Leona Lewis came on to the music scene with a song so instant and so incredible, that it launched her into global superstardom.Now, two years after the UK release of her debut album Spirit, Leona is back with a new album that she says has a more "organic" sound. The promise is quite interesting considering pop music these days is everything but "organic", especially with producers like RedOne and Ryan Tedder leading the way.
Speaking of Ryan Tedder, he is the producer of Leona's first single.
The track is called "Happy", and as you would expect, it's a ballad. There have been some controversies involving Tedder and his identical ballads (see "Halo" and "Already Gone") but this has some pretty fresh production. Leona wasn't lying; while Tedder doesn't hesitate adding his trademark drum beats, the song is very traditional in its instrumentation, no synths or anything like that. Tedder, the smart producer he is (ignore "Halo" and "Already Gone"), allows Leona's golden voice to do most of the work. On the other hand, it wouldn't have hurt to add some more to the sound; it would have made the song truly epic.
Leona is a vocal master at this point, so hearing her excellent voice is really no surprise. What is surprising is the attitude that colors her voice in the chorus. "So what if it hurts me?" the Brit songbird sings, and even challenges, as she argues for her right pursue happiness, even with the risk. She has become very confident in her ability, singing and songwriting-wise, and it comes through clear here.
It hasn't been that long since Leona won X Factor, but the amount of growth she's experienced since then is extraordinary. With her VH1 Divas appearance only days away, and her album looking to be one of the fall's biggest releases, Leona is cementing her status as one of pop's leading ladies.
And that makes me "happy".
RATING: 7.5/10
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