous song with a big chorus but my fear is that since it wasn't a number one single, it might be forgotten very easily. I adore the song, but listening to it too many times can make me a bit sick of the song. A similar sounding song, Fingerprints, is strong as well, and the melody is nice, plus the mention of a John Mayer song(Waiting On the World To Change), make it one of the stronger songs on the album.
Creative has a nice melody, but a bit too cliché for me with the instrumentation and the melody, but it's a song that sets the tone for the album. The kind of big band-ish song with very Las Vegas/Ratpack-ish styles, which is obviously where he's going with the album, but he's not like some other wannabes. Surprisingly, he does this well. I mean, I knew that his voice fit these particular songs, but I didn't know he could pull them of this well.
Stargazing has a beautiful title and You Don't Know Me is a strong song, but the melodies don't win me over like some other slow songs. I mean, the tempo of a song isn't an issue for me, but these songs in particular just seem too lounge-y in the not good way, and I'm sure he doesn't want to sound like that.
Right Now, the title track, is very fun. It kind of reminds me of Candyman(which I don't like that much), with the instrumentation and stuff. Plus, there's a mention of the Westlife album title(Coast to Coast)!!! The song is cool, a strong title track, and could it possibly be a single? If he's ever gonna break the US, this might be the song to use. Could Do Better is another of the better tracks on the album, and has the possibility of becoming a signature song. With the melody and the instrumentation, plus the fact that it's more on the edgy side rather than the cliché side that some songs have shown.
Ordinary Days is, in one word, brilliant. It's the most brilliant song on the album. Seriously, everything about it just makes me want to worship whoever wrote the damn song! The song fits not only his voice like a glove, but makes me listen to the album in a different perspective after hearing this. It's not as big-band influenced as the other songs, it's a bit more pop, and this is not just because I simple adore the song, but I honestly think this could be a single, judging by the first choice. The gorgeous, gorgeous melody, the simple but effective instrumentation and Leon's amazing voice make me want to turn up the volume and burst into tears because it's one of the most gorgeous and amazing songs I've heard in ages, if not the most gorgeous.
Caledonia is extremely close, almost tied to Ordinary Days in terms of gorgeousness. The instrumentation is much more stripped down than Ordinary Days, but the melody just as gorgeous. The melody is just so freakin' gorgeous that I want to, again, worship whoever wrote this song. It's another one of those songs that make me want to turn the volume up real high and just enjoy the song(no crying this time, though..). Just one little problem though, his accent is a bit strange, but the gorgeous melody masks it, and besides, I don't really have a huge problem with it.
When You Believe ends the album with a bang, and it's like after everything he's done, he's managed to make an album worth being proud of. OK, maybe I'm taking it too seriously, but it's a gorgeous version of the song, and it certainly deserved to be Christmas Number One.
The album is what I expected it to sound like, and a bit more. I never expected to hear one of the most gorgeous songs I've ever heard from this album, let alone two! There are some things he needs to work on, to perfect, but by listening to this album, I think it's safe to say that he's got fame in the bag, it's all about sustaining it.
So, to sum up the album:
Best Track: Ordinary Days, but Caledonia is extremely close
Better Tracks: Right Now, Don't Call This Love, Fingerprints
Least Favorite Track: Stargazing
The whole album in one sentence: Leon has shown us who he is as an artist, he's done it with finesse and what seems to me like ease, and this jut proves that he's someone who can take the musical heavyweights on in the charts.
THE RATING: 4.7/5(Yes! Higher than The Sugababes!)
glad you liked the album. he's just so great but i don't think it can set the bar high for this years winner on the X-Factor. Maybe i'm wrong but the truth is, his musicality is actually amazing but the album was just slightly wrong. Very incomparable to Leona Lewis'debut album which became the fastest selling album in the UK last year.
ReplyDeleteSpirit was a good album, but I got a bit too sick of it after hearing 'Bleeding Love' all over(you know what I mean..). This album is like a breath of fresh air to me, after all the heavy R&B from Leona and Shayne Ward.
ReplyDeleteHe is who he is, and although I agree with you with the fact that he can't set the bar for this year's X Factor winner, the album has it's strengths.
Maybe the genre was forced on him, maybe it wasn't. The only way to know is to wait for his second album, then we'll see who he really is.