Download of the Day 12/21: The Flood by Cheryl Cole

Cheryl Cole fights "the flood"

Ok, I'll be honest: Cheryl Cole isn't the best singer in the world. In fact, she wasn't even the best singer in Girls Aloud; she was the second worst (behind Sarah Harding, of course).

Cheryl's vocal chops have been the source a lot of criticism towards her, especially in regards to her role as judge of X Factor. What people seem to forget is that she was chosen as a judge because she has a special quality about her, an "x" factor if you will, that supersedes what she lacks in vocal ability.

It's that quality that helps make "The Flood" the epic pop song that it is. It is an absolutely gorgeous pop ballad, with some of the best metaphorical lyrics I've heard all year. What's particularly great about this song is that it is a ballad, but it works somehow for the dance-heavy pop landscape we are currently in, thanks to it's electro rhythms and syncopation.

As great a song it is, it wouldn't have the same impact sung by anyone other than Cheryl Cole. As she sings the mournful lyrics about lost love, you could easily believe she's singing about her ex-husband  Ashley Cole. It's more than a break-up song; it's a song that has both parties taking responsibility for a failed relationship. Considering how humiliated Cheryl was by Ashley's infidelities, the lyric "still I can't help but think I could've saved you from drowning" is even more heartbreaking. Once again, Cheryl is no Mariah Carey, or even Nadine Coyle, but she emotes so powerfully on this song that she makes her vocal technique irrelevant.

"The Flood", although not representative of her strongest musical abilities, is one of the best records she's ever released, because it is her most unique and personal. She may not be able to hold onto water, but her career is as solid as stone.

Rating: 9 out of 10