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Review of "Echo" by Leona Lewis

Antoine D. Reid | Durham, NC United States | 11/17/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"'Echo' is the follow-up album to the highly successful debut, 'Spirit'. In many ways, this album titled definitely lives up to its name; this album seems more by-the-book and sticks to a strict pop music formula, making it something of a weak imitation of her first album. Don't get me wrong, 'Echo' has some tracks that show off Lewis' impressive vocal abilities. At the same time, it lacks the personality and "spirit" that made her first album resonate with so many listeners. Lewis had a hand in writing and developing more tracks on this release than her last but after a few listens, I don't at all have a sense of who she is beyond having the ability to hit a few high notes that'd make Mariah Carey watch her back.



The Good: 'Echo' sticks to what could be called Lewis' area of expertise; songs about heartache and love backed with melodramatic, sweeping, epic productions. Certain tracks sound as if they came directly from the previous album. "Brave" has the expansive, epic vibe that made Leona Lewis stand out from her competitors. With this song, it's not the production but her voice that is on display. "Broken" is another song that, production and quality wise, sounds as if it's taken from 'Spirit' and features Leona Lewis' great vocal talents and ability to deliver an emotional performance and not just sing pointless words and lyrics as many artists do. As with any successful follow-up, Lewis does venture into new territory. 'Echo' has Lewis' music experimenting more with uptempo tracks and venturing away (just a bit) from the standard emotional heartbreak that made 'Spirit' a bit dull after a few listens. "Can't Breathe", my favorite track from the album, blends an impressive vocal performance that has her hitting all sorts of notes while having a fun, fresh instrument backing that is unlike anything being played on the radio now. "My Hands" is perhaps the best produced track on the album as it sounds like a follow-up to 'Spirit' track "Better In Time". The beat paired with the Justin Timberlake track "Don't Let Me Down" was unexpected and served as a great contrast to Leona Lewis' singing style. If there's one strength in 'Echo' it's that no track sounds like the other; Lewis and her producers did a great job of experimenting with many different styles and played with her vocals so that not every track has her trying to hit high notes as expected.



The Bad: Half of this album just bore me as a listener. With the exception of "Can't Breathe", the first half of the album had me truly wondering if things were going to get any better. The problem with tracks like "Happy", "Love Letter" and even the Timbaland track "Outta My Head" is that they sound like average pop songs and do nothing for her as an artist. The album has a strength in that it isn't afraid of experimenting with different sounds. On the first half of the album though, this experimentation is more of a weakness because the focus appears to be put more so on the beats and instrument while leaving her voice at the side, unattended to. Some of these songs feature some complex, busy, beats and instead of singing, it feels as if she's more focused on out-singing or overcoming the distracting beats than delivering a vocal performance. Tracks that suffer from this the most are "Outta My Head" and "Brave". There were certain tracks produced specifically for the U.S. market and among them, "Fly Here Now" sticks out like a sore thumb because it sounds under-produced and doesn't vibe well with the majority of the album with its 1980s pop music flair. The overall weakness of 'Echo' is that unlike the first album, this one lacks focus and sounds more like a hodge-podge collection of songs that were produced by different people and slapped together on a disc.



In all, 'Echo' is average. The later half of the album is definitely better than the first half. The album feels out of focus and all over the place creating something of a mess. Instead of showcasing what makes her stand out as an artist in this market, being her great voice, this album's focus on the beats and instrumentation leads to an album that features some shoddy and unimpressive, rather average, vocal performances.



Listen To These: "Can't Breathe", "My Hands", "Alive", "Lost Then Found"/"Stone Hearts" (Hidden Track)."

An Amazing Voice Couldn't Save This Album!

Always Samsung | New York, NY | 11/18/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"An Amazing Voice Couldn't Save This Album



I am not sure if this album was rushed in anyway, but I found this album to be quite boring. I love ballads as much as the next person, but Leona doesn't really deliver on her second album. There seems to be something missing. I am not sure if it's explainable.



When her original album came out there was rave reviews about how Leona is the new Mariah and Whitney and Yes, she can SING! Her amazing vocals were showcased front and center on the amazing track that was "Bleeding Love". Written of course by the awesomely talented Ryan Tedder (Lead singer of OneRepublic). If you are looking for Bleeding Love part 2, this is not the album for you. If you are looking for the HIGH NOTES then this album is not for you. She doesnt do any HIGH NOTES on ECHO. Yes, her lead single HAPPY is once again written by Ryan, but Leona herself takes writing credits on the majority of her second album. After listening to the entire album i am not sure if this was a good idea.



HAPPY is a great lead off single, but besides the amazing chorus verse the rest of the song is just boring-ville. Even top notch music producer Max Martin (Baby One More Time, Oops! I did It Again, Lucky, Its Gonna Be Me, My life Would Suck Without You, etc) couldn't even save this album, which surprised me. He wrote Leona two songs on the album and they ended being dull tracks as well. She also works with Harvey Mason who is known for delivering R&B songs & the spirit of R&B is nowhere near being captured here. I found myself falling asleep after track six and only to be interested in Leona's last song when she does her duet with OneRepublic.



I didn't find ECHO to have any standout tracks. As mentioned, I like HAPPY (only the chorus) and I like her duet with OneRepublic. Other then that there isn't much on the album that I am head over heels in love with. The album just came off boring. Perhaps Leona is working with the wrong producers. I know I will get trashed by Leona fans for my review, but in all honesty, the album was just mediocre at best!"

An "echo" of her debut

Nse Ette | Lagos, Nigeria | 11/17/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Apparently Kelly Clarkson was rather upset with singer/songwriter Ryan Tedder as she says the song he wrote for her "Already gone" was a rip off of Beyoncé's "Halo", which he penned. It would be interesting to know how Leona Lewis feels as she's got two on her new CD "Echo". Lead-off single "Happy", and "Lost then found" (featuring Tedder's group OneRepublic) sound so much like the afore mentioned song.



The funny thing is, despite supposedly being composed and produced by an armada of songwriters and producers, much of the album is more of the same. Not bad, but nothing special either. I guess they decided to play it safe and not tinkle too much with a winning formula, seeing as her debut sold some 6 million copies worldwide.



Fortunately, some songs rise above the anonimity of the rest; "Broken" is a beautiful power ballad, "Stop crying your heart out" is a delicately sung ballad and a cover of an Oasis song (much like "Run" on her debut was a cover of a Snow Patrol hit), "Don't let me down" (a nice throbbing song with shuffling beats and a slight Timbaland feel, produced by Justin Timberlake's production trio the Y's), the power ballad "Alive", and the hidden beautiful piano ballad "Stone hearts & hand grenades" with simply beautiful dreamy harmonies and choppy strings in parts.



She does attempt some sonic variety on the upbeat synth-driven Donna Summer/La Roux-style "Outta my head", and two perfunctory Rock songs, "Love letter" and "Broken".



A good record which offers nothing beyond the anticipated. I still await the day Leona comes out from underneath mentor Simon Cowell's shadow and releases a CD more befitting of her stunning voice. As it is, this is merely an "Echo" of her debut."