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CD: Leona Lewis - Glassheart | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Leona Lewis - Glassheart

CD: Leona Lewis - Glassheart

X Factor diva goes dance-pop

A new-look Leona Lewis - but what about the songs?

Leona Lewis has a whole new look: all mouse-brown hair, sullen expression and the oddest-looking facial jewellery since Kate Nash misappropriated the bindi in the video she made to accompany “Underestimate The Girl”. It really doesn’t suit her.

Forgive me. I too find it pretty disrespectful when writers comment on an artist’s appearance before they start to consider what a work sounds like. But as I listened to Glassheart, the third album from one-time X Factor winner and ridiculously successful Lewis, it was the artwork I kept coming back to. The head-and-shoulder shot makes her look washed-out, sallow. It’s probably just a bad Photoshop job - in which case, it’s a fairly effective metaphor for the album itself.

Listen, there’s no denying that Lewis can sing, but setting that voice against a backdrop of overproduced beats in an attempt to mould its  owner into yet another urban/dance act is a misguided move. This is the artist who took one of Snow Patrol’s overwrought, mawkish faux-indie songs and actually made them more boring. You can’t get your groove on to Leona Lewis, for the same reason you wouldn’t pack glow sticks and smuggled bottles of VK if you were going to see Celine Dion.

That’s not to say that the album’s “executive producer” Fraser T Smith hasn’t tried his utmost. While the more earnest, piano-driven tracks like “Fireflies” stick to synthesised strings and fake hand-claps for accent, others - “Come Alive” chief among them - get the dance-pop kitchen sink thrown at them, right down to that wub-wub-wub Nineties rave scene sound effect that’s shown up on everything from Rihanna to Nicki Minaj of late.

Glassheart is stuffed with the sort of songs that beg to be labelled "intimate" or "personal", but given it comes complete with enough co-writers and production credits to fill a football team I’m crying foul. The alternative is to assume that one of the UK’s most successful pop females really harbours no greater ambition than to “stay at home with the kids, cleaning up where you live, even though I’m educated” - as she sings on “I to You” - while trying not to think about the millions more copies this album is likely to sell to teenage girls.

This is the artist who took one of Snow Patrol’s overwraught, mawkish faux-indie songs and actually made it more boring

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Average: 2 (1 vote)

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What a bias review. Especially when she covered no song for this album.

This whole review is retarded. The author clearly didn't like leona. I don't mind that but what was ridiculous is the fact that they get pretentious and self righteous about leona covering a song but they don't even know which one it was. Here is a tip, before complaining about something get your facts right.

The writer of this review is clearly not a fan of Leona whatsoever and had no intention of writing a positive review due to her pre-conceived perception of Leona. To call this album impersonal when it is by far her most personal to date and is inspired by a breakup with her childhood love and the death of a relative, is ridiculous. To be honest, the credibility of this review went out the window when it claimed that Leona covered 'Chasing Cars' and made it 'even more boring than the original'. Funny that, seeing as she has never recorded that song. It was Snow Patrol's 'Run' that she covered. Don't give up the day job...Oh wait.

Apart from the review that's ridiculously shallow, you completely discredit the whole review with one ignorant sentence. I won't even bother mentioning which one, because I actually want it to say that way so people see how dumb the review is.

She didn't cover "chasing cars" idiot you'd think someone who has to write this kind of stuff would know this...

This is a bad and unfair review !!! Offending Leona whenever the writer can !!!! I have listened to this album and the tracks are amazing with her voice. She also covered Snow Patrols song "Run" so get your facts straight and you are being biased. This review needs to be changed i bet the writer hasn't listened to the album

haha... chasing cars? ill-informed much? not convinced u listened to the music, rather than formed opinions based on bias and 'rubbish u think u know'???

What an awful review im sorry! This album is the s***t

This review is the most unintellignet drivle I have seen. There is NO cover of Snow Patrol on this album, you are either VERY ill-informed or simply too stupid to actually listen to the music you are supposed to be reviewing. Your review has failed to inform anyone on the actual sound of the album, you have simply called it out as boring and uninteresting... you could have said anything, but it means nothing when you don't even back it up as to why you feel a certain way. If you had half a brain to do some research, you'll find that Leona's fanbase reaches teenagers both male and female (even younger), as well as adults from ages 40+. Her major fanbase is not teenage girls. I would go as far as saying that teenage girls may just be her smallest demographic. While some of the tracks are overproduced, it is hardly the majority of the album, maybe one or two songs. Congratz on being a dumb b**** and overgeneralising like a woman who hates men because less than 1% of men in the world rape women. *claps* bravo! My guess is you went in with a bias, skipped through some of the tracks and came up with some pathetic excuse for a review. I have read more informative and well-written posts on twitter by randoms. Probably less spelling mistakes too. I really hope you don't get paid to do this... you don't deserve a cent.

I find it odd how it suddenly seems cool to hate on Leona. It's pathetic really and you're right, it is very sad when you judge someone by their appearance. Leona's market is not predominantly teenage girls despite coming from the X Factor. Also, her version of Run NOT Chasing Cars is one of the most celebrated covers ever made. Why? Because her strength is in interpreting songs and when it comes down to performing them she holds her own in front of 5 or 5000. No amount of production can cover that up. So you don't like the album, fine. The slobby journalism here is just embarrassing. At least Leona is a singer who can sing. Perhaps writing is a talent not all writers possess.

What a rubbish 'review' if that's what you call it...you obviously don't like Leona Lewis - so how can you give your opinion on her music. I've got the album - and it blows any other this year right out of the water - it's going to be a Classic in years to come!!!

Seriously, this review is rubbish.

Well! As many, many, many commenters have pointed out - yes, my original review did conflate Leona's cover of "Run" with "Chasing Cars". Thanks to the astute Tweeter who picked this up.

I could say that it's a little optimistic to assume that Snow Patrol only have one overwrought, mawkish, faux-indie song but my opinions have annoyed enough people today already.

I love how you trash leona's cover of Run which is, as a fellow commenter pointed out, one of the most celebrated covers of all time. And why even bring that up? It's not even on the album. You really shouldn't be on the reviewing team.

What a music snob. Wow they just let anyone become a journalist nowadays. What does a song released from her 1st album got to do with this one?

Very poor review.

I agree in a way with this reviewer, Leona still hasn't shown us the real Leona, but what she has shown me is that she'll try her damndest to squeeze herself into a round hole when she's certainly 100% a very square peg. I still find her giving stilted performances of songs, that would ideally suit other singers who have the personality to carry them off.

What a waste of time, who would write such a review..... The comments on the artwork are neither here nor there and I don't believe leona audience are teenage girls..... The album shows growth, maturity and whilst leona may enlist other writers and producers to perfect her lyrical skills, one can see she has amassed more creative control then her previous albums and has selected the personel who can convey her stories the way she intended. Please employ a reviewer who isn't still hung up about people winning x factor... It's kind of the way it is now...and she won 6years ago btw...20million record sales later

this review is rubbish. I mean, you probably didnt even listen to the album but just judged her by her cover look. Who the hell in this world would judge an music album by its cover? it is music not fashion magazine for god sake. Listen to her album before you do the judgement! And I shall tell you that this album is most amazing, independent and fresh so far that Leona has delivered.

ITT: lots of people who, as well as being unable to read, are also unable to tell the difference between an actual fact and a general observation about a performer's musical style. It ought to be plainly obvious to all but the blind and hopelessly dim that Lisa-Marie Feria did indeed listen to the record, yet here come Leona's street team to the rescue; "You think this is rubbish? I don't think it is rubbish. Let me ask a bunch of people just like me if it is rubbish. You were wrong, I asked a bunch of people just like me and they all said it wasn't rubbish. You obviously didn't listen to it." FOYCs.

Those claiming that the writer has "probably not listened to the album", given all the bits about what the album sounds like, probably haven't read the review...

*looks at comments* Jeez, and I thought fans of The Darkness were bad with their comments on any negative reviews anywhere of their recent album. This wailing over the review is even more hilarious.

Haha, so many energetic defence of a poorly produced album is hilarious. Guys face it, the album is awful.

I didn't think it was all the way bad. I think this review is a bit harsh. Check out EY Mag's review of the album, it actually sums it up right: http://embraceyoumagazine.com/2012/10/17/music-review-leona-lewis-glassh...

Well I'm going to be a little contentious here and congratulate the reviewer on not only a very entertaining and astute review, but also for graciously holding her hands up when she made a mistake on the title of one of Snow Patrols many awful songs; a trait that the militant Leona Lewis fans could do with emulating. What these immature teenage girls (or as I suspect, catty homosexual men) need to do is take a step back and accept that Leona Lewis does not appeal to all of us (those of us with taste) and that doesn't constitute a personal insult to those who do for whatever reason, enjoy her work... Unlike the comments aimed at the reveiwer. So ladies and gentlemen, let's not hate the fact someone doesn't like your pop idol, why not be thankful there's enough like you that make it possible for someone like Leona Lewis to continue working.

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