Album Review: Leona Lewis - Echo (4/5)

One can forgive Leona Lewis for basically remaking Spirit in Echo. After all, her 2007 debut has become the 27th best-selling album of all time in Britain (not a small feat considering the current state of album sales). Led by "Bleeding Love," which was the #1 single of 2007 in Britain, the biggest pop single of 2008 in the U.S., and a #1 hit in just about every country that tracks such things, the album was a success on a level unexpected for a new artist, even one launched with the help of Simon Cowell. After Kelly Clarkson, she became the second major international superstar launched from his Idol/X-Factor machine.

The similarities are apparent right off the back with "Happy," produced and co-written by Ryan Tedder, the OneRepublic frontman who, since producing and co-writing "Bleeding Love," has become one of the hottest commodities in pop music. "Happy" is "Bleeding Love" mark 2, a soaring, high-production ballad with the same thundering beat Tedder employs for these sorts of songs (see also Beyonce's "Halo" and Kelly Clarkson's "Already Gone"). Just because its similar doesn't mean it's bad though, as the song is gorgeous, backed as it is by a string section, tinkling piano refrain and background singers (it's a shame "Happy" has failed in the US, charting lower at top 40 radio than even Spirit's third single "I Will Be").

Ryan Tedder shows up for two more songs that are decent, although not quite as grand as the opener."You Don't Care," another typical Tedder-ish ballad with that booming rhythm section and some woodwinds added to the strings, and "Lost Then Found," on which Tedder joins Lewis along with the rest of his band. It sounds like a pretty typical OneRepublic song--grand gestures and hooks that, for some reason, just don't add up like it should.

After "Happy," many of the tracks that follow at the beginning of the album are among its strongest. I absolutely adore "I Got You," a mid-tempo love song that unleashes Leona and the backing musicians during the strong chorus. This would make a perfect second single. It's produced by Arnthor Birgisson, who also helms another highlight, the tender "My Hands." "Can't Breathe" pushes the production flourishes a little more toward contemporary R&B with its synth layering and electronic bleeps and stutters. Elegant "Brave" exudes a Middle Eastern vibe.

"Outta My Head" represents one of Echo's key departures from Sprit--the inclusion of some dance pop. Produced by the Swedish team of Max Martin and Shellback, it's an enjoyable high-velocity, synth-based ditty. Also pushing up the RPMs are "Love Letter," a pop-rock song in the Kelly Clarkson mold produced by Kevin Rudolf ("Let It Rock"), and the rockin' also Clarkson-ish "Naked." All these songs are good, but particularly enjoyable is the '80s-mining "Fly Here Now," which has a really compelling beat.

Among the album's remaining slow songs, the best is "Stop Crying Your Heart Out," a remake of the 2003 Oasis hit, which manages the similar feat of turning a rock ballad into an atmospheric pop song that Lewis achieved last year with Snow Patrol's "Run." I'd be surprised if this wasn't released as a single in Britain, although I don't understand why this was omitted from the US release (similarly, I don't see why "Fly Here Now" wasn't included on the UK version).

The other ballads are fine, but not stand outs. "Broken" is supposed to be a sad lost-love type song, but it production is so overblown it comes across as angry. "Don't Let Me Down" is co-written by Justin Timberlake, and features him on backup vocals, but that doesn't save this from being an unremarkable Timbaland wannabe. "Alive" is not bad, but it comes rather late in the album to make it a standout against earlier, similar songs.

On balance, Echo is a slight improvement over Spirit, but not dramatically so. I like the broader mix of sounds, particularly the more up-tempo stuff, but there's still this nagging sense of a lack of artistry from Lewis herself. She's got a gorgeous voice, no doubt, and she can sing lots of different kinds of songs (she wouldn't have won X Factor if that wasn't the case), but I'm still not getting a sense of her in all this. Who is Leona Lewis? Where does her passion lie? I'm afraid she's getting lost among all this technical proficiency and elevated expectations for global domination. When Lewis was recently assaulted during a public appearance it was rather shocking, not just because it was a crazy, mean thing to do, but because who can get so worked up over a singer so seemingly innocuous?

Best: Happy, I Got You, Stop Crying Your Heart Out, Brave, Outta My Head, My Hands, Can't Breathe, Fly Here Now, Naked